Commscope, Inc of North Carolina

Commscope Technologies LLC

Shi Man Li

Robert Ryan Riggsby

Mark O Vogel

Ming Yao Lee

Jui-Huang Chung

Chi-Min Kang

John Charles Chamberlain

Chien Pang Lee

Kenneth Steven Wood

Robert E Darrow

Chiang-Po Yang

Chi Tsung Yang

The present invention is directed to a CATV & MoCA&#xae; device, such as a RF signal amplifier. The RF signal amplifier includes a RF input port to receive signals from, and transmit signals to, a service provider. The RF input port is connected to an active communication path with a downstream signal amplifier leading to an input of a resistive splitter network. The resistive splitter network has plural interconnected resistors, which split the amplified signal received at the input of the resistive splitter network and provide the signal to plural 'CATV & MoCA&#xae;' output ports. Upstream CATV signals received by the 'CATV & MoCA&#xae;' output ports are combined by the resistive splitter network and sent to the RF input port to be transmitted to the service provider. MoCA&#xae; signals received by any one of the &#x201c;CATV & MoCA&#xae;&#x201d; output ports are carried by the resistive splitter network to the other &#x201c;CATV & MoCA&#xae;&#x201d; output ports, and potentially to other &#x201c;MoCA&#xae; only&#x201d; ports of the RF signal amplifier.

CATV device with resistive signal distribution network

RF signal amplifiers are provided that include an RF input port, one or more active RF output ports, one or more passive RF output ports, an active communication path, and a passive communication path. Various embodiments include one or more switching devices, one or more directional couplers, one or more diplexers, a power divider network, and/or an attenuator.

Signal amplifiers that switch to an attenuated or alternate communications path in response to a power interruption

RF signal amplifiers are provided that include an RF input port and a power divider network having a plurality of active output ports. An active communications path connects the RF input port to the power divider network. The active communications path includes at least one power amplifier. The RF signal amplifier also includes a passive output port and a passive communications path connecting the RF input port to the passive output port. An electrical connection with at least one circuit unit connects the active communications path and the passive communications path so that MoCA signals may flow between the active communications path and the passive communications path, but the at least one circuit unit preventing upstream and downstream frequency bands of a service provider from passing along the electrical connection. In various embodiments, the at least one circuit unit may be selected from one or more diplexers and one or more filters.

Signal amplifiers that support MoCA communications at both active and passive output ports

The present invention is directed to a CATV & MoCA&#xae; device, such as a passive, point of entry (POE) splitter or a RF amplifier. In the passive, POE splitter, a resistive splitter network connects plural 'MoCA&#xae; only' ports, e.g., four, five or eight, to two or more 'MoCA&#xae; and CATV' ports. The MoCA&#xae; only ports and MoCA&#xae; and CATV ports are connected to a MoCA&#xae; rejection filter, which is in turn connected to an input connected to a service provider. In the passive, POE splitter or the RF amplifier, an intuitive female coaxial port layout and marking scheme assists technicians with correctly connecting the POE splitter or RF amplifier to the correct coaxial cables at a customer's premises. The port layout also simplifies the circuitry design parameters on a printed circuit board (PCB) by orienting the &#x201c;CATV & MoCA&#xae;&#x201d; output ports at similar distances from a CATV input port of the POE splitter or RF amplifier.

Point of entry (POE) splitter circuitry

The present invention is directed to a splitter or hub that provides plural ports for communicating MoCA signals between devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a passive splitter to communicate MoCA signals between a gateway/amplifier port and customer devices, or a passive hub to communicate MoCA signals between customer devices. The splitter or hub includes a resistive splitter network and may include a MoCA passing filter and a test port.

MoCA connectivity splitter and hub

A bi-directional RF signal amplifier includes a housing with an RF input port. A power divider network within the housing terminates to a plurality of active RF output ports. An active communications path connects the RF input port to the power divider network. A passive communications path connects the RF input port to a passive RF output port. A MoCA input/output port is provided on the housing. A MoCA signal path connects the power divider network to the MoCA input/output port, and a MoCA pass filter is located along the MoCA signal path. In another embodiment, a passive splitter includes a housing with an RF input port, a power divider network, and a plurality of CATV/MoCA RF output ports. A CATV communications path connects the RF input port to the power divider network. A MoCA input/output port is provided on the housing. A MoCA signal path connects the power divider network to the MoCA input/output port, and a MoCA pass filter is located along the MoCA signal path.

MoCA connectivity between RF amplifiers or splitter devices

The present invention is directed to a bi-directional RF signal amplifier that includes both an active communications path and a passive communications path. The circuitry is simplified and the housing size is reduced by having one port which functions as part of the active communications path when the bi-directional RF signal amplifier is powered, and that functions as part of the passive communications path when the bi-directional RF signal amplifier is unpowered.

RF signal amplifier with combined active and passive port

RF signal amplifiers are provided that include an RF input port, a switching device having an input that is coupled to the RF input port, a first output and a second output, a first diplexer having an input that is coupled to both the first output of the switching device and the second output of the switching device, and a first RF output port that is coupled to an output of the first diplexer. These amplifiers further include an attenuator that is coupled between the second output of the switching device and the input of the first diplexer.

Power divider networks are provided that have Multimedia Over Coax Alliance ('MoCA') bypass paths. These power divider networks may include a housing having an input port and first and second output ports; a first impedance transformer that has a first winding coupled in series between the input port and a first node, a second winding coupled in series between a reference voltage and the first node; a second impedance transformer that has a third winding coupled in series between the first node and the first output port, a fourth winding coupled in series between the first node and the second output port; a resistance having a first end coupled to the first output port and a second end coupled to the second output port; a first inductor in series between the third winding and the first output port; a second inductor in series between the fourth winding and the second output port; and a third inductor and a first capacitor that are disposed in parallel between the first output port and the first end of the first resistance.

Radio frequency power divider networks having MoCA bypass circuits and related methods

Radio frequency subscriber drop units include a housing having an input port and an output port and a printed circuit board mounted in an interior of the housing. The printed circuit board includes a dielectric layer, a wiring layer that includes conductive wirings that comprise at least part of a communications path between the input port and the output port that is on a first face of the dielectric layer, and a ground plane layer that includes a conductive ground plane that is on a second face of the dielectric layer.

Radio frequency subscriber drop units having printed circuit boards with ground plane layers and/or housings with ground walls

A CATV & MoCA splitter has an input and at least one output that is 'CATV & MoCA' and at least one output that is 'MoCA only.' The splitter functions as a building block to provide a customizable installation that supplies the needed number of &#x201c;CATV & MoCA&#x201d; outputs and the needed number of &#x201c;MoCA only&#x201d; outputs. The splitter includes a housing with first, second and third coaxial ports attached to the housing. In one embodiment, the second coaxial port is connected to the first coaxial port via a power divider so that all frequencies presented to the first coaxial port can pass to the second coaxial port, and vice versa. A high pass filter, which passes only MoCA signals, connects the power divider and third coaxial port.

Growing community of inventors

Mooresville, NC, United States of America

Shi Man Li