Abstract:
A transmission apparatus includes a case including first, second, and third stages, each stage having one slot, each slot allowing free insertion and removal of a board; a first control board; a first communication unit connected with the first control board and performing radio communication; and a second communication unit connected with the first control board and performing communication faster than the radio communication. The first control board is mounted in the slot of the first stage. The first communication unit is mounted in the slot of the second stage, and the second stage is provided on one side of the first stage. The second communication unit is mounted in the slot of the third stage, and the third stage is provided on a side opposite to the first communication unit with respect to the first stage. The second communication unit is arranged adjacent to the first control board.

Description:
[0001]    This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese patent application No. 2011-074735, filed on Mar. 30, 2011, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a transmission apparatus on which a plurality of communication units, including communication units that can communicate at high speed, can be mounted. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    Recent years have seen the proliferation of mobile communication systems that can perform voice and data communication from wireless terminals by performing wireless communication between a wireless terminal such as a mobile telephone or mobile electronic device and a mobile base station. In order for mobile operators to expand the area in which communication is possible along with the rapid spread of mobile telephones, wireless base stations have been newly installed in communication areas that mobile base stations cannot cover, that is to say, dead zones. 
         [0006]    Conventionally, communication among a plurality of radio base stations and communication between a radio line control station that controls this plurality of radio base stations and a radio base station is generally performed via a wired network such as an underground optical cable network. However, in order to build such a wired network, immense equipment investment is required. 
         [0007]    Therefore, in recent years, by adopting a method that wirelessly performs communication among radio base stations and communication between a radio base station and a radio line control station, attempts have been made to construct a mobile communication system easier, faster and at a lower cost compared to a wired network. 
         [0008]    In such radio communication, for example a compact microwave communication system is utilized. A microwave communication system has an outdoor apparatus such as an antenna, and an indoor apparatus that has a transmission apparatus that processes microwaves that have been received (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2006-197343). 
         [0009]    The transmission apparatus that constitutes the microwave communication system houses within one case a communication unit that is capable of radio communication and a communication unit that is capable of optical communication that is faster than radio communication. Thereby, since the wiring has a higher density, there are problems such as malfunctioning of the transmission apparatus due to this higher density. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    A transmission apparatus according to an exemplary aspect of the present invention includes: a case that includes at least first, second, and third stages, each of the stages having at least one slot, each slot allowing free insertion and removal of a board; at least first control board; at least one first communication unit that is connected with the first control board and performs radio communication; and at least one second communication unit that is connected with the first control board and performs communication that is faster than the radio communication. The first control board is mounted in the slot of the first stage. The first communication unit is mounted in the slot of the second stage, and the second stage is provided on one side of the first stage. The second communication unit is mounted in the slot of the third stage, and the third stage is provided on a side opposite to the first communication unit with respect to the first stage. The second communication unit is arranged adjacent to the first control board. 
         [0011]    With this constitution, in addition to a communication unit that is capable of radio communication in the case of there being demand for a communication unit that is capable of optical communication that is faster than radio communication, by arranging a communication unit that is capable of radio communication and a communication unit that is capable of optical communication so as to sandwich a control board and dispersing the wiring, it is possible to increase the efficiency of the wiring and suppress an increased density of the wiring. 
         [0012]    Also, by arranging the communication unit that is capable of optical communication to be adjacent to the control board, it is possible to shorten the wiring between the communication unit that is capable of optical communication and the control board, and it is possible to inhibit data degradation. 
         [0013]    A communication apparatus according to an exemplary aspect of the present invention performs signal control of radio communication and optical communication. The communication apparatus includes: a control board; a first communication unit that is arranged on one side of the control board and performs the radio communication; and a second communication unit that is arranged adjacent to the control board and arranged on a side opposite to the first communication unit with respect to the control board, and performs the optical communication that is faster than the radio communication. 
         [0014]    With to this constitution, in addition to a communication unit that is capable of radio communication in the case of there being demand for a communication unit that is capable of optical communication that is faster than radio communication, by arranging a communication unit that is capable of radio communication and a communication unit that is capable of optical communication so as to sandwich a control board and dispersing the wiring, it is possible to increase the efficiency of the wiring and suppress an increase in density of the wiring. 
         [0015]    Also, by arranging the communication unit that is capable of optical communication to be adjacent to the control board, it is possible to shorten the wiring between the communication unit that is capable of optical communication and the control board, and it is possible to inhibit data degradation. 
         [0016]    According to the transmission apparatus of the exemplary aspect of the present invention, it is possible to increase the efficiency of the wiring between the control board and the communication unit, and it is possible to inhibit an increase in wiring density. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0017]      FIG. 1  is a configuration view of a communication network in which a transmission apparatus of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is applied. 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the transmission apparatus of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a fan unit of the transmission apparatus shown in  FIG. 2 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a filter of the transmission apparatus shown in  FIG. 2 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the internal structure of a case and a motherboard of the transmission apparatus shown in  FIG. 2 . 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  is a view that shows the connection configuration of constituent elements of the transmission apparatus shown in  FIG. 2 . 
           [0023]      FIG. 7  is a view that shows the connection configuration of control boards and main signals of communication units of the transmission apparatus shown in  FIG. 2 . 
           [0024]      FIG. 8  is a view for explaining the arrangement of boards of the transmission apparatus shown in  FIG. 2 . 
           [0025]      FIG. 9  is a view for explaining the arrangement of low-speed communication units and the high-speed communication units of the transmission apparatus shown in  FIG. 2 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0026]    Hereinbelow, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention shall be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 
         [0027]      FIG. 1  is a configuration view of a communication network  50  in which a transmission apparatus  2  of this exemplary embodiment (refer to  FIG. 2 ) is applied. The communication network  50  has radio terminals  51  such as a mobile telephone or the like, radio base stations  52 , radio line control stations  53 , a core network  54 , and an external network  55 . The radio terminals  51  are capable of communication in a range in which radio waves from the radio base stations  52  reach. 
         [0028]    The radio base stations  52  are connected with the radio line control stations  53  that are of a higher order. The radio line control stations  53  controls a plurality of the radio base stations  52 . The radio line control stations  53  are connected with the core network  54  that is the trunk line network. The core network  54  is connected with the external network  55  (for example, mobile communication networks of other communications operators and general public line networks, and the like). 
         [0029]    A radio communication apparatus  1  is installed for each radio base station  52  and radio line control station  53 . Communication between the radio base stations  52  and communication between the radio base station  52  and the radio line control station  53  is performed wirelessly. The radio communication apparatus  1  is a communication apparatus that enables high-speed radio communication by using microwaves. The radio communication apparatus  1  has an outdoor apparatus such as an antenna that sends and receives radio waves, and an indoor apparatus such as the transmission apparatus  2  that processes radio waves that have been received. 
         [0030]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , the transmission apparatus  2  has a case  3 , a plurality of communication units  4 , two control boards  5 , two fan units  6 , two power supply units (power supply boards)  7 , an external device connection board  8 , and a filter  17 . The case  3  has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The communication units  4  are installed in the case  3 . The communication units  4 , the control boards  5 , the fan units  6 , the power supply units  7 , and the external device connection board  8  are connected via a mother board  9  (refer to  FIG. 5 ). 
         [0031]    The case  3  has a case body  10  and fixtures  11 . The case body  10  is box shaped, and has an opening  14  in the front. The fixtures  11  are attached to both sides of the case body  10 . The fixture  11  includes an elongated L-shaped metal fitting. One face  11   a  of the fixture  11  is fixed to the side wall of the case body  10 . The other face  11   b  of the fixture  11  is fixed so as to be positioned on the same plane as the surface that constitutes the opening  14  of the case body  10 . That is, the other face  11   b  of the fixture  11  is flush with the surface that constitutes the opening  14  of the case body  10 . Also, a plurality of fixed holes  12  for installing and fixing the transmission apparatus  2  are formed in the other face  11   b  of the fixture  11 . A plurality of ventilation holes  13  are formed in both side surfaces of the case body  10 . Hereinbelow, the direction that is perpendicular with the surface that constitutes the opening  14  is referred to as the depth direction, and the horizontal direction that intersects with the depth direction is referred to as the lateral direction. 
         [0032]    The interior space of the case  3 , as seen from the opening  14  side, has three regions that are divided into three in the lateral direction. Among the three regions, the regions at both sides are respectively a filter insertion portion  21  and a fan insertion portion  23 . Among the three regions, the center region is a board insertion portion  22 . The board insertion portion  22  is divided into six stages  30  in the vertical direction. Hereinbelow, in the order from the upper stage  30 , they are called stage  30   a , stage (second stage)  30   b , stage (first stage)  30   c , stage (fourth stage)  30   d , stage (third stage)  30   e , and stage (fifth stage)  30   f . Each of the stages  30   a  to  30   e  is divided into a plurality of slots  15 . For example, stage  30   a , stage  30   b , and stage  30   e  are divided into four portions. 
         [0033]    The fan insertion portion  23  is divided into slots  16  of two stages in the vertical direction. It is possible to mount the fan units  6  in each of the slots  16 . The filter insertion portion  21  is not divided in the vertical direction. It is possible to insert the plate-shaped filter  17  in the upright state in the filter insertion portion  21 . The fan unit  6  is constituted to draw out air from the interior of the case  3  and discharge it from the ventilation holes  13 . The filter  17  is constituted to shut out grime and dust that is included in the air that flows into the interior of the case  3 , with the air discharge by the fan unit  6 . 
         [0034]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , the fan unit  6  has a box-shaped case  19  and two fans  20 . Each fan  20  is a cooling fan that has a square-shaped casing. Two of the fans  20  are arranged in the depth direction so that the blowing direction faces the lateral direction. The case  19  has a shape corresponding to the slot  16  of the fan insertion portion  23 . In the case  19 , a fan hole  19   a  is formed penetrating in the lateral direction at each location where the fan  20  is arranged. 
         [0035]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , the filter  17  has a plate shape that corresponds to the filter insertion portion  21 . In the filter  17 , a filter that consists of a nonwoven fabric or a mesh is incorporated in a frame that is divided into a plurality. It is possible to detachably attach the filter  17  to the filter insertion portion  21 . 
         [0036]      FIG. 5  is a view that shows the slots  15  of the case  3 , and the motherboard  9  that is arranged at the back surface side opposite the opening  14  of the case  3 . Note that in order to facilitate understanding of the explanation, in  FIG. 5  illustration of the upper cover of the case  3  is omitted. 
         [0037]    In each stage  30 , a plurality of guide rails  24  are provided that guide the left/right edges of the each control board  5  that is inserted, and divide each stage  30  into a plurality of slots  15 . Also, the guide rails  24  have a function of holding a divider  25  that partitions each stage  30 . 
         [0038]    A plurality of connectors  18  that are capable of connecting the communication units  4 , the control boards  5 , the fan units  6 , the power supply units  7 , and the external device connection board  8  are provided at corresponding positions on the motherboard  9 . Also, a plurality of rectangular holes  26  are formed in the dividers  25 . The formation of the rectangular holes  26  enables a reduction in weight of the dividers  25 , and can prevent heat from becoming trapped in the interior of the case  3  during operation of the transmission apparatus  2 . In  FIG. 5 , the rectangular hole  26  is rectangular, but is not limited thereto. The rectangular hole  26  may be any shape such as round or triangular provided it is a constitution that achieves weight saving and a more efficient heat flow. 
         [0039]    Next, the connection configuration of each constituent element of the transmission apparatus  2 , and the details of each constituent element shall be described. 
         [0040]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , the communication units  4 , the control boards (MAIN CARD  1 , MAIN CARD  2 )  5 , the fan units (FAN  1 , FAN  2 )  6 , the power supply units (PSI)  7 , and the external device connection board (TERM)  8  are connected via the motherboard  9 . The transmission apparatus  2  has the two control board  5 , the two power supply unit  7 , and the two fan unit  6 . The transmission apparatus  2  has a constitution that allows a plurality of communication units  4  (LOW I/F  4   a , HIGH I/F e 4   b ), to be connected. 
         [0041]    The two power supply units  7  have the same constitution, and are configured so as to supply electrical power to the control boards  5 , the fan units  6 , and the external device connection board  8  via the motherboard  9 . The electrical power that the transmission apparatus  2  requires can be supplied by one power supply unit  7 . 
         [0042]    That is to say, the transmission apparatus  2  is configured to be operable even in the case of one among the two power supply units  7  being stopped (failed). 
         [0043]    The two power supply units  7  are set so as to be normally operated in parallel and supply in a shared manner the electrical power that is required. On the other hand, it is set so that, in the event of one of the power supply units  7  having failed, the power supply unit  7  that has not failed supplies all of the electrical power. Also, the power supply units  7  are constituted so as to be able to replace a failed power supply unit  7  without stopping operation of the radio communication apparatus  1 . 
         [0044]    The two control boards  5  also have the same constitution. Each of the two control boards  5  has the function of integrally controlling the constituent elements of the transmission apparatus  2 . That is to say, even if one of the control boards  5  is stopped, the transmission apparatus  2  is capable of being operated by the other control board  5 . Also, the control board  5  is constituted so as to be able to replace a failed control board  5  without having to stop operation of the radio communication apparatus  1 . 
         [0045]    The two fan units  6  also have the same constitution. As mentioned above, the fan units  6  are constituted so as to be able to discharge air in the interior of the case  3 . During normal operation, the two fan units  6 , that is to say, the four fans  20 , are set so as to operate. It is set so that, in the event of one fan unit  6  having failed, the remaining fan unit  6  increases its wind force. 
         [0046]    The communication units  4  includes low-speed communication units (first communication units)  4   a  and high-speed communication units (second communication units)  4   b . The low-speed communication units  4   a  are suitable for low-speed communication with a transmission speed of around 1 Gbps, and are such as radio communication or an STM (synchronous transport module). The high-speed communication units  4   b  are suitable for low-speed communication and high-speed optical communication of 10 Gbps or more. The transmission apparatus  2  of the present exemplary embodiment is capable of connecting 10 low-speed communication units  4   a  and four high-speed communication units  4   b.    
         [0047]    The control board  5  is capable of performing signal control for the above radio communication and optical communication. Moreover, the control board  5  is capable of replacing (converting) the signal between radio communication and optical communication, and thereby is capable of transmitting by radio communication a signal that is received by optical communication, and is capable of transmitting by optical communication a signal that is received by radio communication. 
         [0048]    The low-speed communication unit  4   a  has a pair of modems  41  (refer to  FIG. 7 ), an STM- 1  interface  42 , and a GbE interface  43 . The pair of modems  41  communicate with the outdoor apparatus. The STM- 1  interface  42  supports STM- 1 . The GbE interface  43  supports the GbE (Gigabit Ethernet (registered trademark)) standard. A connector (not illustrated) that can communicate at least electrical signals is provided in the low-speed communication unit  4   a.    
         [0049]    The high-speed communication unit  4   b  has a 10 GbE interface  44  that supports the 10 GbE standard (refer to  FIG. 7 ). A connector (not illustrated) that can communicate at least optical signals is provided in the high-speed communication unit  4   b.    
         [0050]    The external device connection board  8  is a board for connecting an external device such as a personal computer with and the control board  5 . Although not illustrated, a connector for enabling communication is provided on the front panel of the external device connection board  8 . The external device connection board  8  is constituted to be connectable to either of the two control boards  5 . 
         [0051]    Next, the connection configuration of the main signals of the control board  5  and the low-speed communication units  4   a  and the high-speed communication units  4   b  shall be described. 
         [0052]    As shown in  FIG. 7 , the pair of modems  41 , the STM- 1  interface  42 , the GbE interface  43 , and the 10 GbE interface  44  are connected with the two control boards  5  via the motherboard  9 . A TDM switch  45  that performs TDM (time division multiplex) data transfer processing, and two L 2  switches  46  are mounted on each of the control boards  5 . 
         [0053]    Each modem  41  that is mounted in the low-speed communication unit  4   a  is connected to the TDM switch  45  of each control board  5  via the TDM bus  47  of the motherboard  9 , and also connected to one L 2  switch  46   a  of each control board  5  via the SMGII bus  48 . Also, the modems  41  are mutually connected via a confounding line  61 . 
         [0054]    An STM- 1  interface  42  that is mounted on the low-speed communication units  4   a  is connected with the TDM switch  45  via a TDM bus  47 . The STM- 1  interface  42  is one of an SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy), and is an interface that has a transmission speed of 155.52 Mbps. 
         [0055]    The GbE interface  43  that is mounted on the low-speed communication units  4   a  is connected with one L 2  switch  46   a  via the four SMGII buses  48 . The SMGII buses  48  are interfaces that, by each one, realize the communication speed of 1.25 Gbps. The communication standard that is adopted for the GbE interface  43  is not limited to this, and provided it can be applied to the communication standard of Gigabit Ethernet (registered trademark), any interface may be adopted. 
         [0056]    The 10 GbE interface  44  that is mounted on the high-speed communication units  4   b  is connected with the other L 2  switch  46   b  via the four XAUI buses  49 . The XAUI buses  49  are interfaces that, by each one, realize a communication speed of 3.125 Gbps. The communication standard that is adopted for the 10 GbE interface  44  is not limited to this, and provided it can be applied to the communication standard of 10 Gigabit Ethernet (registered trademark), any interface may be adopted. 
         [0057]    Next, the arrangement of each constituent element in the board insertion portion  22  shall be described. 
         [0058]    As shown in  FIG. 8 , the stage  30   a  and the stage  30   b  are divided into four low-speed communication slots  15   a . The low-speed communication slots  15   a  are connected with the control boards  5  via a bus that corresponds to the low-speed communication on the motherboard  9 . The low-speed communication units  4   a  are connected to the low-speed communication slots  15   a.    
         [0059]    The stage  30   c  and the stage  30   d  have on the left side the low-speed communication slot  15   a  that has a width of ¼ of the entire width of the stage  30 . Also, the stage  30   c  and the stage  30   d  have on the right side a control board slot  15   b  that has a width of ¾ of the entire width of the stage  30 . The low-speed communication unit  4   a  is connected to the low-speed communication slot  15   a  of each of the stage  30   c  and the stage  30   d . The control board  5  is connected to the control board slot  15   b  of each of the stage  30   c  and the stage  30   d.    
         [0060]    The stage  30   e  is divided into four high-speed communication slots  15   c . The high-speed communication slots  15   c  are connected with the control board  5  via a bus that corresponds to high-speed communication. The high-speed communication units  4   b  are connected with the high-speed communication slots  15   c . It is possible to connect any low-speed communication unit to the high-speed communication slots  15   c , but it is not possible to implement a GbE interface in a low-speed communication unit. The reason is because the 10 GbE wiring (XAUI: 3.125 Gbps) and the GbE wiring (SMGII: 1.25 Gbps) are shared on the motherboard  9 . 
         [0061]    The stage  30   f  has an external device connection slot  15   d  similar to the communication slots  15   a  and  15   c , and two power supply slots  15   e . The external device connection slot  15   d  has a width of ¼ of the total width of the stage  30 . The two power supply slots  15   e  respectively have a width that divides into two the remaining width (the width  30  excluding the slot  15   d  of the stage  30   f ). An external device connection board  8  is connected to the external device connection slot  15   d . The power supply unit  7  is connected to each of the two power supply slots  15   e.    
         [0062]    Of the fan units  6 , one fan unit  6  is arranged so as to discharge heat of the one control board  5 , and the other fan unit  6  is arranged so as to discharge the heat of the other control board  5 . 
         [0063]    As shown by the area enclosed by the solid line A in  FIG. 9 , there are provided ten low-speed communication slots  15   a . The low-speed communication slots  15   a  are grouped from stage  30   a  to stage  30   d , that is, from the first stage to the fourth stage. I/F 1  to I/F 10  in  FIG. 8  and  FIG. 9  denote the low-speed communication units  4   a  that are mounted in the low-speed communication slots  15   a . In the present exemplary embodiment, in order to ensure redundancy, the low-speed communication units  4   a  that are respectively mounted in I/F 1  and I/F 2  are set so as to form a pair. That is to say, two low-speed communication units  4   a  are made to have a redundant constitution, and thus, it is constituted so that, in the case of one low-speed communication unit  4   a  (FF 1 , for example) failing, the other low-speed communication unit  4   a  (I/F 2 , for example) covers it. 
         [0064]    Similarly, the low-speed communication units  4   a  are mounted in I/F 3  and I/F 4 ; I/F 5  and I/F 6 ; I/F 7  and I/F 8 ; I/F 9  and I/F 10 , so as to form a pair with each other, and thereby redundancy is ensured. 
         [0065]    Also, the FF 9  and FF 10  are constituted so as to form a pair that straddles the stage  30   c  and the stage  30   d , and so it is possible to ensure redundancy with less space. 
         [0066]    Also, as shown by the area enclosed by the dotted line B of  FIG. 9 , there are provided four high-speed communication slots  15   c  in the stage  30   d . I/F 11  to FF 14  in  FIG. 8  and  FIG. 9  are high-speed communication units  4   b  that are mounted in high-speed communication slots  15   c . In order to ensure redundancy, the two high-speed communication units  4   b  that form a pair are mounted in the I/F 11  and the I/F 12 , and the two high-speed communication units  4   b  that form a pair are mounted in I/F 13  and I/F 14 . 
         [0067]    Also, as shown by  FIG. 8  and  FIG. 9 , the plurality of low-speed communication units  4   a  and the plurality of high-speed communication units  4   b  are arranged so as to sandwich the two control boards  5  from above and below. In particular, all of the high-speed communication units  4   b  are arranged in the stage  30   e  adjacent to the control board  5 . 
         [0068]    According to the aforementioned exemplary embodiment, it is possible to ensure redundancy of the apparatus, and realize a high reliability even in the case of a failure occurring in one control board  5 , by mounting the control boards  5  in each of the stage  30   c  and stage  30   d  that are adjacent. 
         [0069]    Also, in addition to the plurality of low-speed communication units  4   a , it is possible to mount the plurality of high-speed communication units  4   b  with redundancy ensured for each of the low-speed and high-speed communication units  4   a ,  4   b.    
         [0070]    Also, the low-speed communication units  4   a  and the high-speed communication units  4   b  are arranged so as to sandwich the control boards  5  therebetween, and thereby the wiring is dispersed. With this constitution, it is possible to increase the efficiency of the wiring and inhibit an increase in density of the wiring. In particular, by arranging the high-speed communication units  4   b  (slots  15   c ) to be adjacent with the control boards  5 , it is possible to shorten the wiring of the slots  15   c  and the control boards  5 , and it is possible to inhibit degradation of data. 
         [0071]    Also, since not only the communication units  4 , but also the power supply units  7  and the fan units  6  are constituted to be capable of being inserted in and removed from the slots  15  and  16 , they can be easily replaced. Moreover, since two of the fans  20  are provided in the one fan unit  6 , even in the case of a fault arising in one fan  20 , it is possible to ensure the redundancy of the apparatus. 
         [0072]    While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the exemplary embodiment thereof, the invention is not limited to the embodiment. It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims. 
         [0073]    For example, the number of stages  30  is not limited to six stages. For example, provided the transmission apparatus  2  includes the low-speed communication units  4   a  and the high-speed communication units  4   b , and it is possible to arrange the low-speed communication units  4   a  and the high-speed communication units  4   b  so as to sandwich the control boards  5  and disperse the wiring, the stages  30  may be constituted with three stages. 
         [0074]    Also, although the external device connection board  8  is provided separate from the two control boards  5  in the present exemplary embodiment, it is not limited to this constitution. For example, a constitution is possible that provides a connector for an external device connection on each of the control boards  5 .