Patent ID: 7555309

Claim:
A RF router comprising: (a) a controller; (b) one or more input modules, wherein each input module includes: (i) a plurality of RF signal input terminals; (ii) a plurality of backplane signal output terminals; and (ii) a resistive input signal splitter coupled to each RF signal input terminals for providing a plurality of split input signals, wherein each of the split input signals is coupled to one of the backplane signal output terminals as a backplane signal; (c) one or more output modules, wherein each output module includes: (i) a plurality of backplane signal input terminals for receiving at least some of the backplane signals; (ii) a resistive backplane signal splitter coupled to each backplane signal input terminal for splitting the corresponding backplane signal into a plurality of split backplane signals; (iii) a plurality of RF signal output terminals; (iv) a backplane signal selection stage coupled to each of the backplane signal splitters and corresponding to one of the RF signal output terminals for receiving a split backplane signal corresponding to each backplane signal received at the backplane signal input terminals and for selecting one of the split backplane signals in response to a signal from the controller; and (iv) a RF signal output stage coupled to each of backplane signal selection stages for receiving the selected split backplane signal and for coupling the selected split backplane plane signal to the one RF signal output terminal as an output RF signal; and (d) a backplane including: (i) a plurality of backplane signal paths, wherein each backplane signal path couples one of the backplane signal output terminals to one of the backplane signal input terminals.