Small form-factor pluggable unit having a plurality of insertable cages

摘要

A multicage small form-factor pluggable (SFP) unit comprises a front portion, and a plurality of cages mounted to a rearward side of the front portion. An actuator may emerge from the front portion, for disengaging the plurality of cages from a chassis upon upward movement of the actuator. One or more external connectors may be mounted to a front panel of the front portion. One or more rear connectors may be mounted to a back panel of at least one of the cages, for connecting to a backplane. At least one of the cages may comprise one or more processing modules. Various combinations of internal connections may be implemented between the external connectors if any, the rear connectors if any, and the processing modules if any. The multicage SFP unit may for example comprise two, three or four cages arranged in a horizontal row.

主权项

1. A multicage small form-factor pluggable (SFP) unit, comprising:
a single front portion; a plurality of cages attached to a rearward side of the front portion, the plurality of cages being dimensioned according to a SFP, SFP+ or XFP specification for allowing insertion of the plurality of cages into a chassis; and an engagement and ejection mechanism for respectively maintaining the plurality of cages within the chassis and disengaging the plurality of cages from the chassis, the engagement and ejection mechanism comprising:
a latch positioned underneath a fixed one of the plurality of cages for maintaining the plurality of cages within a chassis;a lever adjacent to the latch; andan actuator emerging from the front portion and operably connected to the lever; andwherein upon upward movement of the actuator, the latch applies pressure underneath the fixed cage, thereby disengaging the plurality of cages from the chassis.