US Patent 7978476 Electronic system with non-parallel arrays of circuit card assemblies

An electronic assembly for housing circuit cards of different types, which communicate with one another at high speed. Circuit cards of a first type plug into a backplane side-by-side. Circuit cards of a second type are arranged perpendicularly to the circuit cards of the first type. The arrangement allows cards of the first type to communicate with cards of the second type over short distances, thus improving system throughput. It also allows cards of different types to be cooled differently, thus promoting efficient cooling.