Electrical connectors – Preformed panel circuit arrangement – e.g. – pcb – icm – dip,... – With provision to conduct electricity from panel circuit to...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-22
2002-07-09
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Preformed panel circuit arrangement, e.g., pcb, icm, dip,...
With provision to conduct electricity from panel circuit to...
C361S785000, C361S790000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06416333
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to boards to be extended onto which a connector and electronic devices are mounted (hereinafter referred to as extension boards) and a method of extending boards.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There occurs a necessity to extend a board having mounted thereon electronic devices to enhance a throughput in a variety of electronic equipment.
To extend a board, however, it is necessary to provide connectors for extension purposes by necessary numbers on a board that is mounted on an electronic equipment from the beginning. For example, if boards are extended or extended onto a mother board
4
that is mounted on an electronic equipment from the beginning, there is a necessity to provide connectors
4
a
,
4
b
,
4
c
,
4
d
for providing boards onto the mother board
4
by the expected number of boards to be extended in advance. Accordingly, a part of the mother board
4
is occupied by the connectors for extension purposes, which prevents electronic devices from being mounted with high density by a space occupied thereby.
Further, according to a conventional board extension technique, there is a problem that the same type of board on which the same circuit is formed can not be used when extending boards on the board which was provided or extended onto a mother board. This problem is explained with reference to FIG.
5
.
In
FIG. 5
, depicted by a reference numeral
7
is a mother board,
5
,
6
are memory boards serving as extension boards each having the same configuration,
7
a
,
6
a
,
5
a
are connectors,
7
c
,
7
d
are signal output portions,
6
c
,
5
c
are devices such as a memory chip,
7
f
,
7
e
,
6
f
,
6
e
,
5
f
,
5
e
are connector pins. In
FIG. 5
, the memory board
6
is connected to the mother board
7
via the connector
7
a
of the mother board
7
and the memory board
5
is connected to the memory board
6
via the connector
6
a of the memory board
6
.
When data is inputted or outputted from the mother board
7
to the device
6
c
of the memory board
6
in a state where the memory board
6
and memory board
5
are connected respectively to the mother board
7
, a chip selector signal is outputted from the signal output portion
7
c
and it is transmitted to the device
6
c
via the connector pin
6
f
. As a result, the device
6
c
is rendered active, namely, readable or writable.
At this time, since the signal line connected to the connector pin
6
f
is also connected to the connector pin
5
f
of the memory board
5
, there occurs a problem that the device
5
c
is also rendered active via the connector pin
5
f.
To solve the problem, it is necessary to change wiring such that the device
5
c
is not connected to the connector pin
5
f
but rather connected to the connector pin
5
e
. With such a change of wiring, only the device
5
c
is rendered active in response to a signal from the signal output portion
7
d.
That is, if the same extension board is to be extended onto the extension board according to the conventional method of extending boards, it is impossible to distinguishably select the same electronic devices on the plurality of extension boards, which arising a problem of necessity of designing a different board, resulting in increasing a fabrication cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention has been made under the foregoing circumstances and it is an object of the invention to extend extension boards and method of extending boards capable of reducing a fabrication cost and of mounting a board, that is mounted on an electronic equipment from the beginning, with high density.
To achieve the foregoing problem, boards for extension purposes each mounting thereon connector and electronic devices according to a first aspect of the invention is characterized in that the connector formed of an upper connector provided on an upper side of each board, and a lower connector provided on a lower side of each board, the board having signal lines extending through the lower connector to the upper connector, the upper and lower connectors each having a plurality of terminals, each terminal of the upper and lower connectors forming one pair while interposing the board therebetween, wherein at least two pairs of terminals form a terminal group, the signal lines connecting terminals of the upper and lower connectors which are not paired within one terminal group, and wherein only one of signal lines connecting each terminal of one terminal group is connected to the electronic device.
According to the first aspect of the invention, since each terminal of the upper and lower connectors is paired while interposing the board therebetween, and two paired terminals form a terminal group, and a signal line extending inside the board connects between the vertically arranged terminals which are not paired within one terminal group, the terminals positioned at the same locations on two boards are not connected with each other via the signal line even if one extension board is overlaid on another extension board which are respectively extended on the board such as a mother board. Moreover, one of signal lines connected to each terminal of one terminal group is connected to the electronic device on the board.
Accordingly, even if the electronic device connected to the signal line of one terminal group provided on the extension board is rendered active, the electronic device provided on another extension board is not rendered active.
As a result, since a plurality of boards which are respectively the same configuration can be extended if they are the extension board according to the first aspect of the invention, there does not occur the case of redesigning an extension board to be extended onto the extension board as made conventionally, thereby reducing a fabrication cost.
Further, since another extension board can be further extended on the extension board, it is enough to provide only a single connector on the extension board which has been mounted on an electronic equipment from the beginning so that the electronic devices can be mounted with high density because the extension board is not occupied by the extension connectors.
The number of pairs of terminals constituting the terminal groups may be determined concretely in accordance with the number of expected extension boards. For example, if the terminal group is formed of two pairs of terminals according to a second aspect of the invention, it is possible to extend two same type of extension boards onto one mother board. If the terminal group is formed of three pairs of terminals, it is possible to extend three same type of extension boards onto one mother board. If it is expected to extend four or more same type of extension boards onto one mother board, the terminal group may be formed of four pairs or more terminals.
Electronic devices set forth in this application mean various electronic devices such as a memory chip and an IC.
The extension boards according to the first or second aspect of the invention may enhance general purposes if they are memory boards in a third aspect of the invention.
A method of extending boards according to a fourth aspect of the invention is characterized in comprising extending a board for extension purposes in accordance with the first to third aspects of the invention on a board to be extended and having a connector.
A method of extending boards according to a fifth aspect of the invention is characterized in comprising extending a plurality of boards for extension purposes by overlaying one board on another board in accordance with the first to third aspects of the invention on a board to be extended and having a connector.
If the extension boards according to the first to third aspects of the invention are employed by the method of extending boards as set forth in the fourth or fifth aspect of the invention, it is possible to extend a plurality of same type of extension boards, thereby reducing a fabrication cost in a designing stage.
Since another extension board can be extended onto one extension board, it is sufficie
Fukushima Takeo
Hasegawa Dai
Mori Yasuo
Ando Electric Co. Ltd.
Flynn ,Thiel, Boutell & Tanis, P.C.
Nguyen Son V.
Sircus Brian
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