EP0226765A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Variable length backplane bus
Assignee: AT&T Inc
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Filing: 1986-10-31
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2006-10-31
Abstract
Abstract Presently available printed wiring board backplanes are wired at the time of manufacture to enable only a fixed number of groups of circuit boards to communicate with each other. This prevents a backplane from having the capability of serving a varying number of groups of boards. The present invention enables a backplane to have the capability of serving a variable number of groups of boards. Each backplane of the present invention comprises backplane bus conductors (114-125) and board conductors (226-231). The boards are effectively a part of the bus. The use of a first type of board (201, 203, 205, 207) in a backplane connector (101, 103,105,106,107) continues the bus to the adjacent connector. The use of a second type of board (204) terminates the bus and does not extend it beyond the connector (104) into which the second type of board is inserted. This permits a group of boards comprising one board of the second type and one or more boards of the first type to communicate with each other. The invention also permits communication to continue within a group if a board of the first type is removed from its connector. The invention advantageously permits the backplane to be reconfigured in the field by merely rearranging the boards.
Inventors
- 👤 Gary Joe Grimes
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 07:33
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F3/00; G06F13/00; G06F13/38; G06F13/40; G06F13/4063; G06F13/409; H; H05; H05K; H05K1/00; H05K1/02; H05K1/14
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
150 words
A backplane having a backplane bus comprising; a plurality of connectors on said backplane, bus conductors segments interconnecting contacts of adjacent ones of said connectors, a plurality of boards inserted into a corresponding plurality of adjacent ones of said connectors whereby contacts on each board are connected to corresponding contacts of the connector into which each board is inserted, a bus path on each one of said boards extending between said contacts on said one board whereby the bus conductor segments connected to contacts of the connector into which said one board is inserted are interconnected via the bus path of said one board so long as said one board remains inserted in its associated connector, and circuitry on each board connected to said bus path of its board and in turn, via said backplane conductors segments to circuitry on other ones of said boards currently inserted into said connectors.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
150 words
A backplane having a backplane bus comprising; a plurality of connectors on said backplane, bus conductors segments interconnecting contacts of adjacent ones of said connectors, a plurality of boards inserted into a corresponding plurality of adjacent ones of said connectors whereby contacts on each board are connected to corresponding contacts of the connector into which each board is inserted, a bus path on each one of said boards extending between said contacts on said one board whereby the bus conductor segments connected to contacts of the connector into which said one board is inserted are interconnected via the bus path of said one board so long as said one board remains inserted in its associated connector, and circuitry on each board connected to said bus path of its board and in turn, via said backplane conductors segments to circuitry on other ones of said boards currently inserted into said connectors.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
161 words
The backplane of claim 1 in combination with a bypass bus comprising, a switch on each one of said boards, means connecting one contact of the switch of each one of said boards to the bus path of said one board, means connecting the other contact of said switch beyond the adjacent connector on one side of said one board to the bus path on another one of said boards currently inserted in the next one of said connectors beyond said adjacent connector, and means responsive to the insertion of a board into said adjacent connector for maintaining said switch contacts of said one board in a closed state whereby said bus path of said one board is connected via said closed contacts of said switch on said one board to the bus path of said other board to provide a bus path connection between said one board and said other board when a board is removed from said adjacent connector.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
321 words
A backplane having a backplane bus that includes a plurality of connectors on said backplane, bus conductors segments interconnecting contacts of adjacent ones of said connectors, and a plurality of bus groups with each of said groups comprising; a plurality of boards of a first type inserted into a corresponding plurality of adjacent ones of said connectors whereby contacts on each board are connected to corresponding contacts of the connector into which each board is inserted, a bus path on each one of said boards extending between said contacts on said one board whereby the bus conductor segments connected to contacts of the connector into which said one board is inserted are interconnected via the bus path of said one board so long as said one board remains inserted into its associated connector, circuitry on each board connected to said bus path of the board containing said circuitry and, in turn, via said backplane conductors segments to circuitry on other ones of said boards currently inserted into said connectors, and a second type of board inserted into one of said connectors and having a bus path connected to only a first contact on said second type of board whereby the bus path of a board of said fitst type inserted into a connector adjacent to and on a first side of the connector into which the second type of board is inserted is in a different one of said bus groups and is not interconnected electrically via conductor segments with the bus path of the second type of board and whereby the bus path of said second type of board is connected electrically to a first type of board inserted in a connector on a second side of said board of the second type via the contact of the board of the second type to the conductor segment connected to the connector into which said second type of board is inserted.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
321 words
A backplane having a backplane bus that includes a plurality of connectors on said backplane, bus conductors segments interconnecting contacts of adjacent ones of said connectors, and a plurality of bus groups with each of said groups comprising; a plurality of boards of a first type inserted into a corresponding plurality of adjacent ones of said connectors whereby contacts on each board are connected to corresponding contacts of the connector into which each board is inserted, a bus path on each one of said boards extending between said contacts on said one board whereby the bus conductor segments connected to contacts of the connector into which said one board is inserted are interconnected via the bus path of said one board so long as said one board remains inserted into its associated connector, circuitry on each board connected to said bus path of the board containing said circuitry and, in turn, via said backplane conductors segments to circuitry on other ones of said boards currently inserted into said connectors, and a second type of board inserted into one of said connectors and having a bus path connected to only a first contact on said second type of board whereby the bus path of a board of said fitst type inserted into a connector adjacent to and on a first side of the connector into which the second type of board is inserted is in a different one of said bus groups and is not interconnected electrically via conductor segments with the bus path of the second type of board and whereby the bus path of said second type of board is connected electrically to a first type of board inserted in a connector on a second side of said board of the second type via the contact of the board of the second type to the conductor segment connected to the connector into which said second type of board is inserted.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
228 words
The backplane of claim 1 in combination with a bypass bus on said backplane comprising, a switch on each one of said boards, means connecting one contact of the switch of each one of said boards to the bus path of said one board, means connecting the other contact of said switch beyond the adjacent connector on one side of said one board to the bus path on another board currently inserted in the next one of said connectors beyond said adjacent connector, means responsive to the insertion of a board of said first type into said adjacent connector for maintaining said switch contacts on said one board in a closed state whereby said bus path of said one board is connected via said closed contacts of said switch on said one board to the bus path of said other board to provide a bus path between said one board and said other board when said board of the first type is removed from said adjacent connector, and means responsive to the insertion of a board of the second type into said adjacent connector for maintaining said switch contacts on said one board in an open state whereby said bus path of said one board is not connected via said bypass bus and said switch contacts on said one board to the bus conductor on said other board.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
67 words
The backplane of claim 3 wherein each of said segments comprises a plurality of separate conductors each connected to different contacts of a connector, and wherein each of said bus paths of a board comprises a plurality of separate conductors each connected to different contacts of said board whereby said circuitry on each board can communicate with circuitry on other boards over a plurality of separate conductors.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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