HU218630B - Distributor structure for distribution electric signals - Google Patents

Abstract

In the distribution device according to the invention, the ribbon cables are placed side by side with their plates; their surfaces are insulated. One of the wires on the ribbon cables is connected to a mother connector (56a, 56b… 56n). Each wire has at least one connection point, and at least one connection point has an aperture formed between the surfaces of the ribbon cable. The ribbon cables are fixed to one another by means of clamping blocks (68, 70). A connector block (72) is provided with one or more electrically conductive pins which are guided through said openings and at least two connecting points are joined together by two ribbon cables. The connector block (72) is removably attached to the old clamping blocks (68, 70). ŕ

Description

In the distribution device according to the invention, ribbon cables are arranged side by side with their plates; their surfaces are separated by insulators. At least one of the wires formed on the ribbon cables is connected to a female connector (56a, 56b, 56n). Each conductor has at least one connection point and at least one connection point has an opening formed between the surfaces of the ribbon cable. The ribbon cables are fastened relative to one another by clamping blocks (68, 70). A connector block (72) is provided with one or more electrically conductive pins that pass through said apertures and connect at least two connection points on at least two ribbon cables. The connector block (72) is removably connected to the clamping blocks (68, 70).

4C. figure

HU 218 630 B

The length of the description is 10 pages (including 5 pages)

HU 218,630 Β

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a distribution device for distributing electrical signals, in particular signals having a transition time of less than one nanosecond, particularly in high-speed data processing equipment.

In modem electronic systems, such as computers and other data processing equipment, processing speed (the inverse of the time required to add, subtract, multiply, divide, etc.). The processing speed is inversely proportional to the transition time, that is, the time required for an electronic element to switch between "1" and "0". Although transient times have been reduced to less than a nanosecond, potentially providing an opportunity to increase processing speeds, the speed of electronic signals in the conductors is limited by the speed of light. Therefore, the physical distances between each circuit element become increasingly significant in terms of the time it takes for a signal to live from one point to another on a circuit. If this distance is halved, the processing speed of the system will nearly double in some circumstances.

The processing speeds of advanced electronic systems may be limited by the physical distance between the following elements:

1. separate passive and active circuit elements such as capacitors, inductors, resistors, semiconductors, etc.,

2. groups of circuit boards on printed circuit boards; and

3. individual printed circuit boards.

The first set of distances was reduced by reducing the physical size and power requirements of each circuit element, and by the fact that thousands of such elements were clustered on a single IC chip of a microscopic size. This solution is so well known that it does not require any examples.

The second set of distances has been reduced by installing many IC chips on a single printed circuit board in an arrangement such that the physical distance between the chips is minimized so that maximum processing speed - or minimum processing time - is achieved for a given chip arrangement. This solution is well known in the most advanced electronic equipment and requires no further explanation.

The present invention relates to the reduction of a third group of distances.

To solve this third problem, it is known to reduce processing time by placing printed circuit boards as tightly as possible and using sophisticated cooling systems to remove heat from closely spaced elements.

Figures 2 and 10 of US 4,679,872 (Coe) show a star-shaped arrangement similar to the present invention. However, the wires used herein are self-supporting, relatively massive structures, which necessarily have high scattered reactances, which inevitably degrades the characteristics of the electrical signals transmitted through the wires, while the present invention reduces the value of the reactances and thus increases the processing speed of the base equipment.

U.S. Patent No. 5,346,117 relates to the bundling of ribbon cables connecting printed circuit boards and to electrical connections between ribbon cables. In the bundle, the ribbon cables are layered side by side with adhesive sheets laid between them. Each ribbon cable has a plurality of conductors interconnected by soldered into metal bores perpendicular to the plane of the ribbon cables. This procedure involves many steps and is difficult and costly to implement in practice.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the drawbacks of known solutions.

The distribution device of the present invention is capable of distributing electrical signals, particularly signals having a transition time of less than one nanosecond, and includes flat, flexible ribbon cables. The ribbon cables have two surfaces and are side by side with their boards; their surfaces are separated by insulators. Each ribbon cable has a plurality of wires, at least one of which may be connected to a female connector. The female connector is connected to an electrical power source, signal source and / or other electrical elements. Each conductor has at least one connection point and at least one connection point has an opening formed between the surfaces of the ribbon cable. The ribbon cables are clamped relative to one another. A connector block is provided with one or more electrically conductive pins that pass through said apertures and connect at least two connection points on at least two ribbon cables. The connector block is removably connected to the clamp blocks.

Preferably, the female connector comprises two mirror-symmetrical halves, each containing a longitudinal member. The longitudinal member has a sole end having a protrusion protruding from the longitudinal member and a head end to which a head portion is connected transversely to the head end and said projection. A flexible, curved member protrudes from the head. The curved member has a convex surface and a concave surface and is connected to a cable end. There is a sole transverse to the longitudinal member and the projection. The two halves are symmetrically joined so that the ends of their projections are in contact with one another and the convex surfaces of the curved members are opposite to each other, so as to clamp the joint together.

In other preferred embodiments, the cable end is glued to the convex surface of the curved member; the matched projections of the longitudinal members forming a stop defining the insertion path of the connector; the head portion and the base portion are extended transversely and are provided with a plurality of curved members for receiving a multi-pin connector.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to embodiments and drawings. In the drawings it is

Figure 1 illustrates a known method for mounting a plurality of printed circuit boards, a

HU 218,630 Β

2A. Figure A: Outline of a star shaped layout, a

2B. Figure 4A is a "dandelion" arrangement, a

3A-3C. Figures 4A to 5B show a structure of a female connector according to the invention, wherein:

3A. FIG. 1A is a side view of a female connector according to the present invention having a mirror image of the other

3BI-3BIII. Figures 4A to 5B show the structure and operation of a female connector according to the invention, wherein: a

3BI. Figure 3BII is one half of the female connector. Figure 3BI. FIG

3BIII. Fig. 2A: Two halves of the nut connector assembled with one connector inserted, a

3C. Fig. 4A illustrates the structure of the female connector when connecting the end of a flat flexible ribbon cable, a

4A-4D. Figures 4A to 5B illustrate a multi-nut connector distribution device interconnected in accordance with the present invention for receiving a plurality of printed circuit boards;

4A. Fig. 4A is an exploded view of the structure when the ends of a flat flexible ribbon cable are connected;

4B. FIG. 4A is an exploded view of a pair of plugs connecting multiple ribbon cables, each of the ribbon cables being a pair of FIG. Fig. 11a connects a multi-pin female connector, a

4C. Figure 4A. 4B and 4B. Figs

4D. Figure 4C illustrates a printed circuit board with a strip of band at its edge. 4A, shown in FIG

5A. 5B and 5B. Figures 1 to 5 illustrate a structure consisting of a plurality of multi-contact circular or cylindrical female connectors with INPUT / OUTPUT connectors where

5A. Figure 4A shows flexible ribbon cables with multi-pin female connectors at their ends and connected to a pair of IN / OUT connectors

5B. Figure 3A is an assembled INPUT / OUTPUT arrangement comprising a plurality of multi-pin female connectors, each of which has a printed circuit board interlocked with a pair of INPUT / OUTPUT connectors, and

FIG. The INPUT / OUTPUT layout shown in Fig. 1A is assembled with the printed circuit boards inserted.

Figure 1 shows a typical arrangement for connecting printed circuit boards. The motherboard contains the circuits that control the operation and interaction of the various expansion boards. The expansion cards are connected to the system board through two rows of multi-pin female connectors, one of which is assigned to the inputs on the system board and the other to the output signals on the system board. The wiring that connects the various connectors to the system board control circuits is printed on one or more (possibly internal) surfaces of the system board.

It can be seen from Figure 1 that some signals may need to be led from the output elements of the nearest expansion board to the input elements of the furthest expansion board. In these configurations, the physical distance between said elements can be close to 20 cm, which can be accessed by 1.5 cm at each end of the connectors and the printed circuit boards, which in the worst case can be up to 23 cm in length. In a typical system, however, the signals run twice on the signal path, first from one endpoint to a remote circuit that receives and processes the signal, and then sends feedback to the origin whether the circuit there "knows" whether further signal processing is needed. in a given mode or you can switch to the next mode.

In existing electronic systems that include a printed circuit board with a glass-epoxy structure having a 5.0 dielectric constant, the signals propagate at slightly less than half the speed of light, i.e., about 13.5 cm per nanosecond; Thus, the propagation time between the nearest and the furthest card per trip is about 1.7 ns. The printed circuit boards connected between the signal source and the destination (12 in this case) represent a load which extends the transient (warm-up and run-down) times. As a result, a delay of about 0.5 ns per path is added to the propagation time while the circuit waits for the signal to switch from "0" to "1" or vice versa.

The "warm-up time" and "run-down time" are the times required for an electrical signal to change from a minimum to a maximum voltage level and vice versa. The propagation delay time is thus approximately 2.2 ns per pass, or a total of 4.4 ns, resulting in a theoretical maximum processing speed of 227 MHz, assuming that the processing time itself is zero at the receiver end of the signal.

Because of the above, the spacing between the printed circuit boards severely limits the system processing speed, especially given the existence and commercial availability of semiconductor devices that operate at much higher speeds than said limit.

The present invention increases processing speed by reducing and compensating signal path lengths between printed circuit boards and reducing structure complexity.

2A. Figure 3A shows the electrical connection of circuits, especially in high-speed logic circuits for processing electrical signals that

HU 218,630 Β is short, that is, has a transition time of less than one nanosecond. The connector 10 connects at a common point 12 a number N wires 14a to 14n, each of which has a similar wave impedance. Wires 14a ... 14n further away 18a. ..18n ends are terminated by impedances 16a ... l6n.

This structure can be created by various manufacturing technologies. These include simple soldering or welding of the central conductors 20a ... 20n of the N coaxial wires symmetrically arranged around a common point 12, machine fixing with properly designed coaxial connectors, or even a star circuit on an integrated microchip using integrated circuit technology. It will be appreciated that very short lead lengths j and correspondingly high processing speeds can be achieved.

In an alternative three-dimensional embodiment shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6B, the connector structure 22 may include as many conductors 24a to 24n as can be physically connected at point 12; this embodiment can be called a "dandelion" because of its internal structure. An article 26x of the structure is depicted from the cavity 28.

3A-3C. FIGS. 6 to 7 show another embodiment of the invention, wherein a female connector receives the connector 32, which may be the end of a connector or connector strip formed on the edge of a printed circuit board or a flexible ribbon cable. The female connector comprises two halves 34a and 34b, which are mirror images of each other. Each half comprises two parallel longitudinal bodies 36a and 36b each having a head end 38a and a foot end 38b. The longitudinal members 36a and 36b are provided with protrusions 40a and 40b extending from the end of the sole 38b. Projections 40a and 40b are shown in Figures 3BIII. 1 through 2 are tightly joined to one another in the entire coupling assembly shown in FIG. The head portion 42 is connected perpendicularly to the head ends 38a of the longitudinal members 36a, 36b; the base portion 38b of the members 36a and 36b being connected to the base portion 44 which is also perpendicular to the members 36a and 36b and the projections 40a and 40b. The head portion 42 and the sole portion 44 are substantially parallel to each other.

From the head portion 42, elastic curved members 46a, 46b extend toward the base portion 44, substantially parallel to members 36a and 36b. The curved members 46a, 46b have a convex surface 48 and a concave surface 50. An electrical conductor is attached to the convex surface 48, which will be described below.

The female connector is formed by the longitudinal members 36a and 36b, the head portion 42 and the base portion 44, and the curved member 46a extending from the head portion 42, and is a mirror image thereof, as shown in FIG. is shown. Preferably, each half can be formed as a single body of a hard, flexible plastic such as RYTON or XYDAR. When the projections 40a and 40b are tightly joined to each other, the convex surfaces 48a and 48b of the curved members 46a, 46b face each other or extend as shown in FIGS. so that when a thin connector 32, such as the end of a printed circuit board or a flat flexible ribbon cable, is inserted between them, it extends the protruding members 46a and 46b which secure the connector 32 inserted between them.

Metal surfaces forming electrical contacts which are in contact with the electrically conductive surfaces of the thin, flat connector 32 or the like are fastened to opposing surfaces 48a and 48b of the resilient curved members 46a and 46b. The matching projections 40a and 40b limit the insertion path length of the connector 32 as a stop.

The multi-contact connector for receiving a printed circuit board or a multi-wire ribbon cable or the like is formed by extending the head 42 and the base 44 transversely with a plurality of longitudinal members 36a and 36b therebetween. The protruding members 46a and 46b are located between pairs of longitudinal members 36a and 36b.

A 3BI., 3BII., 3BIII. 3C. Figures 6 to 9 show how the ends 52a and 52b of a ribbon cable 54 may be bonded to the convex surfaces 48a and 48b of the projecting members 46a and 46b. The gluing can be done by any known method, such as epoxy glue, which provides a permanent bond that is well resistant to repeated stress caused by joining and uncoupling.

The protruding members 46a and 46b form an electrical contact between the ribbon cable 54 and the thin connector 32 with the cable ends 52a and 52b fixed to the convex surfaces 48a and 48b. With the electrical wires of the other ribbon cables or printed circuit boards, the female connector 56 engages in contact hereinafter in FIGS. 4A-4D. Figs.

3C. Fig. 4A shows that the active conductor 58 is connected to the cable end 52a by means of a cable switch 60; said cable switch may include signal processing electronics. Opposite to conductor 58, grounding conductors 60a and 60b and connection points 62 are located on the opposite surface of the ribbon cable 54, in accordance with U.S. Patent No. 4,680,557, issued July 24, 1987.

4A-4D. Figures 3A-3C show a structure such as that shown in Figs. 7 to 8 are made using the multi-pin female connectors of FIGS.

4A. Figure 5A illustrates a multi-pin female connector 56 to which a known ribbon cable or microfiber cable 54 is connected, having cable terminals 52, signal transmitting leads 58a ... 58f, power supply active and / or grounded conductors 62a ... .62f and It has openings 66a ... .66f.

4B. FIG. 4A is an exploded view of a plurality of multi-pin female connectors 56a to 56n showing a structure for interconnecting a plurality of printed circuit boards. Each of the multi-pin female connectors 56a to 56n is connected to a different connector by means of flat, flexible ribbon cables 64a ... 64n, which are shown in FIGS. 4A and 4A. 5A, but may be made of any other known cable or microfiber cable, or any future cable to be developed, or any combination thereof. The insulators 74a ... 74n are electrically discharged4

EN 218 630 Β select 64a to .64n ribbon cables, which are clamped together by means of suitable means 68 and 70. Each of the ribbon cables 64a to 64n, the separating insulator 74a ... 74n, and the clamping block 70 are perforated with openings 66a ... .66n through which electrically conductive pins 76a ... 76n are mounted on the block block 72. Thus, the pins 76a-76n are electrically connected at the connection points 62a-62f with the conductors on opposite ends of said ribbon cables 64a-64n, and with selected conductors of other cables, according to the requirements of a particular system. The terminal block 72 may be replaceable.

4C. 4B. The structure of the elements shown in Figs. The clamping blocks 68 and 70 tightly compress the ribbon cables 64a, 64n. The radially located multi-pin female connectors 56a to 56n form a cylindrical shape that is ready to receive printed circuit boards as shown.

4D. FIGS. 3A and 4B are printed circuit boards 32a to 32n inserted into female connectors 56a to 56n and 32n + 1 printed circuit boards prepared for insertion into terminal 56n + 1.

5A. 4D. 2A shows an exploded view of another embodiment of the arrangement of FIG. 6B, where the ribbon cables 64a ... 64n are surrounded by a clamping block 68, 70 and a connection block 72, by the B / K (input / output) connector 78 and the power connector 80. The pins 82a ... 82n of the B / K connector 78 and the pins 84a ... .84n of the power supply connector 80 fulfill the same function as the electrically conductive pins 76a ... 76n of the connector block 72.

5B. 5A. FIG. 2A shows the assembly in assembled state, wherein the connector strips of the printed circuit boards 32a to 32n are inserted into the multi-pin female connectors 56a to 56n.

Figure 6 illustrates a multi-card system according to the invention when assembled with a multi-star coupling 10. The power connector 80 is located at the bottom and the B / K connector 78 is at the top. The printed circuit boards 32a to 32n are inserted into the multi-pin female connectors 56a to 56n. Cooling devices are provided at the top, and properly formed plates direct airflow around the heat sensitive elements of the printed circuit boards 32a, 32n to keep the internal temperature within safe operating limits. Exterior clear or opaque casing protects internal components.

Claims (5)

PATENT CLAIMS A distribution device for distributing electrical signals, in particular signals having a transition time of less than one nanosecond, comprising flat, flexible ribbon cables having two surfaces, the ribbon cables being arranged side by side and their surfaces separated by insulators; each ribbon cable is provided with a plurality of wires, at least one of which is connected to a female connector and the female connector is connected to an electrical power source, signal source and / or other electrical elements; and each conductor having at least one connection point and at least one connection point having an opening formed between the surfaces of the ribbon cable, characterized in that the ribbon cables (64a .., 64n) are fixed relative to one another by a clamping block (68, 70). is provided with one or more electrically conductive pins (76a-76n) which pass through said openings (66a-66n) and connect at least two connection points (62a-62f) via at least two ribbon cables (64a-62n). .64n), and the connector block (72) is removably connected to the clamping blocks (68, 70). Distribution device according to claim 1, characterized in that the nut connector (56) consists of two mirror-symmetrical halves (34a, 34b), each of which comprises a longitudinal member (36a, 36b) having - a sole end (38b), wherein a protrusion (40a, 40b) protrudes from the longitudinal member (36a, 36b); - a head end (38a) to which a head part (42) is connected transversely to the head end (38a) and said projection (40a, 40b), a flexible curved member (46) extending from the head part (42) (48) and having a concave surface (50) and a cable end (52) connected thereto; and - a sole portion (44) transverse to the longitudinal member (36a, 36b) and the projection (40a, 40b); furthermore, the two halves (34a, 34b) are symmetrically joined to each other such that the ends of their projections (40a, 40b) are in contact with each other, and the convex surfaces (48) of the curved members (46) are opposed to each other. a. Distribution device according to claim 2, characterized in that the cable end (52) is glued to the convex surface (48) of the curved member (46). Distribution device according to Claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the interconnected projections (40a, 40b) of the longitudinal members (36a, 36b) form a stop defining the insertion path of the connector (32). 5. Distribution device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the head part (42) and the base part (44) are extended transversely and are provided with a plurality of curved members (46) for receiving the multi-contact connector (32).