Programmable backplane for buffering and routing bi-directional signals between terminals of printed circuit boards
US5625780A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 2, 1994 |
| Grant date | Apr 29, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 2, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH05K1/0286
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A programmable backplane includes a motherboard having slots for receiving printed circuit boards (PCBs). A field programmable interconnect device (FPID) mounted on the motherboard includes a programmable crosspoint switch for selectively routing signals between terminals of the PCBs. The routing is determined by input programming data. The FPID bi-directionally buffers all signals passing between ports of the crosspoint switch and the PCB terminals and can alter signal routing dynamically in response to routing instructions generated by instruction sources mounted on or connected to the PCBs. The programmable backplane may be used as a communication hub in a communication network or parallel processing system.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.