System and method for obtaining board address information
US6564278B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 21, 1999 |
| Grant date | May 13, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 21, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F13/409
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A backplane apparatus provides board address information for each board inserted in the slots of the backplane, using a single pin in the backplane slot. A unique address for a board in a backplane slot is identified by an analog address signal, which can be communicated on a single line and therefore requires only one pin in the backplane slot or in the device which will read the address information. The analog address signal is a function of a component, such as a resistor or a capacitor, coupled to the address pin in the backplane slot. A predefined characteristic of the component, such as the resistance or the capacitance, is unique for each slot. The component characteristic is converted into a corresponding characteristic of the analog address signal, such as the voltage, current, frequency or the slope of a voltage or current ramp, so that the analog address signal is measurably different for every slot.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.