Hardware adapter device

• US 10,356,929 B1
• Filed: 04/20/2018
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Zheng, Yi, Qin, Xiaohui, Zheng, Xinyan, Chen, Li, Zhang, Qingyong, Liu, Qian, Leen, Cary, Kolasa, Roy, Halford, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Rathod, Abhishek M
• Application Number:
  US15/958,600
• Time in Patent Office: 452 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/72 coupling with the edge of the rigid printed circuits or like structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6658 on printed circuit board H01R13/6666 - H01R13/6691 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 31/065 with built-in electric apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/086 Assembled boxes
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/16 structurally associated with support for line-connecting terminals within the box
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1427 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1468 Mechanical features of input/output (I/O) modules
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1471 Modules for controlling actuators
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1475 Bus assemblies for establishing communication between PLC modules

Abstract

Methods, devices, and systems for a hardware adapter device are described herein. One device includes housing, a plurality of printed circuit boards (PCBs) housed by the housing, where each of the plurality of PCBs include traces, and a switch to select a bus address corresponding to the hardware adapter device, where the housing receives an input/output (I/O) module such that the traces of the PCBs provide an electrical path from a wiring baseboard to the I/O module.

Claims

1. A hardware adapter system, comprising:

a wiring baseboard;

an input/output (I/O) module;

a hardware adapter device, wherein the hardware adapter device includes;

a first printed circuit board (PCB) housed by a housing of the hardware adapter device, wherein the first PCB includes a first plurality of connection pins coupled to a first plurality of receiving terminals of the wiring baseboard;

a second PCB housed by the housing and electrically connected to the first PCB, wherein the second PCB includes a second plurality of connection pins coupled to a second plurality of receiving terminals of the wiring baseboard; and

a third PCB housed by the housing and electrically connected to the first PCB and the second PCB, wherein the third PCB includes receiving terminals positioned within the housing and configured to couple to a plurality of connection pins of the I/O module when the I/O module is inserted into the housing; and

a switch to select a bus address corresponding to the hardware adapter device.

2. The hardware adapter system of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a channel shaped to receive a protrusion included on the I/O module such that the channel aligns connection pins of the I/O module with receiving terminals of the third PCB.

3. The hardware adapter system of claim 1, wherein the first PCB is electrically connected to the wiring baseboard via the first plurality of connection pins of the first PCB and the first plurality of receiving terminals of the wiring baseboard.

4. The hardware adapter system of claim 1, wherein the second PCB is electrically connected to the wiring baseboard via the second plurality of connection pins of the second PCB and the second plurality of receiving terminals of the wiring baseboard.

5. The hardware adapter system of claim 1, wherein the third PCB is electrically connected to the I/O module via the receiving terminals of the third PCB and the plurality of connection pins of the I/O module.

6. The hardware adapter system of claim 1, wherein the first PCB and the third PCB are oriented parallel to each other in the housing of the hardware adapter device.

7. The hardware adapter system of claim 1, wherein the second PCB is oriented normal to the first PCB in the housing of the hardware adapter device.

8. The hardware adapter system of claim 1, wherein the second PCB is oriented normal to the third PCB in the housing of the hardware adapter device.

9. The hardware adapter system of claim 1, wherein the switch is a rotary switch.

10. The hardware adapter system of claim 1, wherein:

the housing of the hardware adapter device includes a plurality of channels on an inner surface of the housing;

the I/O module includes a plurality of protrusions; and

the plurality of protrusions of the I/O module fit in the plurality of channels on the inner surface of the housing such that the plurality of connection pins of the I/O module are aligned with the receiving terminals of the third PCB.

11. The hardware adapter system of claim 1, wherein:

the housing of the hardware adapter device includes a plurality of protrusions on an outer surface of the housing;

the wiring baseboard includes a locking mechanism having a plurality of channels that fit in the plurality of protrusions on the outer surface of the housing; and

the locking mechanism secures the hardware adapter device to the wiring baseboard when the first PCB and the second PCB are coupled to the wiring baseboard.

12. A hardware adapter system, comprising:

a wiring baseboard;

a plurality of input/output (I/O) modules;

a controller operatively coupled to the wiring baseboard; and

a plurality of hardware adapter devices, wherein each hardware adapter device includes;

a first printed circuit board (PCB) housed by a housing, wherein the first PCB includes a first plurality of connection pins coupled to a plurality of receiving terminals of the wiring baseboard to electrically connect the first PCB to the wiring baseboard;

a second PCB housed by the housing and electrically connected to the first PCB, wherein the second PCB includes a second plurality of connection pins coupled to a different plurality of receiving terminals of the wiring baseboard to electrically connect the second PCB to the wiring baseboard;

a third PCB housed by the housing and electrically connected to the first PCB and the second PCB, wherein the third PCB includes receiving terminals configured to couple to a plurality of connection pins of an I/O module of the plurality of I/O modules to electrically connect the third PCB to the I/O module; and

a rotary switch to determine a bus address of the respective hardware adapter device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the rotary switch of each respective hardware adapter device defines a unique bus address for that respective hardware adapter device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the controller communicates with each I/O module of the plurality of I/O modules based on the uniquely defined bus address for each of the plurality of hardware adapter devices.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the first PCB and the second PCB of each hardware adapter device are coupled to a unique plurality of receiving terminals of the wiring baseboard.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of hardware adapter devices communicate signals between the controller and the wiring baseboard for use in a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) control system.