I/O interface rack for solid state control system

• US 4,152,750 A
• Filed: 04/27/1978
• Issued: 05/01/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Allen-Bradley Company (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Allen-Bradley Company (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: Struger, Odo J., Bremenour, Edwin L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tolin, Gerald P.
• Application Number:
  US05/900,427
• Time in Patent Office: 369 Days
• Field of Search: 339/17 LM, 339/17 M, 339/17 N, 339/198 R, 339/198 G, 339/198 GR, 361/331, 361/383, 361/393, 361/394, 361/412-415, 361/426, 361/429, 361/334
• US Class Current: 361/679.4
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1465 Modular PLC assemblies with separable functional units
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1477 including backplanes

Abstract

A pair of spaced side plates are connected together by mounting bars which support a circuit board. Individual I/O modules plug into connectors on the circuit board and are fastened to the mounting bars. Wiring from the controller processor is brought into an adapter module which also plugs into the circuit board and external wiring is brought into terminal blocks which mount along the top and bottom edges of the circuit board. The wire terminals on the terminal blocks are connected to the conductive paths on the circuit board to provide electrical connection with the circuits in the I/O modules.

Claims

1. An I/O interface rack for coupling a control system processor to a set of wires connected to a controlled machine, the combination comprising:

a pair of side plates disposed in spaced apart, substantially parallel relationship to one another;

a mother board connected to each of said side plates and disposed therebetween, said mother board supporting first and second sets of electrically conductive paths disposed on its surface;

a module mounting bar connected to each of said side plates and disposed therebetween to one side of said mother board;

a plurality of edge connectors mounted to said mother board and disposed on said one side thereof, said edge connectors being spaced apart along the length of said module mounting bar, and each making electrical connection with said first and second sets of conductive paths on said mother board;

a plurality of I/O modules, each of which is received by one of said edge connectors to make electrical connection with said control system processor through said first set of conductive paths and to make electrical connection with said second set of conductive paths and each is fastened to said module mounting bar; and

a terminal block mounted along one edge of the mother board and disposed on said one side thereof, said terminal block including a plurality of wire terminals which are electrically connected to the I/O modules solely through said second set of conductive paths on said mother board and which are suitable for manual connection to said wires.

2. The I/O interface rack as recited in claim 1 wherein said I/O modules are disposed one along side the other and each includes a narrowed portion which defines a vertically directed air passageway with an adjacent I/O module.

3. The I/O interface rack as recited in claim 1 wherein said I/O modules are disposed one along side the other beneath said module mounting bar and each is fastened to said module mounting bar by a mounting screw which is rotatably retained to said I/O module and is received in a threaded opening in said module mounting bar.

4. The I/O interface rack as recited in claim 3 which includes a second module mounting bar that connects to each of said side plates and extends beneath said I/O modules, and each of said I/O modules includes a second mounting screw which is rotatably retained thereto and received in a threaded opening in said second mounting bar.

5. The I/O interface rack as recited in claim 4 which includes a second set of I/O modules disposed beneath said second module mounting bar one alongside the other, each I/O module in said second set being fastened in said second module mounting bar by a mounting screw and each being disposed directly beneath one of said I/O modules which is mounted above said second module mounting bar.

6. The I/O interface rack as recited in claim 5 which includes a second terminal block mounted along another edge of the mother board and disposed on said one side thereof, said second terminal block including a plurality of wire terminals which are electrically connected to the second set of conductive paths on said mother board and which are suitable for manual connection to said wires.

7. The I/O interface rack as recited in claim 5 in which a third module mounting bar connects to each of said side plates and extends therebetween beneath said second set of I/O modules and each I/O module in said second set is fastened to said third module mounting bar by a mounting screw.

8. The I/O interface rack as recited in claim 7 in which each I/O module includes a narrowed portion which defines a vertically directed air passageway with an adjacent I/O module, and the air passageways between I/O modules mounted above said second module mounting bar are aligned with air passageways between I/O modules mounted below said second module mounting bar to define a plurality of air passageways which extend through the entire vertical extent of the I/O interface rack.

9. An I/O interface rack for coupling a digital control system processor to a set of wires connected to a controlled machine, the combination comprising:

a pair of side plates disposed in spaced apart relationship to one another;

a set of mounting bars which connect to and extend between said side plates and which are disposed in a common back plane and in spaced apart relationship to one another;

a mother board fastened to said mounting bars and disposed in said common back plane and between said side plates, said mother board supporting a first network of conductive paths, which can electrically connect to said digital control system processor, and a second network of conductive paths;

a plurality of edge connectors mounted to said mother board and disposed on said one side thereof, said edge connectors being spaced apart along the length of said mother board, and each making electrical connection with said first and second networks of conductive paths on said mother board;

a plurality of I/O modules received by said edge connectors and mounted to make electrical connection with said first and second networks of conductive paths, said I/O modules being disposed to one side of said mother board and between said side plates;

and a terminal block mounted along one edge of said mother board and extending between said side plates, said terminal block having a plurality of wire terminals which are electrically connected to the I/O modules solely through said second network of conductive paths and which are each suitable for electrically connecting to and fastening with one of said wires.

10. The I/O interface rack as recited in claim 9 in which said terminal block is releasably retained to a mounting channel which is fastened to said mother board.

11. The I/O interface rack as recited in claim 9 in which said terminal block includes a molded plastic frame which includes a plurality of spaced upright barrier walls that define terminal compartments therebetween, and in which one of said wire terminals is disposed in each of said terminal compartments.

12. The I/O interface rack as recited in claim 11 in which each wire terminal includes means for releasably fastening a wire and an integral arm which extends from the terminal block into said mother board to make said electrical connection with the first network of conductive paths thereon.

13. The I/O interface rack as recited in claim 12 in which said terminal block is releasably retained to a mounting channel which is fastened to said mother board.