Structure of an electronic device including a number of printed circuit boards

• US 5,289,340 A
• Filed: 06/24/1992
• Issued: 02/22/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Yoshifuji, Yuuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tolin, Gerald P.
• Application Number:
  US07/903,669
• Time in Patent Office: 608 Days
• Field of Search: 307/112, 307/113, 200/292, 211/41, 439/61, 439/62, 439/65, 439/74, 439/76, 439/485, 174/16.1, 165/80.3, 361/383, 361/384, 361/343, 361/394, 361/395, 361/412, 361/413, 361/415, 361/416
• US Class Current: 361/695
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/14 Structural association of two or more printed circuits providing electric connection to or between printed circuits H05K1/11, H01R12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1444 Complex or three-dimensional-arrangements; Stepped or dual mother boards

Abstract

An electronic device has a rack accommodating a mother board and a first and a second printed circuit board (PCB) group mounted on the mother board. The PCBs belonging to one of the first and second groups are mounted on the mother board in an upper half of the rack while having the surfaces thereof positioned substantially parallel to the side walls of the rack. The PCBs belonging to the other group are mounted on the mother board in a lower half of the rack while having the surfaces thereof held substantially horizontal. If necessary, a third group of PCBs are positioned above one of the first and second PCB groups and mounted on the mother board with their surfaces held substantially horizontal. The wiring network between the first and second (and third) PCB groups is formed on the surface of the mother board by printing. Two electric fans may be respectively located between the first and second PCB groups and between the third and first (or second) PCB groups.

Claims

1. A structure of an electronic device, comprising:

at least one mother board elongated in an up-and-down direction and provided with a wiring circuit network comprising printed wirings on a first surface thereof;

a plurality of first printed circuit boards mounted on said at least one mother board at a first position in the up-and-down direction of said at least one mother board and having a plurality of surfaces positioned parallel to the up-and-down direction and substantially perpendicular to the first surface of said at least one mother board, said plurality of first printed circuit boards each carrying a number of electronic parts therewith and comprising a printed circuit electrically connecting said electronic parts, and connection terminals formed by ends of said printed circuit;

a plurality of second printed circuit boards mounted on said at least one mother board at a second position in the up-and-down direction of said at least one mother board and having a plurality of surfaces positioned perpendicular to the up-and-down direction and substantially perpendicular to the first surface of said at least one mother board, said plurality of second printed circuit boards each carrying a number of electronic parts therewith and comprising a printed circuit for electrically connecting said electronic parts, and connecting terminals formed by ends of said printed circuit; and

connector means for connecting said connecting terminals of said first printed circuit boards to said connecting terminals of said second printed circuit boards via said wiring circuit network provided on said at least one mother board, said connector means being connected to said first and second printed circuit boards to connect said first and second printed circuit boards to said at least one mother board, said connector means including unit wirings, said units wirings being positioned so as not to intersect one another;

said wiring circuit network comprising a single layer printed circuit.

2. A structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one mother board comprises at lest two separate mother boards which are parallel to and electrically connected to each other, said first and second printed circuit boards being distributed to said at least two separate mother boards.

3. A structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein said at least two mother boards comprises three separate mother boards.

4. A structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first and second positions are respectively a lower portion and an upper portion of said at least one mother board.

5. A structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first and second positions are respectively an upper portion and a lower portion of said at least one mother board.

6. A structure as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an electric fan interposed between said first and second positions for feeding a stream of air for forced cooling to said first and second printed circuit boards.

7. A structure as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of third printed circuit boards having substantially the same structure as said first and second printed circuit boards and mounted on said at least one mother board at a third position in the up-and-down direction of said at least one mother board and having a plurality of surfaces positioned perpendicular to the up-and-down direction and substantially perpendicular to the first surface of said at least one mother board.

8. A structure as claimed in claim 7, wherein said at least one mother board comprises at least two separate mother boards which are parallel to and electrically connected to each other, said first, second and third printed circuit boards being distributed to said at least two separate mother boards.

9. A structure as claimed in claim 7, further comprising two electric fans respectively located between said first position and said second position and between said first position and said third position for feeding a stream of air for forced cooling to said first, second and third printed circuit boards.