Method and apparatus for interconnecting circuit cards

• US 6,572,384 B1
• Filed: 02/08/2001
• Issued: 06/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: 3Com Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Marchevsky, Bruno P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bradley, P. Austin
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEON, EDWIN A
• Application Number:
  US09/779,142
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• Field of Search: 439/43, 439/680, 439/660, 439/59, 439/61, 439/62, 710/104, 710/105, 710/107, 710/307
• US Class Current: 439/43
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/409 Mechanical coupling back panels H05K7/1438

Abstract

A method and system for interconnecting circuit cards is provided. Pins on a bus of a circuit card are grouped corresponding to each device on the card. Pins on the bus of the motherboard are grouped corresponding to each device on the motherboard. The groups of pins are matched with the devices on the card to appropriate devices on the motherboard. The size of the bus and circuit card can be adjusted in response to the number of pins needed.

Claims

1. A method of interconnecting a first set of devices on a removable electronic circuit card to a second set of devices on a motherboard by a bus, comprising the steps of:

organizing a plurality of pins on the bus of the circuit card according to a plurality of bus functionality (i) needed by the first set of devices and (ii) provided by the motherboard;

grouping the plurality of pins on the bus of the circuit card, wherein each group of pins corresponds to a respective device of the first set of devices;

grouping a plurality of pins on the bus of the motherboard, wherein each group of pins corresponds to a respective device of the second set of devices;

matching each group of pins corresponding with the first set of devices to each pertaining group of pins corresponding with the second set of devices, wherein groups of pins matched between the first set of devices and the second set of devices (i) enable the first set of devices on the card to access the plurality of needed bus functionality provided by the motherboard; and

(ii) define a length of the circuit card; and

accessing information from a storage device on the circuit card to enable the second set of devices on the motherboard that are communicatively coupled to the first set of devices.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the bus utilizes fingers located on the electronic circuit card to provide electrical connections with a connector located on the motherboard, and wherein the fingers are sized in accordance with the length of the electronic circuit card.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic circuit card is an ACR compatible circuit card.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing information from the storage device on the circuit card further comprises accessing information from the storage device on the circuit card to disable at least one of the second set of devices on the motherboard that is not communicatively coupled to the first set of devices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second set of devices comprises at least one host controller.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the grouping of the pins comprises an AMR serial bus, USB bus, power and ground.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the grouping of pins further comprises a Serial Bus, a MII bus, an IPB bus, a second MII bus, and a reserved bus.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the reserved bus is used for a wireless device.

9. An edge pin connector and bus connector, comprising:

a motherboard;

a circuit card forming the edge pin connector, the edge pin connector having pins organized so as to enable at least one device on the circuit card to access a plurality of needed bus functionality provided by the motherboard;

the motherboard having the bus connector for accepting the edge connector so that (i) pertaining pins on the bus connector match to the pins on the edge pin connector so as to enable the at least one device on the circuit card to access the plurality of needed bus functionality provided by the motherboard; and

(ii) the pins matched define a length of the circuit card; and

a basic input/output system (BIOS) arranged to access information from a storage device on the circuit card so as to enable at least one host controller on the motherboard that is communicatively coupled to the at least one device on the circuit card.

10. The edge pin connector and bus connector of claim 9 wherein the size of the circuit card corresponds to the minimum size required by the edge pin connector.

11. The edge pin connector and bus connector of claim 9 wherein the length of the circuit card is less than the length of the bus connector.

12. The edge pin connector and bus connector of claim 9 wherein the length of the circuit card is equal to the length of the bus connector.

13. The edge pin connector and bus connector of claim 9 further comprising:

a card alignment key on the bus connector;

a key slot on the edge pin connector for aligning the card alignment key during insertion into the bus connector.

14. The matching edge pin connector and bus connector of claim 9 wherein a first group of pins comprises in combination an AMR, USB, and a plurality of power and ground contacts.

15. The matching edge pin connector and bus connector of claim 9 wherein a second group of pins comprises an ACR serial bus.

16. The matching edge pin connector and bus connector of claim 9 further comprising a group of pins forming a serial bus to form an MII (Media Independent Interface) bus.

17. The matching edge pin connector and bus connector of claim 9 further comprising a fourth grouping of contacts forming a IPB serial bus.

18. The system of claim 9, wherein the basic input/output system (BIOS) is further arranged to access information from the storage device on the circuit card to disable at least one host controller on the motherboard that is not communicatively coupled to the at least one device on the circuit card.