Sensor node and circuit board arrangement

• US 7,663,893 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2007
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamashita, Shunzo
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Jinhee J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen; Xiaoliang
• Application Number:
  US11/976,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20080130253A1
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: 361/782, 361/720, 361/722, 361/780, 174/250, 174/260, 174/359
• US Class Current: 361/782
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0218 by printed shielding conductors, ground planes or power plane H05K1/0236 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0298 Multilayer circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/181 associated with surface mounted components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0723 provided by an inner layer of PCB
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10151 Sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10689 Leaded Integrated Circuit [IC] package, e.g. dual-in-line [DIL]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/1572 Processing both sides of a PCB by the same process; Providing a similar arrangement of components on both sides; Making interlayer connections from two sides
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

An electronic circuit, preferable as a sensor node, has a highly sensitive radio function and is capable of performing a low-power-consumption operation. The electronic device has a board; a connector for connecting a sensor; a first signal processor circuit receiving an input of sensor data from the sensor through the connector and forming transmission data; and a second signal processor circuit converting a transmission signal from the first signal processor circuit into a high-frequency signal. The connector and the first signal processor circuit are mounted on a first surface of the board, and the second signal processor circuit is mounted on a second surface of the board.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a connector for connecting a sensor;

a first signal processing circuit which receives an input of sensor data from the sensor through the connector and forms transmission data which is a digital signal from the sensor data;

a second signal processing circuit which converts the transmission data from the first signal processing circuit into a high-frequency signal;

an input-output circuit which receives the high-frequency signal and outputs through an antenna; and

a board which has a first surface on which the connector and the first signal processing circuit are mounted and a second surface on which the second signal processing circuit and the input-output circuit are mounted,

wherein the first and the second surfaces form a signal path connecting two sides of the board and folding back between the first signal processing circuit and the second signal processing circuit, and the connector is mounted on the corresponding side of the board from the input-output circuit.

2. An electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the board is provided with shield layers for restraining transfer of noise generated in the first signal processor circuit to the second signal processor circuit.

3. An electronic device according to claim 2, wherein a first plane layer to which a first potential is applied and a second plane layer to which a second potential is applied are provided as the shield layers, and the first potential is a reference potential of the first signal processor circuit and the second potential is a power-supply potential of the first signal processor circuit.

4. An electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the first plane layer is formed as a layer closer to the second surface of the board than the second plane layer.

5. An electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the shield layers are provided inside the board.

6. An electronic device according to claim 1, wherein power supply is provided to the sensor through the connector, and the first signal processor circuit drives the sensor to perform an intermittent operation, and cuts off the power supply to the sensor when not driving the sensor to perform an operation.

7. An electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising an internal sensor built in the electronic device,

wherein power supply is provided to the internal sensor through the connector, and the first signal processor circuit drives the internal sensor to perform an intermittent operation, and cuts off the power supply to the internal sensor when not driving the internal sensor to perform an operation.