Configurable electronic circuit board, adapter therefor , and designing method of electronic circuit using the same board

Claim 2

A configurable electronic circuit board comprising: (a) a board (20) including many modular sockets (22) in a minimum unit each having a standardized size and the standardized number of pins, said modular sockets being arranged regularly parallely and connected at terminals (24) thereof to each other through simple wirings (26); (b) a pin adapter (34, 38) having a size positive integer times of that of said modular socket (22) and composed of adapter pins (38A) insertable into said modular socket, of an adapter socket (32, 36, 38B) into which electronic circuit parts (30, 14B) are insertable, and of socket wiring (38D) for connecting said adapter socket with said adapter pins; (c) a switching station adapter (46) having a size positive integer times of that of said modular socket (22) and composed of adapter pins (46A) insertable into said modular socket, and of wiring determining means (44) for determining the connection of wiring among said adapter pins; and (d) a bypass adapter (52) having a size positive integer times of that of said modular socket (22) and being inserted into a modular socket not used, composed of adapter pins (52A) insertable into said modular socket, and of fixed wiring (48) for simply bypass connecting among said adapter pins, whereby an arbitrary circuit is realizable by inserting each said adapter and said electronic circuit parts into an arbitrary modular socket.

Claim 3

A configurable electronic circuit board according to claim 1 wherein said modular socket (22) has a size and the number of pins for which electronic circuit parts (14A) of a standard size and the standard number of pins are directly insertable into said modular socket without use of said pin adapter.

Claim 4

A configurable electronic circuit board according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said board (20) includes surface layer wiring (26) for connecting terminals (24) of adjacent modular sockets, under layer wiring (100) for directly connecting terminals of separated modular sockets, and a wiring changeover switch (104) for connecting between terminals of the modular socket and said surface layer wiring or said under layer wiring.

Claim 5

A configurable electronic circuit board according to claim 3 wherein said surface layer wiring (26) and said under layer wiring (100) are both connected to the terminals (24) of the modular socket (22), and said switching station adapter (46) includes therein said wiring changeover switch.

Claim 6

A configurable electronic circuit board comprising many modular sockets (22) in a minimum unit each having a standardized size and the standardized number of pins, said modular sockets being arranged regularly parallely and connected at terminals (24) thereof to each other through simple wirings, said configurable electronic circuit board further comprising; (a) surface layer wiring (26) for connecting terminals of adjacent modular sockets; (b) under layer wiring (100) for directly connecting terminals of separated modular sockets; and (c) a wiring changeover switch (104) for connecting between terminals of the modular socket and said surface layer wiring or said under layer wiring.

Claim 7

A configurable electronic circuit board comprising many modular sockets (22) in a minimum unit each having a standardized size and the standardized number of pins, said modular sockets being arranged regularly parallely and connected at terminals (24) thereof to each other through simple wirings, said configurable electronic circuit board further comprising; (a) surface layer wiring (26) for connecting terminals of adjacent modular sockets; (b) under layer wiring (100) for directly connecting terminals of separated modular sockets; and (c) a wiring changeover switch (104) for connecting between terminals of the modular socket and said surface layer wiring or said under layer wiring.

Claim 8

A configurable electronic circuit board comprising at least one socket (22) into which a plurality of kinds of electronic circuit parts (14A, 14B, 30) or adapters (34, 38, 46, 52) are selectively insertable, the board further comprising; detector means (90, 94) provided on said socket, for detecting the kind of said electronic circuit parts or of said adapter inserted into said socket, whereby there are distinguishable the kind and position of said inserted electronic circuit parts or of said inserted adapter simultaneously with the insertion of the electronic circuit part or the adapter.

Claim 9

A configurable electronic circuit board comprising at least one socket (22) into which a plurality of kinds of electronic circuit parts (14A, 14B, 30) or adapters (34, 38, 46, 52) are selectively insertable, the board further comprising; detector means (90, 94) provided on said socket, for detecting the kind of said electronic circuit parts or of said adapter inserted into said socket, whereby there are distinguishable the kind and position of said inserted electronic circuit parts or of said inserted adapter simultaneously with the insertion of the electronic circuit part or the adapter.

Claim 10

A configurable electronic circuit board according to claim 6 wherein said detector means includes a switch (94) for detecting the kind of said adapter or of said electronic circuit parts by making use of a dog (92) provided on the bottom of the adapter or the electronic circuit parts.

Claim 11

An adapter (34, 38) for insertion into a modular socket (22) of a configurable electronic circuit board (20), said board including many modular sockets in a minimum unit each having a standardized size and the standardized number of pins, said modular sockets being arranged regularly parallely and connected to each other at terminals (24) thereof through simple wirings (26), said adapter having a size thereof positive integer times of that of said modular socket and comprising; (a) adapter pins (38A) insertable into said modular socket; (b) an adapter socket (32, 36, 38B) into which electronic circuit parts (30, 14B) is insertable; and (c) socket wirings (38D) for connecting terminals of said adapter socket and the adapter pins.

Claim 12

An adapter (34, 38) for insertion into a modular socket (22) of a configurable electronic circuit board (20), said board including many modular sockets in a minimum unit each having a standardized size and the standardized number of pins, said modular sockets being arranged regularly parallely and connected to each other at terminals (24) thereof through simple wirings (26), said adapter having a size thereof positive integer times of that of said modular socket and comprising; (a) adapter pins (38A) insertable into said modular socket; (b) an adapter socket (32, 36, 38B) into which electronic circuit parts (30, 14B) is insertable; and (c) socket wirings (38D) for connecting terminals of said adapter socket and the adapter pins.

Claim 13

An adapter (46) for insertion into a modular socket (22) of a configurable electronic circuit board (20), said board including many modular sockets in a minimum unit each having a standardized size thereof and the standardized number of pins, said modular sockets being arranged regularly parallely and connected to each other at terminals (24) thereof through simple wirings (26), said adapter having a size thereof positive integer times of that of said modular socket and comprising; (a) adapter pins (46A) insertable into said modular socket; and (b) wiring determining means (44) for determining the connection of wirings among said adapter pins.

Claim 14

An adapter (46) for insertion into a modular socket (22) of a configurable electronic circuit board (20), said board including many modular sockets in a minimum unit each having a standardized size thereof and the standardized number of pins, said modular sockets being arranged regularly parallely and connected to each other at terminals (24) thereof through simple wirings (26), said adapter having a size thereof positive integer times of that of said modular socket and comprising; (a) adapter pins (46A) insertable into said modular socket; and (b) wiring determining means (44) for determining the connection of wirings among said adapter pins.

Claim 15

An adapter for a configurable electronic circuit board according to claim 9 wherein said wiring determining means (44) is connectable among said adapter pins through metal.

Claim 16

An adapter for a configurable electronic circuit board according to claim 9 or 10 wherein said wiring determining means includes a wiring changeover switch (104) for connecting between the terminals (24) of said modular socket (22) and the surface layer wiring (26) or the under layer wiring (100) of the electronic circuit board (20).

Claim 17

An adapter (52) for insertion into a modular socket (22) of a configurable electronic circuit board (20), said board including many said modular sockets in a minimum unit each having a standardized size and the standardized number of pins, said modular sockets being arranged regularly parallely and connected to each other at terminals (24) thereof through simple wirings (26), said adapter having a size thereof positive integer times of that of said modular socket and comprising; (a) adapter pins (52A) insertable into said modular socket; and (b) fixed wiring (48) for simply bypass-connecting among said adapter pins, whereby said adapter is inserted into a modular socket not used.

Claim 18

An adapter (52) for insertion into a modular socket (22) of a configurable electronic circuit board (20), said board including many said modular sockets in a minimum unit each having a standardized size and the standardized number of pins, said modular sockets being arranged regularly parallely and connected to each other at terminals (24) thereof through simple wirings (26), said adapter having a size thereof positive integer times of that of said modular socket and comprising; (a) adapter pins (52A) insertable into said modular socket; and (b) fixed wiring (48) for simply bypass-connecting among said adapter pins, whereby said adapter is inserted into a modular socket not used.

Claim 19

An adapter for a configurable electronic circuit board according to one of claims 8 to 12 wherein there is provided distinguishing means (92) for distinguishing the kind of said adapter or electronic circuit parts mounted on said adapter.

Claim 20

A designing method of an electronic circuit with use of a configurable electronic circuit board, said configurable electronic circuit board comprising a board (20) including many modular sockets (22) in a minimum unit each having a standardized size and the standardized number of pins, said modular sockets being arranged regularly parallely and connected to each other at terminal (24) thereof through simple wirings (26), a pin adapter (34, 38) having a size positive integer times of that of said modular socket and composed of adapter pins (38A) insertable into said modular socket, of an adapter socket (32, 36, 38B) into which electronic circuit parts (30, 14B) are insertable, and of socket wirings (38D) for connecting between said adapter socket and said adapter pins, a switching station adapter (46) having a size thereof positive integer times of that of said modular socket and composed of adapter pins (46A) insertable into said modular socket, and of wiring determining means (44) for determining the connection of wirings among said adapter pins, and a bypass adapter (52) being inserted into a modular socket not used and having a size thereof positive integer times of that of said modular socket and composed of adapter pins (52A) insertable into said modular socket, and of fixed wirings (48) for simply bypass-connecting among said adapter pins, whereby an arbitrary circuit is realizable by inserting said adapters or said electronic circuit parts into an arbitrary modular socket, said designing method comprising the steps of: (a) mounting required adapter or electronic circuit parts on said module socket on said board in selective combination and configuring electronic circuit parts that require the configuration of an internal circuit thereof and said switching station adapter, to realize the designed circuit and verify the same; (b) when the wirings among the electronic circuit parts are needed to be altered, altering the position of said adapter or said electronic circuit parts or altering the configuration in said switching station adapter to verify the designed circuit; and (c) when the circuit is needed to be altered, altering the kind of said electronic circuit parts or altering the configuration of the same to verify the designed circuit.

Claim 21

A designing method of an electronic circuit with use of a configurable electronic circuit board, said configurable electronic circuit board comprising a board (20) including many modular sockets (22) in a minimum unit each having a standardized size and the standardized number of pins, said modular sockets being arranged regularly parallely and connected to each other at terminal (24) thereof through simple wirings (26), a pin adapter (34, 38) having a size positive integer times of that of said modular socket and composed of adapter pins (38A) insertable into said modular socket, of an adapter socket (32, 36, 38B) into which electronic circuit parts (30, 14B) are insertable, and of socket wirings (38D) for connecting between said adapter socket and said adapter pins, a switching station adapter (46) having a size thereof positive integer times of that of said modular socket and composed of adapter pins (46A) insertable into said modular socket, and of wiring determining means (44) for determining the connection of wirings among said adapter pins, and a bypass adapter (52) being inserted into a modular socket not used and having a size thereof positive integer times of that of said modular socket and composed of adapter pins (52A) insertable into said modular socket, and of fixed wirings (48) for simply bypass-connecting among said adapter pins, whereby an arbitrary circuit is realizable by inserting said adapters or said electronic circuit parts into an arbitrary modular socket, said designing method comprising the steps of: (a) mounting required adapter or electronic circuit parts on said module socket on said board in selective combination and configuring electronic circuit parts that require the configuration of an internal circuit thereof and said switching station adapter, to realize the designed circuit and verify the same; (b) when the wirings among the electronic circuit parts are needed to be altered, altering the position of said adapter or said electronic circuit parts or altering the configuration in said switching station adapter to verify the designed circuit; and (c) when the circuit is needed to be altered, altering the kind of said electronic circuit parts or altering the configuration of the same to verify the designed circuit.

Claim 22

A designing method of an electronic circuit according to claim 14 wherein there is employed as said switching station adapter (46) a reconfigurable one until the wirings among the electronic circuit parts are decided, and after the wirings among the electronic circuit parts are decided said reconfigurable one is replaced by one that is connectable among the adapter pins (46A) directly through metal, for verification of the resulting electronic circuit.

Claim 23

A designing method of an electronic circuit according to claim 15 wherein said switching station adapter (46) that is connectable among said adapter pins (46A) directly through metal is one that is configurated only once using a programmable shunt.

Claim 24

A designing method of an electronic circuit according to claim 15 wherein said switching station adapter (46) that is connectable among said adapter pins (46A) directly through metal is one that is configurated only once using a method where any wiring among said adapter pins is cut off with a laser trimmer.

Claim 25

A designing method of an electronic circuit according to claim 15 wherein said switching station adapter (46) that is connectable among said adapter pins (46A) directly through metal is one that is configurated only once by a method of cutting off fuses.

Claim 26

A designing method of an electronic circuit according to claim 15 wherein said switching station adapter (46) that is connectable among said adapter pins (46A) directly through metal is one that is configurated only once by a method of making the wiring electrically low resistance by application of high voltage thereto.