Abstract:
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus that comprises a first printed wiring board and a second printed wiring board that utilize connectors to communicatively couple the apparatus to a processing system. The apparatus further includes at least one additional connector configured to electrically and/or mechanically connect the first and second printed wiring boards so as to eliminate the need for a printed wiring board backplane.

Description:
DOMESTIC PRIORITY 
       [0001]    This application is a Non-Provisional of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/069,636, filed on Oct. 28, 2014, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    An electric system controller includes large connectors that receive printed wiring board backplanes. Each printed wiring board backplane further includes a plurality of sub-connectors, each of which receives a printed wiring board slot card. In this way, the printed wiring board backplane is used in the electric system controllers to allow for the multiple printed wiring board slot cards to fit into and connect to the electric system controller. However, the printed wiring board backplane unnecessarily expands the dimensions and increases the weight of the electric system controllers when less than three printed wiring board slot cards are utilized. These dimension and weight penalties are especially costly in the aerospace industry, were fuel efficiency directly relates to total vehicle weight. 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus that comprises a first printed wiring board; a second printed wiring board; a first connector communicatively coupled to the first printed wiring board; a second connector communicatively coupled to the second printed wiring board; and a third connector configured to electrically connect the first and second printed wiring boards. 
         [0004]    According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system that comprises an apparatus, the apparatus further comprising a first printed wiring board; a second printed wiring board; a first connector communicatively coupled to the first printed wiring board; a second connector communicatively coupled to the second printed wiring board; and a third connector configured to electrically connect the first and second printed wiring boards. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]    The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features, and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0006]      FIG. 1  is an example of a schematic of a device according to one embodiment; 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is another example of a schematic of a device according to one embodiment; 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is another example of a schematic of a device according to one embodiment; 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  is another example of a schematic of a device according to one embodiment; and 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  is an example of a schematic of a processing system according to one embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    As indicated above, the printed wiring board backplane unnecessarily expands the dimensions and increases the weight of the electric system controllers when less than three printed wiring board slot cards are utilized. Thus, what is needed is a novel mechanical design approach that will remove the necessity for a printed wiring board backplane, resulting in lower cost, weight, and dimensions of the electric system controller. 
         [0012]    In general, a device including at least one connector between two printed wiring boards is employed by a processing system (e.g., an electric system controller). For example, in the aerospace industry, a vehicle or aircraft may decrease dimension and weight penalties by utilizing the device described herein in an electric system controller of that vehicle or aircraft. In this way, the vehicle or aircraft will gain fuel efficiency directly related to a decrease in total vehicle weight produced by the employment of the device herein. 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is an example of a schematic of a device  100  according to one embodiment. The device  100 , as illustrated includes connectors  110   a,    110   b,  printed wiring boards  120   a,    120   b,  and a flex connector  130 . 
         [0014]    The connectors  110   a,    110   b  enable the printed wiring boards  120   a,    120   b  to electrically and mechanically connect to electric system controller and/or any processing device. Examples of the connectors  110   a,    110   b  include right angle connectors that mechanically solder the printed wiring boards  120   a,    120   b  to pins that connect to a processing system. 
         [0015]    The printed wiring boards  120   a,    120   b  mechanically support and electrically connect electronic components using conductive tracks, pads, and other features etched from conductive sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate. The printed wiring boards  120   a,    120   b  can be single sided (one conductive layer), double sided (two conductive layers) or multi-layer. The different conductive layers can be connected with plated-through holes called vias. Examples of the printed wiring boards  120   a,    120   b  include printed wiring boards configured to control a fuel system and/or an electrical system of an aircraft. 
         [0016]    The flex connector  130  is a conductive trace that electrically and mechanically connects the printed wiring boards  120   a,    120   b  to enable communication. The flex connector  130  is capable of being folded onto itself, and thus allowing for the printed wiring boards  120   a,    120   b  to align in parallel as a single processing device  100 . In addition, the flex connector  130  enables a unified manufacturing process for the device, in that the flex connector  130  and the printed wiring boards  120   a,    120   b  may be processed, coated, and cleaned as a single unit (e.g., as opposed to individual pieces). Thus, the flex connector  130  enables the device  100  to lower manufacturing costs for a processing system, along with reducing the dimension and weight penalty. 
         [0017]      FIG. 2  is another example of a schematic of a device  200  according to one embodiment, where the same reference generally refers to the same components in the embodiments of the present disclosure. The device  200 , as illustrated includes connectors  110   a,    110   b,  printed wiring boards  120   a,    120   b,  and a combined inter printed wiring board connector  240 . 
         [0018]    The combined inter printed wiring board connector  240  is a conductive trace that electrically and mechanically connects the printed wiring boards  120   a,    120   b  to enable communication. The combined inter printed wiring board connector  240  can also serve as a rigid stiffener that mechanically supports the alignment (e.g., stabilizes from movement) the printed wiring boards  120   a,    120   b  in parallel as a single processing device  200 . For instance, the combined inter printed wiring board connector  240  secures a strategic positioning, as shown as in  FIG. 2 , that enables the device  200  to survive a vibration environment of an aircraft. 
         [0019]      FIG. 3  is another example of a schematic of a device  300  according to one embodiment, where the same reference generally refers to the same components in the embodiments of the present disclosure. The device  300 , as illustrated includes connectors  110   a,    110   b,  printed wiring boards  120   a,    120   b,  the flex connector  130 , and the combined inter printed wiring board connector  240 . In this embodiment, both the flex connector  130  and the combined inter printed wiring board connector  240  are utilized together to provide mechanical and/or electrical support to the device  300 . In this way, either or both of the flex connector  130  and the combined inter printed wiring board connector  240  can provide conductive traces between the printed wiring boards  120   a,    120   b.  Further, either or both of the flex connector  130  and the combined inter printed wiring board connector  240  can provide mechanical support between the printed wiring boards  120   a,    120   b,  and thus allowing for the printed wiring boards  120   a,    120   b  to align in parallel as a single processing device  300 . 
         [0020]      FIG. 4  is another example of a schematic of a device  400  according to one embodiment, where the same reference generally refers to the same components in the embodiments of the present disclosure. The device  400 , as illustrated includes connectors  110   a,    110   b,  printed wiring boards  120   a,    120   b,  a flex slots  431   a,    431   b,  and connector slots  441   a,    441   b . The flex slots  431   a,    431   b  enable a mechanical, an electrical, or a mechanical and electrical flex connector  130  to connect the printed wiring boards  120   a,    120   b.  Similarly, the connector slots  441   a,    441   b  enable a mechanical, an electrical, or a mechanical and electrical printed wiring board connector  240  to connect the printed wiring boards  120   a,    120   b.  Thus, any mechanical and electrical combination of the flex connector  130  and the combined inter printed wiring board connector  240  may be assembled in the device  400 . 
         [0021]    Referring now to  FIG. 5 , there is shown an embodiment of a processing system  500  for implementing the teachings herein. In this embodiment, the processing system  500  has one or more central processing unit (collectively or generically referred to as processor(s)  501 ). The processors  501 , also referred to as processing circuits, are coupled via a system bus  502  to a system memory  503  and various other components. The system bus  502  represents one or more of any of several types of bus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation, such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus. 
         [0022]    The processing system  500  typically includes a variety of computer system readable media. Such media may be any available media that is accessible by the processing system  500 , and it includes both volatile and non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media. For example, a read only memory (ROM)  504  is coupled to the system bus  503  and may include a basic input/output system (BIOS), which controls certain basic functions of the processing system  500 . Further the system memory  503  can include a random access memory (RAM)  505 , which is read-write memory coupled to the system bus  302  for use by the processors  501 . 
         [0023]      FIG. 5  further depicts an input/output (I/O) adapter  506  and a communications adapter  507  coupled to the system bus  502 . The I/O adapter  506  may be a small computer system interface (SCSI) adapter that communicates with a hard disk  508  and/or tape storage drive or any other similar component. The I/O adapter  506  and the hard disk  508  can be collectively referred to as mass storage. Software  509  for execution on processing system  500  may be stored in mass storage. The mass storage is an example of a tangible storage medium readable by the processors  501 , where the software  509  is stored as instructions for execution by the processors  509  to perform operations that improve the performance of the processing system  500 . 
         [0024]    The communications adapter  507  interconnects the system bus  502  with outside networks enabling the processing system  500  to communicate with other such systems. A screen (e.g., a display monitor) can be connected to the system bus  502  by a display adapter  511 , which may include a graphics controller to improve the performance of graphics intensive applications and a video controller. In one embodiment, the adapters  506 ,  507 , and  511  may be connected to one or more I/O buses that are connected to the system bus  511  via an intermediate bus bridge (not shown). Suitable I/O buses for connecting peripheral devices such as hard disk controllers, network adapters, and graphics adapters typically include common protocols, such as the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI). Additional input/output devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a speaker, etc., can be interconnected to the system bus  502  via user other adapters, which may include, for example, a Super I/O chip integrating multiple device adapters into a single integrated circuit. 
         [0025]      FIG. 5  further depicts a dashed box representing at least one of the above devices  100 ,  200 ,  300  coupled to the system bus  502 . The inclusion of the above devices  100 ,  200 ,  300  into the processing system  500 , in turn, produce the technical effects and benefits of a removal of the printed wiring board backplane and creation of additional space in the processing system  500  for control circuitry, as well as a lighter and smaller processing system  500 . An additional technical effect and benefit is that processing the devices  100 ,  200 ,  300  as a single unit through the electronics manufacturing process creates cost benefits as compared to manufacturing one printed wiring board backplane and multiple printed wiring board slot cards. In this way, the processing system  500 , which may be an electric system controller within an aircraft, will provide fuel efficiency benefits to the aircraft due to the incorporation of at least one of the devices  100 ,  200 ,  300 , instead of the printed wiring board backplane. 
         [0026]    While the invention has been described in detail in connection with only a limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood that the invention is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, the invention can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, while various embodiments of the invention have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the invention may include only some of the described embodiments. Accordingly, the invention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.