|Publication number||US5144532 A|
|Application number||US 07/700,502|
|Publication date||Sep 1, 1992|
|Filing date||May 15, 1991|
|Priority date||May 16, 1990|
|Also published as||DE4015788A1, DE4015788C2, EP0457313A1, EP0457313B1|
|Publication number||07700502, 700502, US 5144532 A, US 5144532A, US-A-5144532, US5144532 A, US5144532A|
|Inventors||Hermann Wessely, Otmar Fritz|
|Original Assignee||Siemens Nixdorf Informationssystem Ag|
|Export Citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Patent Citations (6), Referenced by (29), Classifications (19), Legal Events (5)|
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet|
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a circuit board assembly, particularly for use in data equipment.
2. Description of the Related Art
As computers require more and more switching functions in a smaller space, it becomes increasingly more difficult to manufacture computers with a high number of circuit board positions, particularly in assemblies for central processor units. Likewise, it is not possible to supply voltages in traditional ways via plug pins since the electrical power requirements are increased more and more per available area and because the large amount of power to be dissipated as a result thereof.
An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical circuit board assembly having an optimum ratio of space to dissipated power.
This and other objects and advantages of the invention are achieved by an assembly including a multi-layer printed circuit board which has been produced using standard laminating technology and which is provided with a plurality of power and signal lines. Further printed circuit boards that are constructed using micro-wiring technology and which have integrated devices such as chips arranged on one side forming an electrical circuit and the other side being free of such devices are also provided. These further printed circuit boards are connected to the multi-layer board, preferably at both sides, via pressure contacts. Cooling plates or heat sinks, are provided pressing against the surfaces of the integrated circuit chips on the further printed circuit boards.
As the result of the foregoing measures, a circuit board assembly is obtained which provides an optimum ratio of switching functions while occupying little space. This assembly is particularly suited for use in general computers, or even in so-called super computers, having extremely high computer performance.
The cooling plates used in the present assembly are preferably liquid-cooled. In a preferred embodiment, the power supply voltages are carried to the printed circuit boards at three sides thereof and the signal lines are connected to the printed circuit boards at the remaining, fourth side via plugs.
The invention shall be set forth in greater detail with reference to exemplary embodiments described in conjunction with the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a circuit board assembly according to the principles of the present invention; and
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the present assembly with.
Shown in FIG. 1 is a multi-layer printed circuit board 1 that is constructed using standard laminating technology. The multi-layer board 1 includes two signal carrying layers 10 toward the inside and four power supply layers 12 toward the outside in the present example. The multi-layer board 1 is arranged in the center of the present assembly and on opposite sides thereof there are two further printed circuit boards 3 which are constructed using micro-wiring technology. The further printed circuit boards 3 are connected to the multi-layer board 1 via pressure contacts 2 which conduct the electrical signals and power supply voltages between these circuit boards. Mounted on the further printed circuit boards 3 are devices such as integrated circuit chips 4 on the side opposite the pressure contacts 2. The integrated circuit chips and other electrical devices 4 form electrical circuits in, for example, a high performance computer. Cooling plates 5 are pressed directly against the upper sides of the chips 4, and are held in place by clamps 14 extending through the cooling plates 5 and the multi-layer board 1. In a preferred embodiment, the cooling plates 5 are liquid cooled.
Electrical energy, such as the power supply voltages and the signals are transmitted to the multi-layer board 1 via a plug socket 6 which is shown schematically mounted at one edge thereof. Such plug sockets 6 may be provided at all four sides of the multi-layer board 1. The plug sockets 6 connect to electrical surface contacts on the outside surfaces of the multi-layer board 1, these surface contacts also referred to as contact locations, being connected to the signal and voltage carrying layers 10 and 12 in the known way. These layers also connect to the pressure contacts 2 at the appropriate locations.
FIG. 2 shows a detailed view of the circuit board assembly of the present invention. The multi-layer board 1 projects beyond the printed circuit boards 3 which carry the chips 4. In the illustrated embodiment, the multi-layer board 1 extends beyond all four sides of the printed circuit boards 3. Voltage feeds 8 which are formed as contact spots are provided at the projecting edge regions along three sides of the multi-layer board 1. These contact spots 8 are connected to respective power supply areas in the interior regions of the multi-layer board 1 via inter-layer connections. At a fourth side of the multi-layer board 1 is provided the plug socket 6 into which the multi-layer board 1 is inserted. The plug socket 6 is mounted on a plate or back plane 7 and carries signals via signal layers through the multi-layer board 1 to the chips 4 on the printed circuit boards 3. The connection of the signal leads is shown schematically by broken lines 9.
Thus, there is shown and described a circuit board assembly for achieving high density mounting of circuit boards 3 through the use of a multi-layer board 1 mounted between two circuit boards which is fitted with various plug socket connections at the edges of the multi-layer board 1. Since the high density electronics of the present circuit board assembly increases the amount of heat per area which must be dissipated, the cooling plates 5 (which have not been shown in FIG. 2 to permit viewing of the rest of the assembly) are mounted directed to the integrated circuit chips 4 on either side of the assembly. The present invention therefore permits two circuit boards to be mounted in a position or slot in which only one circuit board could previously have been mounted. Since the size of plug sockets and back plane requirements previously limited the circuit board density in data equipment, the present invention overcomes the size limitations and permits greater reduction in the size of data equipment.
Although other modifications and changes may be suggested by those skilled in the art, it is the intention of the inventors to embody within the patent warranted hereon all changes and modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of their contribution to the art.
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|Citing Patent||Filing date||Publication date||Applicant||Title|
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|US7193854 *||May 2, 2005||Mar 20, 2007||Verigy Pte. Ltd||Using a leaf spring to attach clamp plates with a heat sink to both sides of a component mounted on a printed circuit assembly|
|US20010041947 *||Mar 5, 2001||Nov 15, 2001||Dell Products L.P.||System and method for manufacturing products according to customer orders|
|US20020123918 *||Mar 5, 2001||Sep 5, 2002||Dell Products L.P.||System and method for manufacturing and shipping products according to customer orders|
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|US20040010336 *||Jul 14, 2003||Jan 15, 2004||Dell Products L.P.||System and method for accommodating atypical customer requirements in a mass customization|
|US20060245166 *||May 2, 2005||Nov 2, 2006||Paul Bonomo||Using a leaf spring to attach clamp plates with a heat sink to both sides of a component mounted on a printed circuit assembly|
|US20070160078 *||Jan 9, 2007||Jul 12, 2007||Delta Electronics, Inc.||Ethernet component|
|U.S. Classification||361/702, 257/E23.172, 257/718, 361/720, 257/E25.011, 257/719, 361/699, 257/723, 257/713|
|International Classification||H05K1/14, H01L23/538, H01L25/065|
|Cooperative Classification||H01L2924/0002, H01L25/0652, H05K1/144, H01L23/5385|
|European Classification||H05K1/14D, H01L25/065M, H01L23/538F|
|Jun 20, 1991||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: SIEMENS NIXDORF INFORMATIONSSYSTEM AG, A GERMAN CO
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNORS:WESSELY, HERMANN;FRITZ, OTMAR;REEL/FRAME:005739/0888
Effective date: 19910506
|Feb 26, 1996||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 4
|Mar 28, 2000||REMI||Maintenance fee reminder mailed|
|Sep 3, 2000||LAPS||Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees|
|Nov 7, 2000||FP||Expired due to failure to pay maintenance fee|
Effective date: 20000901