US 10,568,227 B2 · Expansion module system

Abstract

A system and approach that may connect communication modules together in a daisy chain fashion as an expansion bus. A communication module may be connected with a data bus and a voltage bus to a baseboard having a controller. The communication module may have a multi-port universal serial bus hub connected to the data bus from the expansion connector, an electronic device connected to the hub and the voltage regulator. Another communication module having a similar structure as the first communication module may be connected to the first communication module via a data bus between the multiport hub of the first expansion module and a universal serial bus hub of the other communication module, and may have a voltage bus connected to the voltage bus of the first communication module. More communication modules may be connected in a daisy chain or serial fashion to a preceding module, and so on.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A module system comprising:

a baseboard;
a first expansion module connected to the baseboard;
a second expansion module connected to the first expansion module;
and
one or more additional expansion modules;
and
wherein:
the baseboard comprises:
a power source;
a controller;
and
an expansion connector connected to the controller;
the first expansion module comprises:
a universal serial bus (USB) device comprising a microcontroller;
and
a multi-port hub having a first port connected to the expansion connector, a second port connected to the USB device, and a third port connected to the second expansion module;
the one or more additional expansion modules are connected in a serial fashion to the second expansion module in a manner that the second expansion module is connected to the first expansion module;
and
each expansion module of the one or more additional expansion modules comprises a voltage regulator having an input connected to a voltage supply line, and an output connected to a multi-port hub and to a USB device respectively of that expansion module.

16 more elements

An expansion bus mechanism comprising:

a baseboard comprising:
a power source;
a controller;
and
an expansion connector connected to the controller;
and
a serial arrangement of a number (N) of expansion modules having a first expansion module connected to the expansion connector;
and
wherein:
each expansion module of the N expansion modules comprises:
a multi-port hub;
one or more devices connected to the multi-port hub,
wherein the one or more devices comprise a microcontroller which processes a signal from the multi-port hub and provides a processed signal to the multi-port hub;
a voltage bus;
and
a voltage regulator having an input connected to the voltage bus and an output connected to the multi-port hub and to one or more devices;
wherein the voltage bus of the first expansion module of the N expansion modules is connected to the power source;
wherein each of the second through N expansion modules has a first port of its multiport hub connected to a preceding expansion module, and a second port connected to a first port of a succeeding expansion module;
and
wherein the voltage bus of each of the second through N expansion modules is connected to the voltage bus of the preceding expansion module;
where a preceding expansion module is an n−1 expansion module and a succeeding expansion module is an n+1 expansion module of an n module;
an n module is any module selected from the second through N−1 expansion modules;
and
an Nth expansion module has a preceding (N−1) expansion module.

21 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Expansion module system

Life of this patent

Expansion module system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20