US 6,787,708 B1 · Printed circuit board debug technique

Abstract

A computer-aided design (CAD) tool is used to create a preliminary design of a mulit-layered printed circuit board, comprising a layout of electrical components on a main region of a printed circuit board and a routing of signal traces among the lectical components within the main region. An extended region is then added to the design on the CAD tool that comprises a layout of selected debug connectors on the extended region and at least one additional signal layer. Traces connecting the debug connectors to selected vias of the main region of the printed circuit board are then routed on the added signal layer only. A prototype board is then created and tested. Once testing is complete, the extended region and the at least one additional layer are removed from the design in the CAD tool without disturbing the layout of components and routing of signal traces on the main region of the printed circuit board.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A set of at least two types of printed circuit boards having a first type printed circuit board which is a prototype test printed circuit board adapted for testing and having a plurality second type of printed circuit board which is a product circuit board for use in products, wherein said first and second type printed circuit board comprises:

a first plurality of layers, and
a main region in which a plurality of electrical components are disposed on said printed circuit board in an electrical design, the electrical components being connected by traces disposed on one or more of said first plurality of layers within said main region;
and wherein only boards of said first type in said set further comprise:
at least one additional layer for testing on which traces are routed that connect from debug connectors to vias within the main region of the printed circuit board, said at least one additional layer having an extended region in which a plurality of debug connectors are disposed, and
wherein both the first and second type printed circuit boards have substantially the same electrical design in the main regions thereof.

2 more elements

A method of designing a multi-layered printed circuit board having a plurality of electrical components thereon, the method comprising:

(a) creating in a computer-aided design (CAD) tool a design of a multi-layered printed circuit board, the design comprising a layout of the electrical components on a main region of the printed circuit board and a routing of signal traces among the electrical components within said main region, the signal traces being disposed on one or more signal layers of the printed circuit board;
(b) adding to the design in the CAD tool an extended region of the printed circuit board, a layout of selected debug connectors on the extended region, and at least one additional signal layer, said at least one additional layer being a test layer, and routing in the CAD tool, on said at least one additional layer, traces connecting the debug connectors to selected vias of the main region of the printed circuit board;
(c) building a test circuit board in accord with said design and having said test layer,
(d) testing said built test printed circuit board, using the debug connectors on the extended region thereof;
and if there is no need to redesign any of the layers due to errors discovered in testing, else, fixing said errors and thereafter,
(e) removing from the design in the CAD tool the extended region and said test layer without disturbing the layout of components and routing of signal traces on the main region of the printed circuit board, and
(f) building printed circuit boards for production.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Printed circuit board debug technique

Life of this patent

Printed circuit board debug technique

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims11