Apparatus for obtaining information indicative of a mismatched connection - Patent Application 20070122997

Abstract

To provide an apparatus for acquiring information indicating unconformity connection.SOLUTION: An apparatus according to the present invention has a first circuit board having a detector circuit. The first circuit board has a plurality of first cable plugs. Each of the cable plugs has an array of electrical contacts which can be connected physically and electrically to a plurality of first different cable plugs having a different multi-wire cable type. The detector circuit acquires information indicating whether or not at least one of the cable plugs is connected to conformity cable plugs of a plurality of second cable plugs on a second circuit board by a multi-wire cable of a multi-wire cable type. The detector circuit acquires information by sensing a pattern of a direct current signal of a first subset of one electrical contact among the cable plugs of the first circuit board.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for obtaining information indicative of a mismatched connection. [Background technology]

[0002] A typical circuit board may have multiple cable plugs so that the same multi-wire cable type is physically and electrically pluggable into multiple different cable plugs. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Various embodiments provide an apparatus having a plurality of first cable plugs, each of the plurality of first cable plugs comprising a first circuit board having an array of electrical contacts such that a same multi-wire cable type is physically and electrically pluggable into the plurality of first different cable plugs, the first circuit board including a detection circuit that obtains information indicative of whether at least one of the plurality of first cable plugs is connected by a multi-wire cable of the multi-wire cable type to a matching cable plug of a plurality of second cable plugs on a second circuit board, the detection circuit obtaining the information by sensing a pattern of a DC signal across a first subset of the electrical contacts of one of the cable plugs on the first circuit board.

[0004] According to some embodiments, the detection circuit estimates the pattern as a binary-valued vector, each component representing a corresponding one of the signals.

[0005] According to some embodiments, the first circuit board further includes a light source connected to indicate whether one of the cable plugs of the first circuit board is connected to a plurality of second matching cable plugs.

[0006] According to some embodiments, the detection circuit obtains information indicative of whether one of the cable plugs of the first circuit board is connected to any of the cable plugs of the second circuit board by a multi-wire cable by sensing a DC signal value at one of the electrical contacts of one of the cable plugs of the first circuit board.

[0007] According to some embodiments, the detection circuit is configured to obtain other information indicative of whether another one of the cable plugs of the first circuit board is connected to a matching one of the plurality of second cable plugs on the second circuit board by a multi-wire cable of a multi-wire cable type, and the detection circuit obtains the other information by sensing a pattern of DC signals across the same first subset of electrical contacts of the other one of the cable plugs of the first circuit board.

[0008] According to some embodiments, the first circuit board further includes a voltage pull-up circuit that connects a pull-up voltage source to the same first subset of each electrical contact of the cable plug of the first circuit board.

[0009] According to some embodiments, a second subset of the electrical contacts of each of the plurality of first cable plugs is connected to a corresponding identification pattern of ground and / or open circuit connections in the first circuit board such that the identification patterns of connections for different cable plugs of the plurality of first cable plugs are different.

[0010] According to some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises a second circuit board on which the plurality of second cable plugs are physically and electrically pluggable with the same multi-wire cable type into a plurality of second different cable plugs, and a plurality of multi-wire cables connected between some of the first and second plurality of cable plugs, wherein on the second circuit board a first subset of the electrical contacts of each cable plug of the plurality of second cable plugs are connected to a corresponding identification pattern of ground and / or open circuit connections on the second circuit board such that the identification patterns of connections of different cable plugs of the plurality of second cable plugs are different.

[0011] According to some embodiments, the second circuit board further includes another voltage pull-up circuit connecting a pull-up voltage source to the electrical contacts of the second subset of each of the plurality of second cable plugs.

[0012] According to some embodiments, the pattern across the first subset of electrical contacts of any one of the cable plugs of the first circuit board identifies a particular one of the cable plugs of the second circuit board in response to a multi-wire cable connecting any one of the cable plugs of the first circuit board to the particular one of the cable plugs of the second circuit board.

[0013] According to some embodiments, the second circuit board includes a second detection circuit that obtains other information indicative of whether at least a particular one of the cable plugs of the second circuit board is connected to a matching one of the cable plugs of the first circuit board by a multi-wire cable, the second detection circuit obtaining the other information by sensing a pattern of DC signals across a second subset of the electrical contacts of the particular one of the cable plugs of the second circuit board.

[0014] Further features, aspects, and advantages of the exemplary embodiments are provided in the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of one embodiment of the device. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a cable plug. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of another embodiment of the device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows a schematic representation of another embodiment of the device. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 shows steps in a method for operating the device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of one embodiment of the device.

[0017] The device comprises a first circuit board 102 .

[0018] The first circuit board 102 includes a plurality of first cable plugs 104 .

[0019] The first circuit board 102 includes a first detection circuit 106 .

[0020] According to some embodiments, the first circuit board 102 further includes a first pull-up voltage source 108. According to some embodiments, the first pull-up voltage source 108 provides 2.5V. The voltage may be any other reasonable voltage.

[0021] According to some embodiments, the first circuit board 102 further includes a first voltage pull-up circuit 110. According to some embodiments, the first pull-up circuit 110 includes a resistor, for example, 10 kOhm. The resistor can be any reasonable resistance. According to some embodiments, the first pull-up circuit 110 includes a capacitor, for example, 100 nF, for de-glitching. The capacitance can be any reasonable capacitance.

[0022] According to some embodiments, the device comprises a second circuit board 112 .

[0023] The second circuit board 112 includes a plurality of second cable plugs 114 .

[0024] According to some embodiments, the second circuit board 112 includes a second detection circuit 116 .

[0025] The second circuit board 112 includes a second pull-up voltage source 118. According to some embodiments, the second pull-up voltage source 118 provides 2.5V, although the voltage may be any other reasonable voltage.

[0026] The second circuit board 112 further includes a second voltage pull-up circuit 120. According to some embodiments, the second pull-up circuit 120 includes a resistor, for example, a 10 kOhm resistor. The resistor can be any reasonable resistance. According to some embodiments, the second pull-up circuit 120 includes a capacitor, for example, a 100 nF capacitor, for glitch rejection. The capacitance can be any reasonable capacitance.

[0027] The first circuit board 102 and the second circuit board 112 are connected to a common ground.

[0028] According to some embodiments, the device comprises an input resistor in series with the first detection circuit 106 or the second detection circuit 116, for example 100 ohms.

[0029] FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary cable plugs 104, 114 in schematic form.

[0030] The cable plugs 104 , 114 include an array of electrical contacts 202 .

[0031] Each of the plurality of first cable plugs 104 includes an array of electrical contacts 202 such that the same multi-wire cable type is physically and electrically pluggable into a plurality of different first cable plugs 104 .

[0032] Each of the plurality of second cable plugs 114 includes an array of electrical contacts 202 such that the same multi-wire cable type is physically and electrically pluggable into a plurality of different second cable plugs 114 .

[0033] A plurality of multi-wire cables 1, . . . , N are connected between some of the plurality of first and second cable plugs.

[0034] On the first circuit board 102 , each cable plug 104 of the plurality of first cable plugs includes a first subset 204 of electrical contacts 202 and a second subset 206 of electrical contacts 202 .

[0035] On the second circuit board 112 , each cable plug 114 of the plurality of second cable plugs includes a first subset 204 of electrical contacts 202 and a second subset 206 of electrical contacts 202 .

[0036] According to some embodiments, the multi-wire cable includes a connector for connecting the multi-wire cable to a cable plug 104, 114. According to some embodiments, the connector or cable plug 104, 114 is coded to ensure that electrical contacts 202 at the same position in the array of electrical contacts 202 connect to the same wire of the multi-wire cable for each cable plug and multi-wire cable.

[0037] According to some embodiments, on the first circuit board 102, the second subset 206 of the electrical contacts 202 of each of the plurality of first cable plugs 104 are connected to corresponding identification patterns of ground and / or open circuit connections on the first circuit board 102.

[0038] The second subset 206 is connected to different ones of the plurality of first cable plugs 104 such that the identification pattern of the connections to different ones of the plurality of first cable plugs 104 is different.

[0039] According to some embodiments, the first voltage pull-up circuit 110 connects the first pull-up voltage source 108 to the electrical contacts 202 of the first subset 204 of each of the plurality of first cable plugs 104 .

[0040] According to some embodiments, the first pull-up voltage source 108 supplies the first pull-up voltage to the same first subset 204 of the electrical contacts 202 of each of the cable plugs 104 of the first circuit board 102 .

[0041] According to some embodiments, the first voltage pull-up circuit 110 connects the first pull-up voltage source 108 to the same first subset 204 of the electrical contacts 202 of each of the cable plugs 104 of the first circuit board 102.

[0042] According to some embodiments, the electrical contacts 202 of the first subset 204 of the first circuit board 102 are each connected to the first pull-up voltage source 108 through a 10 kOhm pull-up resistor. According to some embodiments, the electrical contacts 202 of the first subset 204 of the first circuit board 102 are each connected to the first pull-up voltage source 108 through a 100 nF capacitor for glitch rejection. According to some embodiments, the capacitor is connected in parallel with the resistor.

[0043] On the second circuit board 112, a first subset 204 of the electrical contacts 202 of each of the plurality of second cable plugs 114 are connected to a corresponding identification pattern of ground and / or open circuit connections within the second circuit board 112. The first subsets 204 are connected such that the identification patterns of connections for different ones of the plurality of second cable plugs 114 are different.

[0044] According to some embodiments, on the second circuit board 112, a second voltage pull-up circuit 120 connects a second pull-up voltage source 118 to the electrical contacts 202 of a second subset 206 of each of the plurality of second cable plugs 114.

[0045] According to some embodiments, the electrical contacts 202 of the second subset 206 of the second circuit board 112 are each connected to the second pull-up voltage source 118 through a 10 kOhm pull-up resistor. According to some embodiments, the electrical contacts 202 of the second subset 206 of the second circuit board 112 are each connected to the second pull-up voltage source 118 through a 100 nF capacitor for glitch rejection. According to some embodiments, the capacitor is connected in parallel with the resistor.

[0046] This means that depending on the multi-wire cable 1,...,N connecting any one of the cable plugs 104 of the first circuit board 102 to a specific one of the cable plugs 114 of the second circuit board 112, the pattern across the first subset 204 of the electrical contacts 202 of any one of the cable plugs 104 of the first circuit board 102 identifies that specific one of the cable plugs 114 of the second circuit board 112.

[0047] This means that depending on the multi-wire cable 1,...,N connecting any one of the cable plugs 104 of the first circuit board 102 to a particular one of the cable plugs 114 of the second circuit board 112, the pattern across the second subset 206 of the electrical contacts 202 of any one of the cable plugs 114 of the second circuit board 112 identifies that particular one of the cable plugs 104 of the first circuit board 102.

[0048] The configuration of contacts in the cable plug used to provide the pattern can be adapted to fit various types of the same multi-wire cable, for example, according to the same multi-wire cable type, for example, for use with the same crossed multi-wire cable.

[0049] The first detection circuit 106 obtains information indicating whether at least one of the plurality of first cable plugs 104 on the first circuit board 102 is connected to a matching cable plug 114 of the plurality of second cable plugs 114 on the second circuit board 112 by a multi-wire cable 1,...,N of a multi-wire cable type.

[0050] According to some embodiments, the first detection circuit 106 obtains other information indicating whether another cable plug 104 on the first circuit board 102 is connected to a matching cable plug 114 among a plurality of second cable plugs 114 on the second circuit board 112 by a multi-wire cable of a multi-wire cable type.

[0051] According to some embodiments, the first detection circuit 106 is configured to obtain the information and other information by sensing a pattern of DC signals across the same first subset 204 of electrical contacts 202 of a particular one of the cable plugs 104 of the first circuit board 102.

[0052] According to some embodiments, the first detection circuit 106 estimates the pattern as a binary-valued vector, each component of which indicates a corresponding one of the signals.

[0053] According to some embodiments, the first detection circuit 106 detects whether or not a connection is made between the cable plug 104 of the first circuit board 102 and the cable plug 114 of the second circuit board 112 .

[0054] According to some embodiments, by sensing a DC signal value at one of the electrical contacts 202 of one of the cable plugs 104 of the first circuit board 102, the first detection circuit 106 obtains information indicating whether the cable plug 104 of the first circuit board 102 is connected to any of the cable plugs 114 of the second circuit board 112 by multi-wire cables 1,...,N.

[0055] A DC signal value in this context means that the DC signal has a DC current of a value at the static voltage.

[0056] According to some embodiments, the second detection circuit 116 obtains other information indicative of whether at least a particular one of the cable plugs 114 of the second circuit board 112 is connected to a matching one of the cable plugs 104 of the first circuit board 102 by a multi-wire cable 1,...,N.

[0057] According to some embodiments, second subset 206 of electrical contacts 202 of each of the plurality of first cable plugs 104 are connected to a corresponding identification pattern of ground and / or open circuit connections in first circuit board 102. According to some embodiments, second subset 206 of electrical contacts 202 of each of the plurality of first cable plugs 104 are connected such that the identification patterns of connections for different ones of the plurality of first cable plugs 104 are different.

[0058] According to some embodiments, the second detection circuit 116 is configured to obtain this other information by sensing the pattern of DC signals across a second subset 206 of the electrical contacts 202 of a particular one of the cable plugs 114 of the second circuit board 112.

[0059] 3 illustrates another embodiment of the device, in which the first circuit board 102 further includes a light source 312 connected to indicate whether one of the cable plugs 104 of the first circuit board 102 is connected to a plurality of second matching cable plugs 114. The light source 312 may be a light emitting diode (LED).

[0060] According to some embodiments, the device determines whether there is a mismatch depending on information whether at least one of the plurality of first cable plugs 104 is connected to a matching cable plug 114 of the plurality of second cable plugs 114 on the second circuit board 112 by multi-wire cables 1,...,N of a multi-wire cable type.

[0061] According to some embodiments, the first detection circuit 106 determines whether there is a mismatch.

[0062] According to some embodiments, the light source 312 is hard wired to the first detection circuit 106 to indicate a mismatched or matched connection. According to some embodiments, the first detection circuit 106 and the light source 312 provide a self-matching connection optical signal.

[0063] According to some embodiments, the light source 312 provides optical indication to facilitate use of the device.

[0064] According to some embodiments, light source 312 emits a red light to indicate that the multi-wire cable is not present or is not connected at the near end, the far end, or both.

[0065] According to some embodiments, the light source 312 emits a yellow light at the near end, the far end, or both, to indicate that the multi-wire cable is not connected in the correct position.

[0066] According to some embodiments, the light source 312 outputs a green light indicating that no problems are detected.

[0067] According to some embodiments, the flashing light source 312 provides other event indications.

[0068] According to some embodiments, the light source 312 outputs a blinking light to indicate other events. According to some embodiments, the device outputs a blinking red light to indicate a critical communication error. According to some embodiments, the device outputs a blinking yellow light to indicate link initialization in progress. According to some embodiments, the device outputs a blinking green light to indicate fault-free communication.

[0069] According to some embodiments, the device signals one of the following cable states with light source 312:

[0070] Red: Not present (no interrupt). Red, flashing: No interrupt present, interrupt pending. Yellow: Incorrect counterparts present. Yellow, flashing: There is an incorrect counterpart with an interrupt pending. Green: Present, correct counterpart Green, flashing: The correct counterpart is present and the interrupt is pending.

[0071] The device may include an array of light sources 312, e.g., an array of LEDs, to individually indicate mismatched or matched connections. According to some embodiments, the array of light sources 312 and the first detection circuit 106 provide individually matched or mismatched connection light signals to some or each of the cable plugs 104 of the first circuit board 102.

[0072] The second circuit board 112 may be configured with a light source or an array of light sources, and the second detection circuit 116 provides individually matched or mismatched connection optical signals to some or each of the cable plugs 114 of the second circuit board 112.

[0073] FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the apparatus, which further comprises a processor 402 that determines whether there is a mismatch according to the information collected by the first detection circuit 106 .

[0074] According to some embodiments, the processor 402 is connected to the first detection circuit 108 via a bus 404, such as an i2c bus, or a point-to-point connection, such as Ethernet.

[0075] According to some embodiments, the first detection circuit 108 reports an event to the processor 402 via the bus 404. The event may be, for example, the removal or insertion of a multi-wire cable into a cable plug monitored by the first detection circuit 108.

[0076] According to some embodiments, the first detection circuit 108 reports the status of the cable plug monitored by the first detection circuit 108 when requested by the processor 402. According to some embodiments, the first detection circuit 108 automatically triggers an interrupt signal to report the event to the processor 402. This means that status information can be received and tracked by continuously polling or as a read response to an interrupt.

[0077] According to some embodiments, the first detection circuit 108 has a register unit 406. The register unit includes an array of interrupt registers that store cable pull and plug events. According to some embodiments, the first detection circuit 108 stores the cable pull or plug event in the first array of interrupt registers unless the cable is explicitly cleared.

[0078] According to some embodiments, the processor 402 reads the interrupt register, and according to some embodiments, the processor 402 clears the interrupt register when it is read.

[0079] According to some embodiments, the register unit 406 comprises a second array of registers that store bits corresponding to patterns detected by the first detection circuit 108 in pattern registers of the second array.

[0080] According to some embodiments, the processor 402 reads the bits that represent the pattern.

[0081] According to some embodiments, the processor 402 reads the bits in the pattern register.

[0082] The light source 312 may be connected to the processor 402 via a link 408. The processor 402 indicates a mismatch or match connection with the light source 312.

[0083] The array of light sources 312 may be connected to the processor 402 by links 408. The processor 402 individually indicates misaligned or aligned connections of some or each of the cable plugs 114 of the second circuit board 112 with the array of light sources 312.

[0084] According to some embodiments, on the first circuit board 102, some of the second subset 206 of each or more first electrical contacts 202 of the cable plug 104 are connected to ground and some are connected to an open circuit.

[0085] According to some embodiments, on the second circuit board 112, some of the first subset 204 of the cable plug 114 or plurality of second respective electrical contacts 202 are connected to ground and some are connected to an open circuit.

[0086] In some embodiments, a truth table is used for mismatch detection, with each mismatch detection line representing one bit.

[0087] For example, the truth table encodes which cable plug 104 on the first circuit board 102 connects to which cable plug 114 on the second circuit board 112 according to the connection scheme.

[0088] For example, the truth table includes rows, each row corresponding to one of the cable plugs 104 of the first circuit board 102 and including an encoding according to a connection scheme.

[0089] The rows correspond to patterns, and according to some embodiments, the rows correspond to vectors of binary values.

[0090] According to some embodiments, the first subset 204 on the first circuit board 102 comprises four connectors 202 .

[0091] In an exemplary connection scheme for an N=16 multi-wire cable and four connectors 202 in first subset 204, the pattern is encoded by four bits. Each of the four bits corresponds to a different one of the connectors 202 in first subset 204 on each of first circuit board 102 and second circuit board 112. Within first subset 204, the same connector 202 corresponds to the same bit. The connection scheme, for example, is as follows:

[0092] [Table 1]

[0093] Here, 0 indicates a cable connected to ground and 1 indicates an intended open connection in the trace.

[0094] According to some embodiments, the information collected by the first detection circuit 106 or the second detection circuit 116 is encoded as a set of bits, with a bit value of 0 indicating that a cable connected to ground is detected and a bit value of 1 indicating an intended open connection in the pattern.

[0095] The positions of the bits in the truth table in this example correspond to the positions in the array of electrical contacts 202 in the first subset 204. The positions in the array of electrical contacts 202 may be matched to the positions of the bits in the truth table in other ways, for example, by further mapping.

[0096] If the cabling is matched, the bits corresponding to the information collected by the first detection circuit 106 or the second detection circuit 116 for a particular multi-wire cable will match the expected value indicated by the bits in that entry in the truth table. If the cabling is mismatched, at least one of the bits corresponding to the information collected by the first detection circuit 106 for a particular multi-wire cable will not match the corresponding bit in the expected value indicated by the truth table for that particular multi-wire cable.

[0097] According to some embodiments, each of the multi-wire cables provides 10 wires. Multi-wire cables can provide more or less than 10 wires.

[0098] According to some embodiments, the first subset 204 of electrical connectors 202 includes five electrical connectors 202, one electrical connector 202 for presence detection and four electrical connectors 202 for mismatch detection.

[0099] The four electrical connectors 202 for mismatch detection can be coded by bit 0, bit 1, bit 2, and bit 3 of the truth table.

[0100] An indication for presence detection may be encoded by an additional bit, bit 4.

[0101] [Table 2]

[0102] A 0 indicates a cable that is connected at both ends, and a 1 indicates a cable that is not connected (at least at one end).

[0103] This means that bit 4=0 indicates, for a particular multiwire cable, that this multiwire cable is connected. This means that bit 4=1 indicates that a particular multiwire cable is not connected at either the near end, the far end, or both ends of the multiwire cable.

[0104] According to some embodiments, the device outputs the results of the mismatch detection during installation or debugging of a connection with the multi-wire cable 1,...,N. According to some embodiments, the device outputs the results of the mismatch detection before the multi-wire cable 1,...,N is operational. According to some embodiments, the device outputs an indication of the results of the mismatch detection checked bidirectionally, i.e., at either end of the multi-wire cable 1,...,N individually.

[0105] According to some embodiments, the device generates an interrupt signal that generates either a rising or falling slope to signal a change in the status of the presence detection described above, which signals when the multi-wire cable 1,...,N is connected at both ends or when one end is removed.

[0106] According to some embodiments, the device reads the register in response to an interrupt signal. According to some embodiments, the device detects which of the multi-wire cables 1,...,N has a status change.

[0107] According to some embodiments, to test the first detection circuit 106 or the second detection circuit 116 or the processor 402, the device fakes a signal that indicates a "1" as a "0" and vice versa.

[0108] According to some embodiments, the device provides interrupt signals and / or register contents to the processor 402 via additional lines for real-time detection.

[0109] FIG. 5 shows steps in a method for operating the device.

[0110] The method includes step 502, which comprises obtaining information indicating whether at least one of the plurality of first cable plugs 104 is connected to a matching cable plug 114 of the plurality of second cable plugs 114 on the second circuit board 112 by a multi-wire cable 1,...,N of a multi-wire cable type.

[0111] The information is obtained by sensing a pattern of DC signals across a first subset 204 of electrical contacts 202 of one of the cable plugs 104 of the first circuit board 102 .

[0112] According to some embodiments, the method includes estimating the pattern as a binary-valued vector, each component representing a corresponding one of the signals.

[0113] According to some embodiments, information indicating whether one of the cable plugs 104 of the first circuit board 102 is connected to any of the cable plugs 114 of the second circuit board 112 by multi-wire cables 1,...,N is obtained by sensing a DC signal value at one of the electrical contacts 202 of one of the cable plugs 104 of the first circuit board 102.

[0114] According to some embodiments, the method includes obtaining other information indicating whether other of the cable plugs 104 of the first circuit board 102 are connected to matching cable plugs 114 of the plurality of second cable plugs 114 on the second circuit board 112 by a multi-wire cable of a multi-wire cable type.

[0115] According to some embodiments, other information is obtained by sensing the pattern of DC signals across the same first subset 204 of electrical contacts 202 of other cable plugs 104 of the first circuit board 102 .

[0116] According to some embodiments, the method includes step 504 , where it is indicated whether one of the cable plugs 104 of the first circuit board 102 is connected to a plurality of second matching cable plugs 114 by the light source 312 .

[0117] The description and drawings merely illustrate the principles of the present invention. Thus, it will be understood that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements not explicitly described or shown herein, but which embody the principles of the present invention and are within its spirit and scope. Furthermore, all examples recited herein are expressly intended to be solely for instructional purposes, primarily to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the present invention and concepts contributed by the inventors to further the art, and should be construed as not being limited to such specifically recited examples and conditions. Furthermore, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the present invention, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof.

[0118] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative circuitry embodying the principles of the invention. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flowcharts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudocode, etc. are substantially represented on a computer-readable medium and, as such, represent various processes that may be performed by a computer or processor, whether or not such a computer or processor is explicitly shown.

[0119] Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the steps of the various above-described methods may be performed by a programmed computer. Some embodiments herein are also intended to encompass a program storage device, e.g., a digital data storage medium, that is machine- or computer-readable and encodes a machine-executable or computer-executable program of instructions, the instructions performing some or all of the above-described method steps. The program storage device may be, for example, a digital memory, a magnetic storage medium such as a magnetic disk or tape, a hard drive, or an optically readable digital data storage medium. The embodiments are also intended to cover a computer programmed to perform the above-described method steps.

[0120] The functions of the various elements shown in the figures, including any functional block labeled a "processor," may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing software in association with appropriate software. When provided by a processor, the functions may be provided by a single dedicated processor, by a single shared processor, or by multiple individual processors, some of which may be shared. Furthermore, explicit use of the terms "processor" or "controller" should not be construed to refer exclusively to hardware capable of executing software and may implicitly include, but is not limited to, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, network processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), read-only memory (ROM) for storing software, random access memory (RAM), and non-volatile storage. Other hardware, conventional and / or custom, may also be included. Similarly, any switches shown in the figures are conceptual only. Their functions may be performed through the operation of program logic, through dedicated logic, through the interaction of program control and dedicated logic, or even manually, with the particular techniques being selectable by the implementer as more particularly understood from the context.

Claims

1. a first circuit board (102) having a plurality of first cable plugs (104), each of the plurality of first cable plugs (104) having an array of electrical contacts (202) such that the same multi-wire cable type is physically and electrically pluggable to a plurality of different first cable plugs (104); The apparatus is characterized in that the first circuit board (102) includes a detection circuit (106) that obtains information indicative of whether at least one of the plurality of first cable plugs (104) is connected to a matching cable plug (114) of a plurality of second cable plugs (114) on a second circuit board (112) by a multi-wire cable (1,...,N) of a multi-wire cable type, and the detection circuit (106) obtains the information by sensing a pattern of a DC signal across a first subset (204) of the electrical contacts (202) of one of the cable plugs (104) on the first circuit board (102).

2. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detection circuitry (106) estimates the pattern as a binary-valued vector, each component representing a corresponding one of the signals.

3. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first circuit board further includes a light source connected to indicate whether one of the cable plugs of the first circuit board is connected to the matching cable plug of the plurality of second cable plugs.

4. 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the detection circuit (106) obtains information indicating whether one of the cable plugs (104) of the first circuit board (102) is connected to any of the cable plugs (114) of the second circuit board (112) by a multi-wire cable (1,...,N) by sensing a DC signal value at one of the electrical contacts (202) of one of the cable plugs (104) of the first circuit board (102).

5. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detection circuitry obtains other information indicative of whether another of the cable plugs on the first circuit board is connected to a matching cable plug on the second circuit board by a multi-wire cable of a multi-wire cable type, and the detection circuitry obtains the other information by sensing a pattern of a DC signal across the same first subset of the electrical contacts of the other cable plug on the first circuit board.

6. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first circuit board further includes a voltage pull-up circuit that connects a pull-up voltage source to the same first subset of the electrical contacts of each of the cable plugs of the first circuit board.

7. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a second subset of the electrical contacts of each of the plurality of first cable plugs are connected to a corresponding identification pattern of ground and / or open circuit connections in the first circuit board such that the identification patterns of connections for different ones of the plurality of first cable plugs are different.

8. the second circuit board (112), wherein a plurality of the second cable plugs (114) are physically and electrically pluggable to a plurality of different second cable plugs (114) of the same multi-wire cable type; a plurality of multi-wire cables (1,...,N) connected between some of the plurality of first cable plugs and the second cable plugs; 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, on the second circuit board, the first subset of the electrical contacts of each of a plurality of the second cable plugs are connected to corresponding identification patterns of ground and / or open circuit connections in the second circuit board such that identification patterns of connections for different ones of the plurality of second cable plugs are different.

9. 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second circuit board further includes another voltage pull-up circuit that connects a pull-up voltage source to the electrical contacts of a second subset of each of the second cable plugs.

10. 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the pattern across the first subset of electrical contacts of any of the cable plugs on the first circuit board identifies a specific one of the cable plugs on the second circuit board in response to a multi-wire cable connecting any of the cable plugs to a specific cable plug on the second circuit board.

11. 10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second circuit board includes a second detection circuit configured to obtain other information indicative of whether at least a particular one of the cable plugs of the second circuit board is connected to one of the matching cable plugs of the first circuit board by a multi-wire cable, the second detection circuit configured to obtain the other information by sensing a pattern of a DC signal across a second subset of the electrical contacts of the particular one of the cable plugs of the second circuit board.

Images