Circuit Module Version Discrimination via Component Orientation

Solution Overview

Problem

Circuit modules with improved electronic components or updated firmware cannot be differentiated from previous versions, leading to potential mixing and shipping of products with different characteristics, causing issues at the destination due to similar appearances.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating a module-discrimination electronic component that can be mounted at different positions and orientations on the circuit board, allowing for visual discrimination between types of discrimination-target electronic components, even when using circuit boards with the same design and configuration.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If the same printed board design is used for both previous and improved circuit modules, then manufacturing cost is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but the ability to discriminate between different product versions is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of manufactureVSAvoidproduct version information

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by making only the necessary local modification to the printed board design - adding discrimination marks in specific areas while keeping the overall board design identical. This allows the board to maintain its standard manufacturing process while locally encoding version information through the placement and orientation of module-discrimination electronic components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces module-discrimination electronic components as intermediaries that carry version information. These components act as mediators between the identical printed board design and the need to distinguish different product versions, allowing visual discrimination without requiring different board designs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of manufacture

If replacement electronic components have the same shape, size and pin arrangement as previous components, then component compatibility and ease of manufacture are improved, but visual discrimination between product versions becomes impossible

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of manufactureVSAvoidproduct version identification

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces module-discrimination electronic components as intermediaries that carry version information. These components act as mediators between the identical printed board design and the need to distinguish different product versions, allowing visual discrimination without requiring different board designs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses visual changes in the form of discrimination marks and different mounting positions/orientations of electronic components to encode version information. This is analogous to color changes in that it uses visual properties to convey information about product version without changing the fundamental component characteristics.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #32Color changes

3Device complexity

If the configuration of replacement electronic components is kept the same as previous components, then device complexity is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but the ability to visually discriminate circuit modules is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice complexityVSAvoidproduct version information

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the version identification function from the main circuit functionality by introducing separate module-discrimination electronic components. This segmentation allows the main circuit components to remain simple and identical across versions, while the discrimination components carry the version information independently.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces module-discrimination electronic components as intermediaries that carry version information. These components act as mediators between the identical printed board design and the need to distinguish different product versions, allowing visual discrimination without requiring different board designs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS9750138B2Circuit module

Publication Date: 2017.08.29 MURATA MFG CO LTD

AI summary

A circuit module includes a circuit board and electronic components mounted on the circuit board. The mounted electronic components include at least one discrimination-target electronic component and at least one module-discrimination electronic component. In addition, the circuit board includes land electrodes allowing the module-discrimination electronic component to be mounted at different positions and/or orientations with respect to the circuit board, and the module-discrimination electronic component is mounted at any one position and/or orientation among different positions and/or orientations with respect to the circuit board in accordance with the type of the discrimination-target electronic component.