Patent Application
20090189637
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a machine for chipset programming. More particularly, the present invention relates to a machine for programming on-board chipsets simultaneously.
2. Description of Related Art
Traditionally, there are two different conditions for a chipset to save programming codes (e.g. firmware) therein. The first one is to place a chipset on an IC burner while the chipset is not mounted on the printed circuit board (PCB) yet and so that the programming codes can be directly burned-in. The second one is to save programming codes to an on-board chipset, that is, a chipset has been mounted on a PCB and the PCB may have more than one on-board chipset.
Since most PCBs contain more than one on-board chipset and each on-board chipset characterizes different functions and formats, when the code programming procedure of the on-board chipsets starts, the circuit board has to be carried through different code programming areas to burn-in different sets of codes into the chipset in sequence, according to the on-board chipset functions and formats.
Therefore, in aspect of mass production, the second type of programming codes into a chipset reflects drawbacks of huge time consumption and production cost in moving the circuit board around the code programming areas, and decreasing utilized area due to the disposed code programming areas.
It is therefore an aspect of the present invention to provide a machine for programming on-board chipsets, which enables users to adapt different layout designs of chipsets to program codes simultaneously into those on-board chipsets, so as to cut down in time consumption and production cost of the code programming process.
According to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a machine for programming on-board chipsets includes a platform, an IC programming burner and a circuit board for processing. The circuit board has a plurality of chipsets and a plurality of input portions. Each input portion respectively corresponds to a chipset and consists of a plurality of input pads electrically connected to the corresponding chipset for transmitting programming codes.
Many programming modules are electrically connected to the IC programming burner, movably disposed on the platform, and separately have a plurality of output pins extending towards the circuit board, wherein each of the output pins corresponds to one of the input pads to electrically connect the corresponding input pad when they are in contact with each other. When the output pins of one programming module are electrically connected the corresponding input pads respectively, the IC programming burner separately distributes a different set of programming codes into each chipset via the output pins and the corresponding input pads, so as to finish the code programming process of the on-board chipset.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are examples, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings where:
Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.
The input pads 441 of each input portion 44 either are arranged on the circuit board 4 as the same surface as the corresponding chipset 41 or the corresponding connecting jack 42 is arranged on, or the input pads 441 of each input portion 44 may be arranged on the circuit board 4 as the opposite surface as the corresponding chipset 41 or the corresponding connecting jack 42 is arranged on. When the input pads 441 of each input portion 44 are arranged opposite to the corresponding chipset 41 or the corresponding connecting jack 42, these input pads 441 are electrically connected to the corresponding chipset 41 or the corresponding connecting jack 42 by penetrating through the circuit board 4 via cords for transmitting programming codes.
Each of the connecting jacks 42 further connects one or more other chipsets 43 that are essentially the same as the forgoing chipset 41. The only difference between the chipsets 41 and other chipsets 43 is the other chipsets 43 receive the programming codes from the corresponding input pads 441 via the connecting jacks 42, not from the corresponding input pads 441 directly as the chipsets 41 do. Thus, the connecting jacks 42 are provided for another way to transmit programming codes to the chipset 43.
The platform 1 is approximate to the circuit board 4 and a surface of the platform 1 that faces a surface of the circuit board 4 with the input pads 441, has a positioning mechanism 11 thereon.
Each of the programming modules 5 being moved on the platform 1 is for disposing on a right position for contacting the input portions 44 and transmitting the programming codes to the chipsets 41 or the connecting jack 42. Each programming module 5 has a first connector 51 electrically connected the IC programming burner 2 and a number of output pins 52 extending towards the circuit board 4. Since the deployment of the output pins 52 of each programming modules 5 matches the deployment of the input pads 441 of the corresponding input portion 44, each of the output pins 52 is able to correspond to one of the input pads 441, so that the output pins 52 can be electrically connected the corresponding input pad 441 as they are individually in contact with their corresponding input pad 441.
The IC programming burner 2 has a number of second connectors 21 disposed on a side of the IC programming burner 2. A cable wire 22 can electrically connect each second connector 21 to the first connector 51. Alternatively, each second connector 21 can skip over the programming module 5 to be electrically connected with the connecting jack 42 directly with a cable wire (not shown in illustration). The IC programming burner 2 retrieves sets of programming codes that are separately based on the characteristics and formats of each chipset 41,43 and stored in the computer device 3.
While the computer device 3 starts to program codes to the chipsets 41,43, the computer device 3 first either moves the platform 1 to approach the circuit board 4 or moves the circuit board 4 to approach the platform 1 to bring each input pad 441 into contact with its corresponding output pin 52. Then, the computer device 3 detects whether each output pin 52 of at least one programming module 5 is correctly in contact with the corresponding input pad 441. After the computer device 3 detects that each output pin 52 of at least one programming module 5 is correctly in contact with the corresponding input pad 441, the computer device 3 sends a predetermined set of programming codes to the IC programming burner 2 in the order of the sequence of the second connectors 21 connected the programming module 5. Then, the IC programming burner 2 separately distributes the set of programming codes into each chipset 41 or connecting the jack 42 via the output pins 52 and the corresponding input pads 441. Finally, when the chipset 41 receives the set of programming codes from its input pads 441, or the chipset 43 receives the set of programming codes from the connecting jack 42, the computer device 3 completes to program codes to the chipsets 41, 43.
Referring to
Furthermore, the position of each first fastening portion 110 on the platform 1 is seen as a coordinate of the platform, therefore, in beginning the users can obtain the coordinate of the input portion 44 on the platform 1 in advance. Then, The users position the programming module 5 on the platform 1 according to the coordinate of the input portion 44. Because the deployment of the output pins 52 of the programming modules 5 matches the deployment of the input pads 441 of the corresponding input portion 44, each of the output pins 52 is able to contact the corresponding input pad 441 when the circuit board 4 and the platform 1 are in contact with each other. Therefore, the programming module 5 can be securely and precisely positioned on the platform 1 corresponding to the input portion 44 and enables each output pin 52 to face the corresponding input pad 441.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.
