JP2015192069A - Data writing system, data writing method, collective circuit board, and circuit board - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To further improve the production efficiency of circuit boards.SOLUTION: A data writing system 1 of the present invention comprises: a plurality of circuit boards 11-18 each including a circuit part that includes a memory in which data can be written and is capable of communicating with the outside; a data transmission device 3 that is capable of communicating with the circuit part in at least one circuit board among the plurality of circuit boards 11-18; and a data writing unit that writes data in a memory. Each circuit part receives prescribed data transmitted by the data transmission device 3 or another circuit board which is included in the plurality of circuit boards 11-18 and in which writing processing of data into the memory is finished, and after completion of writing processing of the received prescribed data into the memory by the data writing unit, transmits all or part of the received prescribed data to another circuit board which is included in the plurality of circuit boards 11-18 and in which writing processing of the data is not performed.

Description

  The present invention relates to a data writing system, a data writing method, a collective circuit board, and a circuit board used in a circuit board manufacturing process.

  Conventionally, in the manufacturing process of a circuit board on which an electronic circuit is printed and a circuit board on which an electronic component is mounted, for example, in order to improve work efficiency and reduce costs, a plurality of substrates A technique using a collective circuit board designed so as to obtain a circuit board is proposed.

  For such collective circuit boards, various electronic components are usually mounted on the circuit board, and then the various electronic components are electrically connected to check whether the circuit in the electronic components operates normally. An electrical inspection is performed for the purpose. At the time of this inspection, the inspection terminals of the inspection jig are electrically connected to, for example, contact with the inspection conduction terminals provided on the individual circuit boards. Therefore, after separating each circuit board from the collective circuit board individually and performing such an inspection on each separated circuit board, the inspection terminal of the inspection jig and the conduction terminal of the circuit board are connected. Increases the number of contacts. In this case, for example, problems such as an increase in inspection time and deterioration of an inspection jig (such as wear of inspection terminals) occur.

  Therefore, conventionally, various techniques for solving this problem have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). In Patent Documents 1 and 2, an electronic circuit composed of inspection wiring connected to each circuit board is printed on the area of the collective circuit board (the discarded board area) remaining after the circuit board is separated from the collective circuit board. However, there has been proposed a technique that makes it possible to inspect each circuit board in the state of the collective circuit board before the circuit board is cut off.

JP 2006-344879 A JP 2004-235575 A

  If the techniques proposed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above are used, effects such as improvement in work efficiency of circuit board continuity inspection and reduction in wear of inspection jigs can be obtained. However, further improvement in production efficiency of circuit boards is required in this technical field.

  The present invention has been made to meet the above-described demands, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of further improving the production efficiency of a circuit board in a circuit board manufacturing process.

  In order to solve the above problems, a data writing system of the present invention includes a plurality of circuit boards each including a circuit unit including a memory capable of writing data and capable of communicating with the outside, and at least one of the plurality of circuit boards. A data transmission device capable of communicating with a circuit unit in one circuit board, and a data writing unit for writing data in a memory. The circuit unit receives predetermined data transmitted from the data transmission device or another circuit board that is included in the plurality of circuit boards and that has completed the data writing process to the memory, and writes the data. After the processing of writing the predetermined data received by the unit to the memory is completed, all or a part of the received predetermined data is included in a plurality of circuit boards, and the data writing processing to the memory is not performed Send to another circuit board.

  The data writing method of the present invention is a data writing method for writing data to a memory in each circuit board with respect to a plurality of circuit boards each having a circuit unit including a memory in which data can be written. Performed in the procedure. First, at least one circuit unit in a circuit board that is included in a plurality of circuit boards and that has not been subjected to data writing processing to the memory is externally, or data that is included in the plurality of circuit boards and is stored in the memory. Predetermined data is transmitted from another circuit board that has completed the writing process. Next, the received predetermined data is written in a memory included in a circuit unit in at least one circuit board. Then, after predetermined data is written in a memory included in a circuit unit in at least one circuit board, all or part of the predetermined data is included in a plurality of circuit boards and data is written into the memory. Send to other circuit boards that are not.

  The collective circuit board of the present invention includes a plurality of circuit boards each including a circuit unit including a memory in which data can be written and capable of communicating with the outside. Then, the circuit unit receives predetermined data transmitted from the outside or another circuit board that is included in the plurality of circuit boards and that has finished writing data to the memory, and the received predetermined data After the data is written in the memory, all or a part of the received predetermined data is transmitted to another circuit board that is included in the plurality of circuit boards and that has not been subjected to data writing processing to the memory.

  Furthermore, the circuit board of the present invention includes a memory unit that can write data and a circuit unit that can communicate with the outside. The circuit unit receives predetermined data transmitted from the outside, and after the received predetermined data is written in the memory, all or part of the received predetermined data is written into the memory. Is transmitted to a circuit unit in another circuit board that is not performed.

  In the present invention having the above-described configuration, when predetermined data is transmitted from the data transmission device (external) to at least one circuit board in the plurality of circuit boards, thereafter, a circuit in which data is not written from the circuit board in which data is written Data is transmitted to the board, and data is written to the memory in the circuit board to which data has not been written. According to the present invention having such a configuration, the production efficiency of the circuit board can be further improved.

It is a schematic block diagram for demonstrating the basic concept of the data writing system of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the data writing process to the several circuit board by the data writing system of this invention. It is a figure which shows the mode of the structure of the data writing system which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and the data write-in operation | movement. 1 is a block configuration diagram of a circuit board according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the mode of the structure of the data writing system which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and the data write-in operation | movement. It is a block block diagram of the circuit board which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the mode of the structure of the data writing system which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention, and the data write-in operation | movement. It is a figure which shows the structure of the data writing system of the modification 1, and the mode of the data write-in operation | movement.

<Outline of data writing system>
Hereinafter, the contents of the data writing system according to various embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. Before that, first, specific problems to be solved by the data writing system of the present invention, The basic concept (outline) of the data writing system of the present invention will be described.

  As described above, conventionally, in the circuit board manufacturing process, a continuity test is performed for each of the plurality of circuit boards provided on the collective circuit board to confirm whether or not the circuit board normally operates. When the technique proposed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 is applied in this continuity inspection process, effects such as improvement in work efficiency of circuit board continuity inspection and reduction in wear of inspection jigs are obtained. It is done.

  However, in general, a circuit board manufacturing process is divided into two processes, a so-called physical process and a logical process. In the logical process, for example, a process of programming firmware for a product or the like (so-called on-board programming process) is performed on a storage device (memory) included in an electronic component mounted on a circuit board.

  In such a programming process, a program such as product firmware is conventionally written in a memory in each circuit board separated from the collective circuit board by using a data writing device with a jig. Specifically, the data writing device is attached to the circuit board via a jig, and then a program is transmitted from the data writing device to the circuit board, and the program is written to a memory in the circuit board.

  Therefore, in the circuit board manufacturing process, in order to further improve the production efficiency of the circuit board, it is necessary to further improve the work efficiency of the data writing process to the memory mounted on each circuit board. Note that the techniques proposed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 cannot be applied to the processing of the programming process.

  Therefore, the present invention proposes a data writing system capable of further improving the work efficiency of data writing processing to a plurality of circuit boards in a programming process such as product firmware.

[Schematic configuration of data writing system]
First, the basic conceptual configuration of the data writing system of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a basic conceptual schematic configuration diagram of the data writing system of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the data writing system 1 includes a circuit board group 2 including a plurality of circuit boards, and a data writing device 3 (data transmission device). Note that the plurality of circuit boards may be provided on a single collective circuit board as in various embodiments described later. When the communication form of data between circuit boards is wireless communication, each circuit board The substrate may be provided separately.

  FIG. 1 shows an example in which the circuit board group 2 is composed of eight circuit boards 11 to 18 (hereinafter referred to as the first circuit board 11 to the eighth circuit board 18 respectively), but the present invention is not limited to this. First, the number of circuit boards in the circuit board group 2 can be set arbitrarily. Although not shown in FIG. 1, each circuit board includes a circuit unit having a memory in which various data such as various programs such as product firmware, identification ID, individual information, and commands can be written (described later). 4 and 6) are provided.

  In addition, the circuit unit in each circuit board communicates with the circuit unit provided on the other circuit board (see the broken line arrow in FIG. 1), and transmits various data to the circuit unit in the other circuit board. Have The data communication form between the circuit boards may be wireless communication or wired communication. In the former case, a wireless transmission / reception function is provided in a circuit portion in each circuit board. On the other hand, in the latter case, communication wiring for connecting the circuit boards together with the first circuit board 11 to the eighth circuit board 18 is provided, for example, on one collective circuit board. Further, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) for controlling the overall operation of the circuit unit is mounted on the circuit unit in each circuit board.

  The data writing device 3 communicates with a circuit unit provided on at least one circuit board in the circuit board group 2 (see thick solid arrows in FIG. 1), and various data (including various programs (including product firmware). ), An identification ID, individual information, a command, etc.).

  As will be described later, in the present invention, in the circuit board group 2, predetermined data is written to the memory in each circuit board while the data is propagated by communication between the circuit boards. At this time, a program for executing a series of processing (data propagation writing processing described later) including data reception processing, data writing processing, and data transmission processing to other circuit boards, performed in each circuit board, For example, it may be included in various data transmitted from the data writing device 3 to a predetermined circuit board, or may be preinstalled in a memory in each circuit board.

  Further, the data communication form between the data writing device 3 and the predetermined circuit board may be wireless communication or wired communication. In the former case, the data writing device 3 is provided with a wireless transmission function. On the other hand, in the latter case, the data writing device 3 can be attached to a predetermined circuit board (first circuit board 11 in the example shown in FIG. 1), and wired communication with the predetermined circuit board can be performed at the time of attachment. A dedicated jig or the like having such a configuration is provided in the data writing device 3.

  Although not shown in FIG. 1, the data writing device 3 includes a CPU, and various operations performed by the data writing device 3 such as a data transmission operation are controlled by the CPU. Although not shown in FIG. 1, when data is written by the data writing system 1, the power for driving electronic components such as CPUs and memories in the data writing device 3 and each circuit board is supplied to the data writing system. 1 is supplied.

[Outline of data writing system operation]
Next, an outline of the data writing operation to the plurality of circuit boards by the data writing system 1 performed in the circuit board manufacturing process (programming process) will be described with reference to FIG. The data write operation shown in FIG. 1 is an example of operation, and the data write operation to the plurality of circuit boards by the data write system 1 is not limited to the example shown in FIG.

  In the example shown in FIG. 1, in the programming process, first, the data writing device 3 communicates with a circuit section (described later, see FIG. 4) provided on the first circuit board 11 in the circuit board group 2, Various data (various programs, identification ID, individual information, commands, etc.) are transmitted to the circuit unit. Next, the CPU (data writing unit) in the circuit unit provided on the first circuit board 11 writes the received various data in the memory in its own circuit unit.

  Thereafter, the CPU of the circuit unit in the first circuit board 11 transmits all or part of the data received from the data writing device 3 to the circuit unit provided on the second circuit board 12. The data content (data type) transmitted / received between the circuit boards can be changed as appropriate according to, for example, the capacity of the memory in the circuit boards. For example, when the capacity of the memory in each circuit board is sufficiently large, all the data received from the data writing device 3 may be transmitted and received between the circuit boards and all the data may be written in the memory in each circuit board. Further, for example, when the capacity of the memory in the circuit board of the transmission destination is not large, data other than data necessary only for the circuit board of the transmission source may be transmitted to the circuit board of the transmission destination.

  Next, the CPU of the circuit unit in the second circuit board 12 writes the received data to the memory in its own circuit unit. Thereafter, the CPU of the circuit unit in the second circuit board 12 transmits all or part of the data received from the first circuit board 11 to the circuit unit provided on the third circuit board 13. Next, the CPU of the circuit unit in the third circuit board 13 writes the received data to the memory in its own circuit unit. Thereafter, the CPU of the circuit unit in the third circuit board 13 transmits all or a part of the data received from the second circuit board 12 to the circuit unit provided on the fourth circuit board 14. Then, the CPU of the circuit unit in the fourth circuit board 14 writes the received data in the memory in its own circuit unit.

  In the example shown in FIG. 1, the CPU of the circuit unit in the first circuit board 11 transmits all or part of various data received from the data writing apparatus 3 to the second circuit board 12, and then the data writing apparatus. All or a part of the various data received from 3 is transmitted to the circuit unit provided on the eighth circuit board 18.

  Next, the CPU of the circuit unit in the eighth circuit board 18 writes the received data to the memory in its circuit unit. Thereafter, the CPU of the circuit unit in the eighth circuit board 18 transmits all or part of the data received from the first circuit board 11 to the circuit unit provided on the seventh circuit board 17. Next, the CPU of the circuit unit in the seventh circuit board 17 writes the received data to the memory in its circuit unit. Thereafter, the CPU of the circuit unit in the seventh circuit board 17 transmits all or a part of the data received from the eighth circuit board 18 to the circuit unit provided on the sixth circuit board 16.

  Next, the CPU of the circuit unit in the sixth circuit board 16 writes the received data to the memory in its circuit unit. Thereafter, the CPU of the circuit unit in the sixth circuit board 16 transmits all or part of the data received from the seventh circuit board 17 to the circuit unit provided on the fifth circuit board 15. Then, the CPU of the circuit unit in the fifth circuit board 15 writes the received data to the memory in its own circuit unit.

  In the example shown in FIG. 1, predetermined data corresponding to the memories of all the circuit boards in the circuit board group 2 is written by the data writing process to the fifth circuit board 15. The data writing operation to the circuit board is completed.

  Note that the order of circuit boards in which data is written (propagated) may be set in advance. In this case, the CPU in the circuit board as the transmission source transmits the data to a predetermined circuit board with reference to a table that defines the writing order included in the received data, for example. In addition, without setting the order of circuit boards to which data is written (propagated) in advance, for example, the CPU in the source circuit board searches for a circuit board to which data has not been written and detects a circuit board to which data has not been written. Then, the data may be transmitted to the circuit board in which the data is not written. In this case, the circuit board search order can be arbitrarily set. For example, the circuit boards may be sequentially searched from the circuit board located near the transmission source circuit board.

  In the example shown in FIG. 1, the propagation path of data write processing from the second circuit board 12 to the fourth circuit board 14 and the propagation path of data write processing from the eighth circuit board 18 to the fifth circuit board 15. Both are serial paths, but the propagation path of the data writing process between the first circuit board 11, the second circuit board 12 and the eighth circuit board 18 is a parallel path. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 1, a serial data write processing propagation path and a parallel data write processing propagation path are mixed in the circuit board group 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and, for example, in the circuit board group 2, the propagation path of the data writing process may be a serial path only (first and second described later). The embodiment may be configured to include only parallel paths (see a third embodiment described later).

  As described above, in the data writing system 1 shown in FIG. 1, when the data writing device 3 collectively sends various data that needs to be written to each circuit board to a predetermined circuit board in the circuit board group 2, In each circuit board, data reception processing, data writing processing, and data transmission processing to other circuit boards are repeated. As a result, predetermined data corresponding to the memories of all the circuit boards in the circuit board group 2 is written. That is, in the present invention, once various data is once transmitted to a predetermined circuit board in the circuit board group 2 by the data writing device 3, thereafter, the data propagates between the circuit boards by communication, and each data is transferred to each circuit board. Finally, corresponding predetermined data is written in the memories in all the circuit boards.

[Data writing process of data writing system]
Next, the processing content of the data writing operation to the plurality of circuit boards by the above-described data writing system 1 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a procedure of data writing processing to a plurality of circuit boards by the data writing system 1 performed in a circuit board manufacturing process (programming process).

  First, for example, a state (communication connection state) in which communication is possible between the data writing device 3 and the first circuit board 11 in the circuit board group 2 on the circuit board production line is generated (step S1). When the communication mode between the data writing device 3 and the first circuit board 11 is wired communication, for example, the data writing device 3 is attached to the first circuit board 11 via a dedicated jig in step S1. On the other hand, when the communication mode between the data writing device 3 and the first circuit board 11 is wireless communication, the data writing device 3 is disposed at a position where the data writing device 3 can wirelessly communicate with the first circuit board 11 in step S1.

  Next, the data writing device 3 transmits various data (various programs, identification ID, individual information, commands, etc.) to the circuit unit provided on the first circuit board 11 by wired communication or wireless communication (step S2). . Next, the CPU in the circuit unit provided on the first circuit board 11 receives various data from the data writing device 3, and based on the write request command included in the received various data, the received various data Write to the memory in its own circuit unit (step S3).

  In step S3, after various data is transmitted from the data writing device 3 to the first circuit board 11, the communication connection between the data writing device 3 and the first circuit board 11 may be released. After various data is transmitted from the data writing device 3 to the first circuit board 11, even if the communication connection between the data writing device 3 and the first circuit board 11 is released, all or part of the various data is a circuit board group. 2 and the predetermined data is written in the memory in each circuit board.

  After the data writing process to the memory in the first circuit board 11 is completed in step S3, or after the data writing process to the memory in the predetermined circuit board in which data is not written in step S6 described later. Alternatively, in parallel with the data writing process, the data writing system 1 performs a process for determining whether or not there is a circuit board in which no data is written in the circuit board group 2 (step S4). The form of the determination process in step S4 varies depending on the form of the propagation path of the data writing process between the circuit boards in the circuit board group 2.

  For example, when the form of the propagation path of the data writing process between the circuit boards in the circuit board group 2 is only a serial path (see first and second embodiments described later), the immediately preceding data writing is performed. In step S4, the CPU in the circuit unit provided in the circuit board on which the data writing process has been performed in the process (step S3 or step S6) performs a process for determining whether or not there is a circuit board on which no data has been written.

  Further, for example, when the form of the propagation path of the data writing process between the circuit boards in the circuit board group 2 is only a parallel path (see the third embodiment described later), the data writing is performed at this time. In step S4, each of the CPUs in all the circuit boards that have been processed performs a determination process for determining whether there is a circuit board in which no data has been written.

  Further, for example, when the form of the propagation path of the data writing process between the circuit boards in the circuit board group 2 is a form in which a serial propagation path and a parallel propagation path are mixed (see FIG. 1). The CPU in the circuit board in which data transmission can be executed through the serial path and the data writing process has been performed in the immediately preceding data writing process (step S3 or step S6), and the data transmission through the parallel path In step S4, the CPUs in all the circuit boards that can be executed and have completed the data writing process at this time perform in parallel the determination process for the presence or absence of the circuit board in which no data has been written.

  In step S4, when it is determined by the data writing system 1 that there is a circuit board in which no data has been written in the circuit board group 2 (when step S4 is YES), each circuit board that can be a data transmission source. The CPU in the circuit unit provided in (1) transmits all or a part of the received various data to the circuit unit provided on the predetermined circuit board in which no data is written by wired communication or wireless communication (step S5). The form of the data transmission process in step S5 also changes according to the form of the propagation path of the data write process between the circuit boards in the circuit board group 2.

  For example, when the form of the propagation path of the data writing process between the circuit boards in the circuit board group 2 is only a serial path (see first and second embodiments described later), the immediately preceding data writing is performed. The CPU in the circuit unit provided on the circuit board on which the data writing process has been performed in the process (step S3 or step S6) performs the data transmission process in step S5.

  Further, for example, when the form of the propagation path of the data writing process between the circuit boards in the circuit board group 2 is only a parallel path (see the third embodiment described later), the data writing is performed at this time. Each of the CPUs in all the circuit boards that have been processed performs the data transmission process in step S5 in parallel.

  Furthermore, for example, when the form of the propagation path of the data writing process between the circuit boards in the circuit board group 2 is a form in which a serial path and a parallel path are mixed (see FIG. 1), Data transmission can be executed by a general path, and the CPU in the circuit board on which the data writing process has been performed in the immediately preceding data writing step (step S3 or step S6), and data transmission can be performed by a parallel path In addition, each of the CPUs in all the circuit boards that have completed the data writing process at this time performs the data transmission process in step S5 in parallel.

  Next, the CPU in the circuit unit provided on the predetermined circuit board to which data has not been written writes the received data to the memory in its own circuit unit by wired communication or wireless communication (step S6). Then, after the data writing process to the memory in the circuit unit provided on the predetermined circuit board is completed, the CPU in the predetermined circuit board returns the process to the process of step S4. The form of the data writing process in step S6 also changes according to the form of the propagation path of the data writing process between the circuit boards in the circuit board group 2.

  For example, when the form of the propagation path of the data writing process between the circuit boards in the circuit board group 2 is only a serial path (see the first and second embodiments described later), the data in step S5 The number of circuit boards (data transmission source circuit boards) that perform transmission processing is one. Therefore, in this case, the number of CPUs that perform the data writing process in step S6 is one.

  Further, for example, when the form of the propagation path of the data writing process between the circuit boards in the circuit board group 2 is only a parallel path (see the third embodiment described later), the data transmission in step S5 The number of circuit boards (data transmission source circuit boards) to be processed is one or more. Therefore, in this case, the number of CPUs that perform data write processing in step S6 is one or more. In the latter case, the data writing process of step S6 is performed in parallel in a plurality of CPUs.

  Further, for example, when the form of the propagation path of the data writing process between the circuit boards in the circuit board group 2 is a form in which a serial path and a parallel path are mixed (see FIG. 1), a step is performed. The number of circuit boards (data transmission source circuit boards) that perform the data transmission processing of S5 is one or more. Therefore, in this case, the number of CPUs that perform data write processing in step S6 is one or more. In the latter case, the data writing process of step S6 is performed in parallel in a plurality of CPUs.

  After the process of step S6, the process of steps S4 to S6 is repeated until the determination of step S4 is NO (until the data writing process is completed for all circuit boards). In the present invention, the data is written to the memory in each circuit board while being propagated by communication between the circuit boards by repeating the steps S4 to S6.

  In step S4, when the data writing system 1 determines that there is no circuit board in which no data is written in the circuit board group 2 (when step S4 is NO), the data writing system 1 End the process. In the present invention, data writing processing is performed on all circuit boards in the circuit board group 2 as described above.

  It should be noted that a series of processes (hereinafter referred to as a series of processes) including data reception processing, data writing processing, and data transmission processing to other circuit boards performed on each circuit board in the circuit board group 2 described above. Is also included in various data transmitted from the data writing device 3, for example, the CPU in the circuit unit provided on each circuit board Based on, for example, a write request command included in the received data, the above-described various processes are performed by extracting and executing a data propagation write processing program from the received data. On the other hand, when the data propagation write processing program is preinstalled in the memory in the circuit unit provided in each circuit board, the CPU in each circuit unit, for example, writes a write request command or power included in the received data. With the supply as a trigger, the preinstalled data propagation write processing program is activated to perform the various processes described above.

  As described above, in the data writing system 1 and the data writing method thereof shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, if data is transmitted only from the data writing device 3 to at least one circuit board in the circuit board group 2, then, The data is automatically written between the circuit boards by communication while being transmitted to the memories in the circuit units provided on each circuit board, and finally, the corresponding memory units in all the circuit boards are respectively associated with the predetermined memories. Data is written.

  Therefore, in the data writing system 1 and its data writing method shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, it is not necessary to individually connect a data writing device to the circuit board and perform various data writing processes. In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, since various data need only be transmitted from the data writing device 3 to a predetermined circuit board in the circuit board group 2, one circuit board group 2 (for example, one described later) The occupation time of the data writing device with respect to a set circuit board) is shortened. Further, in the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, for example, various data can be efficiently written to a larger number of circuit boards even when the number of data writing devices on the circuit board production line is small. Can do.

  From the above, in the data writing system 1 and its data writing method shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the writing efficiency to the circuit board per one data writing device can be improved, and the work of the programming process for the circuit board is possible. Efficiency can be improved. As a result, the production efficiency of the circuit board can be further improved.

<First Embodiment>
Next, the configuration and operation of the data writing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, an example in which data transmission / reception between circuit boards in a plurality of circuit boards is performed by wired communication will be described. In the first embodiment, an example in which data is transmitted only from one circuit board to another circuit board in a plurality of circuit boards, that is, the propagation path of data write processing is a serial path. A configuration example that is only described will be described.

[Data writing system configuration]
First, the configuration of the data writing system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the data writing system of the present embodiment and the state of the data writing operation.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the data writing system 20 includes a collective circuit board 21 and a data writing device 22.

  The collective circuit board 21 is provided with eight circuit boards 31 to 38 (hereinafter, referred to as first circuit board 31 to eighth circuit board 38, respectively). In the present embodiment, an example in which eight circuit boards are provided on the collective circuit board 21 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. The number of circuit boards provided on the collective circuit board 21 is appropriately set according to conditions such as the size of the collective circuit board 21 and the size of each circuit board. FIG. 3 shows an example in which the first circuit board 31 to the eighth circuit board 38 are arranged on the collective circuit board 21 in a 2 (vertical) × 4 (horizontal) arrangement. It is not limited. The arrangement form of the plurality of circuit boards is appropriately set according to conditions such as the size and shape of the collective circuit board 21 and the size and shape of each circuit board.

  In the present embodiment, the first circuit board 31 to the eighth circuit board 38 are arranged on the collective circuit board 21 so as to be separated from each other by a predetermined distance. Further, although not shown in the area 21a between the circuit boards in the collective circuit board 21 and the outer peripheral end portion of the collective circuit board 21, for example, a wiring pattern such as an inspection wiring, an alignment mark, a margin area between the circuit boards, and the like Is provided. That is, the area 21a in the collective circuit board 21 is a part that is finally discarded after the circuit boards are separated from the collective circuit board 21. Therefore, hereinafter, the region 21a in the collective circuit board 21 is referred to as a “throwing board portion”. In the example shown in FIG. 3, in the area of the discarded substrate portion 21 a between the formation area of the first circuit board 31 to the fourth circuit board 34 and the formation area of the fifth circuit board 35 to the eighth circuit board 38. A write wiring 39 (wiring) is provided.

  The first circuit board 31 to the eighth circuit board 38 have the same configuration. The configuration of each circuit board will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 4 described later.

  The write wiring 39 is provided in common to the first circuit board 31 to the eighth circuit board 38. The first circuit board 31 to the eighth circuit board 38 are connected in parallel to the write wiring 39 as shown in FIG. At this time, a CPU, which will be described later, in the circuit portion provided on each circuit board is connected to the write wiring 39 via a wiring including a connector, which will be described later, provided in each circuit board. In the data writing system 20 of the present embodiment, data transmission / reception between circuit boards in the collective circuit board 21 is performed by wire communication via the write wiring 39. When each circuit board is separated from the collective circuit board 21, the write wiring 39 is also separated from each circuit board (remains in the discarded board portion 21a).

  The data writing device 22 communicates with a circuit unit provided on at least one circuit board in the collective circuit board 21 and transmits various data (various programs, identification ID, individual information, commands, etc.) to the circuit unit. Has the function of In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, the data writing device 22 transmits various data to the circuit unit in the first circuit board 31.

  The various programs transmitted from the data writing device 22 include programs that need to be stored in the memory in the circuit board in advance before shipment (manufacturing stage) of the circuit board, such as product firmware. (Hereinafter referred to as the initial program). The various programs also include an inspection program for executing a radio wave output inspection of the circuit unit (electronic component) in the circuit board manufacturing process. Further, when the above-described data propagation write processing program is not preinstalled in the memory in each circuit board, the data propagation write processing program is included in the various programs transmitted from the data writing device 22.

  The data writing device 22 transmits various data to the first circuit board 31 in the collective circuit board 21 by wireless communication or wired communication. When data is transmitted from the data writing device 22 to the first circuit board 31 by wireless communication, the data writing device 22 is provided with a data wireless communication function, and the data writing device 22 includes the data writing device 22 and the first circuit board 31. The circuit board 31 is disposed at a position where wireless communication is possible. On the other hand, when data is transmitted from the data writing device 22 to the first circuit board 31 by wired communication, the data writing device 22 is provided with a dedicated jig (not shown), and the data writing device 22 is connected via the dedicated jig. Are attached to the collective circuit board 21.

[Configuration of circuit board]
Next, the configuration of each circuit board provided on the collective circuit board 21 will be described. As described above, in the present embodiment, the basic configuration of each circuit board is the same, so here, refer to FIG. However, only the configuration of the first circuit board 31 will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the first circuit board 31.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the first circuit board 31 includes a circuit board body 40, and a circuit unit 41 and a connector 42 provided on the circuit board body 40.

  The circuit unit 41 includes a function unit 43, a memory 44, and a CPU 45. In the circuit unit 41, the CPU 45 is electrically connected to the function unit 43 and the memory 44. The CPU 45 is electrically connected to the connector 42, and the connector 42 is electrically connected to the write wiring 39 (not shown). That is, the CPU 45 is connected to the write wiring 39 through the connector 42.

  The functional unit 43 is a circuit for realizing a predetermined function performed by the first circuit board 31 (circuit unit 41).

  The memory 44 stores various programs, identification IDs, and individual IDs necessary for executing predetermined functions on the first circuit board 31 (circuit unit 41) by the data writing operation of the data writing system 20 in the circuit board manufacturing process. Various data such as information and commands are stored.

  The memory 44 also stores the above-described data propagation write processing program, but this program may be included in various programs transmitted from the data write device 22 or preinstalled in the memory 44 in advance. May be. In addition, when the order of circuit boards for writing (propagating) data is set in advance, a table that defines the order of data writing, for example, information for designating circuit boards (a serial number previously written in the memory 44) Etc.) and the table in which the correspondence relationship between the writing order is defined is also stored in the memory 44. The table that defines the data writing order may be included in various data transmitted from the data writing device 22 or may be preinstalled in the memory 44, for example.

  In addition, as a method for setting unique information such as identification ID for each circuit board, for example, a list (table) that defines the correspondence between the unique information and the circuit board is included in the data propagated between the circuit boards. A method of assigning unique information to each circuit board based on the list may be used. Further, as a method for setting the unique information such as the identification ID for each circuit board, for example, the unique information is changed for each data writing process to the circuit board (for example, a predetermined value is added to the identification ID number). ), A method of assigning different unique information for each circuit board may be used.

  The CPU 45 is an arithmetic processing unit for controlling all the various operations executed on the first circuit board 31 (circuit unit 41). Therefore, the CPU 45 controls the operation of the functional unit 43 and the data input / output operation (including the data writing operation to the memory 44 in the circuit board manufacturing process).

  Although not shown in FIG. 3, when the communication form between the data writing device 22 and the first circuit board 31 is wired communication, when the data writing device 22 is attached to the collective circuit board 21 via a dedicated jig. In addition, communication wiring for connecting the data writing device 22 and the CPU 45 in the first circuit board 31 is provided in the circuit board main body 40. In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, the communication wiring may be provided at least on the first circuit board 31, but may also be provided on the second circuit board 32 to the eighth circuit board 38. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the CPU 45 is electrically connected to the write wiring 39 via the connector 42, but the wiring extended from the write wiring 39 is directly connected to the CPU 45 without using the connector 42. May be. Although not shown in FIG. 4, when the communication mode between the data writing device 22 and the first circuit board 31 is wireless communication, the circuit unit 41 provided on the first circuit board 31 has a wireless communication function. Is provided.

[Data writing system operation]
Next, a data write operation in the data write system 20 of the present embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the first circuit board 31, the second circuit board 32, the third circuit board 33, the fourth circuit board 34, the fifth circuit board 35, the sixth circuit board 36, the seventh circuit board 37, and the An example in which data is written in the order of the eight circuit boards 38 will be described.

  In the present embodiment, in the circuit board programming step, first, the data writing device 22 performs wireless communication or wired communication with the circuit unit 41 in the first circuit board 31 to perform various data (various programs, identification ID, individual ID). Information, command, etc.) are transmitted to the circuit unit 41 (see arrow [1] in FIG. 3). Next, the CPU 45 in the circuit unit 41 provided on the first circuit board 31 writes various data received from the data writing device 22 in the memory 44 in its own circuit unit 41. Thereafter, the CPU 45 in the first circuit board 31 transmits all or part of the data received from the data writing device 22 to the circuit unit provided on the second circuit board 32 via the write wiring 39 ( (See arrow [2] in FIG. 3).

  Next, the CPU in the circuit unit provided on the second circuit board 32 writes the data received from the first circuit board 31 via the write wiring 39 to the memory in its own circuit unit. Next, the CPU in the second circuit board 32 transmits all or part of the data received from the first circuit board 31 to the circuit unit provided in the third circuit board 33 via the write wiring 39. (See arrow [3] in FIG. 3).

  Thereafter, a series of data composed of the data receiving operation, the data writing operation, and the data transmitting operation to the other circuit board via the write wiring 39 performed on the second circuit board 32. The operation of the propagation writing process is repeated in the order of the third circuit board 33, the fourth circuit board 34, the fifth circuit board 35, the sixth circuit board 36, and the seventh circuit board 37 (arrow [4] in FIG. 3). To [8]).

  Finally, the CPU in the circuit unit provided on the eighth circuit board 38 writes the data received from the seventh circuit board 37 via the write wiring 39 to the memory in its circuit unit. Thereby, the corresponding predetermined data is written in the memories in the circuit units provided on all the circuit boards in the collective circuit board 21, and the data writing operation in the data writing system 20 is completed.

  In the above-described process of transmitting and receiving data between circuit boards in the collective circuit board 21, when the order of circuit boards to which data is written (propagated) is set in advance, A table that defines the order in which data stored in the memory in its own circuit unit is written, and information that specifies the destination circuit board (the serial number recorded in advance in the memory in the circuit unit provided on the destination circuit board) Etc.) to search for a circuit board to which data is next written. As a result of the search, when the circuit board to be written next data specified in the table is detected, the CPU in the circuit board of the transmission source is connected to the circuit part in the detected circuit board. Send data.

  On the other hand, in the data transmission / reception process between the circuit boards in the collective circuit board 21 described above, the order of the circuit boards to which data is written (propagated) is not set in advance, and a circuit board in which no data is written is searched. When appropriately transmitting data, for example, a CPU in a circuit board as a transmission source accesses a memory in a circuit unit provided in another circuit board to determine whether data has not been written. Then, the CPU in the source circuit board transmits the data to a predetermined circuit board that has been determined that the data has not been written. At this time, the CPU in the circuit board as the transmission source may transmit data to the circuit board in which data is not yet written, which is first detected in the search process. In addition, the CPU in the transmission circuit board searches all other circuit boards, and then selects a predetermined data unwritten circuit board from the plurality of detected data unwritten circuit boards. The data may be transmitted to the selected circuit board on which the predetermined data is not written. The search order of the circuit boards in which data is not written can be arbitrarily set. For example, the search may be made sequentially from the circuit boards that are located near the transmission source circuit board.

  Also in the data writing system 20 of the present embodiment described above, data writing processing can be performed on a plurality of circuit boards according to the procedure described in the flowchart shown in FIG.

  As described above, in the data writing system 20 and the data writing method according to the present embodiment, if data is transmitted from the data writing device 22 to a predetermined circuit board in the collective circuit board 21, then data is transferred between the circuit boards. Is transmitted to the memory in the circuit unit provided on each circuit board while propagating by wired communication, and finally the corresponding predetermined data is written to the memories in all the circuit boards. Therefore, in this embodiment, the same effects as the various effects described in the description of the data writing system 1 and its data writing method (description of the basic concept of the present invention) shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are obtained. .

<Second Embodiment>
Next, the configuration and operation of the data writing system according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, an example in which data transmission / reception between circuit boards is performed by wireless communication will be described. Further, in the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, an example in which data is transmitted from one circuit board to only one other circuit board in a plurality of circuit boards, that is, data writing A configuration example in which the processing propagation path is only a serial path will be described.

[Data writing system configuration]
First, the configuration of a data writing system according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the data writing system of the present embodiment and the state of the data writing operation.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the data writing system 50 includes a collective circuit board 51 and a data writing device 52.

  The collective circuit board 51 is provided with eight circuit boards 61 to 68 (hereinafter referred to as first circuit board 61 to eighth circuit board 68, respectively). In the present embodiment, an example in which eight circuit boards are provided on the collective circuit board 51 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. The number of circuit boards provided on the collective circuit board 51 is appropriately set according to conditions such as the size of the collective circuit board 51 and the size of each circuit board, for example. FIG. 5 shows an example in which the first circuit board 61 to the eighth circuit board 68 are arranged on the collective circuit board 51 in a 2 (vertical) × 4 (horizontal) arrangement. It is not limited. The arrangement form of the plurality of circuit boards is appropriately set according to conditions such as the size and shape of the collective circuit board 51 and the size and shape of each circuit board.

  In the present embodiment, the first circuit board 61 to the eighth circuit board 68 are arranged on the collective circuit board 51 so as to be separated from each other by a predetermined distance. Therefore, the discarded board portions 51 a are formed between the circuit boards in the collective circuit board 51 and at the outer peripheral end of the collective circuit board 51.

  The first circuit board 61 to the eighth circuit board 68 have the same configuration. The configuration of each circuit board will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

  The data writing device 52 communicates with a circuit unit provided on at least one circuit board in the collective circuit board 51 to transmit various data (various programs, identification ID, individual information, commands, etc.) to the circuit unit. It has the function to do. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the data writing device 52 transmits various data to the circuit unit in the first circuit board 61.

  Note that the various programs transmitted from the data writing device 52 include initial programs such as product firmware, as in the first embodiment. In addition, when the above-described data propagation write processing program is not preinstalled in the memory in the circuit section provided on each circuit board, the data propagation write processing program is added to various programs transmitted from the data writing device 52. Is also included.

  The data writing device 52 transmits various data to the first circuit board 61 in the collective circuit board 51 by wireless communication or wired communication. When data is transmitted from the data writing device 52 to the first circuit board 61 by wireless communication, the data writing device 52 is provided with a data wireless transmission function, and the data writing device 52 includes the data writing device 52 and the first circuit board 61. The circuit boards 61 are arranged at positions where wireless communication is possible. On the other hand, when data is transmitted from the data writing device 52 to the first circuit board 61 by wired communication, the data writing device 52 is provided with a dedicated jig (not shown), and the data writing device 52 is connected via the dedicated jig. Are attached to the collective circuit board 51.

[Configuration of circuit board]
Next, the configuration of each circuit board provided on the collective circuit board 51 will be described. As described above, in this embodiment, the basic configuration of each circuit board is all the same, so here, refer to FIG. Only the configuration of the first circuit board 61 will be described. FIG. 6 is a block configuration diagram of the first circuit board 61.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the first circuit board 61 includes a circuit board main body 70 and a circuit unit 71 provided on the circuit board main body 70.

  The circuit unit 71 includes a function unit 72, a memory 73, a wireless communication unit 74, and a CPU 75. In the circuit unit 71, the CPU 75 is electrically connected to the function unit 72, the memory 73, and the wireless communication unit 74. The functional unit 72 and the memory 73 included in the circuit unit 71 of the present embodiment are the same as the functional unit 43 and the memory 44 (see FIG. 4) included in the circuit unit 41 in each circuit board of the first embodiment. Since the configuration is similar, the description of these configurations is omitted here.

  The wireless communication unit 74 includes a communication circuit including an integrated circuit (IC), an antenna, and the like, and has a function capable of wireless communication with other circuit boards. Specifically, the wireless communication unit 74 has a function of transmitting data to another circuit board. In the present embodiment, as a communication method of the wireless communication unit 74, for example, a short-range communication method such as BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy), WiFi (registered trademark), or the like can be used.

  The wireless communication unit 74 has a function capable of wireless communication with the data writing device 52 when the communication form between the data writing device 52 and the first circuit board 61 is wireless communication. Specifically, the wireless communication unit 74 has a function of receiving data from the data writing device 52. On the other hand, when the communication form between the data writing device 52 and the first circuit board 61 is wired communication, the data writing device 52 is attached when the data writing device 52 is attached to the collective circuit board 51 via a dedicated jig. Communication wiring (not shown) for connecting the CPU 75 in the first circuit board 61 to the circuit board main body 70 is provided. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the communication wiring may be provided at least on the first circuit board 61, but may also be provided on the second circuit board 62 to the eighth circuit board 68.

  Each of the second circuit board 62 to the seventh circuit board 67 provided in the collective circuit board 51 receives data from other circuit boards and transmits the received data to another circuit board. The wireless communication unit in the circuit unit provided on these circuit boards is provided with both a data reception function and a transmission function. Furthermore, the wireless communication unit of the circuit unit provided in the eighth circuit board 68 to which data is finally written may be provided with a function of receiving at least data from another circuit board.

  The CPU 75 is an arithmetic processing unit for controlling all the various operations executed on the first circuit board 61 (circuit unit 71). Therefore, the CPU 75 controls the operation of the functional unit 72, the data input / output operation for the memory 73 (including the data writing operation to the memory 73 in the circuit board manufacturing process), and the communication operation of the wireless communication unit 74. The

[Data writing system operation]
Next, a data write operation in the data write system 50 of the present embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the first circuit board 61, the second circuit board 62, the third circuit board 63, the fourth circuit board 64, the fifth circuit board 65, the sixth circuit board 66, the seventh circuit board 67, and the An example in which data is written in the order of the eight circuit boards 68 will be described.

  In the present embodiment, in the circuit board programming step, first, the data writing device 52 performs wireless communication or wired communication with the circuit unit 71 provided on the first circuit board 61 to perform various data (various programs, identification ID). , Individual information, commands, etc.) are transmitted to the circuit unit 71 (see arrow [1] in FIG. 5). Next, the CPU 75 in the circuit unit 71 provided on the first circuit board 61 writes various data received from the data writing device 52 in the memory 73 in its own circuit unit 71. Thereafter, the CPU 75 in the first circuit board 61 provides all or part of the data received from the data writing device 52 to the second circuit board 62 via the wireless communication unit 74 in its circuit unit 71. (See arrow [2] in FIG. 5).

  Next, the CPU in the circuit unit provided on the second circuit board 62 writes the data received from the first circuit board 61 via the wireless communication unit in the circuit unit in the memory in the circuit unit. Next, the CPU in the second circuit board 62 receives all or a part of the data received from the first circuit board 61 via the wireless control unit in its circuit unit, and is a circuit provided in the third circuit board 63. (See arrow [3] in FIG. 5).

  Thereafter, a series of data propagation write processing operations including a data reception operation by wireless communication, a data write operation, and a data transmission operation to another circuit substrate by wireless communication performed on the second circuit board 62, Repeat in the order of the third circuit board 63, the fourth circuit board 64, the fifth circuit board 65, the sixth circuit board 66, and the seventh circuit board 67 (see arrows [4] to [8] in FIG. 5).

  Finally, the CPU in the circuit unit provided on the eighth circuit board 68 writes the data received from the seventh circuit board 67 via the wireless communication unit in its circuit unit to the memory in its circuit unit. Thereby, the corresponding predetermined data is written in the memories in the circuit units provided on all the circuit boards in the collective circuit board 51, and the data writing operation in the data writing system 50 is completed.

  In the above-described data transmission / reception process between the circuit boards in the collective circuit board 51, when the order of circuit boards to which data is written (propagated) is set in advance, transmission is performed as in the first embodiment. The CPU of the original circuit board includes, for example, a table that defines the writing order of data stored in a memory in its own circuit unit, and information that specifies a destination circuit board (a circuit provided on the destination circuit board) A circuit board to which data is next written is searched with reference to a serial number or the like recorded in advance in the memory in the unit. As a result of the search, when the circuit board to be written next data specified in the table is detected, the CPU in the circuit board of the transmission source is connected to the circuit part in the detected circuit board. Send data.

  On the other hand, in the above-described data transmission / reception process between the circuit boards in the collective circuit board 51, the order of the circuit boards to which data is written (propagated) is not set in advance, and a circuit board to which data has not been written is searched. When data transmission is performed as appropriate, as in the first embodiment, for example, the CPU in the source circuit board accesses the memory in the circuit unit provided in the other circuit board, and the data is not yet written. It is determined whether or not. Then, the CPU in the source circuit board transmits the data to a predetermined circuit board that has been determined that the data has not been written. At this time, the CPU in the circuit board as the transmission source may transmit data to the circuit board in which data is not yet written, which is first detected in the search process. In addition, the CPU in the transmission circuit board searches all other circuit boards, and then selects a predetermined data unwritten circuit board from the plurality of detected data unwritten circuit boards. The data may be transmitted to the selected circuit board on which the predetermined data is not written. The search order of the circuit boards in which data is not written can be arbitrarily set. For example, the search may be made sequentially from the circuit boards that are located near the transmission source circuit board.

  Also in the data writing system 50 of the present embodiment described above, data writing processing can be performed on a plurality of circuit boards according to the procedure described in the flowchart shown in FIG.

  As described above, in the data writing system 50 and the data writing method according to the present embodiment, if data is transmitted from the data writing device 52 to a predetermined circuit board in the collective circuit board 51, then data is transferred between the circuit boards. Is transmitted to the memories in the circuit units provided on the respective circuit boards while propagating by wireless communication, and finally, the corresponding predetermined data is written to the memories in all the circuit boards. Therefore, in this embodiment, the same effects as the various effects described in the description of the data writing system 1 and its data writing method (description of the basic concept of the present invention) shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are obtained. .

<Third Embodiment>
Next, the configuration and operation of the data writing system according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the third embodiment, an example in which data is transmitted from one circuit board to a plurality of other circuit boards in a plurality of circuit boards, that is, the propagation path of data write processing is only a parallel path. A configuration example will be described. In this embodiment, an example in which communication between circuit boards in a plurality of circuit boards is performed by wireless communication as in the second embodiment will be described. Note that the present invention is not limited to this, and as in the first embodiment, the wiring for electrical connection between the circuit boards is discarded and provided in the board portion, and communication between the circuit boards is performed by wired communication. You may go.

[Data writing system configuration]
First, the configuration of a data writing system according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the data writing system of this embodiment and the state of the data writing operation.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the data writing system 80 includes a collective circuit board 81 and a data writing device 82.

  The collective circuit board 81 is provided with eight circuit boards 91 to 98 (hereinafter referred to as first circuit board 91 to eighth circuit board 98, respectively). In this embodiment, an example in which eight circuit boards are provided on the collective circuit board 81 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. The number of circuit boards provided on the collective circuit board 81 is appropriately set according to conditions such as the size of the collective circuit board 81 and the size of each circuit board. FIG. 7 shows an example in which the first circuit board 91 to the eighth circuit board 98 are arranged on the collective circuit board 81 in a 2 (vertical) × 4 (horizontal) arrangement form. It is not limited. The arrangement form of the plurality of circuit boards is appropriately set according to conditions such as the size and shape of the collective circuit board 81 and the size and shape of each circuit board.

  In the present embodiment, the first circuit board 91 to the eighth circuit board 98 are arranged on the collective circuit board 81 so as to be separated from each other by a predetermined distance. Therefore, a discarded board portion 81 a is formed between the circuit boards in the collective circuit board 81 and at the outer peripheral end of the collective circuit board 81.

  The configuration of the collective circuit board 81 (first circuit board 91 to eighth circuit board 98) and the data writing device 82 of the present embodiment is the same as that of the collective circuit board 51 (first circuit board 61 to first circuit board 61) of the second embodiment. The configurations of the eighth circuit board 68) and the data writing device 52 are the same. Therefore, the description about these structures is abbreviate | omitted. However, in the present embodiment, the data writing device 82 communicates with a circuit unit provided on the seventh circuit board 97 in the collective circuit board 81 to perform various data (various programs, identification ID, individual information, commands, etc.). ) Will be described.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, the form of the propagation path of the data writing process between the circuit boards in the collective circuit board 81 is only a parallel path. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the CPU in the circuit unit provided on the circuit board on which data has been written performs a search process for a circuit board on which data has not been written until there is no circuit board on which data has not been written in the collective circuit board 81. The data transmission process to the circuit board to which data has not been written is repeated.

[Data writing system operation]
Next, a data write operation in the data write system 80 of the present embodiment will be described. First, the data writing device 82 performs wireless communication or wired communication with the circuit unit provided on the seventh circuit board 97, and transmits various data (various programs, identification ID, individual information, commands, etc.) to the circuit unit. (See arrow [1] in FIG. 7). Next, the CPU of the circuit unit provided on the seventh circuit board 97 writes the received various data to the memory in its own circuit unit.

  Thereafter, the CPU of the circuit unit provided on the seventh circuit board 97 controls the wireless communication unit in its own circuit unit, and searches for a circuit board in which no data is written. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the sixth circuit board 96 is first detected as a circuit board in which no data is written by this search process. Next, the CPU in the circuit unit provided on the seventh circuit board 97, based on the search result, transmits all data received from the data writing device 82 or a part of the data to the wireless communication unit in its circuit unit. To the circuit portion provided on the sixth circuit board 96 (see arrow [2] in FIG. 7).

  Next, the CPU of the circuit unit provided on the sixth circuit board 96 writes the data received from the seventh circuit board 97 via the wireless communication unit in the circuit unit of the circuit unit into the memory in the circuit unit of the circuit unit. Thereafter, the CPU in the sixth circuit board 96 controls the wireless communication unit in its own circuit unit, and searches for a circuit board in which no data is written. In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, the third circuit board 93 is detected as a circuit board in which data is not written by this search process. Next, based on the search result, the CPU in the sixth circuit board 96 sends all the data received from the seventh circuit board 97 or a part of the data via the wireless communication unit in its circuit part. It transmits to the circuit part provided in the 3 circuit board 93 (refer the arrow [3] between the 6th circuit board 96 and the 3rd circuit board 93 in FIG. 7).

  In parallel with the above-described series of processing by the CPU in the sixth circuit board 96 of data writing processing, search processing for circuit boards to which data has not been written, and data transmission processing to the third circuit board 93, The CPU in the circuit unit provided on the circuit board 97 performs the following processing. The CPU in the seventh circuit board 97 transmits data to the circuit unit provided in the sixth circuit board 96 and then controls the wireless communication unit in its circuit unit to search for a circuit board in which no data has been written. I do. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the second circuit board 92 is detected as a circuit board in which data is not written by this search process. Next, based on the search result, the CPU in the seventh circuit board 97 transmits all data received from the data writing device 82 or a part of the data to the second circuit via the wireless communication unit in its circuit unit. The data is transmitted to the circuit portion provided on the circuit board 92 (see arrow [3] between the seventh circuit board 97 and the second circuit board 92 in FIG. 7).

  Next, the CPU in the circuit unit provided on the third circuit board 93 writes the data received from the sixth circuit board 96 via the wireless communication unit in the circuit unit in the memory in the circuit unit. Thereafter, the CPU in the third circuit board 93 controls the wireless communication unit in its own circuit unit to search for a circuit board in which no data is written. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the fourth circuit board 94 is detected as a circuit board in which data is not written by this search process. Next, based on the search result, the CPU in the third circuit board 93 sends all the data received from the sixth circuit board 96 or a part of the data through the wireless communication unit in its own circuit unit. It transmits to the circuit part provided in the 4 circuit board 94 (refer arrow [4] between the 3rd circuit board 93 and the 4th circuit board 94 in FIG. 7). Then, the CPU in the circuit unit provided on the fourth circuit board 94 writes the data received from the third circuit board 93 via the wireless communication unit in its own circuit unit to the memory in its own circuit unit.

  In parallel with the above-described series of processing of writing data, searching for unwritten data circuit boards, and transmitting data to the fourth circuit board 94 by the CPU in the third circuit board 93, the seventh circuit board The CPU in the circuit unit provided in 97 performs the following processing. The CPU in the seventh circuit board 97 transmits data to the circuit unit provided in the second circuit board 92 and then controls the wireless communication unit in its circuit unit to search for a circuit board in which no data is written. I do. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the eighth circuit board 98 is detected as a circuit board in which data is not written by this search process. Next, on the basis of the search result, the CPU in the seventh circuit board 97 transmits all data received from the data writing device 82 or a part of the data to the eighth circuit via the wireless communication unit in its circuit unit. The data is transmitted to the circuit portion provided on the circuit board 98 (see arrow [4] between the seventh circuit board 97 and the eighth circuit board 98 in FIG. 7). Then, the CPU in the circuit unit provided on the eighth circuit board 98 writes the data received from the seventh circuit board 97 via the wireless communication unit in its circuit unit to the memory in its circuit unit.

  In parallel with the above-described series of processing of data writing processing, search processing for unwritten data circuit boards, and data transmission processing to the fourth circuit board 94 by the CPU in the third circuit board 93 described above, The CPU in the circuit unit provided on the circuit board 96 performs the following processing. The CPU in the sixth circuit board 96 transmits data to the circuit unit provided in the third circuit board 93 and then controls the wireless communication unit in its circuit unit to search for a circuit board in which no data is written. I do. In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, the fifth circuit board 95 is detected as a circuit board in which data is not written by this search process. Next, based on the search result, the CPU in the sixth circuit board 96 sends all the data received from the seventh circuit board 97 or a part of the data via the wireless communication unit in its circuit part. It transmits to the circuit part provided in the 5 circuit board 95 (refer arrow [4] between the 6th circuit board 96 and the 5th circuit board 95 in FIG. 7). Then, the CPU in the circuit unit provided on the fifth circuit board 95 writes the data received from the sixth circuit board 96 via the wireless communication unit in its own circuit unit to the memory in its own circuit unit.

  Further, in parallel with the above-described series of processing of data writing processing, circuit data searching processing for data not yet written, and data transmission processing to the fourth circuit board 94 by the CPU in the third circuit board 93, the second The CPU in the circuit unit provided on the circuit board 92 performs the following processing. The CPU in the second circuit board 92 writes the data received from the seventh circuit board 97 via the wireless communication unit in the circuit part of the second circuit board 92 to the memory in the circuit part of the second circuit board 92. Thereafter, the CPU in the second circuit board 92 controls the wireless communication unit in its own circuit unit, and searches for a circuit board in which no data is written. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the first circuit board 91 is detected as a circuit board in which data is not written by this search process. Next, based on this search result, the CPU in the second circuit board 92 sends all the data received from the seventh circuit board 97 or a part of the data via the wireless communication unit in its circuit part. It transmits to the circuit part provided in the 1 circuit board 91 (refer arrow [4] between the 2nd circuit board 92 and the 1st circuit board 91 in Drawing 7). Then, the CPU in the circuit unit provided on the first circuit board 91 writes the data received from the second circuit board 92 via the wireless communication unit in the circuit unit in the memory in the circuit unit.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, predetermined data corresponding to each of the memories in the circuit units provided on all the circuit boards in the collective circuit board 81 is written, and the data writing operation in the data writing system 80 is performed. Ends. Note that the propagation path of the data writing process is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 7, and can be arbitrarily set. In the present embodiment, the propagation path of the data writing process (the order of the circuit boards performing the data writing process) may be set in advance or may not be set. In the former case, the data writing time can be further shortened.

  Also in the data writing system 80 of the present embodiment described above, data writing processing can be performed on a plurality of circuit boards in accordance with the procedure described in the flowchart shown in FIG.

  As described above, in the data writing system 80 and the data writing method according to the present embodiment, if data is transmitted from the data writing device 82 to a predetermined circuit board in the collective circuit board 81, then data is transferred between the circuit boards. Is transmitted to the memories in the circuit units provided on the respective circuit boards while propagating by wireless communication, and finally, the corresponding predetermined data is written to the memories in all the circuit boards. Therefore, in this embodiment, the same effects as the various effects described in the description of the data writing system 1 and its data writing method (description of the basic concept of the present invention) shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are obtained. .

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, for example, data writing processing to the second circuit board 92 and data writing processing to the third circuit board 93 are performed in parallel with each other. Also, the data writing process to the first circuit board 91, the data writing process to the fourth circuit board 94, the data writing process to the fifth circuit board 95 and the writing process to the eighth circuit board 98 are mutually parallel. Done. Therefore, in this embodiment, the data writing time can be shortened.

<Various modifications>
The data writing system and the data writing method according to the present invention are not limited to the examples described in the various embodiments. Various other modifications are also included in the present invention without departing from the gist of the present invention described in the claims. For example, the following various modifications are also included in the present invention.

[Modification 1]
In the first embodiment, an example in which a plurality of circuit boards are connected in parallel to the write wiring 39 and data is propagated between the circuit boards through a serial path through the wire communication via the write wiring 39. Although described, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the data transmission order between circuit boards is determined in advance, a configuration in which a plurality of circuit boards are connected in series by wiring according to the data transmission order, and data is propagated through a serial path by wired communication. It may be.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of the configuration. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the data writing system according to the first modification and a state of the data writing operation. In the data writing system 100 of this example shown in FIG. 8, the same components as those of the data writing system 20 (see FIG. 3) of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, The description of the configuration is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the data writing system 100 of this example includes a collective circuit board 101 and a data writing device 22.

  The collective circuit board 101 is provided with a first circuit board 31 to an eighth circuit board 38. Further, in this example, the first circuit board 31 to the eighth circuit board 38 are arranged on the collective circuit board 101 so as to be separated from each other by a predetermined distance, and therefore, between the circuit boards in the collective circuit board 101 and the collective circuit board 101. A discarded substrate portion 101a is formed at the outer peripheral end of the substrate. Then, a wiring 111 for connecting the circuit boards is provided on the discarded board portion 101a.

  In this example, the order of data write processing is as follows: first circuit board 31, second circuit board 32, third circuit board 33, fourth circuit board 34, fifth circuit board 35, sixth circuit board 36, A case where the seventh circuit board 37 and the eighth circuit board 38 are in this order will be described. Therefore, in the data writing system 100 of this example, as shown in FIG. 8, between the first circuit board 31 and the second circuit board 32, between the second circuit board 32 and the third circuit board 33, and the third circuit board 33. Between the fourth circuit board 34, between the fourth circuit board 34 and the fifth circuit board 35, between the fifth circuit board 35 and the sixth circuit board 36, between the sixth circuit board 36 and the seventh circuit board 37, and Wiring 111 is provided between the seventh circuit board 37 and the eighth circuit board 38, respectively. That is, the first circuit board 31, the second circuit board 32, the third circuit board 33, the fourth circuit board 34, the fifth circuit board 35, the sixth circuit board 36, the seventh circuit board 37, and the eighth circuit board 38 are provided. In this order, they are connected in series via the wiring 111.

  In the data writing system 100 of this example, in the circuit board programming step, first, the data writing device 22 performs wireless communication or wired communication with the circuit unit 41 provided on the first circuit board 31 to perform various data (various programs). , Identification ID, individual information, command, etc.) are transmitted to the circuit unit 41 (see arrow [1] in FIG. 8). Thereafter, all or part of various data transmitted from the data writing device 22 is transmitted through the wiring 111 to the first circuit board 31, the second circuit board 32, the third circuit board 33, the fourth circuit board 34, While propagating in the order of the fifth circuit board 35, the sixth circuit board 36, the seventh circuit board 37, and the eighth circuit board 38 (see arrows [2] to [8] in FIG. 8), Predetermined data is written.

  In the configuration of this example, when transmitting / receiving data between circuit boards, it is not necessary to search for a circuit board as a transmission destination, so that data can be written at a higher speed.

[Modification 2]
In the second and third embodiments, the example in which the wiring for electrically connecting a plurality of circuit boards is not provided in the discard board portion in the collective circuit board has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, in each of the data write systems of the second and third embodiments, a write wiring may be provided as in the first embodiment. In this case, the communication form between the circuit boards may be wireless communication or wired communication.

  In this case, among the plurality of circuit boards provided on the collective circuit board, a circuit board (see FIG. 4) provided with a circuit unit that does not have the wireless communication unit described in the first embodiment, The circuit board (see FIG. 6) provided with the circuit unit having the wireless communication unit described in the second and third embodiments may be mixed.

  In each of the data writing systems of the second and third embodiments, when the wiring for writing is provided, the circuit board capable of wireless communication and the circuit board not capable of wireless communication are mixed in the collective circuit board. By transmitting and receiving data while appropriately selecting wireless communication or wired communication between the boards, the data writing process can be propagated in the collective circuit board. Therefore, also in the data writing system of this example, the same effect as the above-described various embodiments can be obtained. Furthermore, in this example, even if a plurality of types of circuit boards are mixed in the collective circuit board, it can be flexibly dealt with.

[Modification 3]
In the above-described various embodiments, the example in which data transmission is performed from the data writing device to one circuit board in the collective circuit board has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The data writing device may be configured to transmit data to a plurality (less than the total number of circuit boards) of circuit boards in the collective circuit board.

  In this case, the data writing device may transmit data to the plurality of circuit boards in a predetermined sequence, or may simultaneously transmit data to the plurality of circuit boards. In the latter case, the data writing time can be further shortened.

[Modification 4]
In the second and third embodiments, the example in which the data writing process is performed in a state where a plurality of circuit boards are provided on the aggregate circuit board (a state before each circuit board is separated from the aggregate circuit board) has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In the second and third embodiments, data can be transmitted / received by wireless communication between the data writing device and the collective circuit board, and between the circuit boards in the collective circuit board. After separating from the substrate, the above-described data writing process may be performed on each circuit substrate.

[Modification 5]
In the various embodiments described above, the example in which the data writing process to the memory in the circuit unit provided on each circuit board is executed by the CPU in the circuit unit of the circuit unit is described, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  For example, the CPU in the circuit unit provided on the circuit board of the data transmission source may directly write data to the memory in the circuit unit of the data transmission destination, or the data transmission with the CPU in the circuit unit of the data transmission source. The CPU in the previous circuit unit may cooperate to write data to the memory in the data transmission destination circuit unit. Further, for example, when the data writing device includes a CPU, the CPU in the data writing device may directly write data into the memory in the circuit unit of the data transmission destination, or the CPU and the data in the data writing device The CPU in the circuit unit of the transmission destination may cooperate with the CPU to write data to the memory in the circuit unit of the data transmission destination.

[Modification 6]
In the above-described various embodiments, the example in which the discarded board portion is provided on the collective circuit board has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a collective circuit board having a configuration in which a plurality of circuit boards are arranged in a predetermined form and the outer ends of the circuit boards facing each other are directly connected between adjacent circuit boards may be used. . That is, the configuration of the collective circuit board may be a structure that does not include the discard board part.

[Modification 7]
In the above-described various embodiments, not only an initial program such as a product firmware but also a radio wave output inspection of a circuit unit (electronic component) in a circuit board manufacturing process is performed on various programs transmitted from the data writing device 22. However, the present invention is not limited to this, although an example has been described in which both inspection programs are included and both programs are written to the memory in each circuit board by one data writing process.

  For example, first, a test program for executing a radio wave output inspection of a circuit unit is written in a memory in the circuit unit provided on each circuit board, and then the radio wave output inspection of the circuit unit is performed on each circuit board. Then, after the radio wave output inspection is completed, an initial program such as product firmware may be written to the memory in the circuit unit in a form of overwriting the inspection program. In this case, even when the capacity of the memory in the circuit portion is relatively small, it can be dealt with.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,20,50,80 ... Data writing system, 2 ... Circuit board group, 3, 22, 52, 82 ... Data writing device, 2a, 21a, 51a, 81a ... Discarding board part, 11, 31, 61, 91 ... 1st circuit board, 12, 32, 62, 92 ... 2nd circuit board, 13, 33, 63, 93 ... 3rd circuit board, 14, 34, 64, 94 ... 4th circuit board, 15, 35, 65, 95 ... 5th circuit board, 16, 36, 66, 96 ... 6th circuit board, 17, 37, 67, 97 ... 7th circuit board, 18, 38, 68, 98 ... 8th circuit board, 21, 51, 81 ... Collective circuit board, 41, 71 ... Circuit unit, 42 ... Connector, 43, 72 ... Function unit, 44, 73 ... Memory, 45, 75 ... CPU, 74 ... Wireless communication unit

Claims (11)

A plurality of circuit boards each including a circuit unit including a memory capable of writing data and capable of communicating with the outside;
A data transmission device capable of communicating with the circuit unit in at least one of the plurality of circuit boards;
A data writing unit for writing data to the memory,
The circuit unit receives predetermined data transmitted from the data transmission device or another circuit board that is included in the plurality of circuit boards and that has finished writing data to the memory, and After the process of writing the received predetermined data to the memory by the data writing unit is completed, all or a part of the received predetermined data is included in the plurality of circuit boards and the data is written to the memory. A data writing system that transmits to other unprocessed circuit boards. The data writing system according to claim 1, wherein the circuit unit includes the data writing unit. The data writing system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of circuit boards are provided on one collective circuit board. 4. The data writing system according to claim 3, wherein the collective circuit board has a discarded board part that remains after the circuit boards are separated from the collective circuit board and taken out. 5. The collective circuit board further includes wiring that is provided on the discard board part and electrically connects the plurality of circuit parts respectively included in the plurality of circuit boards,
Data communication between the circuit unit in the circuit board in which the data writing process to the memory has been completed and the circuit unit in the circuit board in which the data writing process to the memory has not been performed is performed via the wiring. The data writing system according to claim 4, wherein the data writing system is performed. The circuit unit further includes a wireless communication unit capable of wireless communication with a circuit unit in the other circuit board,
Data communication between the circuit unit in the circuit board in which the data writing process to the memory has been completed and the circuit unit in the circuit board in which the data writing process to the memory has not been performed is performed by the wireless communication unit. The data writing system according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the data writing system is performed via The circuit unit in the circuit board in which the process of writing data to the memory has been completed transmits data only to one of the other circuit boards in which the process of writing data to the memory is not performed. The data writing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The circuit unit in the circuit board in which the process of writing data to the memory has been completed does not perform the process of writing data to the memory until there is no other circuit board in which the process of writing data to the memory is not performed. The data writing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a transmission process of data to the other circuit board that is not performed is repeated. A data writing method for writing data to a memory in each circuit board for a plurality of circuit boards each having a circuit unit including a memory capable of writing data,
The circuit unit in at least one circuit board that is included in the plurality of circuit boards and that has not been subjected to data write processing to the memory is externally or is included in the plurality of circuit boards and is stored in the memory. Sending predetermined data from another circuit board that has completed the data writing process;
Writing the received predetermined data to a memory included in the circuit unit in the at least one circuit board;
After the predetermined data is written in the memory included in the circuit unit in the at least one circuit board, all or a part of the predetermined data is included in the plurality of circuit boards and data to the memory. And transmitting to another circuit board that has not been subjected to the writing process. A plurality of circuit boards each including a circuit unit including a memory capable of writing data and capable of communicating with the outside;
The circuit unit receives predetermined data transmitted from the outside or another circuit board that is included in the plurality of circuit boards and that has finished writing data to the memory, and the received predetermined data Is written in the memory, all or part of the received predetermined data is transferred to another circuit board that is included in the plurality of circuit boards and that has not been subjected to data writing processing to the memory. The collective circuit board to transmit. A circuit unit including a memory capable of writing data and capable of communicating with the outside;
The circuit unit receives predetermined data transmitted from the outside, and after the received predetermined data is written to the memory, all or a part of the received predetermined data is transferred to the memory. A circuit board that transmits to a circuit in another circuit board that has not been written.

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