System and method for multi-coupling digital signals and a backplane data bus with multi-coupling of digital signals

Abstract

Methods and systems for transmitting data over a printed circuit board such as a backplane for example, are provided. The printed circuit board has a number of primary tracks each connected to receive a data stream from a respective transmitter which may be located on a card connected to the printed circuit board for example. The data streams are offset in time with respect to one another such that rising edges and falling edges do not coincide with each other in time. The primary tracks are all coupled electromagnetically to a single coupling track at another location on the printed circuit board, and the coupling track is connected to a receiver which may be located on another card for example. The transmitted data streams are all coupled electromagnetically onto the coupling track with each rising edge of any of the data streams resulting in a positive pulse in a coupled signal, and each falling edge of any of the data streams resulting in a negative pulse in the coupled signal. The receiver is capable of detecting all of the pulses, and thus detecting the data received from all of the transmitters. The received data consists of interleaved bits from each of the data streams, due to the offset in the data streams.