Display card module and electronic device

Abstract

The present application provides a display card module and an electronic device. The display card module includes a display card body, a graphic processor, a first slot, a second slot, a first multiplexing circuit and a second multiplexing circuit. The display card body includes a golden finger assembly having a first part, a second part and a third part. The graphic processor is disposed on the display card body and electrically connected to the first part. The first slot and the second slot are disposed on the display card body. The first multiplexing circuit is disposed on the display card body and controlled by a control signal to switch the second part between being electrically connected to the graphic processor and being electrically connected to the first slot. The second multiplexing circuit is disposed on the display card body and controlled by a control signal to switch the third part between being electrically connected to the graphic processor and being electrically connected to the second slot.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a display card module and an electronic device, and more particularly to a display card module with a slot and an electronic device having the same display card module. Background Technology

[0002] With advancements in technology and rising user demands, electronic devices are increasingly trending towards smaller and thinner designs, leading to a reduction in the size of motherboards and other internal components. However, this trend also makes it difficult for users to expand the performance of their electronic devices. For example, due to the size limitations of ITX motherboards, the number of PCI-E slots or M.2 slots that can be installed is limited. Furthermore, depending on performance, low-end and high-end graphics cards require different PCI-E interface lane configurations. Typically, low-end graphics cards require less bandwidth and only use half of the PCI-E interface lanes (PCI-E x8), while high-end graphics cards require more bandwidth and need to use all of the PCI-E interface lanes (PCI-E x16). However, current designs make these two types of cards incompatible. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a graphics card module, including a graphics card body, a graphics processor, a first slot, a second slot, a first multiplexing circuit, and a second multiplexing circuit. The graphics card body includes a gold finger assembly having a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion. The graphics processor is disposed in the graphics card body and electrically connected to the first portion. The first slot and the second slot are disposed in the graphics card body. The first multiplexing circuit is disposed in the graphics card body and is controlled by a control signal to switch the second portion between being electrically connected to the graphics processor and being electrically connected to the first slot. The second multiplexing circuit is disposed in the graphics card body and is controlled by a control signal to switch the third portion between being electrically connected to the graphics processor and being electrically connected to the second slot.

[0004] This application also provides an electronic device comprising a motherboard and the aforementioned graphics card module. The motherboard includes a PCI-E slot. The graphics card module is pluggably connected to the PCI-E slot.

[0005] Based on the above, the graphics card module and electronic device in this case can freely switch the PCI-E interface channel settings according to the performance requirements of the graphics card, and are compatible with the bandwidth required by low-end and high-end graphics cards, thus providing greater flexibility.

[0006] To make the above-mentioned features and advantages of this case more apparent and understandable, specific embodiments are provided below, along with detailed descriptions in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0007] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing a graphics card module inserted into a motherboard according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0008] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing a graphics card module inserted into a motherboard according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0009] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps of a method for generating control signals according to another embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0010] Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same element references are used in the drawings and description to denote the same or similar parts.

[0011] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a graphics card module installed on a motherboard according to an embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that, for the sake of simplicity and clarity, the illustration is... Figure 1 The external outline of the display card body 110 is shown only schematically.

[0012] Please refer to Figure 1 In this embodiment, the electronic device 10 includes a motherboard 200 and a graphics card module 100. The motherboard 200 includes a PCI-E slot 210. The graphics card module 100 is pluggably connected to the PCI-E slot 210. In other embodiments, the graphics card module 100 may also be connected to other types of slots; the present invention does not limit the type of slot to which the graphics card module 100 is connected.

[0013] The graphics card module 100 of this embodiment includes a graphics card body 110, a graphics processor 120, a first slot 130, a second slot 140, a first multiplexing circuit 150, a second multiplexing circuit 160, and a switch structure 170. The graphics card body 110 includes a gold finger assembly 111, which includes a first part 111a, a second part 111b, and a third part 111c. In this embodiment, the gold finger assembly 111 has, for example, a PCI-E x16 channel, the first part 111a has, for example, a PCI-E x8 channel, and the second part 111b and the third part 111c have, for example, a PCI-E x4 channel, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0014] A graphics processor 120 is disposed on the graphics card body 110 and electrically connected to the first portion 111a of the gold finger assembly 111. A first slot 130 and a second slot 140 are disposed on the graphics card body 110. The first slot 130 and the second slot 140 are, for example, m.2 slots, but the present invention does not limit the type of the first slot 130 and the second slot 140 or their location on the graphics card body 110.

[0015] The graphics card module 100 in this embodiment further includes a first external component 132 and a second external component 142. The first external component 132 is detachably plugged into a first slot 130. The second external component 142 is detachably plugged into a second slot 140. The first external component 132 and the second external component 142 include a solid-state drive, an m.2-SATA adapter card, or an m.2-USB adapter card. Figure 1 In the diagram, the first external component 132 and the second external component 142 are shown as solid-state drives, but the present invention does not limit the types of the first external component 132 and the second external component 142, as long as they can be plugged into the first slot 130 or the second slot 140.

[0016] The first multiplexing circuit 150 and the second multiplexing circuit 160 are disposed on the display card body 110, and can be implemented, for example, by a multiplexer. The first multiplexing circuit 150 and the second multiplexing circuit 160 each have a first terminal T1, a second terminal T2, a third terminal T3, and a switching terminal TC. The first terminal T1 of the first multiplexing circuit 150 is electrically connected to the second part 111b, the second terminal T2 is electrically connected to the graphics processor 120, and the third terminal T3 is electrically connected to the first slot 130. The first terminal T1 of the second multiplexing circuit 160 is electrically connected to the third part 111c, the second terminal T2 is electrically connected to the graphics processor 120, and the third terminal T3 is electrically connected to the second slot 140. The switching terminal TC of the first multiplexing circuit 150 and the second multiplexing circuit 160 receives a control signal Sct, and determines whether its first terminal T1 is electrically connected to the second terminal T2 or the third terminal T3 according to the control signal Sct. Thus, the first multiplexing circuit 150 can be controlled by the control signal Sct to switch the second part 111b between being electrically connected to the graphics processor 120 and being electrically connected to the first slot 130, and the second multiplexing circuit 160 can be controlled by the control signal Sct to switch the third part 111c between being electrically connected to the graphics processor 120 and being electrically connected to the second slot 140.

[0017] A switch structure 170 is located on the graphics card body 110 (e.g., at the edge) and electrically connected to the first multiplexing circuit 150 and the second multiplexing circuit 160. The switch structure 170 is, for example, a toggle switch, which can be adjusted by the user to a first or second position on the graphics card body 110 according to the desired PCI-E interface setting, and generates a control signal Sct based on the adjusted position. It should be noted that the PCI-E interface here refers to the signal transmission mode (including performance mode and memory mode) between the graphics card module 100 and the motherboard 200, not a specific slot structure. In performance mode, the PCI-E interface channels are, for example, PCI-E x16, and are all used by the graphics processor 120 to fully utilize the performance of the graphics processor 120 in accordance with the settings in the motherboard 200's Basic Input / Output System (BIOS) (e.g., games can achieve full performance). In storage mode, the PCI-E interface channels are divided into one PCI-E x8 and two PCI-E x4 channels. The PCI-E x8 is used by the graphics processor 120, and the two PCI-E x4 channels are used by the first external device 132 on the first slot 130 and the second external device 142 on the second slot 140, respectively. This is in accordance with the settings in the BIOS of the motherboard 200 so that the first external device 132 and the second external device 142 can expand the performance of the electronic device 10 through the graphics card module 100 (e.g., speed up and increase storage performance).

[0018] Furthermore, when the switch structure 170 is adjusted to the first position by the user, it indicates that the PCI-E interface is set to performance mode. At this time, the switch structure 170 outputs a control signal Sct of the first logic level to the first multiplexing circuit 150 and the second multiplexing circuit 160. When the received control signal Sct is at the first logic level, the first multiplexing circuit 150 and the second multiplexing circuit 160 respectively switch their first terminal T1 to be electrically connected to the corresponding second terminal T2. Under this setting, in addition to the first part 111a of the gold finger assembly 111, the second part 111b and the third part 111c of the gold finger assembly 111 are also electrically connected to the graphics processor 120. The graphics processor 120 is electrically connected to the motherboard 200 through the first part 111a, the second part 111b and the third part 111c of the gold finger assembly 111, so that all channels of the PCI-E interface are used by the graphics processor 120 to achieve performance mode.

[0019] When the switch structure 170 is adjusted by the user to a second position different from the first position, it indicates that the PCI-E interface is set to storage mode. At this time, the switch structure 170 outputs a control signal Sct of the second logic level to the first multiplexing circuit 150 and the second multiplexing circuit 160. When the received control signal Sct is at the second logic level, the first multiplexing circuit 150 and the second multiplexing circuit 160 respectively switch their first terminal T1 to be electrically connected to the corresponding third terminal T3. Under this setting, the second part 111b and the third part 111c of the gold finger assembly 111 will be electrically connected to the first external component 132 on the first slot 130 and the second external component 142 on the second slot 140, respectively. The graphics processor 120 is electrically connected to the motherboard 200 only through the first part 111a of the gold finger assembly 111. The first external component 132 and the second external component 142 are electrically connected to the motherboard 200 through the other second parts 111b and the third part 111c of the gold finger assembly 111, respectively. This allows half of the PCI-E interface lanes (PCI-E x8) to be used by the graphics processor 120, while the remaining PCI-E interface lanes (two PCI-E x4) are used by the first external component 132 and the second external component 142 to achieve the storage mode.

[0020] This design allows for flexible switching of the PCI-E interface channel settings based on the performance requirements of the graphics card, ensuring compatibility with the bandwidth needs of both low-end and high-end graphics cards and providing greater flexibility. Furthermore, since the slots on the motherboard 200 do not require modifications to expand the performance of the electronic device 10, the user experience when expanding the performance of the electronic device 10 remains unaffected.

[0021] Incidentally, the first logic level mentioned above can be a logic value of 1 or 0, and the second logic level mentioned above can be a logic value of 0 or 1 that is complementary to the first logic level, without any fixed restrictions.

[0022] In one embodiment, the first multiplexing circuit 150 can re-drive the first transmission signal Sts1 received from the second part 111b of the gold finger assembly 111 through internally configured signal amplifiers and other related circuits. The second multiplexing circuit 160 can re-drive the second transmission signal Sts2 received from the third part 111c of the gold finger assembly 111 through internally configured signal amplifiers and other related circuits. Thus, even if the second part 111b and the third part 111c of the gold finger assembly 111 are far from the graphics processor 120 and the trace distance is long, the first multiplexing circuit 150 and the second multiplexing circuit 160 can respectively reshape the first transmission signal Sts1 and the second transmission signal Sts2, thereby increasing the gain and restoring the waveform, thus meeting the signal requirements of the PCIe 5.0 standard.

[0023] In one embodiment, a controller may also be provided on the graphics card itself, and the control signal Sct is adjusted by the controller. For details, please refer to... Figure 2 The electronic device 10A in this embodiment includes a motherboard 200 and a graphics card module 100A. The motherboard 200 includes a PCI-E slot 210. The graphics card module 100A is pluggably connected to the PCI-E slot 210. The graphics card module 100A includes a graphics card body 110, a graphics processor 120, a first slot 130, a second slot 140, a first multiplexing circuit 150, a second multiplexing circuit 160, and a switch structure 170. The implementation methods of the above components are the same as or similar to the implementation methods of the components on the graphics card module 100 in the above embodiment, and therefore will not be described again here.

[0024] Unlike the embodiments described above, the graphics card module 100A also includes a controller 180. The controller 180 is disposed on the graphics card body 110 and electrically connected to the gold finger assembly 111, the graphics processor 120, the first slot 130, the second slot 140, the first multiplexing circuit 150, the second multiplexing circuit 160, and the switching structure 170. The controller 180 may be implemented, for example, by an embedded controller (EC) or a microcontroller. In this embodiment, the control signal Sct is not directly generated by the switching structure 170, but is generated by the controller 180 based on the states of the first slot 130 and the second slot 140 and the position of the switching structure 170.

[0025] Please refer to the following at the same time Figure 2 and Figure 3 The following describes the steps of the method for generating the control signal Sct in this embodiment, in conjunction with the components in the display card module 100A. First, in step S300, the controller 180 performs initialization. For example, the controller 180 can initialize the general-purpose input / output (GPIO) and integrated circuit (I2C) bus associated with the first slot 130, the second slot 140, and the switch structure 170. In one embodiment, if an initialization error occurs, the controller 180 can configure a notification device (e.g., an LED or a speaker) mounted on the casing of the display card module 100A or electronic device 10A to notify the user of the abnormality by flashing lights, playing sounds, or generating vibrations.

[0026] Next, in step S302, the controller 180 determines whether the first external component 132 is plugged into the first slot 130. For example, the controller 180 can confirm whether the GPIO pin corresponding to the first slot 130 is pulled low. If yes, it means that the first external component 132 is plugged into the first slot 130. If no, it means that the first external component 132 is not plugged into the first slot 130.

[0027] When the first external connector 132 is plugged into the first slot 130, in step S304, the controller 180 determines whether the switch structure 170 is in the second position. For example, the controller 180 can confirm whether the GPIO pin corresponding to the switch structure 170 is pulled low. If yes, it means that the switch structure 170 is in the second position. If no, it means that the switch structure 170 is not in the second position.

[0028] When the switch structure 170 is in the second position, in step S306, the controller 180 outputs a control signal Sct of the second logic level to the first multiplexing circuit 150 and the second multiplexing circuit 160. As a result, the first multiplexing circuit 150 and the second multiplexing circuit 160 respectively switch their first terminals T1 to be electrically connected to the corresponding third terminals T3, so that the second part 111b and the third part 111c of the gold finger assembly 111 are electrically connected to the first external component 132 on the first slot 130 and the second external component 142 on the second slot 140, respectively, thereby realizing the storage mode.

[0029] When the switch structure 170 is not in the second position, in step S308, the controller 180 outputs an error signal Ser to the gold finger assembly 111, and outputs a control signal Sct to the first multiplexing circuit 150 and the second multiplexing circuit 160 based on the confirmation signal Scf returned by the gold finger assembly 111. For example, the gold finger assembly 111 can transmit the error signal Ser to the processor on the motherboard 200 so that the display device of the electronic device 10A displays a check error message indicating that the position of the switch structure 170 does not match the state of the slot. At the same time, the display device of the electronic device 10A provides options for the user to select whether the current PCI-E interface should be set to performance mode or storage mode.

[0030] Based on the option selected by the user, the processor on the motherboard 200 will send a confirmation signal Scf back to the controller 180 via the gold finger component 111. Therefore, the controller 180 can output a corresponding control signal Sct to the first multiplexing circuit 150 and the second multiplexing circuit 160 based on the confirmation signal Scf, in order to achieve the mode required by the user.

[0031] On the other hand, when the controller 180 determines in step S302 that the first external component 132 is not plugged into the first slot 130, in step S310, the controller 180 determines whether the second external component 142 is plugged into the second slot 140. For example, the controller 180 can confirm whether the GPIO pin corresponding to the second slot 140 is pulled low. If yes, it means that the second external component 142 is plugged into the second slot 140. If no, it means that the second external component 142 is not plugged into the second slot 140.

[0032] When the second external component 142 is inserted into the second slot 140, proceed to step S304 to continue processing.

[0033] When the second external connector 142 is not inserted into the second slot 140, in step S312, the controller 180 determines whether the switch structure 170 is in the first position. For example, the controller 180 can confirm whether the GPIO pin corresponding to the switch structure 170 is pulled high. If yes, it means that the switch structure 170 is in the first position. If no, it means that the switch structure 170 is not in the first position.

[0034] When the switch structure 170 is in the first position, in step S314, the controller 180 outputs a control signal Sct of the first logic level to the first multiplexing circuit 150 and the second multiplexing circuit 160. As a result, the first multiplexing circuit 150 and the second multiplexing circuit 160 respectively switch their first terminal T1 to be electrically connected to the corresponding second terminal T2, so that the second part 111b and the third part 111c of the gold finger assembly 111 are also electrically connected to the graphics processor 120, thereby realizing the performance mode.

[0035] When the switch structure 170 is not in the first position, in step S316, the controller 180 outputs an error signal Ser to the gold finger assembly 111, and outputs a control signal Sct to the first multiplexing circuit 150 and the second multiplexing circuit 160 according to the confirmation signal Scf returned by the gold finger assembly 111.

[0036] In summary, the graphics card module and electronic device of the present invention can freely switch the PCI-E interface channel settings according to the performance requirements of the graphics card, and are compatible with the bandwidth required by low-end and high-end graphics cards, providing greater flexibility. Furthermore, even if the distance to the graphics processor is far and the trace distance is long, the graphics card module and electronic device of the present invention can reorganize the transmitted signals through re-driving, thereby meeting the signal requirements of the PCIe 5.0 standard.

[0037] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A display card module, characterized in that, include: The graphics card body includes a gold finger assembly, wherein the gold finger assembly has a first part, a second part and a third part; A graphics processor is disposed in the graphics card body and electrically connected to the first part; The first slot and the second slot are located on the graphics card body; A first multiplexing circuit is disposed in the display card body and is controlled by a control signal to switch the second part between being electrically connected to the graphics processor and being electrically connected to the first slot; as well as The second multiplexing circuit is disposed in the display card body and is controlled by the control signal to switch the third part between being electrically connected to the graphics processor and being electrically connected to the second slot.

2. The display card module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first multiplexing circuit re-drives the first transmission signal received from the second part, and the second multiplexing circuit re-drives the second transmission signal received from the third part.

3. The display card module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first multiplexing circuit and the second multiplexing circuit each have a first terminal, a second terminal, a third terminal, and a switching terminal. The first terminal of the first multiplexing circuit is electrically connected to the second part, the second terminal of the first multiplexing circuit is electrically connected to the graphics processor, and the third terminal of the first multiplexing circuit is electrically connected to the first slot. The first terminal of the second multiplexing circuit is electrically connected to the third part, the second terminal of the second multiplexing circuit is electrically connected to the graphics processor, the third terminal of the second multiplexing circuit is electrically connected to the second slot, and the switching terminals of the first multiplexing circuit and the second multiplexing circuit receive the control signal.

4. The display card module according to claim 3, characterized in that, When the control signal is at a first logic level, the first multiplexing circuit and the second multiplexing circuit respectively switch their first terminals to be electrically connected to the corresponding second terminals. When the control signal is at a second logic level, the first multiplexing circuit and the second multiplexing circuit respectively switch their first terminals to be electrically connected to the corresponding third terminals.

5. The display card module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first slot and the second slot are m.2 slots.

6. The display card module according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a first external component that is detachably inserted into the first slot.

7. The display card module according to claim 6, characterized in that, It also includes a second external component that is detachably plugged into the second slot. The first and second external components include a solid-state drive, an m.2-SATA adapter card, or an m.2-USB adapter card.

8. The display card module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gold finger assembly has a PCI-Ex16 channel, the first part has a PCI-E x8 channel, and the second part and the third part have a PCI-E x4 channel.

9. The display card module according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: A switch structure is disposed on the display card body and electrically connected to the first multiplexing circuit and the second multiplexing circuit. The switch structure is adjusted to a first position or a second position to generate the control signal.

10. The display card module according to claim 9, characterized in that, When the switch structure is adjusted to the first position, the switch structure outputs a control signal of the first logic level to the first multiplexing circuit and the second multiplexing circuit. When the switch structure is adjusted to the second position, the switch structure outputs a control signal of the second logic level to the first multiplexing circuit and the second multiplexing circuit.

11. The display card module according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: A switch structure is provided on the display card body and is adjusted to a first position or a second position; as well as The controller is located on the display card body and electrically connected to the gold finger assembly, the graphics processor, the first slot, the second slot, the first multiplexing circuit, the second multiplexing circuit, and the switch structure. It generates the control signal according to the state of the first slot and the second slot and the position of the switch structure.

12. The display card module according to claim 11, characterized in that, The controller determines whether the first external component is plugged into the first slot. When the first external component is plugged into the first slot, the controller determines whether the switch structure is in the second position. When the switch structure is in the second position, the controller outputs the control signal of the second logic level to the first multiplexing circuit and the second multiplexing circuit.

13. The display card module according to claim 12, characterized in that, When the switch structure is not in the second position, the controller outputs an error signal to the gold finger assembly, and outputs the control signal to the first multiplexing circuit and the second multiplexing circuit according to the confirmation signal returned by the gold finger assembly.

14. The display card module according to claim 12, characterized in that, When the first external component is not plugged into the first slot, the controller determines whether the second external component is plugged into the second slot. When the second external component is plugged into the second slot, the controller determines whether the switch structure is in the second position. When the switch structure is in the second position, the controller outputs the control signal of the second logic level to the first multiplexing circuit and the second multiplexing circuit.

15. The display card module according to claim 14, characterized in that, When the switch structure is not in the second position, the controller outputs an error signal to the gold finger assembly, and outputs the control signal to the first multiplexing circuit and the second multiplexing circuit according to the confirmation signal returned by the gold finger assembly.

16. The display card module according to claim 14, characterized in that, When the second external component is not plugged into the second slot, the controller determines whether the switch structure is in the first position. When the switch structure is in the first position, the controller outputs the control signal of the first logic level to the first multiplexing circuit and the second multiplexing circuit.

17. The display card module according to claim 16, characterized in that, When the switch structure is not in the first position, the controller outputs an error signal to the gold finger assembly, and outputs the control signal to the first multiplexing circuit and the second multiplexing circuit according to the confirmation signal returned by the gold finger assembly.

18. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: Motherboard, including PCI-E slots; and The graphics card module as described in claim 1 is pluggably connected to the PCI-E slot.

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