Portable Multifunctional PXIe Measurement and Control Platform

Abstract

A portable multi-functional PXIe measurement and control platform with compactness and high heat dissipation capacity. Its PXIe backplane is vertically installed inside the front of the chassis and is parallel to the front of the chassis. The expansion slots and the system slots are arranged side by side left and right. Among them, the PXIe standard measurement and control board cards inserted in the expansion slots and the core boards in the PXIe system controllers inserted in the system slots are horizontally arranged and form multiple air laminar flow channels along the horizontal direction inside the chassis; an intake fan and an exhaust fan are respectively provided on the left and right sides inside the chassis. It integrates multiple types of PXIe measurement and control devices in a compact and high heat dissipation manner, so that it can meet the requirements of stability, compatibility, compactness, portability and maintainability as an outfield test device. It can help users reduce the cumbersome work of equipment disassembly, handling and setup and debugging. Its rugged and portable design facilitates users to quickly debug and operate the measurement and control system at different locations and environments.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a PXIe test system platform, and particularly to a portable PXIe measurement and control platform integrating data input / output and information display. Background Art

[0002] In the fields of military defense, aerospace, weapon electronics, shipborne equipment, etc., with the rapid development of various industries, the shortcomings of existing desktop and rack-mounted instruments in field measurement and control and portable measurement and control applications have become increasingly obvious. There is an increasing demand for the portability of equipment, and more and more field tests require easily portable devices, thus imposing higher and higher requirements on the stability, compatibility, compactness, lightness, maintainability, etc. of the equipment. For different portable measurement and control projects, due to different field environments and test system requirements, their specific hardware requirements also vary. It is difficult for instrument manufacturers at home and abroad in the measurement and control field to specifically invest in research and development to design equipment that meets such needs.

[0003] Currently, there are the following two modes for professional PXIe measurement and control systems:

[0004] 1. Based on the traditional stand-alone instrument mode. These stand-alone instruments are basically desktop-designed, and each stand-alone instrument provides a single function. For building a complex test system, a considerable number of desktop instruments need to be connected to a computer through cables to form a test system with a set test purpose. The setup is very inconvenient, and it also requires a large amount of test physical space. When it comes to field tests, the test system built indoors with multiple devices (some of which are large in size and heavy in weight) needs to be disassembled and then transported to the field for re-construction, which brings great inconvenience to users. The problem of re-construction caused by using such stand-alone instruments to build a test system has always been a headache for industry insiders. Representative manufacturers of such stand-alone instruments are Keysight Technologies in the United States.

[0005] 2. Based on PXIe bus modular instruments. This is a special industry standard bus for instrument measurement and testing. Each PXIe test board can provide the function equivalent to a large desktop instrument, and all these boards are plugged into a PXIe chassis. As a standard modular instrument platform, this instrument bus has been widely used in the fields of military defense, aerospace, weapon electronics, shipborne equipment, etc. Representative manufacturers of such modular instruments are National Instruments (NI) in the United States.

[0006] The PXIe measurement and control board involved is a plug-in for standard modules, and there are many types of it, such as automotive Ethernet interface modules, sound and vibration modules, vector signal generators, serial instrument control modules, waveform generators, RF multiplexer switch modules, programmable power supplies, programmable resistors, source measurement units, analog signal generators, synchronization modules, multi-functional I / O modules, high-speed synchronous acquisition cards, multimeter cards, temperature acquisition cards, dynamic signal acquisition cards (IEPE), and switch matrix cards, etc., which are standard module boards that can generate different functions.

[0007] Although instrument test solutions have developed for decades, existing instrument manufacturers only provide solutions for desktop and rack-mounted instruments, which cannot meet the needs of compatible field measurement and control and portable measurement and control. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a new rugged portable measurement and control platform. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a portable multi-functional PXIe measurement and control platform with compactness and high heat dissipation capacity.

[0009] To solve the above technical problem, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0010] The portable multi-functional PXIe measurement and control platform of the present invention includes a chassis and a PXIe backplane installed in the chassis, multiple expansion slots for plugging PXIe standard measurement and control board cards, and a system slot for plugging a PXIe system controller. It is characterized in that: the PXIe backplane is vertically installed on the inner side of the front surface of the chassis and is parallel to the front surface of the chassis, the expansion slots and the system slot are arranged side by side left and right. Among them, the PXIe standard measurement and control board card plugged in the expansion slot and the core board in the PXIe system controller plugged in the system slot are horizontally arranged and form multiple air laminar flow channels along the horizontal direction in the chassis; on the left and right sides in the chassis, there are respectively provided a left sandwich layer and a right sandwich layer allowing air flow to pass through, at least one intake fan is provided in the right sandwich layer, and an exhaust fan matching the air volume of the intake fan and capable of taking out the heat in the chassis is provided in the left sandwich layer.

[0011] A keyboard for inputting data is fixedly provided on the top surface of the chassis, and a flat panel display is provided above the keyboard. The rear side of the display is connected to the chassis through a hinge structure, and the keyboard and the flat panel display are electrically connected to the PXIe backplane through a connection bus.

[0012] Anti-collision corner protectors made of silicone material and containing metal skeletons are provided at the corners of the chassis.

[0013] The chassis is made of aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy or hard plastic with high impact toughness.

[0014] The length of the chassis is between 280 mm and 450 mm; the width is between 250 mm and 400 mm; and the height is between 80 mm and 180 mm.

[0015] A temperature sensor is provided inside the chassis to control the rotation speeds of the intake fan and the exhaust fan according to the temperature inside the chassis via the PXIe backplane.

[0016] The number of the expansion slots is between 5 and 7.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present invention integrates multiple types of PXIe measurement and control devices in a compact and highly heat-dissipating manner, so as to meet the requirements of stability, compatibility, compactness, portability, and maintainability for field test equipment. This measurement and control platform can help users reduce the cumbersome work of equipment disassembly, transportation, and system setup and debugging, and provides a robust and portable design, facilitating users to quickly debug and operate the measurement and control system in different locations and usage environments. Since the core boards of the PXIe standard measurement and control board cards inserted in the expansion slots and the PXIe system controller inserted in the system slot are horizontally arranged to form multiple horizontally-oriented air laminar flow channels inside the chassis, it is easy to discharge the heat inside the chassis to the outside of the chassis under the action of the heat dissipation device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic external view of the PXIe measurement and control platform of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a schematic external view when the flip cover is opened.

[0020] Figure 3 is Figure 1 a schematic internal view when the top plate of the chassis is opened.

[0021] Figure 4 is Figure 1 a schematic internal view when the back plate of the chassis is opened.

[0022] Figure 5 is a schematic circuit principle block diagram of the PXIe measurement and control platform of the present invention.

[0023] The reference numerals are as follows:

[0024] Chassis 1, anti-collision corner 11, handle 12, buckle part 13, perforated plate 14, intake fan 15, exhaust fan 16, PXIe backplane 2, system slot 3, controller vertical support plate 31, expansion slot 4, board card support plate 41, standard keyboard 5, flat panel display 6, PXIe measurement and control platform 7. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0025] As Figure 1 ,2 As shown in the figure, the portable multi-functional PXIe measurement and control platform 7 of the present invention integrates multiple types of PXIe measurement and control devices into a portable test instrument. It integrates data input and output, data display, a system slot 3 for installing PXIe system controllers with different functions, and an expansion slot 4 for installing PXIe standard measurement and control board cards with different functions, with high integration, obvious portability advantages, professional reinforcement design and reasonable heat dissipation design. Even in harsh outdoor environments, it can ensure the normal operation of the portable measurement and control system and successfully complete various measurement and control tasks.

[0026] As Figure 1 As shown in Figure - 4, the portable multi-functional PXIe measurement and control platform 7 of the present invention is composed of a chassis 1, a PXIe backplane 2 (i.e., the main control circuit board of the measurement and control platform) arranged inside the chassis 1, a system slot 3 for plugging in a PXIe system controller, an expansion slot 4 for plugging in a PXIe standard measurement and control board card, a heat dissipation device, and a data input and display device.

[0027] 1. Chassis 1

[0028] The chassis 1 is made of a lightweight material with good strength and convenient for carrying and moving, preferably made of aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, or hard plastic with high impact toughness.

[0029] The shape of the chassis 1 is preferably a cuboid, with its length ranging from 280 mm to 450 mm; width ranging from 250 mm to 400 mm; and height ranging from 80 mm to 180 mm.

[0030] To improve the anti-collision ability of the chassis 1, reinforced anti-collision corner guards 11 made of silicone material and containing a metal skeleton are provided at the corners of the chassis 1.

[0031] A carrying handle 12 is provided on the front of the chassis 1.

[0032] 2. PXIe backplane 2

[0033] It is vertically installed on the inner side of the front of the chassis 1 and parallel to the front of the chassis 1. The connectors for electrically connecting the PXIe standard measurement and control board cards, which are welded on the PXIe backplane 2 and located at the bottom of each expansion slot 4, are horizontally arranged.

[0034] 3. System slot 3 for plugging in a PXIe system controller

[0035] Looking from the front of the chassis 1 inward, the system slot 3 is arranged on the right side inside the chassis 1. The connection seat for electrically connecting the core board in the PXIe system controller to the PXIe backplane 2 is horizontally arranged.

[0036] The system slot 3 is composed of two vertical, spaced-apart controller vertical rack plates 31 that are perpendicular to the PXIe backplane 2.

[0037] 4. Expansion slot 4 for plugging in PXIe standard measurement and control board cards

[0038] Looking inwards from the front of the chassis 1, multiple expansion slots 4 arranged from top to bottom are provided on the left side inside the chassis 1.

[0039] The expansion slot 4 is composed of two vertical, spaced-apart board card support plates 41 that are parallel to the controller vertical mounting plate 31.

[0040] The number of expansion slots 4 is 5 - 7. Preferably, there are 5 expansion slots 4 in the present invention. A certain gap for the air flow to pass through is left between two adjacent expansion slots 4 in the vertical direction.

[0041] Of course, when there is still spare space above the system slot 3 for plugging in the PXIe system controller, several more of these expansion slots 4 can be provided above the system slot 3.

[0042] 5. Heat dissipation device

[0043] It consists of a DC intake fan 15 and an exhaust fan 16 that can discharge the heat inside the chassis 1 out of the chassis 1.

[0044] Looking inwards from the front of the chassis 1, a left sandwich layer and a right sandwich layer are respectively provided on the left and right sides of the chassis 1. The left sandwich layer is placed outside the board card support plate 41, and the right sandwich layer is placed outside the controller vertical mounting plate 31. The inner and outer sides of the two sandwich layers are porous plates 14 that facilitate air flow. The outer sides of the two sandwich layers are the outer sides of the chassis 1.

[0045] The intake fan 15 is arranged in the right sandwich layer and can be one fan or multiple fans. The exhaust fan 16 is arranged in the left sandwich layer. Similarly, the number of fans can be one or multiple. Preferably, the intake air volume of the intake fan 15 matches the exhaust air volume of the exhaust fan 16.

[0046] At least one temperature sensor is provided inside the chassis 1. These temperature sensors can be distributed near the PXIe backplane 2, near the system slot 3, and near the expansion slot 4. The rotation speeds of the intake fan 15 and the exhaust fan 16 can change adaptively according to the temperature inside the chassis 1 collected by the temperature sensors. That is, the temperature sensor transmits the temperature signal of the temperature inside the chassis 1 to the PXIe backplane 2. The PXIe backplane 2 compares the collected temperature value with the temperature setting range stored in the memory of the PXIe backplane 2, and the control circuit of the PXIe backplane 2 issues instructions to increase or decrease the rotation speeds of the intake fan 15 and the exhaust fan 16.

[0047] 6. Data input and display device

[0048] It consists of a standard keyboard 5 for input data and a flat panel display 6 for displaying data information. The standard keyboard 5 is an industrial silicone waterproof keyboard and an industrial touchpad, and the flat panel display 6 is an industrial wide-temperature display screen and an industrial resistive touch screen.

[0049] The standard keyboard 5 is arranged on the top surface of the chassis 1, and the flat panel display 6 is arranged on the inner side surface of the flip cover above the standard keyboard 5.

[0050] The rear side of the flip cover is connected to the back side of the top surface of the chassis 1 through a hinge structure, and a buckle 13 is provided on the front side of the flip cover and the top side of the front surface of the chassis 1 to fasten and fix the flip cover on the chassis 1.

[0051] The standard keyboard 5 and the flat panel display 6 are electrically connected to the PXIe backplane 2 through a connection bus.

[0052] 7. The present invention has the following advantages

[0053] 1) Through professional structural integration design, in a fully aluminum-magnesium alloy reinforced chassis, a PXIe system controller and a PXIe backplane 2 with 5 PXIe standard measurement and control board card expansion slots 4 are built in.

[0054] Different PXIe system controllers can be inserted according to different test scenarios to meet the requirements of different processor performances or different IO interfaces for field tests.

[0055] According to the test requirements, different functional PXIe standard measurement and control board cards can be inserted and replaced to build a portable measurement and control system with different functions.

[0056] The PXIe system controller is modularly designed and can be plugged and unplugged and replaced at any time, with great flexibility.

[0057] 2) Reasonably place a high-quality wide-temperature measurement and control power supply, an industrial wide-temperature display screen, an industrial resistive touch screen, an industrial silicone waterproof keyboard, an industrial touchpad, a reinforcement handle 12, a silicone anti-collision corner 11, and a silicone IO protection strip.

[0058] 3) The PXIe system controller is connected to the PXIe backplane 2 through a PCI Express link. The PXIe backplane 2 provides 5 PXIe standard measurement and control board card expansion slots 4 through a PCI Express Switch, and different functional modular board cards can be inserted to realize the acquisition of user's test and measurement data.

[0059] 4) The measurement and control power supply powers the PXIe system controller and the PXIe backplane 2. The PXIe system controller contains a processor, memory, and a hard disk, and provides an IO interface externally, constituting the main control of the portable measurement and control platform. It controls and accesses various functional test boards inserted on the PXIe backplane 2 to develop and test the portable measurement and control system (see Figure 5 as shown).

[0060] 5) An internal temperature sensor is provided. The temperature sensor is connected to the PXIe backplane 2 through a wire. The temperature sensor senses the temperature inside the device. The acquisition circuit and the control circuit on the PXIe backplane 2 receive the temperature information from the temperature sensor and control the fan speed inside the device. The higher the temperature inside the device, the faster the fan speed. Conversely, the slower the fan speed. The adaptive intelligent adjustment of the fan speed constructs a good heat dissipation system for the device.

[0061] 6) The built-in PXIe backplane 2 has the expansion slots 4 of the PXIe standard measurement and control boards arranged in a high-density left-right horizontal stacked manner, with high integration, compact modules, space saving, a relatively thin machine, and at the same time facilitating efficient heat dissipation for the PXIe system controller and the PXIe standard measurement and control boards.

Claims

1. A portable multi-functional PXIe measurement and control platform, characterized in that Including: A chassis (1), a PXIe backplane (2) disposed within the chassis (1), i.e., the main control circuit board of this measurement and control platform, a system slot (3) for plugging in a PXIe system controller, expansion slots (4) for plugging in PXIe standard measurement and control board cards, a heat dissipation device, and a data input and display device; The chassis (1) is made of aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, or hard plastic with high impact toughness; The shape of the chassis (1) is a cuboid, with its length ranging from 280 mm to 450 mm; width ranging from 250 mm to 400 mm; height ranging from 80 mm to 180 mm; To improve the anti-collision ability of the chassis (1), reinforced anti-collision corner guards (11) made of silica gel material and containing a metal skeleton are provided at the corners of the chassis (1); A hand-held handle (12) is provided on the front of the chassis (1); The PXIe backplane (2) is vertically installed on the inner side of the front of the chassis (1) and is parallel to the front of the chassis (1). The connectors for electrically connecting PXIe standard measurement and control board cards, which are welded to the PXIe backplane (2) and located at the bottom end of each of the expansion slots (4), are horizontally arranged; The system slot (3) for plugging in a PXIe system controller is disposed on the right side within the chassis (1). The connection seat for electrically connecting the core board in the PXIe system controller to the PXIe backplane (2) is horizontally arranged; The system slot (3) is composed of two vertical, spaced-apart controller vertical support plates (31) that are perpendicular to the PXIe backplane (2); Multiple expansion slots (4) for plugging in PXIe standard measurement and control board cards, arranged from top to bottom, are provided on the left side within the chassis (1); The expansion slot (4) is composed of two vertical, spaced-apart board card support plates (41) that are parallel to the controller vertical support plates (31); The number of expansion slots (4) is 5 - 7, and there is a certain gap for air flow to pass through between adjacent two expansion slots (4) in the vertical direction; When there is still spare space above the system slot (3) for plugging in a PXIe system controller, several more of these expansion slots (4) can be provided above the system slot (3); The heat dissipation device consists of a direct-current intake fan (15) and an exhaust fan (16) that can discharge the heat within the chassis (1) out of the chassis (1); A left sandwich layer and a right sandwich layer are respectively provided on the left and right sides of the chassis (1). The left sandwich layer is placed outside the board card support plates (41), and the right sandwich layer is placed outside the controller vertical support plates (31). The inner and outer sides of the two sandwich layers are porous plates (14) for facilitating air flow, and the outer sides of the two sandwich layers are the outer sides of the chassis (1); The intake fan (15) is disposed in the right sandwich layer; the exhaust fan (16) is disposed in the left sandwich layer, and the intake air volume of the intake fan (15) matches the exhaust air volume of the exhaust fan (16); At least one temperature sensor is provided inside the chassis (1), and these temperature sensors are distributed near the PXIe backplane (2), near the system slot (3), and near the expansion slot (4); the rotation speeds of the intake fan (15) and the exhaust fan (16) change adaptively according to the temperature inside the chassis (1) collected by the temperature sensors; that is, the temperature sensor transmits the temperature signal inside the chassis (1) collected to the PXIe backplane (2), and the PXIe backplane (2) compares the collected temperature value with the temperature setting range stored in the memory of the PXIe backplane (2), and the control circuit of the PXIe backplane (2) issues an instruction to increase or decrease the rotation speed to the intake fan (15) and the exhaust fan (16); The data input and display device is composed of a standard keyboard (5) for inputting data and a flat panel display (6) for displaying data information. The standard keyboard (5) is an industrial silicone waterproof keyboard and an industrial touchpad, and the flat panel display (6) is an industrial wide-temperature display screen and an industrial resistive touch screen; The standard keyboard (5) is arranged on the top surface of the chassis (1), and the flat panel display (6) is arranged on the inner side of the flip cover above the standard keyboard (5); The rear side of the flip cover is connected to the back side of the top surface of the chassis (1) through a hinge structure, and a buckle (13) is provided on the front side of the flip cover and the top side of the front surface of the chassis (1) to fasten and secure the flip cover on the chassis (1); The standard keyboard (5) and the flat panel display (6) are electrically connected to the PXIe backplane (2) through a connection bus; Through professional structural integration design, this platform has a PXIe system controller and a PXIe backplane (2) with 5 PXIe standard measurement and control board card expansion slots (4) customized inside a fully aluminum-magnesium alloy reinforced chassis; This platform can insert different PXIe system controllers according to different test scenarios to meet the requirements of different processor performances or different IO interfaces for field tests; This platform can insert and replace PXIe standard measurement and control board cards with different functions according to the test requirements to build portable measurement and control systems with different functions; This platform reasonably places a high-quality wide-temperature measurement and control power supply, an industrial wide-temperature display screen, an industrial resistive touch screen, an industrial silicone waterproof keyboard, an industrial touchpad, a reinforced handle (12), a silicone anti-collision corner (11), and a silicone IO protection strip; The PXIe system controller of this platform is connected to the PXIe backplane (2) through a PCI Express link. The PXIe backplane (2) provides 5 - 7 expansion slots (4) for PXIe standard measurement and control board cards through a PCI Express Switch, and different functional modular board cards can be inserted to realize the acquisition of user's test and measurement data; The measurement and control power supply of this platform powers the PXIe system controller and the PXIe backplane (2). The PXIe system controller contains a processor, memory, and a hard disk, and provides an IO interface externally, constituting the main control of the portable measurement and control platform. It controls and accesses various functional test boards inserted on the PXIe backplane (2) to develop and test the portable measurement and control system; This platform is built-in with temperature sensors. The temperature sensors are connected to the PXIe backplane (2) through wires. The temperature sensors sense the temperature inside the device. The acquisition circuit and control circuit on the PXIe backplane (2) control the fan speed inside the device according to the temperature information received by the temperature sensors. The higher the temperature inside the device, the faster the fan speed. Conversely, the slower the fan speed. The adaptive intelligent adjustment of the fan speed constructs a good heat dissipation system for the device; The PXIe backplane (2) built into this platform has the expansion slots (4) of the PXIe standard measurement and control boards arranged in a high-density left-right horizontal stacked layout.

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