A chip-to-panel cable assembly and a communication device

Abstract

The application relates to a chip-to-panel cable assembly and a communication device, which comprises a first joint part, a flexible PCB cable and a second joint part. The first joint part comprises a plurality of first interface terminals, one end of which is connected with one signal port of an IO connector, and the other end is connected with one wire in the flexible PCB cable. The flexible PCB cable comprises a flexible material part on the upper and lower layers and a hollow connecting part connected with the flexible material part at the end. The inner layer of the flexible material part comprises at least one wire, one end of which is connected with one first interface terminal of the first joint part, and the other end is connected with one second interface terminal of the second joint part. The second joint part comprises a plurality of second interface terminals, one end of which is connected with one wire in the flexible PCB cable, and the other end is connected with one signal port on a main control board. The application can solve the problems existing in the hardware design of the in-board data transmission channel and the super-high-speed signal transmission under the C2M link.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication, and in particular to a chip-to-panel cable assembly and a communication device. BACKGROUND

[0002] The physical channel of chip-to-panel (C2M) is the most important physical layer interconnection of a communication device, and the topology mainly includes the connection relationship between a master chip and an IO (Input Output) connector. In order to meet the data communication requirements, the C2M channel should meet the channel loss requirements.

[0003] One implementation of the C2M channel is to realize the interconnection between a switching chip such as a MAC (Medium Access Control) chip and an IO connector through the copper foil in the inner layer of a multi-layer PCB. The length of the wire between the MAC chip and the IO connector, the material properties of the board, and the process technology determine the loss of the C2M channel. In the scenario where the rate requirement is lower than the set rate threshold, the traditional PCB scheme can meet most C2M applications.

[0004] With the development of application requirements such as big data, cloud computing, and AI (Artificial Intelligence), in the scenario where the C2M rate requirement is increased to be higher than the set rate threshold, the traditional PCB scheme cannot meet the signal transmission requirements.

[0005] The cable can be directly connected between the switching chip and the IO connector, and is gradually applied to the C2M physical interconnection in the device frame due to its low loss. However, the cable scheme is not suitable for high-density and large-interconnection demand scenarios because the cable size is large and occupies more space than the PCB multi-layer inner layer interconnection. SUMMARY

[0006] In order to solve the problems that the traditional PCB scheme cannot meet the high-speed rate requirements and the high-speed cable scheme occupies a large space and has complex assembly, the present application provides a chip-to-panel cable assembly and a PCB board circuit which can meet the high-speed data transmission requirements and save space and have flexible assembly.

[0007] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip-to-panel cable assembly, comprising:

[0008] A first joint part includes a plurality of first interface terminals, each of the first interface terminals is connected to one signal port of an IO connector at one end and connected to one wire in a flexible PCB cable at the other end;

[0009] The flexible PCB cable includes flexible material parts on the upper and lower layers and a connecting part in the middle layer, the connecting part includes two rigid material parts at the ends of the flexible material parts on the upper and lower layers and a hollow part between the two rigid material parts, each of the flexible material parts includes at least one wire, one end of each of the wires is connected to a first interface terminal of the first connector part, and the other end is connected to a second interface terminal of the second connector part.

[0010] The second connector part includes a plurality of second interface terminals, one end of each of the second interface terminals is connected to a wire in the flexible PCB cable, and the other end is connected to a signal port on the main control board.

[0011] In one or more possible embodiments, the two rigid material parts are at the ends of the flexible material parts on the upper and lower layers and adhere to the ends of the flexible material parts on the upper and lower layers, respectively.

[0012] In one or more possible embodiments, at least one wire in the flexible material part on the upper layer is connected to the corresponding first interface terminal at one end of the flexible material part on the upper layer through an upward via and connected to the corresponding second interface terminal at the other end, and at least one wire in the flexible material part on the lower layer is connected to the corresponding first interface terminal at one end of the flexible material part on the lower layer through a downward via and connected to the second interface terminal at the other end.

[0013] In one or more possible embodiments, the number of flexible PCB cables is at least one, and each of the flexible PCB cables is connected to a first connector part and a second connector part, respectively.

[0014] In one or more possible embodiments, the first connector part is a gold finger connector, the gold finger connector includes two first gold fingers, two pads, and external connection lines, the two first gold fingers are located on the side of the upper and lower flexible material parts perpendicular to the via, one end of each of the first interface terminals of each of the first gold fingers is connected to a wire in a via, and the other end is fixed through a pad and connected to a signal port of the IO connector through one of the external connection lines.

[0015] In one or more possible embodiments, the second connector part includes two second gold fingers, the two second gold fingers are located on the side of the upper and lower flexible material parts perpendicular to the via, one end of each of the second interface terminals of each of the second gold fingers is connected to a wire in a via, and the other end is inserted into a gold finger slot on the main control board and connected to a signal port on the main control board.

[0016] In one or more possible embodiments, the second joint part is a socket spring, and each second interface terminal in the socket spring is connected with a wire in a via at one end and connected with a signal port on the main control board in a plug-in manner at the other end.

[0017] In one or more possible embodiments, the number of flexible PCB cables is plural, and the flexible PCB cable further comprises:

[0018] An intermediate rigid support part is located between and bonded with the end parts of the adjacent flexible PCB cables connected with the second joint part.

[0019] An end rigid support part is located at and bonded with the end part of the edge flexible PCB cable connected with the second joint part, and is opposite to the intermediate rigid support part connected with the edge flexible PCB cable, the edge flexible PCB cable being a flexible PCB cable connected with only one intermediate rigid support part.

[0020] In one or more possible embodiments, the upper flexible material part or the lower flexible material part in each flexible PCB cable comprises at least one wire layer, each wire layer comprises at least one wire, and each wire is led out through a micro-hole formed by laser drilling.

[0021] In a second aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a PCB circuit, comprising:

[0022] The chip-to-panel cable assembly provided in the first aspect above;

[0023] An IO connector is connected with the main control board through the cable assembly, used for receiving first data transmitted by a signal sending port of the main control board and transmitting the first data to an external device, and transmitting second data received from the external device to a signal receiving port of the main control board through the cable assembly.

[0024] The main control board is used for transmitting the first data transmitted by the signal sending port to the IO connector through the cable assembly, and receiving the second data transmitted by the IO connector at the signal receiving port.

[0025] In a third aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a chip-to-panel cable assembly, comprising a first joint part, a first flexible PCB cable and a second joint part, wherein,

[0026] The first joint part includes a first interface terminal and a second interface terminal, a first end of the first interface terminal is connected with a first signal port of the IO connector, a second end of the first interface terminal is connected with a first wire in the first flexible PCB cable, a first end of the second interface terminal is connected with a second signal port of the IO connector, and a second end of the second interface terminal is connected with a second wire in the first flexible PCB cable;

[0027] The second joint part includes a third interface terminal and a fourth interface terminal, a first end of the third interface terminal is connected with the first wire, a second end of the third interface terminal is connected with a first signal port on the main control board, a first end of the fourth interface terminal is connected with the second wire, and a second end of the fourth interface terminal is connected with a second signal port on the main control board;

[0028] The first flexible PCB cable includes a first flexible material part, a connecting part and a second flexible material part, the first flexible material part is arranged on an upper layer of the first flexible PCB cable, the connecting part is arranged on a middle layer of the first flexible PCB cable, and the second flexible material part is arranged on a lower layer of the first flexible PCB cable, wherein the connecting part includes a first rigid material part, a second rigid material part and a hollow part arranged between the first rigid material part and the second rigid material part, the first flexible material part includes the first wire, a first end of the first wire is connected with the first interface terminal, and a second end of the first wire is connected with the third interface terminal, and the second flexible material part includes the second wire, a first end of the second wire is connected with the second interface terminal, and a second end of the second wire is connected with the fourth interface terminal;

[0029] The first rigid material part is arranged between a first end of the first flexible material part and a first end of the second flexible material part, and the second rigid material part is arranged between a second end of the first flexible material part and a second end of the second flexible material part;

[0030] The first wire is connected with the first interface terminal through an upward first via hole at the first end of the first flexible material part, and the second wire is connected with the second interface terminal through a downward second via hole at the first end of the second flexible material part.

[0031] In one or more possible embodiments, the first connector part is a gold finger connector, the gold finger connector includes a first gold finger, a second gold finger, a first pad, a second pad, a first external connecting line and a second external connecting line, wherein the first gold finger is disposed at a first end of the first flexible material part and is perpendicular to the first via, the first gold finger includes the first interface terminal, a second end of the first interface terminal is connected with the first wire through the first via, a first end of the first interface terminal is connected with a first signal port of the IO connector through the first external connecting line after being fixed by the first pad;

[0032] The second gold finger is disposed at a first end of the second flexible material part and is perpendicular to the second via, the second gold finger includes the second interface terminal, a second end of the second interface terminal is connected with the second wire through the second via, a first end of the second interface terminal is connected with a second signal port of the IO connector through the second external connecting line after being fixed by the second pad.

[0033] In one or more possible embodiments, the first wire is connected with the third interface terminal at a second end of the first flexible material part through an upward third via, and the second wire is connected with the fourth interface terminal at a second end of the second flexible material part through a downward fourth via.

[0034] In one or more possible embodiments, the second connector part includes a third gold finger and a fourth gold finger, the third gold finger is located at the second end of the first flexible material part and is perpendicular to the third via, the third gold finger includes the third interface terminal, a first end of the third interface terminal is connected with the first wire through the third via, a second end of the third interface terminal is connected with a first signal port on the main control board after being plugged into a first gold finger slot on the main control board;

[0035] The fourth gold finger is located at the second end of the second flexible material part and is perpendicular to the fourth via, the fourth gold finger includes the fourth interface terminal, a first end of the fourth interface terminal is connected with the second wire through the fourth via, a second end of the fourth interface terminal is connected with a second signal port on the main control board after being plugged into a second gold finger slot on the main control board.

[0036] In one or more possible embodiments, the second joint part is a socket spring, the socket spring comprising the third interface terminal and the fourth interface terminal, a first end of the third interface terminal being connected with the first wire through a downward fifth via, and a second end of the third interface terminal being connected with the first signal port on the main control board in a plug-in manner; a first end of the fourth interface terminal being connected with the second wire through a downward sixth via, and a second end of the fourth interface terminal being connected with the second signal port on the main control board in a plug-in manner.

[0037] In one or more possible embodiments, the cable assembly further comprises a second flexible PCB cable, the first flexible PCB cable being connected with the second joint part through a first end, and the second flexible PCB cable being connected with the second joint part through a second end, characterized in that the cable assembly further comprises:

[0038] a middle rigid support part arranged between the first end of the first flexible PCB cable and the second end of the second flexible PCB cable;

[0039] an end rigid support part arranged at the first end of the first flexible PCB cable, wherein the end rigid support part and the middle rigid support part are arranged at opposite sides of the first flexible PCB cable, and the first flexible PCB cable is a flexible PCB cable connected with only one middle rigid support part.

[0040] In a fourth aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a chip-to-panel cable assembly, comprising a first joint part, a first flexible PCB cable and a second joint part, wherein,

[0041] the first joint part comprises a first interface terminal and a second interface terminal, a first end of the first interface terminal being connected with a first signal port of an IO connector, a second end of the first interface terminal being connected with a first wire in the first flexible PCB cable, a first end of the second interface terminal being connected with a second signal port of the IO connector, and a second end of the second interface terminal being connected with a second wire in the first flexible PCB cable;

[0042] the second joint part comprises a third interface terminal and a fourth interface terminal, a first end of the third interface terminal being connected with the first wire, a second end of the third interface terminal being connected with a first signal port on a main control board, a first end of the fourth interface terminal being connected with the second wire, and a second end of the fourth interface terminal being connected with a second signal port on the main control board;

[0043] The first flexible PCB cable includes a first flexible material part, a connecting part, and a second flexible material part. The first flexible material part is arranged on an upper layer of the first flexible PCB cable. The connecting part is arranged on a middle layer of the first flexible PCB cable. The second flexible material part is arranged on a lower layer of the first flexible PCB cable. The connecting part includes a first rigid material part, a second rigid material part, and a hollow part arranged between the first rigid material part and the second rigid material part. The first flexible material part includes the first conductive wire. A first end of the first conductive wire is connected to the first interface terminal. A second end of the first conductive wire is connected to the third interface terminal. The second flexible material part includes the second conductive wire. A first end of the second conductive wire is connected to the second interface terminal. A second end of the second conductive wire is connected to the fourth interface terminal.

[0044] The first rigid material part is arranged between a first end of the first flexible material part and a first end of the second flexible material part. The second rigid material part is arranged between a second end of the first flexible material part and a second end of the second flexible material part.

[0045] The first conductive wire is connected to the third interface terminal through an upward third via hole at a second end of the first flexible material part. The second conductive wire is connected to the fourth interface terminal through a downward fourth via hole at a second end of the second flexible material part. Alternatively, the first conductive wire is connected to the third interface terminal through a downward fifth via hole. The second conductive wire is connected to the fourth interface terminal through a downward sixth via hole at a second end of the second flexible material part.

[0046] In one or more possible embodiments, the first conductive wire is connected to the first interface terminal through an upward first via hole at a first end of the first flexible material part. The second conductive wire is connected to the second interface terminal through a downward second via hole at a first end of the second flexible material part.

[0047] In one or more possible embodiments, the first connector is a gold finger connector. The gold finger connector includes a first gold finger, a second gold finger, a first solder pad, a second solder pad, a first external connecting wire, and a second external connecting wire. The first gold finger is arranged at a first end of the first flexible material part and is perpendicular to the first via hole. The first gold finger includes the first interface terminal. A second end of the first interface terminal is connected to the first conductive wire through the first via hole. A first end of the first interface terminal is fixed by the first solder pad and is connected to a first signal port of the IO connector through the first external connecting wire.

[0048] The second gold finger is arranged at the first end of the second flexible material part and is perpendicular to the second via hole, the second gold finger comprises the second interface terminal, the second end of the second interface terminal is connected with the second wire through the second via hole, and the first end of the second interface terminal is connected with the second signal port of the IO connector through the second external connecting line after being fixed by the second pad.

[0049] In one or more possible embodiments, the second joint part comprises a third gold finger and a fourth gold finger, the third gold finger is arranged at the second end of the first flexible material part and is perpendicular to the third via hole, the third gold finger comprises the third interface terminal, the first end of the third interface terminal is connected with the first wire through the third via hole, and the second end of the third interface terminal is connected with the first signal port of the main control board after being inserted into the first gold finger slot of the main control board.

[0050] The fourth gold finger is arranged at the second end of the second flexible material part and is perpendicular to the fourth via hole, the fourth gold finger comprises the fourth interface terminal, the first end of the fourth interface terminal is connected with the second wire through the fourth via hole, and the second end of the fourth interface terminal is connected with the second signal port of the main control board after being inserted into the second gold finger slot of the main control board.

[0051] In one or more possible embodiments, the second joint part is a Socket spring, the Socket spring comprises the third interface terminal and the fourth interface terminal, the first end of the third interface terminal is connected with the first wire through the fifth via hole, and the second end of the third interface terminal is connected with the first signal port of the main control board in an insertion mode; the first end of the fourth interface terminal is connected with the second wire through the sixth via hole, and the second end of the fourth interface terminal is connected with the second signal port of the main control board in an insertion mode.

[0052] In one or more possible embodiments, the first wire is connected with the first interface terminal through a downward seventh via hole, and the second wire is connected with the second interface terminal at the first end of the second flexible material part through a downward eighth via hole.

[0053] In one or more possible embodiments, the first joint part is a socket spring, the socket spring comprising the first interface terminal and the second interface terminal, the second end of the first interface terminal being connected with the first wire through the seventh via, and the first end of the first interface terminal being connected with the first signal port of the IO connector in a plug-in manner; the second end of the second interface terminal being connected with the second wire through the eighth via, and the first end of the second interface terminal being connected with the second signal port of the IO connector in a plug-in manner.

[0054] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising:

[0055] The chip-to-panel cable assembly provided in the first aspect or the third aspect or the fourth aspect;

[0056] An IO connector connected with the main control board through the cable assembly, configured to receive first data transmitted by the main control board and transmit the first data to an external device, and transmit second data received from the external device to the main control board through the cable assembly;

[0057] The main control board is configured to transmit the first data to the IO connector and receive the second data transmitted by the IO connector through the cable assembly.

[0058] The chip-to-panel cable assembly and the PCB circuit provided in the embodiments of the present application have the following beneficial effects:

[0059] The chip-to-panel cable assembly provided in the embodiments of the present application adopts a flexible PCB board with improved structure as a cable, solves the problem of super-high-speed signal transmission under a C2M link compared with a traditional PCB board, and solves the system assembly feasibility and reliability problem in a high-density and large-interconnection demand scenario compared with a cable solution. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0060] Figure 1 A C2M channel schematic diagram realized by inner-layer wiring of a PCB multilayer board in the related art;

[0061] Figure 2 A C2M channel schematic diagram realized by a high-speed cable in the related art;

[0062] Figure 3 A chip-to-panel cable assembly structural schematic diagram provided in the embodiments of the present application;

[0063] Figure 4 A cable assembly side cross-sectional structural schematic diagram provided in the first embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Figure 5 Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an end connection of a cable assembly according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] Figure 6 Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a joint according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] Figure 7 Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a cable assembly according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0067] Figure 8 Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a PCB circuit according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0068] In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the following will further describe the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, but not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative work fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0069] The physical channel of chip to module (C2M) is the most important physical layer interconnection of communication equipment, and the C2M channel should meet the channel loss requirement. As shown in FIG. 1, one implementation of the C2M channel is to realize the interconnection between the switching chip such as the MAC chip and the IO connector through the copper foil in the PCB multilayer board, Figure 1 Figure 1 The MAC chip 10 is in the middle, and the IO connector 20 is below. The IO connector 20 is arranged transversely and is divided into three regions, i.e., the left region 201, the middle region 202 and the right region 203. The connection line 30 is the inner layer wiring of the PCB multilayer board. The wiring distance of the left region and the right region is much larger than that of the middle region. The connection between the MAC chip 10 and the IO connector 20 is realized by the inner layer wiring of the PCB multilayer board.

[0070] When the above channel connection mode of the inner layer wiring of the PCB multilayer board is used, the wiring length of the channel, the material properties and the process of the board material determine the loss of the interconnection channel. The above traditional PCB scheme can meet most C2M applications. However, the PCB board using the MAC chip needs to carry not only high-speed signal interconnection but also power supply and chip functions, resulting in still large loss (relative to copper cable). When the rate is increased to a high rate greater than the set rate threshold, such as more than 100 GBS, the traditional PCB board scheme will gradually fail to meet the application of long interconnection distance. In particular, with the development of application requirements such as big data, cloud computing and AI, when the C2M rate is increased to a high rate greater than the set rate threshold, such as more than 100 GBS, the PCB board loss cannot meet the signal transmission requirements.​

[0071] In addition to the connection mode of the inner layer wiring of the PCB multi-layer board, the cable can also be directly connected between the IO connector and the MAC chip. And because the cable loss is low, it is gradually applied to the C2M physical interconnection in the device frame, as shown in Figure 2 The middle area is the MAC chip 10, and the upper area is the IO connector 20. The connection line 30 specifically adopts a high-speed cable located outside the PCB board. The high-speed cable loss is 1 / 3 or less of the PCB loss. The high-speed cable can be directly connected to the chip package and the IO connector, and can meet the high-speed transmission demand, which is a good supplement to the C2M PCB application. However, the limitation of the high-speed cable as a C2M channel is that the cable size is large, which occupies more space than the inner layer interconnection of the PCB, and therefore is not suitable for high-density and large interconnection demand scenarios.

[0072] Compared with the cable such as copper cable, the flexible PCB board cable has the following advantages: 1) The inner layer wiring of the flexible PCB board is dense, so that the wiring on the PCB circuit board is few; 2) Bending yield, which can be manipulated in various ways as needed to fit the assembly, such as fitting according to the needs of the edge, folding and crease, and after completing the assembly, the assembly reliability is not affected by the resilience.

[0073] The embodiment of the present application provides a chip-to-panel cable assembly, as shown in Figure 3 The cable assembly in the embodiment of the present application comprises:

[0074] The first joint part 10 comprises a plurality of first interface terminals 101, one end of each first interface terminal is connected with one signal port of the IO connector, and the other end is connected with one wire in the flexible PCB board cable 20;

[0075] The flexible PCB board cable 20 comprises a flexible material part 201 located on the upper layer, a flexible material part 202 located on the lower layer, and a connecting part 203 located on the middle layer. The connecting part 203 comprises two rigid material parts located at the end of the flexible material part on the upper and lower layers and a hollow part between the two rigid material parts. Each flexible material part comprises at least one wire, one end of each wire is connected with one first interface terminal 101 of the first joint part 10, and the other end is connected with one second interface terminal 301 of the second joint part 30;

[0076] The second joint part 30 comprises a plurality of second interface terminals 301, one end of each second interface terminal 301 is connected with one wire in the flexible PCB board cable 20, and the other end is connected with one signal port on the main control board. The second joint part is used for connecting the flexible PCB board cable and the main control board. The second joint part has wires inside, and the end of the wire is the second interface terminal.

[0077] The flexible PCB cable in the embodiments of the present application is used as an intermediate connecting part, the length of which can be designed according to requirements and can be bent on the PCB. When selecting the material of the flexible PCB cable, the material that can meet the bending requirement and the transmission loss requirement is selected. As an optional implementation, the material of the flexible PCB cable in the embodiments of the present application is polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which can meet the bending requirement and greatly reduce the loss, and can support higher-speed data transmission.

[0078] The flexible PCB cable 20 in the embodiments of the present application adopts a three-layer structure, the upper layer is a flexible material part, the middle layer is a connecting part, and the lower layer is a flexible material part. The connecting part of the middle layer is a hollow structure, and the two rigid material parts at both ends are connected to the flexible material part of the upper layer and the flexible material part of the lower layer, respectively. This structure can play a supporting role at the end and reduce the requirement for the via process of the wire. The flexible material part of the upper layer or the lower layer includes at least one wire layer, and each wire layer includes at least one wire. One end of each wire is connected to the first interface terminal of the first connector part, and the first connector part can be but is not limited to a rigid part, which can play a fixing and supporting role.

[0079] The second connector part is a connecting part with a wire inside, and the two ends of the wire are connected to the signal port on the main control board and the wire in the flexible PCB, respectively, which can realize the transmission of data signals.

[0080] The cable assembly from the chip to the panel provided in the embodiments of the present application adopts a flexible PCB with improved structure as the cable. Compared with the traditional PCB, the problem of super-high-speed signal transmission under the C2M link can be solved; compared with the traditional high-speed cable scheme, the system assembly problem in the demand scene of high density and a large number of interconnections can be solved. The flexible PCB cable has good bending performance at the middle part and has a rigid material part at the end for support, which is beneficial to the via process of the wire.

[0081] In one or more possible embodiments, the two rigid material parts are at the ends of the upper and lower flexible material parts, respectively, and adhere to the ends of the upper and lower flexible material parts, respectively, to play a fixed supporting role at the ends and facilitate the connection of the ends.

[0082] In one or more embodiments, at least one wire in the flexible material portion of the upper layer is connected to the corresponding first interface terminal at one end of the flexible material portion of the upper layer through an upward via, and at least one wire in the flexible material portion of the lower layer is connected to the corresponding first interface terminal at one end of the flexible material portion of the lower layer through a downward via. In this way, the first joint portion is connected to the flexible PCB cable on opposite sides of the ends of the flexible material portions of the upper and lower layers, thereby playing a clamping role. In addition, since the vias are vertically upward or downward in the flexible material portions of the respective layers, they do not need to pass through the entire rigid material, thereby reducing the difficulty of the via process.

[0083] In one or more embodiments, at least one wire in the flexible material portion of the upper layer is connected to the corresponding second interface terminal at the other end of the flexible material portion of the upper layer through an upward via, and at least one wire in the flexible material portion of the lower layer is connected to the corresponding second interface terminal at the other end of the flexible material portion of the lower layer through a downward via. In this way, the second joint portion is connected to the flexible PCB cable on opposite sides of the ends of the flexible material portions of the upper and lower layers, thereby playing a clamping role. In addition, since the vias are vertically upward or downward in the flexible material portions of the respective layers, they do not need to pass through the entire rigid material, thereby reducing the difficulty of the via process.

[0084] It should be noted that the wires in the flexible material portion of the upper layer and the flexible material portion of the lower layer can also be connected to the corresponding second interface terminal through the same side via.

[0085] The flexible PCB cable is made of bendable material, and the number of the flexible PCB cable is at least one. Each flexible PCB cable is connected to one first joint portion and one second joint portion, i.e., one flexible PCB cable is connected to a pair of first joint portions and second joint portions. This case is applicable to the case where the vias are located on opposite sides of the ends of the flexible material portions of the upper and lower layers.

[0086] In one or more embodiments, the aforementioned IO connector can be, but is not limited to, QSFP (Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable), QSFP-DD (Quad Small Form Factor Pluggable-Double Density), OSFP (Open Shortest Path First), SFP, SFP+, etc.

[0087] In one or more possible embodiments, the first connector part is a gold finger connector, the gold finger connector includes two first gold fingers, two pads and external connection lines, the two first gold fingers are respectively located on the side of the upper and lower flexible material parts perpendicular to the via, each of the first interface terminals of each of the first gold fingers is connected to the wire in one via, and the other end is fixed through the pad and connected to one signal port of the IO connector through one of the external connection lines. The gold finger connector as a rigid material can play a role in fixing and supporting the flexible PCB cable. In order to strengthen the fixing effect, in the embodiment of the application, for each flexible PCB cable, the wire is connected to the corresponding first gold finger through the vertical via on the side of the upper and lower flexible material parts perpendicular to the via. The first gold finger includes a plurality of first interface terminals, which are respectively connected to the signal port of the IO connector and the wire in the flexible PCB. In the embodiment of the application, when the first gold finger, the IO connector and the flexible PCB cable are connected, the via process is not needed in the rigid material, thus reducing the difficulty of the via. The external connection lines are located on the side of the upper and lower flexible material parts perpendicular to the via, and are relatively positioned and extended outward, forming the structure of the gold finger connector, which can be connected to the signal port of the IO connector and form a clamping structure, playing a role in fixing the flexible PCB cable.

[0088] In one or more possible embodiments, the second connector part includes two second gold fingers, the two second gold fingers are respectively located on the side of the upper and lower flexible material parts perpendicular to the via, each of the second interface terminals of each of the second gold fingers is connected to the wire in one via, and the other end is inserted into the gold finger slot on the host board and connected to one signal port on the host board. Since the host board has a plurality of gold finger slots on the same side, the wire of the flexible PCB cable connected to the host board on one end only needs to be connected to the second interface terminal of the second gold finger through the via, and the other end of the second interface terminal of the second gold finger is directly inserted into the gold finger slot and connected to the corresponding signal port on the host board. In the embodiment of the application, when the second gold finger is used to connect the flexible PCB cable and the host board, the via process is not needed in the rigid material, thus reducing the difficulty of the via.

[0089] Alternatively, in one or more possible embodiments, the second connector part is a socket spring, and each second interface terminal in the socket spring is connected to a wire in a via at one end and connected to a signal port on the main control board in a plug-in manner at the other end. A corresponding socket can be provided on the main control board, and the socket includes a plurality of vias, each via being connected to a terminal of a wire. The wires in the flexible PCB cable are led out from the inside in the form of a socket spring, and the socket spring is inserted into the socket to achieve the connection between the flexible PCB cable and the main control board.

[0090] The following describes in detail the embodiments in which the first connector part is a first gold finger connector, and the second connector part is a second gold finger or a socket spring.

[0091] In this embodiment, the number of flexible PCB cables is at least one, as shown in Figure 4 As shown in the structure of a flexible PCB cable, the flexible PCB cable includes a flexible material part and an intermediate layer. The flexible material part includes an upper flexible material part 41 and a lower flexible material part 42, and the intermediate layer includes two rigid material parts 43 at the ends of the upper flexible material part 41 and the lower flexible material part 42. The two rigid material parts are connected by a hollow part 44. The first connector part is a gold finger connector structure for connecting the signal port of the IO connector and the wire in the flexible material part, and the IO connector is used to connect the high-speed signal (such as an optical module) of the external module of the device. The second connector part is two gold fingers 45 for connecting the signal port on the main control board. At least one wire in the upper flexible material part 41 is led outwards through an upward via 49 at the end connected to the first connector part, and at least one wire in the lower flexible material part 42 is led outwards through a downward via 50 at the end connected to the first connector part. At least one wire in the upper flexible material part 41 is led outwards through an upward via 51 at the end connected to the second connector part, and at least one wire in the lower flexible material part 42 is led outwards through a downward via 52 at the end connected to the second connector part.

[0092] The flexible PCB cable is connected by two rigid material parts in the intermediate layer to the upper flexible material part and the lower flexible material part, and the intermediate part is a hollow part. Therefore, the flexible PCB cable as a whole can be divided into a middle part 400 with good soft bending property, a first end part 401 and a second end part 402 connected by rigid material at both ends. The rigid material at the end parts plays a fixing and supporting role, and is more conducive to the connection with the first connector part and the second connector part.

[0093] In this embodiment, the first connector part is a gold finger connector, as shown in Figure 4As shown, the gold finger connector includes two first gold fingers 46, two pads 47 and external connection lines 48, the two first gold fingers 46 are respectively located on the side of the upper flexible material part 41 and the side of the lower flexible material part 42 which are perpendicular to the via holes, the positions of the upper and lower sides are opposite, one end of each first interface terminal of the upper first gold finger 46 is connected with the wire in the via hole 49, the other end is fixed through the pad 47 and then connected with one signal port of the IO connector through one of the external connection lines 48, one end of each first interface terminal of the lower first gold finger 46 is connected with the wire in the via hole 50, the other end is fixed through the pad 47 and then connected with one signal port of the IO connector through one of the external connection lines 48. The external connection lines include two parts, one part is connected with the upper first gold finger and the other part is connected with the lower first gold finger, thereby forming a clamping structure.

[0094] The second joint part includes two second gold fingers 45, the two second gold fingers are respectively located on the side of the upper and lower flexible material parts which are perpendicular to the via holes, the two second gold fingers 45 are respectively located on the side of the upper flexible material part 41 which is perpendicular to the via hole 51 and the side of the lower flexible material part 42 which is perpendicular to the via hole 52, the positions of the upper and lower sides are opposite, one end of each second interface terminal of the upper second gold finger 45 is connected with the wire in the via hole 51, the other end is inserted into the gold finger slot on the main control board and then connected with one signal port on the main control board; one end of each second interface terminal of the lower second gold finger 45 is connected with the wire in the via hole 52, the other end is inserted into the gold finger slot on the main control board and then connected with one signal port on the main control board.

[0095] The material of the flexible PCB cable 42 in the embodiment can be but is not limited to polytetrafluoroethylene PTFE.

[0096] In the embodiment, the flexible PCB cables are connected with the main control board and the IO connector after the structure of bonding the upper and lower flexible material parts with rigid materials at the end part is adopted. Figure 5As shown, each flexible PCB cable includes a first end 50a connected to the first connector and a second end 50c connected to the main control board, and a middle part 50b extending outward from the first end 50a and the second end 50c to connect the first end 50a and the second end 50c. The first end 50a and the second end 50c include upper and lower flexible material parts and a rigid material part that bonds the upper and lower flexible material parts. The middle part 50b is indicated by a dashed line. The structure of the middle part 50b includes an upper flexible material part and a lower flexible material part. The middle layer is a hollow part. At the first end 50a connected to the IO connector, a clamping structure formed by the gold finger connector is used to connect to the signal port on the IO connector. It can be the signal port on both sides of the IO connector. At the second end 50c connected to the main control board, each flexible PCB cable is inserted into the corresponding gold finger slot through the gold fingers. Multiple gold finger slots are located on the same side of the main control board.

[0097] In this embodiment, the rigid material is bonded together to provide structural support only. There are no signal vias penetrating the flexible and rigid materials (there may be grounding connection vias); nor are there signal vias connecting the two flexible PCB cables.

[0098] like Figure 6 The diagram shown is an enlarged view of the connection between the gold finger connector and the flexible PCB cable.

[0099] In the embodiments of this application, the first and second gold fingers described above can realize various IO standards (SFP, QSFP, OSFP, etc.). The external connection terminals of the gold finger connector are located on the upper and lower sides of the flexible material part on the upper and lower sides respectively, forming a gold finger clamping structure together on the board edge.

[0100] In this embodiment, the flexible PCB board cable adopts a double-sided gold finger connection method, with the gold finger connector serving as the cable interface, connecting to the main control board and the IO connector respectively.

[0101] In this embodiment, the first gold finger is connected to the external connection line via a soldering method through a solder pad. The internal conductors of the flexible material may be multi-layered, with each layer including at least one conductor. Each conductor is led outward through a via, which can be a micro-hole formed by laser drilling, which offers high precision. This application reduces the requirements for the CTE (Coefficient of Thermal Expansion) of the flexible material, thereby allowing the selection of materials with low loss and high CTE.

[0102] In cable assemblies with the above structure, the rigid portion only serves a structural support function. The rigid-flexible joint does not require the traditional high-temperature pressing process, thus reducing the manufacturability requirements for the flexible material.

[0103] In one possible implementation, the flexible PCB cable in the cable assembly is the same as the structure of the flexible PCB cable in the foregoing embodiments, and the structure of the flexible PCB cable is not explained in detail. The structure of the first joint part is the same, and the structure of the second joint part is different. As shown in Figure 7 The IO connector and the main control board are connected by using a plurality of flexible PCB cables 70, and each flexible PCB cable is connected to the IO connector through a first joint part. In this embodiment, the connection between the first joint part and the IO connector can be the same as in the foregoing embodiments. However, those skilled in the art can also think of other connection modes without creative labor, which will not be described herein. In this embodiment, the second joint part adopts a socket spring 71, and each second interface terminal in the socket spring 71 is located on the same side of the flexible PCB cable, one end of which is connected to a wire in a via, and the other end is connected to a signal port 72 on the main control board in a plug-in manner. In this embodiment, in the second joint part, the vias in the flexible material part are located on the same side, at least one wire 73 in the upper flexible material part is connected to the corresponding second interface terminal through the downward via, and at least one wire 74 in the lower flexible material part is connected to the corresponding second interface terminal through the downward via at one end of the lower flexible material part.

[0104] The material of the flexible PCB cable in this embodiment can be but is not limited to polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

[0105] In this embodiment, the number of flexible PCB cables is multiple, the second joint part adopts a socket spring, and in order to enhance the stability of the plurality of flexible PCB cables, the second joint part further includes:

[0106] A middle rigid support part 75 is located between and bonded to the ends of the adjacent flexible PCB cables connected to the second joint part.

[0107] An end rigid support part 76 is located at and bonded to the end of the edge flexible PCB cable connected to the second joint part, and is opposite to the middle rigid support part connected to the edge flexible PCB cable. The edge flexible PCB cable is a flexible PCB cable connected to only one middle rigid support part.

[0108] The first and second gold fingers described above in the embodiments of the application can realize various IO standards (SFP, QSFP, OSFP, etc.), and the external connection line terminals of the gold finger connector are respectively located on the upper and lower sides of the end portions of the flexible material portions on the upper and lower sides, thereby forming a gold finger clamping structure together at the board edge.

[0109] In the embodiments of the application, the first gold finger is connected to the external connection line by soldering through the solder pad, and the internal conductive lines in the flexible material portion can be multiple layers, each layer including at least one conductive line, and each conductive line is led outwards through a via, which can be a micro-hole formed by laser drilling. The use of laser drilling has high accuracy. The application reduces the requirement for the CTE of the flexible material, so that a material with low loss and high CTE can be selected.

[0110] In the embodiments of the application, each flexible PCB cable combines two layers of flexible material portions on a rigid material. The internal layer signals of the flexible material portion of the flexible PCB cable are not connected through vias penetrating the rigid material (except for ground connection); the micro-holes formed by laser in the flexible material portion guide the internal layer signals to the outer layer, and the multiple layers of internal layer signals of the flexible PCB are exposed to the outside of the cable through a stepped manner.

[0111] The flexible PCB cable is connected to the PCB package where the chip is located in a Socket spring piece manner, and the Socket uses two or more height-adapted cables.

[0112] Based on the same inventive concept, the embodiments of the application also provide a PCB circuit, as shown in Figure 8 The PCB circuit includes:

[0113] The cable assembly 801 from the chip to the panel provided in the above embodiments of the application includes:

[0114] An IO connector 802 connected to a host board 803 through the cable assembly 801, for receiving first data sent by a signal sending port of the host board 803 and sending the first data to an external device 804, and transmitting second data received from the external device 804 to a signal receiving port of the host board 803 through the cable assembly;

[0115] The host board 803 is connected to the IO connector 802 through the cable assembly 801, transmits the first data sent by the signal sending port to the IO connector 802, and receives the second data transmitted by the IO connector 802 at the signal receiving port.

[0116] Although the preferred embodiments of the application have been described, those skilled in the art can make additional changes and modifications to the embodiments once they know the basic inventive concept. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including the preferred embodiments and all changes and modifications falling within the scope of the application.

[0117] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present application without departing from the spirit or scope of the application. Thus, it is intended that the present application cover modifications and variations of this application provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A chip-to-panel cable assembly, comprising a first connector, a first flexible PCB cable and a second connector, wherein, the first connector comprises a first interface terminal and a second interface terminal, a first end of the first interface terminal is connected with a first signal port of an IO connector, a second end of the first interface terminal is connected with a first wire in the first flexible PCB cable, a first end of the second interface terminal is connected with a second signal port of the IO connector, a second end of the second interface terminal is connected with a second wire in the first flexible PCB cable; the second connector comprises a third interface terminal and a fourth interface terminal, a first end of the third interface terminal is connected with the first wire, a second end of the third interface terminal is connected with a first signal port on a main control board, a first end of the fourth interface terminal is connected with the second wire, a second end of the fourth interface terminal is connected with a second signal port on the main control board; the first flexible PCB cable comprises a first flexible material part, a connecting part and a second flexible material part, the first flexible material part is arranged on an upper layer of the first flexible PCB cable, the connecting part is arranged on a middle layer of the first flexible PCB cable, the second flexible material part is arranged on a lower layer of the first flexible PCB cable, wherein the connecting part comprises a first rigid material part, a second rigid material part and a hollow part arranged between the first rigid material part and the second rigid material part, the first flexible material part comprises the first wire, a first end of the first wire is connected with the first interface terminal, a second end of the first wire is connected with the third interface terminal, the second flexible material part comprises the second wire, a first end of the second wire is connected with the second interface terminal, a second end of the second wire is connected with the fourth interface terminal; the first rigid material part is arranged between a first end of the first flexible material part and a first end of the second flexible material part, the second rigid material part is arranged between a second end of the first flexible material part and a second end of the second flexible material part; the first wire is connected with the first interface terminal through a first via hole upward at the first end of the first flexible material part, the second wire is connected with the second interface terminal through a second via hole downward at the first end of the second flexible material part. 2.The cable assembly according to claim 1, wherein, the first connector is a gold finger connector, the gold finger connector comprises a first gold finger, a second gold finger, a first solder pad, a second solder pad, a first external connecting line and a second external connecting line, wherein the first gold finger is arranged at the first end of the first flexible material part and is perpendicular to the first via hole, the first gold finger comprises the first interface terminal, a second end of the first interface terminal is connected with the first wire through the first via hole, a first end of the first interface terminal is connected with the first signal port of the IO connector through the first external connecting line after being fixed by the first solder pad. The second gold finger is arranged at the first end of the second flexible material part and is perpendicular to the second via hole, the second gold finger comprises the second interface terminal, the second end of the second interface terminal is connected with the second wire through the second via hole, and the first end of the second interface terminal is connected with the second signal port of the IO connector through the second external connecting line after being fixed by the second pad.

3. The cable assembly of claim 1, wherein, The first wire is connected with the third interface terminal at the second end of the first flexible material part through an upward third via hole, and the second wire is connected with the fourth interface terminal at the second end of the second flexible material part through a downward fourth via hole.

4. The cable assembly of claim 3, wherein, The second joint part comprises a third gold finger and a fourth gold finger, the third gold finger is arranged at the second end of the first flexible material part and is perpendicular to the third via hole, the third gold finger comprises the third interface terminal, the first end of the third interface terminal is connected with the first wire through the third via hole, and the second end of the third interface terminal is connected with the first signal port of the main control board after being inserted into a first gold finger slot on the main control board; The fourth gold finger is arranged at the second end of the second flexible material part and is perpendicular to the fourth via hole, the fourth gold finger comprises the fourth interface terminal, the first end of the fourth interface terminal is connected with the second wire through the fourth via hole, and the second end of the fourth interface terminal is connected with the second signal port of the main control board after being inserted into a second gold finger slot on the main control board.

5. The cable assembly of claim 1, wherein, The second joint part is a Socket elastic sheet, the Socket elastic sheet comprises the third interface terminal and the fourth interface terminal, the first end of the third interface terminal is connected with the first wire through a downward fifth via hole, and the second end of the third interface terminal is inserted into the first signal port of the main control board; the first end of the fourth interface terminal is connected with the second wire through a downward sixth via hole, and the second end of the fourth interface terminal is inserted into the second signal port of the main control board.

6. The cable assembly of claim 1, wherein, The cable assembly comprises a second flexible PCB cable, the first flexible PCB cable is connected with the second joint part through the first end of the first flexible PCB cable, and the second flexible PCB cable is connected with the second joint part through the second end of the second flexible PCB cable, wherein the cable assembly comprises: An intermediate rigid support part arranged between the first end of the first flexible PCB cable and the second end of the second flexible PCB cable; An end rigid support part arranged at the first end of the first flexible PCB cable, wherein the end rigid support part and the intermediate rigid support part are arranged on opposite sides of the first flexible PCB cable, and the first flexible PCB cable is a flexible PCB cable connected with only one intermediate rigid support part.

7. The cable assembly of claim 1, wherein, The first flexible material part comprises a first conductor layer comprising the first conductor, the first conductor being led out through micro-holes formed by laser drilling; and the second flexible material part comprises a second conductor layer comprising the second conductor, the second conductor being led out through micro-holes formed by laser drilling.

8. A communication device, wherein, Comprise: The chip-to-panel cable assembly according to any one of claims 1-7; The IO connector is connected to the main control board through the cable assembly, used for receiving the first data transmitted by the main control board and transmitting to the external device, and transmitting the second data received from the external device to the main control board through the cable assembly; The main control board is connected to the IO connector through the cable assembly, transmits the first data to the IO connector, and receives the second data transmitted by the IO connector.

9. A chip-to-panel cable assembly, comprising a first connector, a first flexible PCB cable and a second connector, wherein, The first connector comprises a first interface terminal and a second interface terminal, a first end of the first interface terminal is connected to a first signal port of an IO connector, a second end of the first interface terminal is connected to a first conductor in the first flexible PCB cable, a first end of the second interface terminal is connected to a second signal port of the IO connector, and a second end of the second interface terminal is connected to a second conductor in the first flexible PCB cable; The second connector comprises a third interface terminal and a fourth interface terminal, a first end of the third interface terminal is connected to the first conductor, a second end of the third interface terminal is connected to a first signal port on a main control board, a first end of the fourth interface terminal is connected to the second conductor, and a second end of the fourth interface terminal is connected to a second signal port on the main control board; The first flexible PCB cable comprises a first flexible material part, a connecting part and a second flexible material part, the first flexible material part is arranged on an upper layer of the first flexible PCB cable, the connecting part is arranged on a middle layer of the first flexible PCB cable, and the second flexible material part is arranged on a lower layer of the first flexible PCB cable, wherein the connecting part comprises a first rigid material part, a second rigid material part and a hollow part arranged between the first rigid material part and the second rigid material part, the first flexible material part comprises the first conductor, a first end of the first conductor is connected to the first interface terminal, and a second end of the first conductor is connected to the third interface terminal, and the second flexible material part comprises the second conductor, a first end of the second conductor is connected to the second interface terminal, and a second end of the second conductor is connected to the fourth interface terminal; The first rigid material part is arranged between a first end of the first flexible material part and a first end of the second flexible material part, and the second rigid material part is arranged between a second end of the first flexible material part and a second end of the second flexible material part. The first wire is connected with the third interface terminal through a third via hole upward at the second end of the first flexible material part, and the second wire is connected with the fourth interface terminal through a fourth via hole downward at the second end of the second flexible material part. Alternatively, the first wire is connected with the third interface terminal through a fifth via hole downward, and the second wire is connected with the fourth interface terminal through a sixth via hole downward at the second end of the second flexible material part.

10. The cable assembly of claim 9, wherein, The first wire is connected with the first interface terminal through a first via hole upward at the first end of the first flexible material part, and the second wire is connected with the second interface terminal through a second via hole downward at the first end of the second flexible material part.

11. The cable assembly of claim 10, wherein, The first joint part is a gold finger connector, which comprises a first gold finger, a second gold finger, a first solder pad, a second solder pad, a first external connecting line and a second external connecting line, wherein the first gold finger is arranged at the first end of the first flexible material part and is perpendicular to the first via hole, the first gold finger comprises the first interface terminal, the second end of the first interface terminal is connected with the first wire through the first via hole, and the first end of the first interface terminal is fixed by the first solder pad and then connected with a first signal port of the IO connector through the first external connecting line; The second gold finger is arranged at the first end of the second flexible material part and is perpendicular to the second via hole, the second gold finger comprises the second interface terminal, the second end of the second interface terminal is connected with the second wire through the second via hole, and the first end of the second interface terminal is fixed by the second solder pad and then connected with a second signal port of the IO connector through the second external connecting line.

12. The cable assembly of claim 9, wherein, The second joint part comprises a third gold finger and a fourth gold finger, the third gold finger is located at the second end of the first flexible material part and is perpendicular to the third via hole, the third gold finger comprises the third interface terminal, the first end of the third interface terminal is connected with the first wire through the third via hole, and the second end of the third interface terminal is connected with a first signal port of the main control board after being inserted into a first gold finger slot of the main control board; The fourth gold finger is located at the second end of the second flexible material part and is perpendicular to the fourth via hole, the fourth gold finger comprises the fourth interface terminal, the first end of the fourth interface terminal is connected with the second wire through the fourth via hole, and the second end of the fourth interface terminal is connected with a second signal port of the main control board after being inserted into a second gold finger slot of the main control board.

13. The cable assembly of claim 9, wherein, The second joint part is a Socket spring, which comprises the third interface terminal and the fourth interface terminal, the first end of the third interface terminal is connected with the first wire through the fifth via hole, and the second end of the third interface terminal is connected with a first signal port of the main control board after being inserted into the Socket spring; The first end of the fourth interface terminal is connected with the second wire through the sixth via hole, and the second end of the fourth interface terminal is plugged into a second signal port on the host board.

14. The cable assembly of claim 9, further comprising a second flexible PCB cable, the first flexible PCB cable connected with the second connector portion by a first end of the first flexible PCB cable, the second flexible PCB cable connected with the second connector portion by a second end of the second flexible PCB cable, wherein, The cable assembly includes: An intermediate rigid support portion is arranged between the first end of the first flexible PCB cable and the second end of the second flexible PCB cable. An end rigid support portion is arranged at the first end of the first flexible PCB cable, wherein the end rigid support portion and the intermediate rigid support portion are arranged on opposite sides of the first flexible PCB cable, and the first flexible PCB cable is a flexible PCB cable connected with only one intermediate rigid support portion.

15. The cable assembly of claim 9, wherein, The first wire is connected with the first interface terminal through a downward seventh via hole, and the second wire is connected with the second interface terminal at the first end of the second flexible material portion through a downward eighth via hole.

16. The cable assembly of claim 15, wherein, The first joint portion is a Socket spring, and the Socket spring includes the first interface terminal and the second interface terminal. The second end of the first interface terminal is connected with the first wire through the seventh via hole, and the first end of the first interface terminal is plugged into a first signal port of the IO connector. The second end of the second interface terminal is connected with the second wire through the eighth via hole, and the first end of the second interface terminal is plugged into a second signal port of the IO connector.

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