Industrial intelligent controller

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an industrial intelligent controller, comprising a mother card and a daughter card, the mother card is provided with a Mini PCIe socket, and the daughter card is provided with a golden finger matched with the Mini PCIe socket; the mother card and the daughter card are connected in parallel stack through the plug-in of the Mini PCIe socket and the golden finger; the mother card is configured to perform control logic operation, data and protocol processing, and watchdog security monitoring; the daughter card is configured to supply power to the mother card after input power isolation and voltage stabilization, expand multi-channel communication interface and multi-channel state indication interface through a bus, and output a safety control instruction after isolating a watchdog security monitoring signal output by the mother card. The present disclosure realizes the parallel stack connection of the mother card and the daughter card through the plug-in of the Mini PCIe socket and the golden finger, realizes compact installation, improves space utilization, and improves reliability and expansion flexibility through the adaptation of different functions of the mother card and the daughter card.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of industrial Internet of Things (IoT) technology, and in particular to an industrial intelligent controller. Background Technology

[0002] Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), as core control devices in the field of industrial automation, have been widely used in key scenarios such as intelligent manufacturing, power dispatching, rail transportation, petrochemicals, and new energy. In recent years, with the popularization of industrial internet technology, the surge in demand for edge computing, and the increasing requirements for supply chain autonomy and controllability of critical infrastructure, industrial sites have put forward multi-level and differentiated application requirements for the performance, form, and security of controllers.

[0003] Current industrial application scenarios can be divided into four levels: The first level is factory automation scenarios (such as automated production lines and smart buildings), whose core requirements are equipment miniaturization, expansion flexibility, and cost advantages; the second level is industrial IoT and edge computing scenarios (such as IoT gateways and SCADA systems), which require equipment to have multiple network ports and efficient data preprocessing capabilities; the third level is new energy power generation control scenarios (such as wind power and hydropower), which imposes stringent standards on the high real-time performance and high reliability of equipment in wide temperature and vibration environments; the fourth level is the localization of critical infrastructure scenarios (such as power monitoring, rail transit signals, and military equipment), which must meet the requirements of independent control of core components, hardware-level encryption, and supply chain security.

[0004] However, existing industrial control equipment has the following significant limitations when dealing with the above-mentioned multi-level requirements: 1. Rigid traditional PLC controller architecture: Existing traditional PLCs mostly adopt a single-board integrated design or a vertical plug-in architecture. This highly integrated design leads to high coupling between functional modules, fixed interface types and numbers, and limited expansion capabilities. Once the processor or communication module needs to be upgraded, the entire device often needs to be replaced, resulting in high maintenance costs. In addition, the vertical plug-in method occupies a lot of vertical space, making it difficult to adapt to the installation requirements of small spaces. In terms of computing performance, traditional PLCs have weak computing power and cannot support the data preprocessing and edge intelligent analysis tasks of the Industrial Internet of Things. Moreover, their core chips are mostly imported, making it difficult to meet the independent control requirements of key areas. 2. Insufficient reliability of industrial computers / edge computing devices: Although industrial computers (IPCs) or edge computing devices provide strong computing power, they usually adopt a stacked architecture of "commercial motherboard + expansion card". The internal connection cables are complicated and prone to poor contact in complex industrial environments such as vibration and electromagnetic interference, resulting in low system reliability. Meanwhile, these devices are bulky and lack hardware-level safety monitoring and isolation protection circuits for industrial sites, making them far inferior to dedicated PLC devices in terms of real-time control response and long-term operational stability. 3. The contradiction between decoupling and integration of PAC and existing convergence solutions: As an upgraded form of PLC, the Programmable Automation Controller (PAC) attempts to combine the real-time performance of PLC with the computing power of PC, but it still faces challenges in practical applications. The existing PAC and some "industrial intelligent controllers" mostly adopt a simple "board stacking" method (for example, hard connecting the PLC board to the industrial control computer motherboard through internal cables), which only realizes the physical assembly of functions rather than logical decoupling. This results in complex internal topology, large size, and difficult heat dissipation of the equipment, and has the following inherent defects: (1) Fixed architecture: The main control chip and I / O module configuration are bound together, and the computing power resources and interface resources are deeply coupled, making it impossible to achieve flexible de-aggregation and reorganization at the hardware level; (2) Low degree of localization: The core processors mostly use foreign brands, and are subject to foreign control in the underlying instruction set and microarchitecture, making it difficult to pass the localization adaptation certification; (3) Lack of AI computing power: The mainstream PAC lacks a neural network processing unit (NPU), which cannot run deep learning models efficiently and is difficult to support edge applications such as predictive maintenance on the equipment side; (4) Poor compactness: Due to the board stacking architecture, it is difficult to meet the needs of scenarios with strict space size restrictions, such as wind turbine nacelles and hydropower station on-site control units. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by this disclosure is to overcome the shortcomings of traditional industrial controllers in the prior art, which adopt a single-board integrated design or board stacking architecture, resulting in complex inter-board interconnection, low space utilization, inflexible expansion and poor autonomous controllability, and to provide an industrial intelligent controller.

[0006] This disclosure solves the above-mentioned technical problems through the following technical solution:

[0007] This disclosure provides an industrial intelligent controller, including a mother card and a daughter card. The mother card is provided with a Mini PCIe socket, and the daughter card is provided with gold fingers adapted to the Mini PCIe socket. The mother card and the daughter card are connected in parallel stacking through the insertion of the Mini PCIe socket and the gold fingers.

[0008] The master card is configured to perform control logic operations, data and protocol processing, and watchdog security monitoring.

[0009] The daughter card is configured to supply power to the mother card after isolating and regulating the input power supply, expand multiple communication interfaces and multiple status indication interfaces through the bus, and output safety control commands after isolating the watchdog security monitoring signal output by the mother card.

[0010] Optionally, the Mini PCIe socket is configured to carry the interaction of interconnection signals between the mother card and the daughter card.

[0011] Optionally, the interconnection signal includes at least one of a power signal, a PCIe data signal, a watchdog control signal, and a single-ended control signal.

[0012] Optionally, the master card includes a processing unit and a storage unit;

[0013] The processing unit is configured to perform control logic operations and data and protocol processing.

[0014] The storage unit is configured to store the processed data and protocols.

[0015] Optionally, the mother card further includes a network port unit and a watchdog monitoring unit;

[0016] The network port unit is configured to provide multiple gigabit Ethernet interfaces;

[0017] The watchdog monitoring unit is configured to perform watchdog security monitoring.

[0018] Optionally, the daughter card includes a power conversion unit and a signal isolation unit;

[0019] The power conversion unit is configured to isolate and regulate the input power before supplying power to the mother card;

[0020] The signal isolation unit is configured to isolate the watchdog security monitoring signal output by the master card and then output a security control command.

[0021] Optionally, the daughter card further includes an interface unit;

[0022] The interface unit is configured to extend multiple communication interfaces and multiple status indication interfaces via a bus.

[0023] Optionally, the mother card is provided with a sealing ring surrounding the Mini PCIe socket;

[0024] The sealing ring is configured to be axially compressed by the daughter card when the daughter card is inserted into the Mini PCIe socket through the gold fingers, so as to form a sealed cavity around the gold fingers.

[0025] Optionally, the sealing ring may be made of silicone rubber or EPDM rubber.

[0026] Optionally, the spacing between the mother card and the daughter card meets a preset distance value, which is the distance at which preset components can be arranged between the mother card and the daughter card.

[0027] Based on common knowledge in the field, the above-mentioned preferred conditions can be combined arbitrarily to obtain various preferred embodiments of this disclosure.

[0028] The positive and progressive effects of this disclosure are as follows: This disclosure adopts the gold finger + socket method, and realizes the parallel stacking connection of the mother card and the daughter card through the insertion of the Mini PCIe socket and the gold finger, which achieves compact installation, improves space utilization, and improves reliability and expansion flexibility by adapting the mother card and the daughter card to different functions. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of a mother card and a daughter card of an industrial intelligent controller provided as an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 2 Functional block diagram of a controller mother card and daughter card based on RK3568 / RK3588 provided for an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure.

[0031] Figure 3 Functional block diagram of a controller mother card and daughter card based on Loongson 2K1500 / FMK300T provided for an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The present disclosure is further illustrated below by way of embodiments, but the present disclosure is not limited to the scope of the embodiments described herein.

[0033] The prefixes such as "first" and "second" used in this disclosure are merely for distinguishing different descriptive objects and do not limit the position, order, priority, quantity, or content of the described objects. The use of ordinal numbers and other prefixes used to distinguish descriptive objects in this disclosure does not constitute a limitation on the described objects. The description of the described objects is given in the claims or the context of the embodiments, and should not be construed as an unnecessary limitation. Furthermore, in the description of this embodiment, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more.

[0034] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the collection, storage, use, processing, transmission, provision, and disclosure of user personal information comply with relevant laws and regulations and do not violate public order and good morals.

[0035] Figure 1 An industrial intelligent controller is provided as an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, such as Figure 1 As shown, it includes a mother card 1 and a daughter card 2. The mother card is provided with a Mini PCIe socket 3, and the daughter card 2 is provided with gold fingers that are compatible with the Mini PCIe socket 3. The mother card 1 and the daughter card 2 are connected in parallel stacking through the insertion of the Mini PCIe socket 3 and the gold fingers.

[0036] Mother card 1 is configured to perform control logic operations, data and protocol processing, and watchdog security monitoring;

[0037] Daughter card 2 is configured to provide power to the mother card after isolating and regulating the input power supply, expand multiple communication interfaces and multiple status indication interfaces through the bus, and output safety control commands after isolating the watchdog safety monitoring signal output by the mother card.

[0038] In this implementation, the traditional industrial controller undergoes functional decomposition, breaking away from the traditional single-board or simple patchwork integration approach. The complete control system is finely decoupled into two independent modules—a mother card and a daughter card—based on functional attributes, signal flow, and physical space requirements. The mother card integrates core computing, storage, RTC, and basic network ports—high-activity functions—and includes multiple gigabit Ethernet ports (e.g., three gigabit Ethernet ports). The daughter card handles power management, network port expansion, RS485 interfaces, and secure signal isolation outputs, expanding to multiple gigabit Ethernet ports (e.g., three gigabit Ethernet ports) via a PCIe bus. This precise functional division minimizes interconnection signal interaction between the mother and daughter cards, requiring only a single standard Mini PCIe socket to handle all interconnection needs.

[0039] It should be noted that the mother card and daughter card have parallel surfaces, with no vertical insertion space occupied. The mother card and daughter card are independent modular structures, and both can be disassembled, replaced, and upgraded separately (i.e., the mother card and daughter card can be replaced independently, and the entire device does not need to be replaced during fault repair or function upgrade, improving maintenance convenience). The functional division of the mother card and daughter card follows the following principles: functions strongly related to the processor model are integrated into the mother card, and functions that are cross-platform compatible and independent of the processor model are integrated into the daughter card.

[0040] In addition, this disclosure uses a standard Mini PCIe connector as the Mini PCIe socket. This Mini PCIe connector conforms to the PCI-SIG PCI Express Mini Card Electromechanical Specification (Rev1.2 and above). The Mini PCIe connector has a height of 9.0 mm, providing a 7.95 mm board clearance when assembling the female and daughter cards. It supports a data transfer rate of 4 GB / s, and the contacts are gold-plated for oxidation and corrosion resistance, ensuring reliable contact. It has a mating life of ≥500 cycles, meeting the requirements for modular maintenance.

[0041] In an alternative implementation, the Mini PCIe socket is configured to carry the interaction of interconnect signals between the mother card and the daughter card.

[0042] In this embodiment, the interconnection signal between the mother card and the daughter card is transmitted only through the Mini PCIe socket.

[0043] In an alternative implementation, the interconnect signal includes at least one of a power signal, a PCIe data signal, a watchdog control signal, and a single-ended control signal.

[0044] In this embodiment, the PCIe data signal is typically a high-speed PCIe data signal, and the single-ended control signal is typically a low-speed control signal corresponding to the high-speed PCIe data signal.

[0045] In this embodiment, the functional de-aggregation design of this disclosure minimizes the interconnection signal interaction between the mother card and the daughter card. The interconnection signal allocation on the physical pins is shown in Table 1 (i.e., Table 1 is the interconnection signal allocation table between the mother card and the daughter card). Only power, high-speed PCIe data, and a small number of low-speed control signals (such as watchdog control signals, indicator light control signals, etc.) need to be transmitted between the mother card and the daughter card. This allows a small standard Mini PCIe socket (52 pins in total) to handle all interconnection requirements without the need for additional inter-board cables or large backplane connectors. This not only reduces the complexity of internal interconnection but also reduces the manufacturing and maintenance costs of the product.

[0046] Table 1

[0047] Signal Category Specific functions signal type quantity illustrate power supply Mother card power supply DC 3.3V / 5V Route 8 Provides the main operating voltage to the motherboard, with ample current carrying capacity. Grounding Digital GND several Provides a current return path and signal reference ground; unused pins are used to connect to digital ground. PCIe high-speed data High-speed data bus PCIe TX / RX differential pair 6 pairs of differences Connects to the daughter card's PCIe network card chip, up to 5Gbps. PCIe auxiliary Reference clock PCIE_REFCLK Difference Pairs 3 pairs of differences Provide a synchronous reference clock for the PCIe link PCIe control Reset PERSTn Route 3 Since the network port is always active during actual use, the WAKEn and CLKREQn signals used for deep sleep control are directly pulled up on the daughter card and do not need to be connected to the processor chip. low-speed serial port RS485 extension UART_TX / RX Route 2 Used for low-speed data exchange between the master and slave cards, the RS-485 transmit / receive enable signals are controlled by hardware and do not require connection to a processor chip. Security Control Watchdog Output Watchdog signal Route 1 Output safety protection command when the master card fails Status indicator LED indicator light LED control signals Route 3 Sub-card extended network port status indicator Alarm signals Single power supply failure alarm 24V power failure alarm Route 2 When the daughter card detects a power abnormality, it notifies the mother card.

[0048] It should be noted that the total number of interconnect signals does not exceed 25 pins. The pin assignment of the quasi-Mini PCIe socket includes: power supply, differential PCIe high-speed data communication, watchdog control and other low-speed signal transmission, and reserved expansion functions.

[0049] In this embodiment, the standard 52-pin Mini PCIe socket with gold fingers is selected as the sole interconnect medium between the motherboard and the daughterboard. In the early stages of research and development, based on engineering practices from multiple mass production projects, the following mainstream board-to-board interconnect schemes were thoroughly verified and compared, as shown in Table 2, which presents a comparative analysis of mainstream board-to-board interconnect schemes.

[0050] Table 2

[0051] Comparison Dimensions Dual connector mating schemes (e.g., FMC, floating type, pin header and female header, etc.) This publicly available solution (Mini PCIe socket + gold fingers) Contact reliability The connector pins are very fine (some are only 0.5mm apart), which can easily lead to poor contact after long-term use. The gold fingers have a single pin width ≥ 0.8mm, sufficient length, large contact area, and stable contact pressure after insertion and removal. Welding yield With extremely fine pins and a narrow SMT soldering process window, defects such as cold solder joints and bridging are prone to occur during mass production. The motherboard's Mini PCIe socket uses standard SMT components with mature soldering technology; the daughterboard's gold fingers are directly formed from the PCB, eliminating the need for secondary soldering. Signal Integrity The high-speed signal performance of connectors from different manufacturers varies, and some do not have impedance matching for PCIe signals. Mini PCIe socket interfaces natively support PCIe high-speed bus (5Gbps per channel) and differential pair impedance control. Ease of installation When mating dual connectors, multiple connectors must be aligned simultaneously, requiring extremely high assembly precision, which can easily lead to pin bending. The single-row gold fingers offer excellent guidance, achieving a 100% blind insertion success rate and high assembly efficiency. Volume and Structure Some solutions are too large (such as the 160-pin FMC connector), taking up too much PCB space. The 52-pin standard size, combined with parallel stacking, allows the entire unit to be ≤10×10×5cm. Maintainability After repeated insertion and removal, the elasticity of the connector terminals decreases, and the contact resistance increases. The hard gold plating process on the gold fingers supports ≥500 insertion and removal cycles, and facilitates maintenance and replacement.

[0052] In an optional implementation, the master card includes a processing unit and a storage unit;

[0053] The processing unit is configured to perform control logic operations, data and protocol processing;

[0054] The storage unit is configured to store the processed data and protocols.

[0055] In an optional implementation, the mother card also includes a network port unit and a watchdog monitoring unit;

[0056] The network port unit is configured to provide multiple Gigabit Ethernet interfaces;

[0057] The watchdog monitoring unit is configured to perform watchdog security monitoring.

[0058] In this embodiment, the mother card integrates a core processing unit, a storage unit, a network port unit, and a watchdog monitoring unit. The mother card is positioned as the "core computing and control" module in this disclosure, undertaking the following three core functions: ① logic operations, execution and scheduling of PLC control logic; ② data processing, network protocol stack processing, data storage management, and edge computing tasks; ③ security monitoring, watchdog status monitoring and fault handling. These functions are highly dependent on the main control chip model; therefore, different processor solutions are integrated onto different models of mother cards, allowing for cross-model interchangeability of daughter cards and modular upgrades.

[0059] Specifically, the core processing unit can be adapted to SoC processors or FPGA chips such as RK3568, RK3588, and Loongson 2K1500, serving as the system control core;

[0060] The storage unit integrates DDR memory, eMMC storage, TF card, EEPROM, RTC real-time clock, encoder, HDMI display, USB interface, etc.

[0061] The network port unit, through the multiple gigabit network ports (e.g., 3 gigabit network ports) built into the mother card, works in conjunction with the multiple gigabit network ports (e.g., 3 gigabit network ports) expanded by the daughter card to achieve multiple gigabit network port outputs (e.g., up to 6 gigabit network ports);

[0062] The watchdog monitoring unit integrates watchdog circuitry, reset and debugging interface, JTAG configuration interface, etc., and supports system monitoring and fault recovery.

[0063] In an optional implementation, the daughter card includes a power conversion unit and a signal isolation unit;

[0064] The power conversion unit is configured to isolate and regulate the input power before supplying power to the motherboard.

[0065] The signal isolation unit is configured to isolate the watchdog security monitoring signal output from the master card before outputting security control commands.

[0066] In an optional implementation, the daughter card further includes an interface unit;

[0067] The interface unit is configured to extend multiple communication interfaces and multiple status indication interfaces via a bus.

[0068] In this embodiment, the daughter card is a universal expansion daughter card, compatible with various mother cards of different processor models, enabling cross-platform interchangeability. The daughter card performs the following three core functions: ① Power management: receiving external industrial power and providing a stable operating power supply to the mother card after isolation and transformation; ② Interface expansion: expanding to include 3 Gigabit Ethernet ports, 1 RS485 interface, and 4 LED status indicator interfaces; ③ Security isolation: receiving watchdog security monitoring signals from the mother card and outputting security control commands after optocoupler isolation. These functions are relatively independent and independent of the main control chip model, making them suitable for placement on the daughter card.

[0069] Specifically, the power conversion unit supports dual 24V DC inputs. It automatically selects one 24V DC input via a high-pass diode and converts it into a low-voltage DC output of 5V or 3.3V to power the mother card. It has a 24V single-channel power failure alarm circuit, providing power redundancy and single-channel power failure alarm function to ensure the system's power supply safety and reliability.

[0070] Interface unit: Configured with multiple RJ45 network ports (expandable to 3 gigabit network ports, implemented through PCIe network chip) and RS485 communication interface to support communication of industrial field devices.

[0071] Signal isolation unit: integrates optocoupler isolation circuit to realize isolated transmission of the master card watchdog security monitoring signal and output watchdog control switch signal, ensuring the safe operation of the system.

[0072] This implementation method outputs safety control commands through the signal isolation circuit of the daughter card, thereby achieving system fault protection.

[0073] In an alternative embodiment, the mother card is provided with a sealing ring surrounding the Mini PCIe socket;

[0074] The sealing ring is configured to be axially compressed by the daughter card when the daughter card is inserted into the Mini PCIe socket through the gold fingers to form a sealed cavity around the gold fingers.

[0075] In an alternative embodiment, the sealing ring is made of silicone rubber or EPDM rubber.

[0076] In this embodiment, since the gold finger solution has the inherent defect of exposed contacts in industrial environments, this disclosure makes targeted compensation through sealing ring design, which effectively makes up for its shortcomings in dust and moisture protection while retaining all the above advantages.

[0077] Specifically, in order to address the inherent defects of gold fingers in industrial environments where contacts are exposed and susceptible to dust and moisture corrosion, this disclosure adds a sealing ring structure to the periphery of the Mini PCIe socket of the mother card to form a partially sealed protective cavity, thereby achieving targeted compensation for the defects of the gold finger solution.

[0078] The sealing ring is located on the periphery of the Mini PCIe socket of the mother card. Specifically, the sealing ring surrounds the plastic shell of the socket and fits against the PCB surface of the mother card. After the daughter card is inserted, the edge of the daughter card PCB contacts the sealing ring, forming axial compression. The sealing ring fills the tiny gap between the socket and the daughter card, forming a local sealed cavity around the gold finger contact area.

[0079] Furthermore, the sealing principle of the sealing ring is as follows: physical isolation: the sealing ring acts as the first line of defense, blocking environmental pollutants such as dust and moisture from entering the cavity;

[0080] Dynamic compensation: Utilizing the elasticity of the sealing ring material, it compensates for fluctuations in mechanical clearance caused by vibration or temperature changes, maintaining a long-term sealing effect;

[0081] Furthermore, the material and selection of the sealing ring: Material: Silicone rubber (VMQ) or ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), temperature resistance -40℃~+85℃, good elasticity, and strong weather resistance; Hardness: 40~60 Shore A, ensuring compression resilience and not increasing insertion and removal difficulty; Shape: Rectangular ring (suitable for rectangular sockets), customized according to the socket shape to fit the outer shell contour.

[0082] It should be noted that in the open-enclosure (non-enclosed) design, the sealing ring independently provides dust and moisture protection for the gold finger area. For cost-sensitive applications, the open-enclosure + sealing ring solution eliminates the need for overall housing sealing design and IP protection costs, allowing the sealing ring alone to meet the requirements of general industrial environments. This characteristic gives this disclosure a significant competitive advantage in cost-sensitive products (such as factory automation and built-in controllers), replacing expensive overall IP protection solutions with a very low cost (one sealing ring).

[0083] This embodiment, through the aforementioned sealing ring design, achieves the following additional technical effects while retaining all the advantages of the gold finger solution (wide contacts, inherent high speed, convenient assembly, and no welding on the daughter card): Dust and moisture protection: The partially sealed cavity prevents dust and moisture from entering the contact area, meeting the long-term operation requirements of industrial environments; No increase in insertion and extraction force: The sealing ring is located in a non-contact area, which does not affect the normal insertion and extraction operation of the gold finger and the female connector; No change to standard specifications: The sealing ring is an added structure and does not change the mechanical and electrical specifications of the Mini PCIe standard interface, and the daughter card can still use standard Mini PCIe modules; Easy maintenance: The sealing ring is an independent component and can be replaced separately when damaged, without affecting the female card and the daughter card.

[0084] In an optional implementation, the spacing between the mother card and the daughter card meets a preset distance value, which is the distance at which preset components can be arranged between the mother card and the daughter card.

[0085] In this embodiment, the preset distance is preferably 7.95mm. The mother card and daughter card are installed in a parallel stacking manner, with a gap of 7.95mm between them. This 7.95mm gap allows for the placement of small components such as surface-mount resistors and capacitors. Furthermore, a 9.0mm high Mini PCIe socket conforming to the PCI Express Mini Card standard is selected to achieve a 7.95mm board spacing, eliminating vertical insertion space occupation. The overall size of the device does not exceed 10cm × 10cm × 5cm. That is, the daughter card integrates functions such as power input, PCIe bus-based network port expansion, RS485 interface, and watchdog output control; the mother card integrates the core processing unit, storage unit, RTC, USB, HDMI, reset button, and the function network port directly integrated into the SOC chip. The two cards work together to realize industrial control and edge computing functions. After overall integration, the maximum size of the industrial intelligent controller does not exceed 10cm × 10cm × 5cm, providing ample space for component layout between the two cards and further improving the overall integration.

[0086] In this embodiment, the mother card and daughter card are installed in parallel, allowing for the safe placement of surface-mount resistors, capacitors, small ICs, and other components on the opposite sides of the two cards, further improving the space utilization of the PCB. High-heat-generating components such as processor chips, memory chips, and power chips, as well as interface connectors and JTAG download / debugging interfaces, are placed on the side corresponding to the housing to avoid interference during integration of the two cards, and also to facilitate the installation of metal heat sinks and debugging.

[0087] In this embodiment, the industrial intelligent controller can adapt to at least one of the following multi-level industrial application scenarios by replacing the mother card of different core processing units: the first level is factory automation; the second level is industrial IoT and edge computing; the third level is new energy power generation control; and the fourth level is critical infrastructure localization. It should be noted that the daughter cards remain completely universal and do not require replacement when adapting to different application levels.

[0088] This implementation adopts a unified parent-child card architecture compatible with three types of chip platforms: intelligent computing, hardware reconfigurable real-time, and autonomously controllable security. It can adapt to the application requirements of four layers: factory automation, industrial IoT, new energy power generation control, and domestic substitution of critical infrastructure. High-reliability interconnection is achieved through a "golden finger + Mini PCIe socket" solution, and defect compensation is performed through a sealing ring, forming a complete technical solution of "reliable interconnection + environmental protection." The sealing ring design has independent environmental protection capabilities and can adapt to both enclosed shells (dual protection) and non-enclosed shells (independent protection) to meet the differentiated needs from harsh environments to cost-sensitive scenarios. This disclosure solves the problems of weak expansion capabilities, high maintenance costs, and low space utilization of existing industrial controllers, and is applicable to industrial scenarios such as high-end intelligent manufacturing, industrial IoT, wind power generation, hydropower generation, and domestic substitution of critical infrastructure.

[0089] In the specific implementation process, this disclosure is based on a unified mother card and daughter card parallel stacking architecture, combined with the physical hardware structure, and specifically targets four main control platforms: RK3568, RK3588, Loongson 2K1500, and FPGA. The following is a further detailed description of each embodiment.

[0090] For example, such as Figure 2 Functional block diagram of the mother card and daughter card based on RK3568 / RK3588 controller;

[0091] Example 1, as follows Figure 2As shown, this is a general-purpose PLC controller based on the RK3568. Specifically, it uses the RK3568 industrial-grade main control card, equipped with a quad-core industrial processor, onboard LPDDR4 memory, and large-capacity eMMC storage. The main card retains three standard native gigabit Ethernet ports, and the matching daughter card expands to three more PCIe gigabit Ethernet ports, enabling simultaneous networking of six gigabit Ethernet ports. The device runs an embedded Linux industrial system, supporting mainstream industrial protocols such as Modbus TCP and Profinet.

[0092] This embodiment can be used in first-level factory automation scenarios such as small and medium-sized automated production lines and smart buildings; it can also be used for gateway communication and edge data processing tasks in third-level energy control scenarios such as wind power generation and hydropower generation, thanks to its industrial-grade wide-temperature design, 1 TOPS NPU computing power and multi-port expansion capabilities.

[0093] The "intelligence" of this embodiment is reflected in the RK3568's integration of 1 TOPS NPU computing power, enabling the local execution of lightweight AI inference models (such as equipment fault prediction and vibration data analysis), achieving a preliminary fusion of "PLC control + edge intelligence." Simultaneously, the quad-core Cortex-A55 processor, paired with an embedded Linux system, supports multi-protocol industrial communication and remote operation and maintenance, injecting data processing and intelligent decision-making capabilities into traditional factory automation scenarios.

[0094] Example (II), as follows Figure 2 As shown, this is a high-performance edge computing PLC controller based on the RK3588. Specifically, it uses the RK3588 octa-core high-performance industrial processor, with onboard large-capacity high-speed memory and high-speed eMMC storage, supporting AI edge computing, machine vision data preprocessing, and high-frequency big data acquisition functions. The mother card has three native gigabit Ethernet ports supporting link aggregation, and the daughter card expands with three PCIe gigabit Ethernet ports.

[0095] This embodiment takes into account both PLC logic control and edge computing capabilities, corresponding to the second layer (industrial IoT and edge computing) scenario. It is suitable for high-computing-power and high-bandwidth industrial scenarios such as smart factories, visual inspection, and high-end intelligent manufacturing. Its high computing power can also be used for data analysis in the third layer of energy control.

[0096] The "intelligence" of this embodiment is manifested in the RK3588's built-in 6TOPS NPU computing power, enabling it to run complex AI models locally (such as YOLOv5 object detection, machine vision preprocessing, and multi-sensor data fusion), achieving the integration of "PLC control + edge computing + AI inference." The eight-core processor (4×A76 + 4×A55) coupled with up to 8K video encoding and decoding capabilities makes it suitable for high-end intelligent manufacturing scenarios such as visual inspection, drone inspection, and industrial robot collaboration, representing the core of the "computational intelligence" dimension of this invention.

[0097] like Figure 3 Functional block diagram of the controller mother card and daughter card based on Loongson 2K1500 / FMK300T;

[0098] Example (3), such as Figure 3 As shown, the fully domestically produced and controllable PLC controller based on Loongson 2K1500 is specifically designed to ensure that the software and hardware of this embodiment are completely independent and controllable, with strong resistance to the risk of domestic substitution. It is specifically adapted to third and fourth-level application scenarios such as power grids, rail transit, critical infrastructure, military industrial control, and other classified and core industrial applications.

[0099] The "intelligence" of this embodiment is manifested in the Loongson 2K1500's achievement of full-stack independent control from chip to operating system. Its "intelligence" lies in the risk avoidance and decision-making capabilities at the national level—in critical infrastructure fields (power grids, rail transit, and national defense), independent controllability itself is the highest level of "security intelligence." This embodiment features fully domestically produced hardware and software, with all hardware circuits using domestically produced industrial-grade components and compatible with domestically produced embedded operating systems, representing the core of the "independent, controllable, secure, and intelligent" dimension of this invention.

[0100] Example (IV), as follows Figure 3 As shown, this is a safety-oriented PLC controller based on FPGA. Specifically, this embodiment corresponds to the third layer (new energy power generation control) and high-reliability industrial scenarios. It adopts a purely domestically produced FPGA solution, with no operating system dependency and pure hardware logic implementation. The programmable hardware logic of the FPGA can achieve microsecond-level real-time response.

[0101] The "intelligence" of this embodiment is manifested in the fact that the programmable hardware logic of the FPGA can achieve microsecond-level real-time response, and performs hardware-level acceleration and parallel processing for specific control tasks. Compared with traditional PAC (based on processor + operating system, with millisecond-level real-time performance), the FPGA solution can achieve a control loop frequency of up to 1MHz and a safety interlock response of up to 100 microseconds, achieving a two-order-of-magnitude improvement in real-time performance and determinism. Its "intelligence" lies in the extreme real-time performance and determinism brought about by hardware reconfigurability, which is the core representative of the "hardware reconfigurable real-time intelligence" dimension of this disclosure.

[0102] This embodiment meets the stringent requirements of Level 3 and is suitable for high-safety-level industrial scenarios such as chemical and special equipment industries, as well as harsh environments such as onshore / offshore wind turbines and water turbine on-site control units.

[0103] This disclosure achieves the design goal of "one architecture, multi-level adaptation", that is, based on the above unified hardware architecture, different main control chips (Rockchip RK3568, Rockchip RK3588, Loongson 2K1500, Fudan Microelectronics FMK300 FPGA chip) can be selected to replace the controller. According to the application needs of different users, different processor chips can be flexibly configured and selected for the controller; that is, it can adapt to multi-level application needs from the first layer (factory automation) to the fourth layer (domestic production of critical infrastructure).

[0104] This disclosure presents an industrial intelligent controller based on a motherboard and daughterboard architecture. It achieves a parallel interconnection structure between the motherboard and daughterboards, enabling compact installation via a Mini PCIe socket. This eliminates redundant vertical insertion space, significantly reducing device size and adapting to confined installation scenarios, thus improving space utilization and meeting the compact installation requirements at various levels, from factory automation to energy control. By collaboratively providing multiple gigabit Ethernet ports through the motherboard and daughterboard, it enables modular upgrades of functions and performance, as well as flexible expansion of multiple ports, meeting the high bandwidth requirements of multi-device networking and edge computing at the industrial IoT level. With dual 24V power inputs, optocoupler isolation, a watchdog circuit, and a single-channel power failure alarm design, it possesses high reliability and security, adapting to the harsh environments of industrial control scenarios and meeting the wide-temperature, vibration-resistant, and high real-time requirements at the energy control level. Requirements: Improved system anti-interference and fault recovery capabilities; Through refined functional division (functional decoupling), the complete control system is finely decoupled into two independent modules, a mother card and a daughter card, based on functional attributes, signal flow, and physical space requirements. The daughter card is universally interchangeable across all processor platforms, and no modifications are needed when replacing or upgrading the mother card; The mother card aggregates "high-activity" functions such as core computing and basic communication, while the daughter card undertakes "support and guarantee" functions such as power management, interface expansion, and security isolation, solving the problems of bulky size, complex cabling, and low reliability caused by the "simple board stacking" of existing converged devices; A minimized design for interconnection signal interaction is achieved, enabling the use of only a miniaturized Mini The PCIe socket can handle all power and high-speed signal transmission, reducing cost and failure rate; it integrates PLC logic control and edge computing functions at the architectural level, while also possessing the advanced processing capabilities of a PAC; it meets the demand for domestic substitution of critical infrastructure, providing a fully autonomous and controllable controller solution for mandatory scenarios such as power monitoring and rail transit; it covers multi-level application needs from general factory automation to high-reliability energy control to autonomous and controllable critical infrastructure with a single parent-child card architecture, and is compatible with three different chip platforms: computing intelligence type (RK3568, RK3588, up to 6 TOPS NPU computing power), hardware reconfigurable real-time type (FPGA, microsecond-level response), and autonomous and controllable security type (Loongson 2K1500, fully domestically produced), surpassing existing PACs in three dimensions: AI computing power, real-time performance, and autonomous controllability; it achieves the platform design goal of "one architecture, multi-level adaptation", and further, through "golden finger + Mini The "PCIe socket" solution achieves highly reliable interconnection and compensates for defects through a sealing ring solution. The two are organically combined to form a complete technical solution that has both inherent signal integrity advantages and adaptability to harsh industrial environments, overcoming the shortcomings of existing board-to-board interconnection solutions in terms of reliability, manufacturability and environmental adaptability.Furthermore, the sealing ring design of this disclosure has independent environmental protection capabilities, enabling it to independently perform protection tasks even in open-enclosure environments, thus eliminating the need for overall IP protection costs. This feature allows for a flexible choice between high reliability and cost-effectiveness, adapting to the economic needs of different application scenarios.

[0105] While specific embodiments of this disclosure have been described above, those skilled in the art should understand that these are merely illustrative examples, and the scope of protection of this disclosure is defined by the appended claims. Those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications to these embodiments without departing from the principles and essence of this disclosure, but all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

Claims

1. An industrial intelligent controller, characterized in that, The device includes a mother card and a daughter card. The mother card is provided with a Mini PCIe socket, and the daughter card is provided with gold fingers that are compatible with the Mini PCIe socket. The mother card and the daughter card are connected in parallel stacking through the insertion of the Mini PCIe socket and the gold fingers. The master card is configured to perform control logic operations, data and protocol processing, and watchdog security monitoring. The daughter card is configured to supply power to the mother card after isolating and regulating the input power supply, expand multiple communication interfaces and multiple status indication interfaces through the bus, and output safety control commands after isolating the watchdog security monitoring signal output by the mother card.

2. The industrial intelligent controller as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The Mini PCIe socket is configured to carry the interaction of interconnection signals between the mother card and the daughter card.

3. The industrial intelligent controller as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The interconnection signals include at least one of the following: power signal, PCIe data signal, watchdog control signal, and single-ended control signal.

4. The industrial intelligent controller as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The master card includes a processing unit and a storage unit; The processing unit is configured to perform control logic operations and data and protocol processing. The storage unit is configured to store the processed data and protocols.

5. The industrial intelligent controller as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The mother card also includes a network port unit and a watchdog monitoring unit; The network port unit is configured to provide multiple gigabit Ethernet interfaces; The watchdog monitoring unit is configured to perform watchdog security monitoring.

6. The industrial intelligent controller as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The sub-card includes a power conversion unit and a signal isolation unit; The power conversion unit is configured to isolate and regulate the input power before supplying power to the mother card; The signal isolation unit is configured to isolate the watchdog security monitoring signal output by the master card and then output a security control command.

7. The industrial intelligent controller as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The sub-card also includes an interface unit; The interface unit is configured to extend multiple communication interfaces and multiple status indication interfaces via a bus.

8. The industrial intelligent controller as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The mother card is provided with a sealing ring surrounding the MiniPCIe socket; The sealing ring is configured to be axially compressed by the daughter card when the daughter card is inserted into the Mini PCIe socket through the gold fingers, so as to form a sealed cavity around the gold fingers.

9. The industrial intelligent controller as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The sealing ring is made of silicone rubber or EPDM rubber.

10. The industrial intelligent controller as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The spacing between the mother card and the daughter card meets a preset distance value, which is the distance at which preset components can be arranged between the mother card and the daughter card.

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