Cable and communication system

Abstract

The utility model provides a cable and a communication system. The cable comprises a transmission device and a connection device. The connecting device is used for connecting external equipment; the transmission device comprises a plurality of signal lines and a driver, one end of each signal line is connected with the connecting device, and the other end of each signal line is connected with the driver; the signal lines are used for transmitting signals, and the driver is used for driving signal transmission of the signal lines; and a signal shielding layer is arranged on the signal line. The problem of how to improve the signal transmission quality of the cable can be solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to cable driving technology, and in particular to a cable and a communication system. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous iteration and update of chip technology, the signal transmission speed of the communication interface on the chip is getting higher and higher, which makes the signal transmission link connected to the communication interface have a stronger signal transmission capability.

[0003] For high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) devices, the signal transmission between the processor (Central Processing Unit, CPU) and the PCIe device generally uses cables. However, some cables with long signal links or cables used in scenarios with long signal links still have the problem of poor signal transmission quality.

[0004] How to improve the signal transmission quality of cables is still an urgent problem to be solved. Utility Model Content

[0005] The present application provides a cable and a communication system to solve the problem of how to improve the signal transmission quality of the cable.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a cable, including: a transmission device and a connection device;

[0007] The connecting device is used to connect to external equipment;

[0008] The transmission device includes: a plurality of signal lines and a driver;

[0009] One end of each of the signal lines is connected to the connection device, and the other end is connected to the driver;

[0010] The signal line is used to transmit a signal, and the driver is used to drive the signal transmission of the signal line;

[0011] A signal shielding layer is arranged on the signal line.

[0012] In one embodiment, the driver comprises: a driving circuit and a storage circuit;

[0013] The drive circuit is signal-connected to the storage circuit;

[0014] The storage circuit stores drive configuration information;

[0015] The driving circuit is used to read the driving configuration information from the storage circuit, and drive the signal transmission of the transmission device according to the driving configuration information.

[0016] In one embodiment, the driver is a re-drive chip or a re-timing chip.

[0017] In one of the embodiments, the transmission device further comprises: a power supply line;

[0018] One end of the power supply line is connected to the connection device, and the other end is connected to the driver;

[0019] The power supply line is used to transmit electrical energy to the driver.

[0020] In one embodiment, the transmission device further includes:

[0021] An insulating layer wraps the power supply line and the signal line.

[0022] In one embodiment, the transmission device further includes:

[0023] A cable shielding layer wraps the signal line, the power supply line and the insulation layer on the inner side.

[0024] In one embodiment, the transmission device further includes:

[0025] A tensile wire, arranged outside the cable shielding layer;

[0026] One end of the stretch line is connected to one of the connecting devices, and the other end is connected to another of the connecting devices.

[0027] In one embodiment, the connection device includes: an edge connector and a pad;

[0028] The edge connector is disposed on the pad;

[0029] A signal connection between the edge connector and the pad;

[0030] The pad is connected to the signal line;

[0031] The edge connector is used to connect to external devices.

[0032] In one embodiment, it further includes: an insulating skin;

[0033] The insulating skin covers the transmission device.

[0034] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication system, comprising the cable as described in the first aspect, and further comprising: a device and a connector;

[0035] The connector is arranged on the device;

[0036] When the connecting device in the cable includes an edge connector, the connector is used to connect to the edge connector.

[0037] An embodiment of the present application provides a cable. The cable includes a transmission device and a connection device. The transmission device includes a plurality of signal lines and a driver. One end of each signal line is connected to the connection device, and the other end is connected to the driver. The signal line is used to transmit a signal, and the driver is used to drive the signal transmission of the signal line. A signal shielding layer is provided on the signal line.

[0038] When the cable needs to transmit a signal, a signal sent by an external device (such as a computer motherboard) is received through the connecting device, and the received signal is transmitted to another external device (such as a PCIe device) connected to another connecting device through the signal line to complete the transmission of the signal between the two devices. During this period, the driver drives the signal transmission of the signal line so that the signal transmitted through the signal line is more efficiently transmitted to the device. In addition, a signal shielding layer is provided on the signal line to reduce the signal crosstalk between the signal lines. Therefore, compared with traditional cables, the cable provided by the embodiment of the present application has a stronger signal transmission capability and better signal transmission quality. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

[0040] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a cable provided for one embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a cable provided in yet another embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a cable provided in another embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 4 A partial schematic diagram of a driver in a cable provided for one embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 5 A partial schematic diagram of a driver in a cable provided for one embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a connecting device in a cable provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a communication system provided for one embodiment of the present application.

[0047] The above drawings show clear embodiments of the present disclosure, which will be described in more detail below. These drawings and text descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way, but to illustrate the concepts of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art by referring to specific embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. Instead, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the present disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

[0049] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the feature. In the description of the present application, "plurality" means two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0050] First, the terms involved in this application are explained:

[0051] PCIe: Peripheral Component Interconnect Express, a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard.

[0052] PCIe5.0: The fifth generation of high-speed serial bus.

[0053] With the continuous iteration and update of chip technology, the signal transmission speed of the communication interface on the chip is getting higher and higher, which makes the signal transmission link connected to the communication interface have a stronger signal transmission capability. In the era of PCIe5.0 products, in order to minimize signal attenuation, optimize motherboard costs and diversify configurations, the signal transmission between the processor (Central Processing Unit, referred to as CPU) and the PCIe device generally uses cables. However, some cables with longer signal links or cables used in scenarios with longer signal links still have the problem of poor signal transmission quality.

[0054] How to improve the signal transmission quality of cables is still an urgent problem to be solved.

[0055] Based on this, the present application provides a cable and a communication system. The cable includes a transmission device and a connection device. The transmission device includes a plurality of signal lines and a driver. One end of each signal line is connected to the connection device, and the other end is connected to the driver. The signal line is used to transmit a signal, and the driver is used to drive the signal transmission of the signal line. A signal shielding layer is provided on the signal line.

[0056] When the cable needs to transmit a signal, a signal sent by an external device (such as a computer motherboard) is received through the connecting device, and the received signal is transmitted to another external device (such as a PCIe device) connected to another connecting device through the signal line to complete the transmission of the signal between the two devices. During this period, the driver drives the signal transmission of the signal line so that the signal transmitted through the signal line is more efficiently transmitted to the device. In addition, a signal shielding layer is provided on the signal line to reduce the signal crosstalk between the signal lines. Therefore, compared with traditional cables, the cable provided by the present application has a stronger signal transmission capability and better signal transmission quality.

[0057] See also Figure 1 An embodiment of the present application provides a cable 10 , including a connecting device 100 and a transmission device 200 .

[0058] The connecting device 100 is used to connect external equipment.

[0059] One end of the transmission device 200 is connected to one of the connection devices 100 , and the other end is connected to another of the connection devices 100 .

[0060] The transmission device 200 includes a plurality of signal lines 210, which are used to transmit signals. One end of each signal line 210 is connected to the connection device 100, and the other end is connected to the driver 220. The signal line 210 can be a low-impedance high-speed signal line core. The low-impedance high-speed signal line core has the characteristics of low loss, low delay, high bandwidth, etc., and can be used for the transmission of high-speed signals. Preferably, the signal line 210 is welded to the driver 220 to improve the stability of the connection.

[0061] The transmission device 200 further includes a driver 220. The driver 220 is used to drive the signal transmission of the signal line 210. The driver 220 may be a driver chip.

[0062] When the connection device 100 is connected to an external device, the external device (such as a computer motherboard) sends a signal to another external device (such as a PCIe device) through the cable 10. The signal sent by the external device passes through the connected connection device 100 in turn, and is transmitted by the signal line 210 in the transmission device 200, and reaches the connection device 100 connected to another external device, and finally reaches the other external device. During this period, the driver 220 drives the signal transmission of the signal line 210, so that the signal transmission is more efficient.

[0063] The installation position of the driver 220 is in principle in line with the requirements of the PCIe specification for signal attenuation (insertion loss). For example, the maximum signal allowed by the PCIe5.0 link is -36dB, and the empirical loss or common loss of each link includes: CPU package -8.5dB, PCIe device package loss -4.2dB, AIC card loss -9.5dB, two connector losses -3dB, capacitor loss -1dB, motherboard loss -4dB, adapter card loss -2dB. Finally, the loss of cable 10 is allowed to be only about -4dB, which is equivalent to a cable 10 length of only about 70 cm, which cannot meet the requirements in some application scenarios. If the driver 220 can provide a loss gain of -24dB to -36dB, the length of cable 10 can be calculated to be about 200 cm, which greatly increases the length of cable 10 and enriches the application scenarios. That is to say, due to the signal driving capability of the driver 220, the length of the cable 10 can be made longer while the signal quality can still be guaranteed, which enriches the application scenarios of the cable 10 and the application scenarios of the communication system using the cable 10. In addition, for some products with small motherboard size or strict initial cost control and no preset Re-timer chip / Re-driver chip, the cable 10 can be used to increase signal driving to achieve the purpose of transmitting signals.

[0064] Optionally, a signal shielding layer 211 is provided on each signal line 210. For example, PCIe5.0 is a typical high-speed signal. In order to improve the stability of the signal transmission signal of the signal line 210, the signal shielding layer 211 is provided to reduce the crosstalk between the signal lines 210. The signal shielding layer 211 can be a mesh metal wire braided layer, which plays a role of signal shielding and is used to reduce the crosstalk between the signal lines 210.

[0065] In summary, the cable 10 provided in this embodiment includes a connection device 100 and a transmission device 200. The transmission device 200 includes a plurality of signal lines 210 and a driver 220. One end of each signal line 210 is connected to the connection device 100, and the other end is connected to the driver 220. The signal line 210 is used to transmit a signal, and the driver 220 is used to drive the signal transmission of the signal line 210. A signal shielding layer 211 is provided on the signal line 210.

[0066] When the cable 10 needs to transmit a signal, a signal sent by an external device (such as a computer motherboard) is received through the connecting device 100, and the received signal is transmitted to another external device (such as a PCIe device) connected to another connecting device 100 through the signal line 210, thereby completing the signal transmission between the two devices. During this period, the driver 220 drives the signal transmission of the signal line 210, so that the signal transmitted through the signal line 210 is more efficiently transmitted to the device. In addition, a signal shielding layer 211 is provided on the signal line 210 to reduce the signal crosstalk between the signal lines 210. Therefore, compared with traditional cables, the cable 10 provided in this embodiment has a stronger signal transmission capability and better signal transmission quality.

[0067] See also Figure 1 and 2 In some embodiments, the transmission device 200 also includes a power supply line 230.

[0068] One end of the power supply line 230 is connected to the connection device 100 , and the other end is connected to the driver 220 . The power supply line 230 is used to transmit electric energy to the driver 220 .

[0069] The power supply line 230 may be a multi-strand copper core wire.

[0070] When the transmission device 200 includes two power supply lines 230 , as shown in the figure, the two power supply lines 230 can be symmetrically arranged outside the signal line 210 .

[0071] Optional, such as Figure 2 As shown, the signal line 210 may include a signal line 210 having two cores, and the signal line 210 with the two cores is orderly arranged and stacked. At this time, the signal shielding layer 211 wraps the two cores of the signal line 210 together.

[0072] Optionally, the signal line 210 may include a signal line 210 with multiple cores, and the signal line 210 with multiple cores is symmetrically distributed on both sides of the stack of two core signal lines 210. The signal line 210 with multiple cores is also provided with a signal shielding layer 211 (not shown in the figure).

[0073] See also Figure 2 , the transmission device 200 also includes an insulating layer 240 .

[0074] As shown in the figure, the insulating layer 240 wraps the power supply line 230 and also wraps the signal line 210 .

[0075] When the insulating layer 240 wraps the power supply line 230 , it also wraps each copper core wire of the power supply line 230 and the entire power supply line 230 .

[0076] When the insulating layer 240 wraps the signal line 210 , it also wraps each wire core of the signal line 210 and the entire signal line 210 .

[0077] The insulating layer 240 can be a polyethylene injection molding material layer, or other material layer, which can be specifically configured according to actual needs and is not limited in this embodiment. The insulating layer 240 is used to insulate and protect the power supply line 230 and the signal line.

[0078] See also Figure 2 In some embodiments, the transmission device 200 also includes a cable shielding layer 250 .

[0079] The inner side of the cable shielding layer 250 wraps the signal line 210 , the power line 230 and the insulating layer 240 . Specifically, the inner side of the cable shielding layer 250 is used to wrap the signal line 210 and the power line 230 wrapped with the insulating layer 240 .

[0080] The thickness of the cable shielding layer 250 can be selected according to actual needs. The cable shielding layer 250 can be a thin film metal material, which is used to shield the transmission device 200 to prevent the transmission device 200 from being interfered by other signals.

[0081] See also Figure 2 and Figure 3 In some embodiments, the transmission device 200 further includes a stretch line 260 .

[0082] The tension wire 260 is disposed outside the cable shielding layer 250. One end of the tension wire 260 is connected to one of the connection devices 100, and the other end is connected to another of the connection devices 100.

[0083] Preferably, the transmission device 200 includes at least two tensile wires 260 . When the transmission device 200 includes two tensile wires 260 , the two tensile wires 260 are symmetrically arranged outside the cable shielding layer 250 .

[0084] It is understandable that the presence of the driver 220 may affect the tensile strength of the cable 10. Therefore, the stretch wire 260 is provided to improve the tensile strength of the cable 10. Optionally, the stretch wire 260 may be a high-strength nylon PA material filling wire, or other material wire, as long as the tensile strength of the cable 10 can be improved, and this embodiment does not make too many restrictions.

[0085] Optional, see also Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 The cable 10 further includes an insulating skin 300, which covers the driver 220 and the transmission device 200. Optionally, the insulating skin 300 is a PE injection molding material layer, or other insulating material layer. The insulating skin 300 is used to protect the driver 220 and the transmission device 200, thereby improving the safety of the cable 10.

[0086] See also Figure 4 In some embodiments, the driver 220 includes at least one driver chip 221 .

[0087] When one driving chip 221 is included, the driving chip 221 needs to be able to drive the signal transmission of the signal line 210. When multiple driving chips 221 are included, multiple driving chips 221 stacked together need to be able to drive the signal transmission of the signal line 210.

[0088] When one driving chip 221 is included, the driving chip 221 is connected to both the signal line 210 and the power supply line 230 in the transmission device 200 .

[0089] When a plurality of the driver chips 221 are included, each of the driver chips 221 may be connected to the signal line 210 and the power line 230. Alternatively, one driver chip 221 may be connected to both the signal line 210 and the power line 230 in the transmission device 200, and the other plurality of driver chips 221 may be connected to the one driver chip 221.

[0090] Preferably, the driver chip 221 is a re-driver chip (Re-driver chip) or a re-timing chip (Re-timer chip). The driver 220 may include multiple Re-driver chips. The driver 220 may include multiple Re-timer chips. The driver 220 may include a Re-driver chip and a Re-timer chip. The driver 220 may include multiple Re-driver chips and a Re-timer chip. The driver 220 may include multiple Re-driver chips and multiple Re-timer chips. The number, type, etc. of the driver chips 221 in the driver 220 may be set according to actual needs, and this embodiment does not limit it.

[0091] As mentioned above, the driver 220 includes at least one driver chip 221. Due to the signal driving capability of the driver chip 221, the length of the cable 10 can be made longer while the signal quality can still be guaranteed, which enriches the application scenarios of the cable 10 and the application scenarios of the communication system using the cable 10. In addition, for some products with small motherboard size or strict initial cost control, and no preset Re-timer chip / Re-driver chip, the cable 10 can be used to increase signal driving to achieve the purpose of transmitting signals.

[0092] See also Figure 5 In some embodiments, the driver chip 221 includes a driver circuit 222 and a storage circuit 223. The driver circuit 222 and the storage circuit 223 are signal-connected. The storage circuit 223 can be understood as a memory.

[0093] The storage circuit 223 stores the driving configuration information, and the driving circuit 222 is used to read the driving configuration information from the storage circuit 223, and drive the signal transmission of the transmission device 200 according to the driving configuration information. The driving configuration information is manually designed and input into the storage circuit 223, and the driving configuration information can be updated or changed by manual design according to actual needs to increase the flexibility of the driving circuit 222. It should be emphasized that the driving circuit 222 can realize the acquisition of the driving configuration information and the driving of signal transmission based on the driving configuration information by using its own existing functions, and the redevelopment of software functions is not involved here.

[0094] See also Figure 6 In some embodiments, the connection device 100 includes an edge connector 110 and a pad 120 .

[0095] The edge connector 110 is disposed on the pad 120. The pad 120 can be understood as a printed circuit board (PCB). The edge connector 110 is connected to the pad 120 for signal connection. The pad 120 is connected to the transmission device 200. The edge connector 110 is used to connect an external device. In the signal transmission link, one edge connector 110 is connected to one external device, and another edge connector 110 is connected to another external device.

[0096] The edge connector 110 is a gold finger, which is used to connect to the female socket of the connector on the external device. The connector can be a Slimsas connector, an OCU Link connector, or a GenZ connector, etc., which is not limited in this embodiment. The pad 120 can be welded and connected to the transmission device 200. Specifically, the pad 120 is welded and connected to the signal line 210 in the transmission device 200, and is welded and connected to the power supply line 230 in the transmission device 200.

[0097] After the edge connector 110 is connected to the female socket of the connector on the external device, the power is transmitted from the edge connector 110 to the pad 120 and then to the power supply line 230. In other words, the power supply line 230 obtains power from the external device and transmits the power to the driver 220.

[0098] After the edge connector 110 is connected to the female socket on the external device, the signal is transmitted from the edge connector 110 to the pad 120, and then to the signal line 210, and the signal line 210 realizes signal transmission under the drive of the driver chip 221. After the signal line 210 transmits the signal to another pad 120, the other pad 120 transmits the signal to the connected edge connector 110, and the edge connector 110 transmits the signal to another external device. Thus, signal transmission is completed.

[0099] See also Figure 7 An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system 20, comprising the cable 10 provided in any of the above embodiments, and further comprising a device 30 and a connector 31.

[0100] The connector 31 is disposed on the device 30. The device 30 is, for example, a PCIe device, a computer, etc.

[0101] The connector 31 is used to connect with the connection device 100 in the cable 10. As described in the above embodiment, the connection device 100 includes an edge connector 110, and the connector 31 is used to connect with the edge connector 110. The connector 31 can be a Slimsas connector, an OCU Link connector, or a GenZ connector, etc., which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0102] The communication system 20 provided in this embodiment includes a cable 10, a device 30 and a connector 31. The cable 10 includes a connecting device 100 and a transmission device 200. When the cable 10 performs signal transmission, a signal sent by an external device (such as a computer motherboard) is received through the connecting device 100, and the received signal is transmitted to another external device (such as a PCIe device) connected to the connecting device 100 through the transmission device 200, completing the signal transmission between the two devices 30. During this period, the driver 220 drives the signal transmission of the transmission device 200, so that the signal transmitted by the transmission device 200 is more efficiently transmitted to the device 30. Therefore, compared with the traditional communication system, the communication system provided in this embodiment has a stronger signal transmission capability and better signal transmission quality.

[0103] It should be noted that, in this article, the terms "include", "comprises" or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the sentence "comprises a ..." does not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the element.

[0104] The serial numbers of the above-mentioned embodiments of the present application are for description only and do not represent the advantages or disadvantages of the embodiments.

[0105] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present application. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the present application specification and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A cable, characterized in that: include: Transmission devices and connection devices; The connecting device is used to connect to external equipment; The transmission device includes: a plurality of signal lines and a driver; One end of each of the signal lines is connected to the connection device, and the other end is connected to the driver; The signal line is used to transmit a signal, and the driver is used to drive the signal transmission of the signal line; A signal shielding layer is arranged on the signal line.

2. The cable according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driver comprises: a driving circuit and a storage circuit; The drive circuit is signal-connected to the storage circuit; The storage circuit stores drive configuration information; The driving circuit is used to read the driving configuration information from the storage circuit, and drive the signal transmission of the transmission device according to the driving configuration information.

3. The cable according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driver is a re-driving chip or a re-timing chip.

4. The cable according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The transmission device further comprises: a power supply line; One end of the power supply line is connected to the connection device, and the other end is connected to the driver; The power supply line is used to transmit electrical energy to the driver.

5. The cable according to claim 4, characterized in that: The transmission device also includes: An insulating layer wraps the power supply line and the signal line.

6. The cable according to claim 5, characterized in that: The transmission device also includes: The cable shielding layer wraps the signal line, the power supply line and the insulation layer on the inner side.

7. The cable according to claim 6, characterized in that: The transmission device also includes: A tensile wire, arranged outside the cable shielding layer; One end of the stretch line is connected to one of the connecting devices, and the other end is connected to another of the connecting devices.

8. The cable according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The connecting device comprises: an edge connector and a pad; The edge connector is disposed on the pad; A signal connection between the edge connector and the pad; The pad is connected to the signal line; The edge connector is used to connect to external devices.

9. The cable according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: Also includes: Insulation skin; The insulating skin covers the transmission device.

10. A communication system, characterized in that: The cable according to any one of claims 1 to 9 further comprises: a device and a connector; The connector is arranged on the device; When the connecting device in the cable includes an edge connector, the connector is used to connect to the edge connector.

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