PCIe connector, PCB and system for repairing plug-in fault of connector without disassembling box

Abstract

The utility model provides a PCIe connector, a PCB and a system for repairing the plugging fault of a connector without disassembling a box, which belong to the field of servers, and are all characterized in that a male connector shell is provided with a first mounting part, a connector socket is provided with a second mounting part, and the first mounting part and the second mounting part are matched for use; the fixing device is used for fixing a male connector shell on a connector socket; after the male head connector housing is fixedly installed on the connector socket, the plugging end of the male head plug passes through the connector jack and enters the female head accommodating cavity, and at the moment, the driving mechanism can drive the connector female head to realize the re-plugging operation with the male head plug. The connector female head and the welding pin are connected through a flexible flat cable. The driving mechanism is provided with a driving pin, one end of the driving pin is connected with the driving mechanism, and the other end of the driving pin extends out of one end, opposite to the connector jack, of the connector socket. According to the utility model, re-plugging between the male head and the female head of the connector can be realized without disassembling a machine.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of servers, and in particular to a PCIe connector, a PCB board and a system for repairing connector plugging failure without unpacking. Background Art

[0002] The PCIe bus is the most widely used high-speed communication bus inside the server, and is often used for communication between the CPU and PCIe devices, such as network cards, graphics cards, NVME hard disks, etc. In recent years, in order to save R&D costs and flexibly configure server specifications, multiple server models usually reuse a motherboard, place a PCIe connector on the motherboard end, and connect to the front and rear windows of the chassis with different configurations through cables, and connect to the PCIe devices.

[0003] Currently, servers use a lot of PCIe connectors. PCIe physical link problems are very common and difficult to avoid during factory testing and machine room shelf testing. Factors such as manufacturing tolerances of mechanical components, non-compliant assembly by workers, and violent logistics transportation may all lead to poor connector contact.

[0004] When the PCIe connector contacts are in poor contact, signal integrity problems are likely to occur, which manifest as signal waveform distortion, increased data errors, and even communication interruption.

[0005] At present, when the PCIe connector contacts are in poor contact, it is usually necessary to remove the server from the rack, disassemble the server chassis, check and reinsert the cable connectors. On the one hand, maintenance is inconvenient: the server needs to be shut down and powered off, then lifted from the rack, and then the server chassis is disassembled to check and reinsert the cables. On the other hand, the risk is high: frequent removal and disassembly of the server increases the risk of damage. On the other hand, the maintenance cost is high: manpower (usually multiple manpower) or machines are required to move and disassemble the server. On the other hand, the maintenance efficiency is low: removing from the rack and disassembly takes time. Utility Model Content

[0006] The utility model aims to provide a PCIe connector, a PCB board and a system for repairing connector plugging failure without unpacking the box, so as to solve at least one of the above problems.

[0007] In a first aspect, the technical solution of the utility model provides a PCIe connector, including a male connector and a female connector, the male connector including a male connector housing and a male plug, the female connector including a connector socket and a connector female, the male connector housing is provided with a first mounting portion, the connector socket is provided with a second mounting portion, the first mounting portion and the second mounting portion are used together to fix the male connector housing on the connector socket;

[0008] A female head accommodating cavity is provided in the connector socket, and the female head of the connector is installed in the female head accommodating cavity through a driving mechanism. A connector socket is provided at one end of the connector socket facing the male connector housing, and the female head of the connector is directly opposite to the connector socket. The female head accommodating cavity is connected to the outside through the connector socket; the driving mechanism can drive the female head of the connector to move in a direction directly facing the connector socket;

[0009] The plug end of the male plug extends vertically to the exterior of the male connector housing;

[0010] After the male connector housing is fixedly mounted on the connector socket, the plug end of the male plug passes through the connector socket and enters the female accommodating cavity, and the driving mechanism can drive the female connector to realize the reinsertion operation with the male plug;

[0011] The soldering pin of the female connector extends out of the end of the connector socket opposite to the connector socket, and the female connector and its soldering pin are connected by a flexible flat cable, and the length of the flexible flat cable can meet the plug-in requirements of the female connector and the male plug;

[0012] The driving mechanism is equipped with a driving pin, one end of which is connected to the driving mechanism, and the other end of which extends out of the connector socket opposite to the connector socket position, and is used to receive a driving control signal from the outside to the driving mechanism.

[0013] Furthermore, the first mounting portion includes flanges vertically arranged on the side walls of the male connector housing at one end facing the female connector and mounting holes arranged on the flanges.

[0014] Furthermore, the second mounting portion includes a stud vertically arranged at one end of the connector socket facing the male connector, the number of the studs is equal to that of the mounting holes and their positions are opposite, the oppositely positioned studs are used in conjunction with the mounting holes, and each stud is equipped with a fastening nut.

[0015] Furthermore, the driving mechanism includes two motors and two screw rods, and the two screw rods are coaxially connected to the output ends of the two motors one by one; and the two sides of the female connector are threadedly rotatably penetrated on the two screw rods.

[0016] Furthermore, the driving pins equipped with the driving mechanism include driving pins of each of the two motors; one end of the driving pin of the motor is connected to the corresponding motor, and the other end extends out of the end of the connector socket opposite to the connector socket; the driving pins of the two motors are arranged side by side with the welding pins to form a pin row.

[0017] Furthermore, one end of the screw rod away from the motor is rotatably embedded and installed on the inner wall of the connector socket at one end facing the male connector.

[0018] In a second aspect, the utility model provides a PCB board, including a PCB board body, on which the PCIe connector described in the above aspects is integrated.

[0019] Furthermore, the PCB board is a server mainboard.

[0020] In a third aspect, the utility model provides a system for repairing connector plugging failures without unpacking the box, wherein the connector adopts the PCIe connector described in the above aspects, and the system includes a BMC and a driving circuit of a driving mechanism, and the BMC is electrically connected to a driving pin provided with a driving mechanism of a connector female of the PCIe connector through the driving circuit.

[0021] Further, the system also includes a mainboard;

[0022] When the driving mechanism includes two motors and the driving pins of the two motors are arranged side by side with the welding pins to form a pin row, a row of soldering pads used in conjunction with the pins in the pin row is provided on the mainboard, and the pins in the pin row on the PCIe connector are respectively soldered to the soldering pads used in conjunction with them; the BMC and the driving circuit are both integrated on the mainboard, and the driving circuit is connected to the driving mechanism through the mainboard.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0024] When the PCIe connector and PCB board provided by the utility model are used, it is only necessary to control the driving mechanism to realize the separation and insertion between the male head and the female head of the connector, thereby helping to solve the problems of inconvenient maintenance, high risk, high maintenance cost and low maintenance efficiency caused by removing the server from the rack, disassembling the chassis and re-inserting the cable connector.

[0025] The utility model provides a system for repairing connector plugging failure without unpacking the box. The connector adopts the above-mentioned PCIe connector, and the system includes a BMC and a driving circuit of a driving mechanism. The BMC is connected to a driving pin provided with a driving mechanism of a connector female head of the PCIe connector through the driving circuit. When it is necessary to repair the problem of poor contact of the PCIe connector contacts, it is not necessary to disassemble the machine. It is only necessary to control the driving mechanism through the BMC to realize the separation and insertion between the connector plug male head and the female head. This is convenient for operation and maintenance, helps to improve maintenance efficiency, and helps to reduce maintenance risks and reduce maintenance costs.

[0026] The utility model has reliable design principle, simple structure, easy implementation and very broad application prospect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the utility model or the technical solutions of the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the utility model. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a PCIe connector in an embodiment of the present invention in a state where the male connector and the female connector are separated;

[0029] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a PCIe connector in a use state shown in FIG.

[0030] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a PCIe connector in another use state shown in FIG.

[0031] Figure 4 It is a schematic electrical principle block diagram of a PCIe connector according to an embodiment of the utility model;

[0032] Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a PCIe connector according to another embodiment of the utility model;

[0033] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 The enlarged schematic diagram at A in the middle;

[0034] Figure 7 is a schematic block diagram of a PCB board according to an embodiment of the utility model;

[0035] Figure 8 A schematic block diagram of a system provided in an embodiment of the utility model;

[0036] Fig. 9 A schematic block diagram of another system provided for an embodiment of the utility model.

[0037] Among them: 100, male connector, 101, male connector housing, 102, male plug, 103, flange, 104, mounting hole, 200, female connector, 201, connector socket, 202, pin row, 203, motor, 204, female accommodating cavity, 205, screw rod, 206, fastening nut, 207, stud, 208, female connector, 209, connector socket, 300, PCIe bus, 400, bearing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] In order to make the technical solution and advantages of the utility model clearer, the technical solution of the utility model will be described clearly and completely in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the utility model, not all of the embodiments.

[0039] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative and is not intended to limit the present invention and its application or use. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0040] In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention, but the present invention may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art may make similar generalizations without violating the connotation of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0041] It should be noted that the present invention uses the words "first", "second" and the like to limit the corresponding parts only for the convenience of distinguishing the corresponding parts. If not otherwise stated, the above words have no special meaning and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0042] BMC: Platform Management Controller, baseboard management controller.

[0043] PCIe: peripheral component interconnect express, a high-speed serial communication bus and device.

[0044] PCB: Printed Circuit Board.

[0045] The technical solution of the utility model will be introduced and explained through several embodiments.

[0046] In one embodiment, Figure 1 As shown, the utility model provides a PCIe connector, which includes a male connector 100 and a female connector 200 , the male connector 100 includes a male connector housing 101 and a male plug 102 , and the female connector 200 includes a connector socket 201 and a connector female 208 .

[0047] In this embodiment, a first mounting portion is provided on the male connector housing 101 , and a second mounting portion is provided on the connector socket 201 . The first mounting portion and the second mounting portion are used together to fix the male connector housing 101 on the connector socket 201 .

[0048] In this embodiment, a female head accommodating cavity 204 is provided in the connector socket 201, and a female connector 208 is installed in the female head accommodating cavity 204 through a driving mechanism. A connector socket 209 is provided at one end of the connector socket 201 facing the male connector housing 101, and the female connector 208 is directly opposite to the connector socket 209. Figure 2 As shown, the female head accommodating cavity 204 is connected to the outside through the connector socket 209 ; the driving mechanism can drive the connector female head 208 to move in a direction facing the connector socket 209 .

[0049] The plugging end of the male plug 102 vertically extends out of the male connector housing 101 .

[0050] In this embodiment, after the male connector housing 101 is fixedly installed on the connector socket 201, the plug-in end of the male plug 102 passes through the connector socket 209 and enters the female accommodating cavity 204. At this time, the driving mechanism can drive the female connector 208 to realize the reinsertion operation with the male plug 102.

[0051] The welding pins of the connector female head 208 extend out of the end of the connector socket 201 opposite to the connector port 209 . The connector female head 208 and its welding pins are connected via a flexible flat cable, and the length of the flexible flat cable can meet the plug-in requirements of the connector female head 208 and the male plug 102 .

[0052] It is understandable that the flexible flat cable in this specification needs to have a certain length to ensure that the female connector 208 can carry the flexible flat cable and complete the connection with the male plug 102.

[0053] In specific implementation, the length of the flexible flat cable only needs to not affect the plugging between the female connector 208 and the male plug 102, and can be set by those skilled in the art according to actual conditions. It cannot be too short, otherwise the flexible flat cable has been stretched to the maximum length, but the female connector 208 and the male plug 102 have not yet been plugged in. It does not need to be too long, the female connector 208 and the male plug 102 have been plugged in, but there are still many flexible flat cables that have not been unfolded, which wastes the cable and is not conducive to heat dissipation. The ideal state is that when the female connector 208 and the male plug 102 are fully plugged in, the flexible flat cable is just stretched to the maximum length but without tension.

[0054] In this embodiment, the driving mechanism is equipped with a driving pin, one end of which is connected to the driving mechanism, and the other end extends out of the connector socket 201 opposite to the connector socket 209 for receiving a driving control signal from the outside to the driving mechanism.

[0055] When in use, the outside world can input a control signal to the driving pin of the driving mechanism to control the driving mechanism to drive the female connector 208 to be unplugged from the male plug 102, or to drive the female connector 208 to be plugged into the male plug 102. The female connector 208 and the male plug 102 can be reconnected without disassembling the machine.

[0056] In this embodiment, the initial position of the connector female head 208 is close to the top of the connector socket 201. Figure 3 As shown, at this time, the male connector housing 101 is fixedly installed on the connector socket 201 through the first mounting portion and the second mounting portion, and the plug-in end of the male plug 102 passes through the connector socket 209 and enters the female accommodating cavity 204 to be completely plugged into the connector female 208, which is the optimal plug-in position for the male plug 102.

[0057] The use of the first mounting portion and the second mounting portion helps to ensure that the male plug 102 is aligned with the female connector 208 during insertion.

[0058] Figure 1 The PCIe bus shown by reference numeral 300 is a PCIe bus to which the male plug 102 is connected.

[0059] Alternatively, if Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the first mounting portion includes flanges 103 vertically arranged on the side walls of the male connector housing 101 at one end facing the female connector 200 and mounting holes 104 arranged on the flanges 103 .

[0060] The second mounting portion includes a stud 207 vertically arranged at one end of the connector socket 201 facing the male connector 100. The number of the studs 207 and the mounting holes 104 are equal and their positions are opposite. The opposite studs 207 are used in conjunction with the mounting holes 104, and each stud 207 is equipped with a fastening nut 206.

[0061] The number of mounting holes 104 and studs 207 can be set by technicians in this field based on actual conditions. For example, two mounting holes 104 can be set on each flange 103 (distributed along the length direction of the flange 103 where they are located). Correspondingly, four studs 207 are set. The four studs 207 are used in conjunction with a total of four mounting holes 104 set on the two flanges 103.

[0062] by Figure 1For example, the direction of the flange 103 perpendicular to the paper surface is its length direction.

[0063] When the male connector housing 101 is fixedly installed on the connector socket 201, the nut on the stud 207 can be removed first, and then the mounting holes 104 on the two flanges 103 are aligned with the four studs 207, and then the mounting holes 104 on the two flanges 103 are put one by one on the four studs 207, and then tightened with the nut removed previously, that is, the male connector housing 101 is fixedly installed on the connector socket 201.

[0064] Optionally, the driving mechanism includes two motors 203 and two screw rods 205, the two screw rods 205 are coaxially connected to the output ends of the two motors 203 one by one, and the two sides of the connector female head 208 are threadedly rotatably penetrated on the two screw rods 205, such as Figures 1 to 3 shown.

[0065] In a specific implementation, the motor 203 may be, but is not limited to, a motor of model GB06-5.14-MD16001-1-M or a motor of model GB06-26.45-MD16001-1-M.

[0066] In this embodiment, when the two motors 203 drive the two screw rods 205 to rotate clockwise, the screw rods 205 drive the connector female 208 to plug into the male plug 102. When the two motors 203 drive the two screw rods 205 to rotate counterclockwise, the screw rods 205 drive the connector female 208 to move in the opposite direction and be unplugged from the male plug 102.

[0067] Optionally, the driving pins provided by the driving mechanism include driving pins of the two motors 203 respectively.

[0068] One end of the driving pin of the motor 203 is connected to the corresponding motor, and the other end extends out of the end of the connector socket 201 opposite to the connector socket 209 .

[0069] In this embodiment, the driving pins of the two motors 203 are arranged side by side with the welding pins to form a pin row 202, such as Figure 4 shown.

[0070] The driving pin of the motor 203 corresponds to the motor driving pin of the motor 203 .

[0071] The pins in the pin row 202 are spaced apart from each other.

[0072] Exemplarily, one end of the lead screw 205 away from the motor 203 is rotatably embedded in the inner wall of the connector socket 201 at one end facing the male connector 100 .

[0073] In this embodiment, Figure 5, Figure 6 As shown, the end of the screw rod 205 away from the motor 203 is rotatably embedded in the inner wall of the connector socket 201 facing the male connector 100 through a bearing 400.

[0074] Figure 7 As shown, the utility model provides a PCB board, including a PCB board body, on which the PCIe connector described in any of the above embodiments is integrated.

[0075] Optionally, the PCB board is a server mainboard.

[0076] like Figure 8 As shown, the utility model provides a system for repairing connector plugging failure without unpacking the box, wherein the connector adopts the PCIe connector described in any of the above embodiments, and the system includes a BMC and a driving circuit of a driving mechanism, and the BMC is electrically connected to a driving pin provided with a driving mechanism of a connector female head 208 of the PCIe connector through the driving circuit.

[0077] A server using the system for repairing connector plugging failure without disassembling the box of the utility model does not need to be disassembled when the problem of poor contact of the PCIe connector contacts needs to be repaired. Instead, the server only needs to control the driving circuit through the BMC to drive the driving mechanism to separate and insert the male and female connector plugs, which is convenient for operation and maintenance, helps to improve maintenance efficiency, and helps to reduce maintenance risks and costs.

[0078] Alternatively, if Fig. 9 As shown, the system also includes a mainboard;

[0079] When the driving mechanism includes two motors 203 and the driving pins of the two motors 203 are arranged side by side with the welding pins to form a pin row 202, a row of soldering pads used in conjunction with the pins in the pin row 202 is provided on the mainboard, and the pins in the pin row 202 on the PCIe connector are respectively soldered to the soldering pads used in conjunction with them; the BMC and the driving circuit are both integrated on the mainboard, the BMC is connected to the driving circuit, and the driving circuit is connected to the driving mechanism through the mainboard.

[0080] When the driving mechanism includes two motors 203 , the driving circuit is a motor driving circuit for the two motors 203 .

[0081] The BMC is connected to the connector bus bar 208 through the soldering pins of the connector bus bar 208 in the mainboard and the pin row 202 .

[0082] The same and similar parts between the various embodiments in this specification can be referenced to each other.

[0083] Although the utility model is described in detail by referring to the accompanying drawings and in combination with the preferred embodiments, the utility model is not limited thereto. Without departing from the spirit and essence of the utility model, ordinary technicians in the field can make various equivalent modifications or substitutions to the embodiments of the utility model, and these modifications or substitutions should be within the scope of the utility model / any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed by the utility model, which should be included in the protection scope of the utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of the utility model shall be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A PCIe connector, comprising a male connector and a female connector, wherein the male connector comprises a male connector housing and a male plug, and the female connector comprises a connector socket and a female connector, characterized in that: A first mounting portion is provided on the male connector housing, and a second mounting portion is provided on the connector socket. The first mounting portion and the second mounting portion are used together to fix the male connector housing on the connector socket; A female head accommodating cavity is provided in the connector socket, and the female head of the connector is installed in the female head accommodating cavity through a driving mechanism. A connector socket is provided at one end of the connector socket facing the male connector housing, and the female head of the connector is directly opposite to the connector socket. The female head accommodating cavity is connected to the outside through the connector socket; the driving mechanism can drive the female head of the connector to move in a direction directly facing the connector socket; The plug end of the male plug extends vertically to the exterior of the male connector housing; After the male connector housing is fixedly mounted on the connector socket, the plug end of the male plug passes through the connector socket and enters the female accommodating cavity, and the driving mechanism can drive the female connector to realize the reinsertion operation with the male plug; The soldering pin of the female connector extends out of the end of the connector socket opposite to the connector socket, and the female connector and its soldering pin are connected by a flexible flat cable, and the length of the flexible flat cable can meet the plug-in requirements of the female connector and the male plug; The driving mechanism is equipped with a driving pin, one end of which is connected to the driving mechanism, and the other end of which extends out of the connector socket opposite to the connector socket position, and is used to receive a driving control signal from the outside to the driving mechanism.

2. The PCIe connector according to claim 1, wherein: The first mounting portion includes flanges vertically arranged on the side walls of the male connector housing at one end facing the female connector and mounting holes arranged on the flanges.

3. The PCIe connector according to claim 2, wherein: The second mounting portion includes a stud vertically arranged at one end of the connector socket facing the male connector. The number of the studs is equal to that of the mounting holes and their positions are opposite. The oppositely positioned studs are used in conjunction with the mounting holes, and each stud is equipped with a fastening nut.

4. The PCIe connector according to claim 1, wherein: The driving mechanism comprises two motors and two screw rods, wherein the two screw rods are coaxially connected to the output ends of the two motors one by one; and the two sides of the female connector are threadedly rotatably penetrated on the two screw rods.

5. The PCIe connector according to claim 4, wherein: The driving pins equipped with the driving mechanism include driving pins of each of the two motors; one end of the driving pin of the motor is connected to the corresponding motor, and the other end extends out of the end of the connector socket opposite to the connector socket; the driving pins of the two motors are arranged side by side with the welding pins to form a pin row.

6. The PCIe connector according to claim 4, wherein: One end of the screw rod which is away from the motor is rotatably embedded and installed on the inner wall of the connector socket which faces the male connector.

7. A PCB board, comprising a PCB board body, characterized in that: The PCIe connector according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is integrated on the PCB board body.

8. The PCB board according to claim 7, characterized in that: The PCB board is a server mainboard.

9. A system for repairing connector plugging failure without unpacking, characterized in that: The connector adopts the PCIe connector described in any one of claims 1-6, and the system includes a BMC and a driving circuit of a driving mechanism, and the BMC is electrically connected to a driving pin provided with a driving mechanism of a connector female of the PCIe connector through the driving circuit.

10. The system according to claim 9, characterized in that The system also includes a motherboard; When the driving mechanism includes two motors and the driving pins of the two motors are arranged side by side with the welding pins to form a pin row, a row of soldering pads used in conjunction with the pins in the pin row is provided on the mainboard, and the pins in the pin row on the PCIe connector are respectively soldered to the soldering pads used in conjunction with them; the BMC and the driving circuit are both integrated on the mainboard, and the driving circuit is connected to the driving mechanism through the mainboard.

Images