Edge computing device

Abstract

The utility model discloses an edge computing device, which comprises an internal network unit, an Ethernet switch chip and a plurality of Ethernet physical layer chips, and the Ethernet switch chip is provided with a plurality of internal network interfaces and a plurality of external network interfaces. The internal network unit is connected with the internal network interface so as to access the internal network unit to the Ethernet switched network; and the multi-path external network interface is connected with external network equipment through the Ethernet physical layer chips so as to access the external network equipment to the Ethernet switched network. According to the edge computing equipment, the Ethernet switch chip and the plurality of Ethernet physical layer chips are integrated into the equipment, so that on one hand, the exchange of internal network data of the edge computing equipment is realized, and the exchange of multi-path external network data is supported; and on the other hand, a multi-path network data exchange function is integrated into the edge computing equipment, so that the overall integration level of the equipment is improved, and the equipment is easy to deploy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of network data transmission of edge computing equipment, and in particular to an edge computing equipment. Background Art

[0002] Edge computing technology has emerged to solve the problems of high latency and lack of real-time data analysis capabilities in traditional data processing methods. Edge computing technology provides edge intelligence services at the edge of the network close to the source of objects or data through a distributed open platform that integrates network, computing, storage, and application core capabilities. Edge computing is to analyze the data collected from the terminal directly in the local device or network close to the data generation.

[0003] The computing unit is the core unit in edge computing devices, such as the Jetson AGX Orin high-performance processing module, which is a computing unit for edge computing devices. When building network interfaces, existing edge computing devices usually use the MAC interface + independent PHY (Physical Layer Interface Devices) chip provided by the Jetson AGX Orin module. A PHY chip generally supports only one network port.

[0004] However, in actual application scenarios, edge computing devices need to transmit network data with multiple external devices, and different devices may have different requirements for interfaces. However, the number of network interfaces available in current edge computing devices is limited and not flexible enough to meet the needs of actual scenarios. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned technical problems existing in the prior art, an edge computing device of the present invention is proposed to overcome at least one of the above-mentioned problems.

[0006] In order to achieve the above purpose, the utility model adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] According to one aspect of the utility model, an edge computing device is provided, wherein the edge computing device comprises: an internal network unit, an Ethernet switch chip, and a plurality of Ethernet physical layer chips, wherein the Ethernet switch chip is provided with a plurality of internal network interfaces and a plurality of external network interfaces;

[0008] The internal network unit is connected to the internal network interface to connect the internal network unit to the Ethernet switching network;

[0009] The multiple external network interfaces are connected to external network devices through multiple Ethernet physical layer chips to connect the external network devices to the Ethernet switching network.

[0010] Optionally, the internal network unit includes a computing power unit, the internal network interface includes a first internal network interface, and the computing power unit is connected to the first internal network interface to connect the computing power unit to an Ethernet switching network.

[0011] Optionally, the internal network unit further includes a microcontroller unit, the internal network interface includes a second internal network interface, and the microcontroller unit is connected to the second internal network interface to connect the microcontroller unit to an Ethernet switching network.

[0012] Optionally, the external network interface includes a first external network interface, the Ethernet physical layer chip includes a first Ethernet physical layer chip supporting a 1000BASE-T1 network, and the first external network interface is connected to an external network device through the first Ethernet physical layer chip.

[0013] Optionally, the external network interface includes a second external network interface, the Ethernet physical layer chip includes a second Ethernet physical layer chip supporting a 1000BASE-T network, and the second external network interface is connected to an external network device via the second Ethernet physical layer chip.

[0014] Optionally, the external network interface includes a third external network interface, the Ethernet physical layer chip includes a third Ethernet physical layer chip supporting a 10GBASE-T network, and the third external network interface is connected to an external network device via the third Ethernet physical layer chip.

[0015] Optionally, the edge computing device further includes: an external network connector, and the Ethernet physical layer chip is connected to an external network device via the external network connector.

[0016] Optionally, the external network connector includes a first external network connector, the external network interface includes a first external network interface, the Ethernet physical layer chip includes a first Ethernet physical layer chip supporting a 1000BASE-T1 network, and the first Ethernet physical layer chip is connected to an external network device via the first external network connector.

[0017] Optionally, the external network connector includes a second external network connector, the external network interface includes a second external network interface, the Ethernet physical layer chip includes a second Ethernet physical layer chip supporting a 1000BASE-T network, and the second Ethernet physical layer chip is connected to an external network device via the second external network connector.

[0018] Optionally, the external network connector includes a third external network connector, the external network interface includes a third external network interface, the Ethernet physical layer chip includes a third Ethernet physical layer chip supporting a 10GBASE-T network, and the third Ethernet physical layer chip is connected to an external network device via the third external network connector.

[0019] In summary, the beneficial effects of the utility model are:

[0020] The edge computing device of the utility model, wherein the edge computing device includes: an internal network unit, an Ethernet switch chip and a plurality of Ethernet physical layer chips, the Ethernet switch chip is provided with a plurality of internal network interfaces and a plurality of external network interfaces, the internal network unit is connected to the internal network interface to connect the internal network unit to the Ethernet switching network; the plurality of external network interfaces are connected to the external network device through the plurality of Ethernet physical layer chips to connect the external network device to the Ethernet switching network. The edge computing device of the utility model integrates the Ethernet switch chip and the plurality of Ethernet physical layer chips into the device, on the one hand, realizes the exchange of the internal network data of the edge computing device, and supports the exchange of the multi-channel external network data, on the other hand, integrates the function of the multi-channel network data exchange into the edge computing device, improves the overall integration of the device, and is easy to deploy. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an edge computing device of the present invention is shown;

[0022] Figure 2 A structural schematic diagram of another edge computing device of the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention more clear, the implementation mode of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0025] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installation", "connection" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0026] Figure 1 A structural schematic diagram of an edge computing device of the present invention is shown, and the edge computing device of the present invention includes: an internal network unit, an Ethernet switch chip and multiple Ethernet physical layer chips, and the Ethernet switch chip is provided with multiple internal network interfaces and multiple external network interfaces; the internal network unit is connected to the internal network interface to connect the internal network unit to the Ethernet switching network; the multiple external network interfaces are connected to external network devices through multiple Ethernet physical layer chips to connect the external network devices to the Ethernet switching network.

[0027] The edge computing device of the present invention is mainly composed of an internal network unit, an Ethernet switch chip, and multiple Ethernet physical layer chips. The internal network unit refers to a unit in the edge computing device that has an internal network data exchange requirement, such as a computing power unit, a microcontroller unit, etc. The Ethernet switch chip and the Ethernet physical layer chip are structures set up by the present invention to improve the network data exchange capability of the edge computing device. The Ethernet switch chip is provided with multiple internal network interfaces and multiple external network interfaces. The function of internal network data exchange is provided to multiple internal network units in the edge computing device through the multiple internal network interfaces, and the data exchange function between the edge computing device and the external network device is provided through the multiple external network interfaces. When the edge computing device is applied to the vehicle-road collaboration scenario, the external network device may include, for example, sensor devices such as cameras, millimeter-wave radars, lidars, and other devices required for the scenario.

[0028] The Ethernet physical layer chip (PHY chip) is a chip that realizes Ethernet network signal conversion, that is, to realize the mutual conversion between differential signals and digital signals. Therefore, for the transmission of external network data, it is necessary to set a corresponding Ethernet physical layer chip for each external network interface, that is, one external network interface is connected to one PHY chip to realize the conversion of external network signals.

[0029] Of course, the number of network interfaces selected and set can be flexibly set by those skilled in the art according to actual scenario requirements and is not specifically limited here.

[0030] The edge computing device of the utility model integrates an Ethernet switch chip and multiple Ethernet physical layer chips into the device, which, on the one hand, realizes the exchange of network data within the edge computing device and supports the exchange of multi-channel external network data. On the other hand, it integrates the function of multi-channel network data exchange into the edge computing device, thereby improving the overall integration of the device and facilitating deployment.

[0031] In some embodiments of the present invention, the Ethernet switch chip can use the 88Q6113 chip, which is an AEC-Q100 automotive-grade Ethernet switch chip with 11 interfaces. The chip contains 7 SGMII, 2 RGMII, and 2 XFI interfaces, and supports the PTP protocol (Precision Time Protocol). The 11 interfaces provided by the 88Q6113 chip can expand the number and types of network interfaces of edge computing devices. Of course, the specific interfaces can be flexibly set according to the needs of the actual scenario, and are not specifically limited here.

[0032] Based on this, the Ethernet switch chip of the utility model mainly provides three types of interfaces based on the 88Q6113 chip, namely, SGMII interface, RGMII and XFI interface, and the specific number of each type of interface used can be flexibly determined according to the actual scene requirements. For example, 6 SGMII interfaces are selected from the 11 interfaces provided by the 88Q6113 chip as the P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, and P6 interfaces of the Ethernet switch chip, 2 RGMII interfaces are selected as the P7 and P8 interfaces of the Ethernet switch chip, and 2 XFI interfaces are selected as the P9 and P10 interfaces of the Ethernet switch chip.

[0033] In some embodiments of the present invention, the internal network unit includes a computing power unit, the internal network interface includes a first internal network interface, and the computing power unit is connected to the first internal network interface to connect the computing power unit to an Ethernet switching network.

[0034] The computing power unit is the core unit inside the edge computing device. The utility model can use the high computing power module Jetson AGX Orin module to form the computing power unit of the edge computing device. The Jetson AGX Orin module has a high computing power of 200TOPS, which mainly provides computing processing capabilities for the entire system, such as processing camera image data, millimeter wave radar data, lidar data, etc.

[0035] In the present invention, the UPHY6 channel of the JetsonAGX Orin module can be used to realize network data exchange. The UPHY6 channel supports the XFI interface and is connected to the Ethernet switching network through the XFI interface set on the Ethernet switch chip, that is, the first internal network interface, thereby realizing network data exchange between the computing power unit and other units inside the edge computing device.

[0036] In some embodiments of the present invention, the internal network unit further includes a microcontroller unit, the internal network interface includes a second internal network interface, and the microcontroller unit is connected to the second internal network interface to connect the microcontroller unit to an Ethernet switching network.

[0037] The internal network unit of the utility model also includes a microcontroller unit. According to the actual scene requirements, the microcontroller unit of the utility model can adopt a TC397 microcontroller. The TC397 microcontroller is a 6-core 32-bit microcontroller. As a coprocessor of the edge computing device, it is responsible for monitoring and controlling some system units. The TC397 microcontroller chip is connected to the Ethernet switching network through the RGMII interface, i.e., the second internal network interface, so as to realize the network data exchange between the microcontroller unit and other units inside the edge computing device.

[0038] In some embodiments of the present invention, the external network interface includes a first external network interface, the Ethernet physical layer chip includes a first Ethernet physical layer chip supporting 1000BASE-T1 network, and the first external network interface is connected to the external network device through the first Ethernet physical layer chip.

[0039] The Ethernet physical layer chip in the utility model may include an 88Q2221 chip. The 88Q2221 chip is a PHY chip that supports a 1000BASE-T1 network (Gigabit Automotive Ethernet) and supports an SGMII interface. A plurality of 88Q2221 chips may be provided in the utility model. Each 88Q2221 chip is respectively connected to the Ethernet switching network through a plurality of SGMII interfaces, i.e., a first external network interface, provided on the Ethernet switch chip. Each 88Q2221 unit provides a 1000BASE-T1 network interface to connect to an external network device, thereby providing edge computing devices with data exchange capabilities of a 1000BASE-T1 network.

[0040] In some embodiments of the present invention, the external network interface includes a second external network interface, the Ethernet physical layer chip includes a second Ethernet physical layer chip supporting 1000BASE-T network, and the second external network interface is connected to the external network device through the second Ethernet physical layer chip.

[0041] The Ethernet physical layer chip in the utility model may also include an 88EA1512 unit. The 88EA1512 chip is a PHY chip that supports the 1000BASE-T network and supports the RGMII interface. The 88EA1512 chip is connected to the Ethernet switching network through the RGMII interface set on the Ethernet switch chip, that is, the second external network interface, and provides a 1000BASE-T network interface to connect to an external network device, thereby providing edge computing devices with 1000BASE-T network data exchange capabilities.

[0042] In some embodiments of the present invention, the external network interface includes a third external network interface, the Ethernet physical layer chip includes a third Ethernet physical layer chip supporting 10GBASE-T network, and the third external network interface is connected to the external network device through the third Ethernet physical layer chip.

[0043] The Ethernet physical layer chip in the utility model may also include a BCM84891LB0IFEBG chip. The BCM84891LB0IFEBG chip is a PHY chip that supports the 10GBASE-T network and supports the XFI interface. The BCM84891LB0IFEBG chip is connected to the Ethernet switching network through the XFI interface set on the Ethernet switch chip, thereby providing edge computing devices with 10GBASE-T network data exchange capabilities.

[0044] In some embodiments of the present invention, the edge computing device further includes: an external network connector, and the Ethernet physical layer chip is connected to an external network device via the external network connector.

[0045] In order to achieve stability in connection with external network devices, the edge computing device of the present invention also includes an external network connector. The external network interface, Ethernet physical layer chip, external network connector and external network device set on the Ethernet switch chip are connected in sequence, thereby realizing network data exchange between the edge computing device and the external network device.

[0046] Based on the above embodiments, different types of network interfaces are provided on the Ethernet switching chip, including SGMII interface, RGMII and XFI interface, and different types of Ethernet physical layer chips are deployed correspondingly, including Ethernet physical layer chips supporting 1000BASE-T1 network, 1000BASE-T network and 10GBASE-T network respectively. Therefore, different external network connectors can be provided for different types of network interfaces to adapt to the external network interface and the Ethernet physical layer chip.

[0047] Based on this, in some embodiments of the present invention, the external network connector includes a first external network connector, the external network interface includes a first external network interface, the Ethernet physical layer chip includes a first Ethernet physical layer chip supporting a 1000BASE-T1 network, and the first Ethernet physical layer chip is connected to an external network device through the first external network connector.

[0048] For the 6-way SGMII interface provided by the Ethernet switch chip, corresponding to the 6 88Q2221 chips supporting 1000BASE-T1 network, the NTHBR23A1000SR connector can be used as the first external network connector to connect with multiple 88Q2221 chips supporting 1000BASE-T1 network. The NTHBR23A1000SR connector is a connector that supports 6-way 1000BASE-T1 interfaces. Each 1000BASE-T1 channel of the NTHBR23A1000SR connector is connected to one 88Q2221 unit to achieve external connection of the 1000BASE-T1 network.

[0049] In some embodiments of the present invention, the external network connector includes a second external network connector, the external network interface includes a second external network interface, the Ethernet physical layer chip includes a second Ethernet physical layer chip supporting a 1000BASE-T network, and the second Ethernet physical layer chip is connected to an external network device via the second external network connector.

[0050] For the RGMII interface provided by the Ethernet switch chip, a corresponding 88EA1512 chip supporting 1000BASE-T network can be connected to the 88EA1512 chip using an M12 X-Code connector as the second external network connector. The M12 X-Code connector is a connector that supports a 10G bit / s communication rate and has a total of 8 PIN pins. It is used to transmit 1000BASE-T network signals in the utility model.

[0051] Conventional network port connectors generally use RJ45 network port connectors, which mainly utilizes the advantages of easy plugging and unplugging and low cost of RJ45 network port connectors. Considering the usage scenarios of edge computing devices, the utility model does not use conventional RJ45 network port connectors to transmit 1000BASE-T network data, but instead uses M12 X-Code connectors to achieve external connection, which can ensure that the interface connection is more reliable and stable, and has the advantages of waterproof and anti-shake, meeting the needs of outdoor environment use.

[0052] In some embodiments of the present invention, the external network connector includes a third external network connector, the external network interface includes a third external network interface, the Ethernet physical layer chip includes a third Ethernet physical layer chip supporting a 10GBASE-T network, and the third Ethernet physical layer chip is connected to an external network device via the third external network connector.

[0053] For the 1 external XFI interface provided by the Ethernet switch chip, a corresponding BCM84891LB0IFEBG chip supporting external connection of 10GBASE-T network is set. Another M12 X-Code connector can also be used as the third external network connector to connect to the BCM84891LB0IFEBG chip, and it can also ensure that the interface connection is more reliable and stable, meeting the usage requirements of actual scenarios.

[0054] In order to facilitate the understanding of the above embodiments, Figure 2 As shown, a schematic diagram of the structure of another edge computing device of the utility model is provided. The edge computing device designed by the utility model can realize network data exchange between internal units of the edge computing device, and can provide multiple external network interfaces to realize network data exchange between the edge computing device and external devices. The specific hardware implementation includes the following aspects:

[0055] 1) The edge computing device consists of an Ethernet switch chip such as 88Q6113, a computing unit such as the Jetson AGX Orin module, a microcontroller unit such as the TC397 microcontroller unit, and an Ethernet physical layer chip including 1 BCM84891LB0IFEBG unit, 6 88Q2221 units, and 1 88EA1512 unit;

[0056] 2) The edge computing device supports 6 1000BASE-T1 network interfaces (P1-P6), 1 1000BASE-T network interface (P8) and 1 10GBASE-T network interface (P9);

[0057] 3) The edge computing device realizes data exchange between the internal network unit JetsonAGX Orin module and the TC397 microcontroller unit through the internal network interface (P7, P10) provided by the Ethernet switch chip 88Q6113;

[0058] 4) External transmission of 6-way 1000BASE-T1 network data through an NTHBR23A1000SR connector;

[0059] 5) External transmission of 1000BASE-T network data through an 8-pin M12 X-Code connector;

[0060] 6) External transmission of 10GBASE-T network data is achieved through an 8-pin M12 X-Code connector;

[0061] 7) External cameras, millimeter-wave radars, lidars and other sensor devices can be connected to the edge computing device through the 1000BASE-T interface or the 1000BASE-T1 interface. The Jetson AGX Orin module is connected to the Ethernet switch chip through the XFI interface, so that the sensor data is transmitted to the Jetson AGX Orin module through the Ethernet switch chip;

[0062] 8) The 10GBASE-T interface can be used to access external server networks and sensor devices.

[0063] In summary, the edge computing device of the utility model has achieved at least the following technical effects:

[0064] 1) The Ethernet switch chip can realize the internal network data exchange of the system and expand multiple external network interfaces for edge computing devices, and support the PTP protocol, making the network time synchronization more accurate;

[0065] 2) Rich external interface types, including 6 1000BASE-T1 interfaces, 1 1000BASE-T interface, and 1 10GBASE-T interface;

[0066] 3) The computing unit and the microcontroller unit are simultaneously connected to the network system composed of Ethernet switch chips, which can simultaneously obtain external sensor data, and the data transmission between each network unit is more flexible;

[0067] 4) The M12 X-Code connector is used to transmit 1000BASE-T and 10GBASE-T network signals, replacing the conventional RJ45 network port connector, which can ensure more reliable interface connection and better vibration resistance, meeting the needs of actual usage scenarios;

[0068] 5) The computing unit has sufficient network data transmission bandwidth. External sensor devices can be connected to the Ethernet switching network through the external network interface provided by the Ethernet switch chip, and transmitted to the computing unit through the internal network interface, achieving network data transmission at a rate of 10Gbps, meeting the throughput requirements of sensor data transmission;

[0069] 6) The 10GBASE-T interface provided by the Ethernet switch chip can be used to access the external server network, enabling rapid upload of local data to the remote server at a rate of 10Gbps.

[0070] The above description is only a specific implementation of the present invention. Under the above teaching of the present invention, those skilled in the art can make other improvements or modifications based on the above embodiments. Those skilled in the art should understand that the above specific description is only to better explain the purpose of the present invention, and the protection scope of the present invention shall be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An edge computing device, wherein: The edge computing device comprises: an internal network unit, an Ethernet switch chip and a plurality of Ethernet physical layer chips, wherein the Ethernet switch chip is provided with a plurality of internal network interfaces and a plurality of external network interfaces; The internal network unit is connected to the internal network interface to connect the internal network unit to the Ethernet switching network; The multiple external network interfaces are connected to external network devices through multiple Ethernet physical layer chips to connect the external network devices to the Ethernet switching network.

2. The edge computing device according to claim 1, wherein: The internal network unit includes a computing unit, the internal network interface includes a first internal network interface, and the computing unit is connected to the first internal network interface to connect the computing unit to an Ethernet switching network.

3. The edge computing device of claim 1, wherein: The internal network unit further comprises a microcontroller unit, the internal network interface comprises a second internal network interface, and the microcontroller unit is connected to the second internal network interface so as to connect the microcontroller unit to an Ethernet switching network.

4. The edge computing device of claim 1, wherein: The external network interface includes a first external network interface, the Ethernet physical layer chip includes a first Ethernet physical layer chip supporting a 1000BASE-T1 network, and the first external network interface is connected to an external network device via the first Ethernet physical layer chip.

5. The edge computing device of claim 1, wherein: The external network interface includes a second external network interface, the Ethernet physical layer chip includes a second Ethernet physical layer chip supporting a 1000BASE-T network, and the second external network interface is connected to an external network device via the second Ethernet physical layer chip.

6. The edge computing device of claim 1, wherein: The external network interface includes a third external network interface, the Ethernet physical layer chip includes a third Ethernet physical layer chip supporting a 10GBASE-T network, and the third external network interface is connected to an external network device via the third Ethernet physical layer chip.

7. The edge computing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The edge computing device also includes: an external network connector, and the Ethernet physical layer chip is connected to an external network device through the external network connector.

8. The edge computing device of claim 7, wherein: The external network connector includes a first external network connector, the external network interface includes a first external network interface, the Ethernet physical layer chip includes a first Ethernet physical layer chip supporting a 1000BASE-T1 network, and the first Ethernet physical layer chip is connected to an external network device via the first external network connector.

9. The edge computing device of claim 7, wherein: The external network connector includes a second external network connector, the external network interface includes a second external network interface, the Ethernet physical layer chip includes a second Ethernet physical layer chip supporting a 1000BASE-T network, and the second Ethernet physical layer chip is connected to an external network device via the second external network connector.

10. The edge computing device according to claim 7, wherein: The external network connector includes a third external network connector, the external network interface includes a third external network interface, the Ethernet physical layer chip includes a third Ethernet physical layer chip supporting a 10GBASE-T network, and the third Ethernet physical layer chip is connected to an external network device via the third external network connector.

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