Network switching device

Abstract

The utility model provides a network switching device. The network switching device comprises a management module and at least one switch module connected with the management module. The management module comprises a wireless interface, a management configuration interface and a first data transmission interface; the switch module includes a second data transmission interface, a configuration input, and at least one Ethernet interface. Wherein the first data transmission interface is connected with the second data transmission interface, the management configuration interface is connected with the configuration input end, the management module is in communication connection with the external cloud through the wireless interface, third equipment such as a router is not needed, the occupied space and the cost of the network switching device are greatly reduced, the mobility is improved, and the installation and management difficulty is reduced; and practical application of the network switching device is facilitated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the technical field of switches, relates to a switch cloud management technology, and particularly relates to a network switching device. Background Art

[0002] A switch is a network device used to establish and manage computer network connections. It forms a local area network (LAN) or a data center network among multiple connected computers or other network devices, and transfers data between them to achieve communication, management, and configuration among devices.

[0003] In order to remotely manage devices, in the prior art, a third device such as a router is generally connected to a wide area network (WAN) so that users can remotely configure, monitor, and manage the devices through the cloud. However, this method requires an additional connection to a third device, occupies a large space, and has a high cost. At the same time, a switch generally needs to be connected to a third device such as a router through optical fibers or cables to achieve data transmission. The installation is complex, the mobility is poor, and the complex cables also increase the management difficulty.

[0004] Therefore, how to implement the cloud management function of a switch without adding an additional third device is an urgent problem to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Utility Model

[0005] The purpose of this application is to provide a network switching device, which is used to solve the problems in the prior art that the cloud management function of a switch needs to be implemented by connecting a third device such as a router, thereby occupying a large space and resulting in high costs, complex installation, poor mobility, and high cable management difficulty.

[0006] In a first aspect, this application provides a network switching device, including a management module and at least one switch module connected to the management module;

[0007] The management module includes a wireless interface, a management configuration interface, and a first data transmission interface; the switch module includes a second data transmission interface, a configuration input terminal, and at least one Ethernet interface;

[0008] Wherein, the first data transmission interface is connected to the second data transmission interface, the management configuration interface is connected to the configuration input terminal, and the management module is communicatively connected to an external cloud through the wireless interface.

[0009] In this application, through a wireless interface, the network switching device can communicate and connect with an external cloud without a third device, which is convenient, fast, simple to install, greatly reduces the space occupation and cost of the network switching device, eliminates the need to manage complex cables, and is easy to move, thus improving the practicality of the network switching device.

[0010] In an embodiment of the present invention, the management module further includes a Bluetooth interface for receiving connection information of a wide area network to assist the wireless interface in communicating and connecting with the external cloud, and for receiving information from the external management terminal to enable a wireless connection between the network switching device and a nearby external management terminal.

[0011] In an embodiment of the present invention, the management module further includes a serial port that is wired to an external management terminal for enabling a wired connection between the network switching device and the external management terminal or for debugging the management module.

[0012] In an embodiment of the present invention, the network switching device includes a plurality of switch modules, and each switch module includes a switch transmission interface. All the switch modules are connected in series through the switch transmission interface. By using multiple switch modules, the number of external electronic devices that can be managed by the network switching device can be expanded to meet the management requirements of a large-scale network.

[0013] In an embodiment of the present invention, the network switching device further includes a power supply module connected to the management module. The power supply module includes a power supply unit and at least one power supply control unit connected to the power supply unit. The power supply control unit includes at least one device power supply interface. By using the power supply module to supply power to external electronic devices, there is no need to use additional power cords, and the power supply is uniformly allocated by the power supply module, which has the advantages of reliability, simple connection, and unified standard. At the same time, it is also beneficial to the intelligent management of a large-scale network.

[0014] In an embodiment of the present invention, the power supply control unit is an IP808A type POE chip, and the power supply control unit is connected to the management module through an I2C interface.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present invention, there are a plurality of the power supply control units. The power supply control unit is an IP808A type POE chip. At least one of the power supply control units is connected to the management module through an I2C interface, and all the power supply control units are connected in series through the I2C interface. By using multiple power supply control units, the number of external electronic devices that can be connected and powered by the network switching device can be expanded, and it can adapt to the number of external electronic devices managed by the network switching device.

[0016] In an embodiment of the present utility model, the switch module is an RTL8367S switch chip, the second data transmission interface is an RMII interface, and the Ethernet interface is an RJ45 network port.

[0017] In an embodiment of the present utility model, the switch module is an RTL8370M switch chip, the second data transmission interface is an RMII interface, and the Ethernet interface is an RJ45 network port.

[0018] In an embodiment of the present utility model, the management module is an ESP32-C3 series chip, the management configuration interface is an SMI interface, and the first data transmission interface is an RMII interface.

[0019] As described above, the present application provides a network switching device that realizes connection and communication with the cloud through a wireless interface, enabling users to log in to the corresponding management platform through the cloud to achieve remote configuration, monitoring, and management of external electronic devices without being restricted by distance. At the same time, since the network switching device of the present application does not require a third device such as a router, it greatly reduces the occupied space and cost of the network switching device, improves mobility, and reduces the installation and management difficulty, which is beneficial to the practical application of the network switching device. Further, the network switching device of the present application can also connect to a nearby external management terminal in a wired or wireless manner, providing users with more management method options, making the network switching device more widely applicable, and expanding the number of manageable external electronic devices through multiple switch modules to meet the rapidly changing network environment and growing network scale, greatly improving the practicality of the network switching device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 It shows a schematic diagram of the management application of a network switching device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0021] Figure 2 It shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a network switching device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0022] Figure 3 It shows a schematic diagram of the structure of another network switching device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0023] Figure 4 It shows a schematic diagram of the connection structure of the power supply module according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0024] Figure 5 It shows a schematic diagram of the structure of yet another network switching device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0025] Figure 6 It shows a schematic diagram of the structure of yet another network switching device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0026] Description of Component Labels

[0027] 100 Network Switching Device

[0028] 200 Cloud

[0029] 300 External Management Terminal

[0030] 400 External Electronic Device

[0031] 110 Management Module

[0032] 111 Management Configuration Interface

[0033] 112 Wireless Interface

[0034] 113 First Data Transmission Interface

[0035] 114 Bluetooth Interface

[0036] 115 Serial Port

[0037] 116 ETH Interface

[0038] 120 Switch Module

[0039] 121 Configuration Input Terminal

[0040] 122 Second Data Transmission Interface

[0041] 123 Ethernet Interface

[0042] 124 Switch Transmission Interface

[0043] 130 Power Supply Module

[0044] 131 Power Supply Unit

[0045] 132 Power Supply Control Unit

[0046] 133 Device Power Supply Interface

[0047] 140 ESP32-C3 Chip

[0048] 141 SMI Interface

[0049] 142 WIFI Interface

[0050] 143 System Chip RMII Interface

[0051] 144 BLE Interface

[0052] 146 I2C Interface

[0053] 150 RTL8367S Switch Chip

[0054] RMII Interface of 152 Switch

[0055] 153 RJ45 Network Interface

[0056] 154 SGMII Interface

[0057] 160 RTL8370M Switch Chip

[0058] 165 SFP Optical Interface

[0059] 170 IP808A POE Chip Specific Embodiment

[0060] The following specific examples illustrate the embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present application from the content disclosed in this specification. The present application can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments. Various details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present application. It should be noted that, without conflict, the following embodiments and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0061] It should be noted that the diagrams provided in the following embodiments only illustrate the basic concept of the present application in a schematic manner. Therefore, only the components related to the present application are shown in the diagrams, rather than being drawn according to the number, shape, and size of the components in actual implementation. The type, quantity, and ratio of each component in actual implementation can be arbitrarily changed, and the component layout type may also be more complex.

[0062] The following embodiments of the present application provide a network switching device. Through the wireless interface of the management module, the connection between the network switching device and the external network is realized, so that users can remotely configure, monitor, and manage electronic devices through the cloud, without the need to connect the switch to a third device such as a router, solving the problems of large space occupation, high cost, complex installation, poor mobility, and high cable management difficulty of cloud management switches in the prior art.

[0063] The network switching device provided by the following embodiments of the present application includes, but is not limited to, functions such as remotely or proximally configuring, monitoring, and managing external electronic devices through a management terminal. The following will describe an example of configuring, monitoring, and managing external electronic devices by connecting the network switching device to the cloud or an external management terminal.

[0064] Such as Figure 1As shown in the figure, this embodiment provides a management application for a network switching device 100, which specifically includes: a network switching device 100 having at least one Ethernet interface 123 for data transmission; at least one external electronic device 400 and the network switching device 100 transmit data to each other through the Ethernet interface 123; the network switching device 100 is also connected to the cloud 200 and an external management terminal 300, and transmits data to and from the cloud 200 or the external management terminal 300. Users can log in to the corresponding management platform through the cloud 200, connect to the network switching device 100, and then configure, monitor, and manage the external electronic device 400 connected to the Ethernet interface 123 of the network switching device 100, realizing remote operation, avoiding regional restrictions, and being applicable to scenarios where users are far away or have inconvenient mobility; or, users can connect to the network switching device 100 through a nearby external management terminal 300, and then configure, monitor, and manage the external electronic device 400, realizing the control of electronic devices within the area, and being suitable for scenarios with higher security requirements. It should be noted that the connection between the network switching device 100 and the cloud 200 can be achieved by accessing a wide area network through a wireless network interface, but it is not limited thereto; the connection between the network switching device 100 and the nearby external management terminal 300 can be a wired connection through a UART interface, or a wireless connection to the external management terminal 300 by connecting to a local area network through a WIFI hotspot. It should be noted that the network switching device 100 provided in this application is connected to the cloud 200 through a wireless connection, but other ports can also be set for a wired connection to the cloud 200, such as an ETH interface, to provide users with more connection method options, and this application does not make any restrictions here.

[0065] The external management terminal 300 and the external electronic device 400 described in the embodiments of this application can be carried on terminal devices such as mobile phones, tablets, wearable devices, in-vehicle devices, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) devices, laptops, ultra-mobile personal computers (UMPCs), netbooks, and personal digital assistants (PDAs), and can also be applied to databases, servers, and service response systems based on terminal artificial intelligence. The embodiments of this application do not make any restrictions on the specific types of electronic devices.

[0066] For example, the external management terminal 300 and the external electronic device 400 may be stations (STAION, ST) in a WLAN, and may be cellular phones, cordless phones, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phones, Wireless Local Loop (WLL) stations, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) devices, handheld devices with wireless communication functions, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, computers, laptop computers, handheld communication devices, handheld computing devices, and / or other devices for communicating on a wireless system, as well as next-generation communication systems, such as mobile terminals in a 5G network, mobile terminals in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), or mobile terminals in a future evolved Non-terrestrial Network (NTN).

[0067] The principle and implementation manner of a network switching device 100 according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that those skilled in the art can understand the network switching device 100 of this embodiment without creative labor.

[0068] As Figure 2 shown, this embodiment provides a network switching device 100 for connecting at least one external electronic device 400 and performing configuration, monitoring, and management. Specifically, it includes: a management module 110 and at least one switch module 120 connected to the management module 110. Among them, the switch module 120 is used to connect to the external electronic device 400 and transmit data with it; the management module 110 is used to control the switch module 120 and upload the data received by the switch module 120 to the cloud 200 or directly to the external management terminal 300, thereby realizing the configuration, monitoring, and management of the external electronic device 400.

[0069] Specifically, the management module 110 includes a wireless interface 112, a management configuration interface 111, and a first data transmission interface 113; the switch module 120 includes a second data transmission interface 122, a configuration input terminal 121, and at least one Ethernet interface 123. Among them, the management configuration interface 111 is connected to the configuration input terminal 121 and is used to implement the status control of the switch module 120 by the management module 110, such as communication control, etc. The first data transmission interface 113 is connected to the second data transmission interface 122 and is used to implement data transmission between the management module 110 and the switch module 120. The Ethernet interface 123 is connected to the external electronic device 400 and is used to implement data transmission between the switch module 120 and the external electronic device 400. Based on this, the management module 110 configures the operating status of the switch module 120 through the management configuration interface 111, so that the switch module 120 can access the status of the external electronic device 400 through the Ethernet interface 123, and transmits relevant data to the management module 110 through the second data transmission interface 122; after receiving the data through the first data transmission interface 113, the management module 110 uploads it to the cloud 200 or directly uploads it to the external management terminal 300, and sends the data directly sent from the cloud 200 or the external management terminal 300 to the switch module 120, and then transmits it to the corresponding external electronic device 400 through the switch module 120, so as to realize the configuration, monitoring, and management of the external electronic device 400.

[0070] Furthermore, the management module 110 further includes a wireless interface 112 connected to the external network, which is used to realize the connection between the management module 110 and the wide area network, and further realize the communication between the management module 110 and the cloud 200. When the user logs in to the corresponding management platform through the cloud 200, the network switching device 100 can be remotely connected, and the external electronic device 400 can be configured, monitored, and managed. The network switching device 100 provided in this embodiment is connected to the wide area network through the wireless interface 112, without connecting to a third device such as a router, avoiding the large space occupied by the network switching device 100, reducing the installation and cable management difficulty, improving the mobility of the network switching device 100, and significantly reducing the cost.

[0071] Exemplarily, the management module 110 includes a Bluetooth interface 114, which is used to assist the connection between the network switching device 100 and the cloud 200. Specifically, the Bluetooth interface 114 is used to receive the connection information of the wide area network, such as the SSID (Service Set Identifier) and the connection password, so that the network switching device 100 can obtain relevant information, and then access the wide area network through the wireless interface 112 to connect to the cloud 200.

[0072] Further, the management module 110 further includes an ETG interface 116 for wired connection to a wide area network, thereby realizing the connection between the network switching device 100 and the cloud 200, so as to provide users with more connection method options, which are not limited in this application.

[0073] Further, the network switching device 100 is also connected to a nearby external management terminal 300, and the user configures, monitors, and manages the external electronic device 400 through the external management terminal 300. Specifically, as Figure 2 shown, the management module 110 includes a serial port 115 for realizing the wired connection between the network switching device 100 and the external management terminal 300; alternatively, the management module 110 includes a Bluetooth interface 114, and the Bluetooth interface 114 is further used to receive information from the external management terminal 300 and send it to the cloud 200 through the wireless interface 112, so that the nearby external management terminal 300 communicates with the network switching device 100 through the cloud 200 to realize the configuration, monitoring, and management of the external electronic device 400; alternatively, the management module 110 accesses the local area network through a WIFI hotspot to realize the communication connection between the network switching device 100 and the external management terminal 300. Exemplarily, as Figure 2 shown, the management module 110 includes a serial port 115 and a Bluetooth interface 114, providing users with multiple connection method options for the network switching device 100 and the external management terminal 300. For those with a certain demand for the external management terminal 300 or unable to meet the distance limitation of the cable, the wireless connection method of the Bluetooth interface 114 can be selected; for scenarios with higher security requirements, the wired connection method of the serial port 115 can be selected.

[0074] Further, as Figure 3As shown in the figure, the network switching device 100 provided in this embodiment includes a plurality of switch modules 120. Specifically, each switch module 120 includes a configuration input terminal 121, and the management module 110 controls the status of each switch module 120 through the management configuration interface 111, such as communication control. At least one switch module 120 includes a second data transmission interface 122, and the second data transmission interface 122 is connected to the first data transmission interface 113 of the management module 110 to realize data transmission between the management module 110 and the switch module 120; each switch module 120 further includes a switch input interface 124; all switch input interfaces 124 are connected in series to realize data transmission between switch modules 120. Specifically, when the switch module 120 accessing the corresponding external electronic device 400 is not directly connected to the management module 110 through the second data transmission interface 122, the switch module 120 transmits data through the switch input interface 124 between the switch modules 120, and finally one of the switch modules 120 transmits the data to the management module 110 through the second data transmission interface 122. Similarly, the data of the management module 110 is transmitted to one of the switch modules 120 connected to it through the first data transmission interface 113, and through the data transmission between the switch modules 120, it is finally transmitted to the target switch module 120. It should be noted that the management module 110 resolves which switch module 120 or which external electronic device 400 the data comes from according to the data address, and according to the data address, transmits the data to the target switch module 120 and the target external electronic device 400. Since the management module 110 controls and transmits data to all switch modules 120, it is possible to configure, monitor, and manage the external electronic devices 400 connected to the plurality of switch modules 120, thereby expanding the number of external electronic devices 400 that the network switching device 100 can manage and meeting the management requirements of large-scale networks.

[0075] Furthermore, as Figure 4As shown, the network switching device 100 provided in this embodiment further includes at least one power supply module 130 connected to the management module 110 for powering an external electronic device 400. Specifically, the power supply module 130 includes a power supply unit 131 and at least one power supply control unit 132 connected to the power supply unit 131. The power supply control unit 132 includes at least one device power supply interface 133 for connecting the external electronic device 400 that needs to be powered. Specifically, the external electronic device 400 that needs to be powered is connected to the device power supply interface 133 of the device power supply unit 340. The power supply module 130 communicates with the management module 110 and transmits power from the device power supply interface 133 to the corresponding device power supply interface 133 to achieve power supply. It should be noted that the external electronic device 400 is powered through the power supply module 130 without the need to use an additional power cord, and the power supply is uniformly allocated through the power supply module 130, which has the advantages of reliability, simple connection, and unified standard. At the same time, it is also beneficial to the intelligent management of large-scale networks.

[0076] Furthermore, the network switching device 100 may include multiple power supply modules 130 connected to the management module 110 to expand the number of external electronic devices 400 that can be connected for power supply. It should be noted that the maximum number of external electronic devices 400 that the power supply module 130 can connect for power supply is not less than the maximum number of external electronic devices 400 that the network switching device 100 can manage. Preferably, the maximum number of external electronic devices 400 that the power supply module 130 can connect for power supply is equal to the maximum number of external electronic devices 400 that the network switching device 100 can manage, that is, the number of device power supply interfaces 133 is equal to the number of Ethernet interfaces 123.

[0077] The network switching device 100 provided in this embodiment is connected to the wide area network through the wireless interface 112, enabling users to log in to the corresponding management platform through the cloud 200 to achieve remote configuration, monitoring, and management of the external electronic device 400. It is convenient and fast, and there is no need to add a third device such as a router, reducing the space occupation and cost of the network switching device 100. At the same time, since there is no need to connect cables to the third device, the network switching device 100 is simple to install, easy to move, and does not require complex cable management. And the network switching device 100 provided in this embodiment can optionally be connected to a nearby external management terminal 300 in a wired or wireless manner, providing users with more management method options and making the network switching device 100 more widely applicable. Furthermore, the network switching device 100 provided in this embodiment may also include multiple switch modules 120 to expand the number of external electronic devices 400 that can be managed, thereby adapting to a larger-scale network. At the same time, this embodiment also uniformly allocates power to the external electronic device 400 through the power supply module 130, which has the advantages of reliability, simple connection, and unified standard. At the same time, it is also beneficial to the intelligent management of large-scale networks.

[0078] Exemplarily, to further elaborate on the principle and implementation of the network switching device 100 provided in this embodiment, as Figures 5-6 shown, the following will be described by taking the ESP32-C3 chip 140 as the management module 110.

[0079] As Figure 5 shown, the network switching device 100 provided in this embodiment includes an ESP32-C3 chip 140, which is used to implement the configuration, monitoring, and management of the external electronic device 400. The ESP32-C3 chip 140 is a secure, stable, low-power, and low-cost Internet of Things chip, including a single-core processor, and supporting wireless network access and Bluetooth connection functions, and is suitable for a wide range of Internet of Things application scenarios. Specifically, the ESP32-C3 chip 140 accesses the wide area network through the WIFI interface 142 to communicate with the cloud 200, or accesses the wide area network in a wired connection manner through the ETH interface 116; alternatively, the ESP32-C3 chip 140 can also be wired to the nearby external management terminal 300 through the serial port 115; or the ESP32-C3 chip 140 can also access the local area network through the WIFI hotspot to wirelessly connect to the nearby external management terminal 300. The user can log in to the corresponding management platform through the cloud 200, or directly connect to the network switching device 100 through the external management terminal 300, and then configure, monitor, and manage the external electronic device 400.

[0080] As Figure 5 shown, the ESP32-C3 chip 140 also includes a BLE interface 144, and the BLE interface 144 is used to receive the connection information of the wide area network, such as the SSID (Service Set Identifier) and the connection password, so that the ESP32-C3 chip 140 can obtain the relevant information, and then assist the WIFI interface 112 to access the wide area network to connect to the cloud 200. Further, the BLE interface 144 is also used to receive the information of the external management terminal 300 and send it to the cloud 200 through the WIFI interface 142, so that the nearby external management terminal 300 can communicate with the network switching device 100 through the cloud 200 to implement the configuration, monitoring, and management of the external electronic device 400.

[0081] Further, the ESP32-C3 chip 140 is connected to the switch module 120 and controls the switch module 120 through the SMI interface 141. Exemplarily, as Figure 5As shown, the RTL8367S switch chip 150 is used as the switch module 120. The RTL8367S switch chip 150 is a 5-port gigabit switch chip. Specifically, the RTL8367S switch chip 150 is connected to the system chip RMII interface 143 of the ESP32-C3 chip 140 through the switch RMII interface 152 for data transmission. The 5 RJ45 network ports 153 can be connected to the external electronic device 400 to access the status of the external electronic device 400. Based on this, the ESP32-C3 chip 140 receives data directly sent by the cloud 200 or the external management terminal 300, and controls the RTL8367S switch chip 150 to access the corresponding external electronic device 400 through the SMI interface 141. The obtained external electronic device 400 is transmitted through the RJ45 network port 153, the switch RMII interface 152, and the system chip RMII interface 143, so that the user can configure, monitor, and manage the external electronic device 400.

[0082] It should be noted that the network switching device 100 provided in this embodiment may include multiple RTL8367S switch chips 150. The ESP32-C3 chip 140 controls each RTL8367S switch chip 150 through the SMI interface 141. The multiple RTL8367S switch chips 150 are connected in series through the SGMII interface 154 to achieve mutual data transmission. At least one RTL8367S switch chip 150 is connected to the system chip RMII interface 143 through the switch RMII interface 152 to achieve mutual data transmission between the RTL8367S switch chip 150 and the ESP32-C3 chip 140. Based on this, multiple RTL8367S switch chips 150 can all directly or indirectly transmit data to and from the ESP32-C3 chip 140, thereby realizing the configuration, monitoring, and management of all external electronic devices 400 connected to the multiple RTL8367S switch chips 150, greatly expanding the number of external electronic devices 400 that the network switching device 100 can connect and manage, which is beneficial to the management of large-scale networks. Exemplarily, as Figure 5 shown, the network switching device 100 may include 2 RTL8367S switch chips 150, so that the network switching device 100 is expanded from 5 ports to 10 ports.

[0083] Similarly, as Figure 6As shown, the RTL8370M switch chip 160 can also be used as the switch module 120, and the ESP32-C3 chip 140 controls the RTL8370M switch chip 160 through the SMI interface 141. The RTL8370M switch chip 160 is an 8-port gigabit switch chip, which is connected to the system chip RMII interface 143 of the ESP32-C3 chip 140 through the switch RMII interface 152 for data transmission. The 8 RJ45 network ports 153 can be connected to the external electronic device 400 to access the status of the external electronic device 400. The network switching device 100 can also include multiple RTL8370M switch chips 160. The multiple RTL8370M switch chips 160 are connected in series through the SGMII interface 154 to transmit data to each other, so as to expand the number of external electronic devices 400 that can be connected and managed, which is beneficial to the management of large-scale networks. For the specific implementation manners, please refer to the foregoing content and will not be repeated here. Exemplarily, as Figure 6 shown, the network switching device 100 can include 2 RTL8370M switch chips 160, so that the network switching device 100 is expanded from 8 ports to 16 ports.

[0084] Furthermore, the SGMII interface 154 of the RTL8370M switch chip 160 is also connected to the SFP optical port 165. The SFP optical port 165 is used for signal conversion and data transmission to connect other network switching devices 100, further expanding the network scale of the managed devices, so as to provide a more flexible, intelligent and manageable network solution when facing a rapidly changing network environment.

[0085] Furthermore, the network switching device 100 provided in this embodiment further includes a power supply module 130 for supplying power to the connected external electronic device 400. The power supply module 130 includes at least one power supply control unit 132. Exemplarily, as Figure 6 shown, the IP808A type POE chip 170 is used as the power supply control unit 132. A single IP808A type POE chip 170 can provide 8 independent power interfaces, which are connected to the ESP32-C3 chip 140 through the I2C interface 146 for communication, so as to transmit power to the corresponding power interfaces to supply power to the external electronic device 400. Through the communication between the IP808A type POE chip 170 and the ESP32-C3 chip 140, precise and unified power supply allocation is carried out, which has the advantages of reliability, simple connection and unified standard, and is also beneficial to the intelligent management of large-scale networks.

[0086] Preferably, the power supply module 130 includes multiple IP808A-type POE chips 170 to expand the number of external electronic devices 400 that the network switching device 100 can power, and to realize the power supply and management of a large-scale network. Specifically, all the IP808A-type POE chips 170 are connected to the I2C interface 146 of the ESP32-C3 chip 140 through a bus, and then communicate with it, so as to finally realize the communication between all the IP808A-type POE chips 170 and the ESP32-C3 chip 140. It should be noted that the maximum number of external electronic devices 400 that the power supply module 130 can power is not less than the maximum number of external electronic devices 400 that the network switching device 100 can control. Preferably, the maximum number of external electronic devices 400 that the power supply module 130 can power is equal to the maximum number of external electronic devices 400 that the network switching device 100 can control, so that the power supply function of the power supply module 130 matches the control function of the network switching device 100 for the external electronic devices 400. As Figure 6 shown, taking the RTL8370M switch chip 160 as the switch module 120, the network switching device 100 includes 2 RTL8370M switch chips 160, and the maximum number of external electronic devices 400 that can be controlled is 16. Therefore, the power supply module 130 includes 2 IP808A-type POE chips 170, which can power up to 16 external electronic devices 400.

[0087] The network switching device 100 provided in this embodiment is connected to the wide area network through the WIFI interface 142, so that the network switching device 100 is connected to the cloud 200, realizing the cloud management function of the network switching device 100. And because the WIFI interface 142 is directly connected to the network without adding a third device such as a router, the network switching device 100 realizes a wireless connection with the cloud 200, and has a small volume and low cost, which is conducive to the wide application of the network switching device 100. At the same time, the network switching device 100 provided in this embodiment supports multiple management methods, and expands the number of external electronic devices 400 that can be managed through the serial connection between multiple RTL8367S switch chips 150 or multiple RTL8370M switch chips, so as to adapt to a larger-scale network, which is conducive to the network switching device 100 to meet the management requirements of a rapidly changing network environment and a growing network scale, and realize the intelligent management of a large-scale network.

[0088] Next, as Figure 6As shown, in this embodiment, the ESP32-C3 chip 140 is used as the management module 110, the RTL8370M switch chip 160 is used as the switch module 120, and the IP808A type POE chip 170 is used as the power supply control unit 132. An example is used to illustrate the specific method for the network switching device 100 to configure, monitor, and manage the external electronic device 400.

[0089] As Figure 6 shown, the user logs in to the management platform through the cloud 200 to achieve a communication connection with the network switching device 100 for configuration. It should be noted that the user can also directly achieve a communication connection with the network switching device 100 through an external management terminal 300 that is wired or wirelessly connected to the network switching device 100, which is specifically determined according to the actual situation and is not specifically limited in this embodiment.

[0090] The ESP32-C3 chip 140 receives the user's access data through either the WIFI interface 142 or the serial port 115, and controls the RTL8367S switch chip 160 to access the corresponding external electronic device 400 through the SMI interface 141. At the same time, data transmission is performed with the connected switch RMII interface 152 through the system chip RMII interface 143. The RTL8367S switch chip 160 is connected to the external electronic device 400 through the RJ45 network port 153, communicates with it, and transmits the data of the obtained external electronic device 400 to the ESP32-C3 chip 140 through the switch RMII interface 152. It should be noted that the network switching device 100 may include multiple RTL8367S switch chips 160, and the multiple RTL8367S switch chips 160 are connected in series through the SGMII interface 154 for communication. When the RTL8367S switch chip 160 connected to the corresponding external electronic device 400 does not directly communicate with the ESP32-C3 chip 140 through the switch RMII interface 152, the data of the external electronic device 400 needs to transmit the data to other RTL8367S switch chips 160 through the SGMII interface 154, and finally, one of the RTL8367S switch chips 160 transmits the data to the ESP32-C3 chip 140 through the switch RMII interface 152.

[0091] The data of the external electronic device 400 is sent to the cloud 200 through the WIFI interface 142 of the ESP32-C3 chip 140, and then is displayed on the user's terminal through the corresponding management platform, or is directly sent to the user's external management terminal 300 through the serial port 115 to achieve the monitoring of the corresponding external electronic device 400. Among them, the BLE interface 144 receives the connection information of the wide area network to assist the WIFI interface 142 in accessing the wide area network to achieve a communication connection with the cloud 200.

[0092] Similarly, the configuration data sent by the user is transmitted to the ESP32-C3 chip 140. The ESP32-C3 chip 140 controls the RTL8367S switch chip 160 to access the corresponding external electronic device 400 and communicate with it, so that the configuration data is transmitted to the corresponding external electronic device 400 through the RJ45 network interface 153 to achieve configuration. When the RTL8367S switch chip 160 cannot directly communicate with the ESP32-C3 chip 140, the configuration data is transmitted from the ESP32-C3 chip 140 to another RTL8367S switch chip 160 and further indirectly transmitted to the RTL8367S switch chip 160 through the SGMII interface 154 to achieve configuration. For the specific implementation manners and principles, please refer to the foregoing content and will not be repeated here.

[0093] Furthermore, the user can also send power supply data to the ESP32-C3 chip 140. The ESP32-C3 chip 140 controls the IP808A type POE chip 170 through the I2C interface 146 to uniformly allocate power supply to the corresponding external electronic device 400, which has the advantages of reliability, simple connection, and unified standard. At the same time, it is also beneficial to the intelligent management of large-scale networks. It should be noted that when the IP808A type POE chip 170 does not directly communicate with the ESP32-C3 chip 140 through the I2C interface 146, the IP808A type POE chip 170 communicates with other IP808A type POE chips 170 through the I2C interface 146, and then indirectly realizes communication with the ESP32-C3 chip 140. For the specific implementation manners and principles, please refer to the above content and will not be repeated here.

[0094] The network switching device 100 provided in this embodiment enables the user to freely select the ways to configure, monitor, and manage the external electronic device 400 through the WIFI interface 142, BLE interface, and serial port 115. There are various management methods to choose from, which are adapted to multiple scenarios, so that the practicability of the network switching device 100 is greatly improved. At the same time, the methods for configuring, monitoring, and managing the external electronic device 400 provided in this embodiment are simple, convenient, and fast, which is beneficial to the efficient management of the external electronic device 400 and enables the network switching device 100 to obtain better device management effects.

[0095] In summary, the network switching device 100 provided by the present application is connected to the cloud 200 through the wireless interface 112 to implement the cloud management function, avoiding the problems of large occupied space, high cost, and difficult management caused by the existing switch connecting a third device to access the cloud, and making the network switching device 100 easy to move and simple to install. At the same time, the wireless and wired methods of directly connecting an external management terminal can be realized through the Bluetooth interface 114 and the serial port 115, so that the management function of the network switching device 100 can be realized in various ways, greatly improving the applicable range of the network switching device 100, achieving a better management effect, and being beneficial to the practical application of the network switching device 100.

[0096] The descriptions of the processes or structures corresponding to the above respective drawings each have their own emphases. For parts not detailed in a certain process or structure, reference may be made to the relevant descriptions of other processes or structures.

[0097] The above embodiments are only illustrative of the principles and effects of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. Any person familiar with this technology can modify or change the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or changes made by those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field without departing from the spirit and technical ideas disclosed by the present application should still be covered by the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A network switching device, characterized in that, It includes a management module and at least one switch module connected to the management module; The management module includes a wireless interface, a management configuration interface, and a first data transmission interface; the switch module includes a second data transmission interface, a configuration input terminal, and at least one Ethernet interface; Among them, the first data transmission interface is connected to the second data transmission interface, the management configuration interface is connected to the configuration input terminal, and the management module is communicatively connected to an external cloud via the wireless interface.

2. The network switching device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The management module further includes a Bluetooth interface.

3. The network switching device according to claim 1, wherein The management module further includes a serial port that is wired to an external management terminal.

4. The network switching device according to claim 1, wherein The network switching device includes a plurality of switch modules, and the switch module includes a switch transmission interface, and all the switch modules are connected in series via the switch transmission interface.

5. The network switching device according to claim 1, wherein It further includes a power supply module connected to the management module, the power supply module includes a power supply unit and at least one power supply control unit connected to the power supply unit, and the power supply control unit includes at least one device power supply interface.

6. The network switching device according to claim 5, wherein The power supply control unit is an IP808A type POE chip, and the power supply control unit is connected to the management module via an I2C interface.

7. The network switching device according to claim 5, wherein It includes a plurality of the power supply control units, the power supply control unit is an IP808A type POE chip, at least one of the power supply control units is connected to the management module via an I2C interface, and all the power supply control units are connected in series via the I2C interface.

8. The network switching device according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The switch module is an RTL8367S switch chip, the second data transmission interface is an RMII interface, and the Ethernet interface is an RJ45 network port.

9. The network switching device according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that The switch module is an RTL8370M switch chip, the second data transmission interface is an RMII interface, and the Ethernet interface is an RJ45 network port.

10. The network switching device according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The management module is an ESP32-C3 series chip, the management configuration interface is an SMI interface, and the first data transmission interface is an RMII interface.

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