Data acquisition station and docking station for data acquisition station

Abstract

The utility model provides a data acquisition station and a docking station for the data acquisition station. The docking station comprises a plurality of cabins; a primary USB expansion module with at least one primary USB interface is arranged on the main PCB; a secondary USB expansion module with at least one secondary USB interface is arranged on the primary PCB; the at least one auxiliary PCB is provided with a second-level USB expansion module, the second-level USB expansion module is provided with a plurality of second-level USB interfaces, and each second-level USB interface is coupled to the corresponding cabin and used for being connected with data acquisition equipment; wherein the first-stage USB interface is connected with the corresponding second-stage USB expansion module, and is used for connecting the second-stage USB expansion module and the first-stage USB expansion module. According to the USB design in the docking station, reasonable PCB layout is achieved through the main PCB and the auxiliary PCB, the two-stage USB extension module design is combined, the PCB area and backboard cost in the docking station can be effectively reduced, the functions of hot plug and live maintenance based on USB interfaces can be achieved, maintenance convenience is improved, and efficient transmission of USB signals is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of data acquisition technology, and in particular to a data acquisition station and an expansion dock for the data acquisition station. Background Technology

[0002] The data acquisition station provides charging and data collection services for peripheral data acquisition devices. The data acquisition station includes a main unit and multi-level expansion docks cascaded to the main unit. Each expansion dock contains multiple compartments that provide plug-and-play charging and data uploading services for the corresponding data acquisition devices.

[0003] In the current data acquisition station, USB interfaces are used for data transmission and signal control between the host and the expansion dock, as well as between two adjacent expansion docks. At the same time, the compartments within each expansion dock also use USB interfaces to connect the data acquisition equipment.

[0004] In one related technology, existing docking stations use a small motherboard with multiple adapter cables to connect the various compartments. While this design is cost-effective, it is complex to assemble, and the adapter cables are easily damaged, increasing the overall system failure rate. Furthermore, due to the connection method of the adapter cables, the repair and maintenance process of the docking station is cumbersome. If a compartment malfunctions, it usually requires power outage and disassembly of the entire unit for replacement, increasing the user's operational difficulty and maintenance costs.

[0005] In another related technology, some docking stations use a single large backplane for connection, integrating all USB expansion modules within it. While this design simplifies the connection process, the backplane is expensive, and if it fails, the repair difficulty and cost of the entire docking station increase significantly. Therefore, reducing backplane costs and improving system modularity and maintainability has become a challenge in designing efficient docking stations.

[0006] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the background section above is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of this utility model, and therefore may include information that does not constitute prior art known to those skilled in the art. Utility Model Content

[0007] In view of the problems in the prior art, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a data acquisition station and an expansion dock for the data acquisition station, which overcomes the difficulties of the prior art, reduces backplane costs, and improves the modularity and maintainability of the system.

[0008] The first aspect of this disclosure provides a docking station for a data acquisition station, comprising:

[0009] Multiple compartments;

[0010] The main PCB board has a primary USB expansion module with at least one primary USB interface.

[0011] At least one secondary PCB board is provided, on which a secondary USB expansion module is provided. The secondary USB expansion module has multiple secondary USB interfaces, each of which is coupled to a corresponding compartment for connecting to a data acquisition device.

[0012] The primary USB interface is connected to the corresponding secondary USB expansion module, and is used to connect the secondary USB expansion module and the primary USB expansion module.

[0013] In some embodiments, a plurality of the sub-PCBs are arranged in parallel and connected one-to-one with a plurality of the primary USB interfaces, and each sub-PCB is connected to the corresponding primary USB interface through its secondary USB expansion module.

[0014] In some embodiments, the main PCB board is arranged perpendicularly to the secondary PCB board, and the plurality of secondary USB ports on the secondary PCB board are arranged along the length of the PCB board and respectively disposed in the plurality of compartments.

[0015] In some implementations, when the docking station includes multiple sub-PCBs, the wiring structures on the multiple sub-PCBs are identical.

[0016] In some implementations, the primary USB interface is connected to the corresponding secondary USB expansion module via a second high-speed connector.

[0017] In some implementations, the second high-speed connector is connected to a secondary USB expansion module on the sub-PCB via an FPC flexible board.

[0018] In some implementations, the main PCB board is also provided with a third high-speed connector, which is connected to the primary USB expansion module.

[0019] In some implementations, a control module is also provided on the main PCB board. The control module is connected to the first-level USB expansion module and is used to receive control signals sent by the host from the first-level USB expansion module. The secondary PCB board is also provided with a first high-speed connector, which is connected to the control module and is used to transmit signals between the corresponding compartment and the control module.

[0020] In some embodiments, the back panel inside the compartment is designed with gold fingers, and the first high-speed connector is mated to the gold fingers in the corresponding compartment to transmit signals between the corresponding compartment and the control module.

[0021] A second aspect of this disclosure provides a data acquisition station comprising: a host and multiple levels of expansion docks cascaded with the host according to any of the above embodiments.

[0022] The data acquisition station and the expansion dock for the data acquisition station provided in this disclosure have the following characteristics:

[0023] Beneficial effects:

[0024] The USB design within the docking station in this embodiment achieves a reasonable PCB layout through the main PCB board and the secondary PCB board. Combined with the dual-level USB expansion module design, it can not only effectively reduce the PCB board area and backplane cost within the docking station, but also realize the functions of hot-swapping and live maintenance based on the USB interface, improve maintenance convenience, and ensure efficient transmission of USB signals.

[0025] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Other features, objects, and advantages of this invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the topology of a data acquisition station provided for an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0028] Figure 2 The embodiments provided in this disclosure are for use with Figure 1 The diagram shows the internal topology of the expansion dock of the data acquisition station.

[0029] Figure 3 for Figure 2 The diagram shows the layout structure between the main PCB board and the secondary PCB board in the expansion dock.

[0030] Figure 4 exhibit Figure 1 The diagram shows the topology between the host computer and an expansion dock in the data acquisition station.

[0031] Figure 5 exhibit Figure 2 The diagram shows the signal control topology between the main PCB board and the auxiliary PCB board in the expansion dock. Detailed Implementation

[0032] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, they are provided so that this disclosure will be more comprehensive and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. The described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0033] Furthermore, the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative of this disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar parts, and therefore repeated descriptions of them will be omitted. Some block diagrams shown in the drawings are functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically or logically independent entities. These functional entities may be implemented in software, in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or in different network and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0034] Furthermore, the concepts of "first" and "second" mentioned in this disclosure are used only to distinguish different devices, modules or units, and are not used to define the order of functions performed by these devices, modules or units or their interdependencies.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, this disclosure provides a data acquisition station, which includes a host 100 and a multi-level expansion dock 200. Exemplarily, the multi-level expansion dock 200 includes a first-level expansion dock 200a, a second-level expansion dock 200b, and a third-level expansion dock 200c. Each level of expansion dock 200 includes multiple compartments (not shown in the figure). The host 100 is directly cascaded to the first-level expansion dock 200a, and the expansion docks 200 are cascaded sequentially, such as the first-level expansion dock 200a, the second-level expansion dock 200b, and the third-level expansion dock 200c being cascaded in sequence.

[0036] This disclosure provides an expansion dock for a data acquisition station, such as... Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, each expansion dock includes multiple compartments A, exemplarily including compartments A1-A9. Exemplarily, Figure 3 The dashed box indicates the location of the compartment. Each expansion dock also includes:

[0037] The main PCB (PCB is an abbreviation for "Printed Circuit Board") board 1 is provided with a primary USB expansion module 10 having at least one primary USB interface. For example, the primary USB expansion module 10 has three primary USB interfaces B, which are respectively set as a first primary USB interface B1, a second primary USB interface B2 and a third primary USB interface B3.

[0038] At least one secondary PCB board 2, on which a secondary USB expansion module 20 is provided ( Figure 3 The secondary USB expansion module 20 has multiple secondary USB ports (C, which are obscured and not visible in the middle). Figure 3 (The middle section is obscured by the main PCB board 1 and is not visible), and each secondary USB interface C is coupled to the corresponding compartment for connecting data acquisition equipment (not shown in the figure).

[0039] For example, the docking station of this embodiment includes three sub-PCB boards 2, which are respectively configured as a first sub-PCB board 2a, a second sub-PCB board 2b, and a third sub-PCB board 2c. Each sub-PCB board 2 is provided with one secondary USB expansion module 20, and each secondary USB expansion module 20 is provided with multiple secondary USB interfaces C, namely a first secondary USB interface C1, a second secondary USB interface C2, and a third secondary USB interface C3. Figure 3 (The interface is obscured by the main PCB board 1 and is therefore not visible). For example, on the first secondary PCB board 2a, the first secondary USB interface C1, the second secondary USB interface C2, and the third secondary USB interface C3 are respectively located at positions A1, A4, and A7 in the compartments.

[0040] The primary USB interface B is connected to the corresponding secondary USB expansion module 20, serving to connect the secondary USB expansion module 20 to the primary USB expansion module 10. For example, the first primary USB interface B1, the second primary USB interface B2, and the third primary USB interface B3 are connected one-to-one to the secondary USB expansion modules 20 disposed on the first sub-PCB board 2a, the second sub-PCB board 2b, and the third sub-PCB board 2c for signal transmission.

[0041] In this embodiment, the main PCB board 1 can connect to one or more sub-PCB boards 2, and transmit signals between it and one or more secondary USB expansion modules 20 via a primary USB expansion module 10. Each sub-PCB board 2 transmits data to the primary USB expansion module 10 via its secondary USB expansion module 20. The primary USB expansion module 10 can transmit signals to the secondary USB expansion modules 20 on multiple sub-PCB boards 2 simultaneously or separately. USB plugs are provided on the sub-PCB boards, and each secondary USB interface C is correspondingly provided with a USB plug. The USB plug is used to insert into the corresponding USB interface. When the compartment is connected to the sub-PCB board, the USB plugs on the sub-PCB board are located in the corresponding compartment A, used to connect to an external data acquisition device. The data provided by the data acquisition device is transmitted to the previous-level docking station or host via its connected secondary USB interface C, secondary USB expansion module 20, and primary USB interface B. For example, the data acquisition device is connected via the first secondary USB interface C1 in compartment A1, and the data is transmitted forward via the secondary USB expansion module 20, the first primary USB interface B1, and the primary USB interface 10.

[0042] The USB design within the docking station in this embodiment achieves a reasonable PCB layout through the main PCB board 1 and the secondary PCB board 2. Combined with the dual-level USB expansion module design, it can not only effectively reduce the PCB board area and backplane cost within the docking station, but also realize the functions of hot-swapping and live maintenance based on the USB interface, improve maintenance convenience, and ensure efficient transmission of USB signals.

[0043] In this embodiment, when the docking station includes multiple sub-PCBs 2, the wiring structure on these sub-PCBs 2 is identical. This ensures that the layout of the secondary USB expansion modules 20 and their secondary USB interfaces B is the same on all sub-PCBs 2, enabling a modular design of the sub-PCBs 2. This not only reduces design costs but also provides high substitutability for the sub-PCBs 2, facilitating replacement and maintenance. Furthermore, this enhances the interchangeability between different docking stations, reducing global downtime caused by the failure of a single component.

[0044] In this way, even if the main PCB board 1 or the secondary PCB board 2 has a problem, the user can complete the repair by replacing the corresponding individual main PCB board 1 or secondary PCB board 2, thus reducing the overall repair cost.

[0045] In this disclosure, such as Figure 3 As shown, the primary USB expansion module 10 is provided with a plurality of primary USB interfaces B arranged along the first direction HH'. This is an example; in other embodiments, the plurality of primary USB interfaces B may also be arranged along the second direction LL', which is not limited here.

[0046] Multiple secondary PCBs 2 are arranged side by side along the first direction HH' and are connected one-to-one with multiple primary USB interfaces B. Each secondary PCB 2 is connected to a secondary USB expansion module 20 (e.g., ...) Figure 2 As shown, the secondary USB expansion module 20 on the first PCB board 2a is connected to the first primary USB interface B1, the secondary USB expansion module 20 on the second PCB board 2b is connected to the second primary USB interface B2, and the secondary USB expansion module 20 on the third PCB board 2c is connected to the third primary USB interface B3.

[0047] In the above embodiment, the main PCB board 1 and the secondary PCB board 2 are arranged perpendicularly.

[0048] In this embodiment of the disclosure, multiple secondary USB interfaces C (such as...) on the secondary PCB board 2 Figure 2 As shown, the first direction HH' is arranged along the length direction of the sub-PCB board 2 (corresponding to the second direction LL') and respectively disposed in multiple compartments A1-A9 arranged along the second direction LL', wherein the first direction HH' is perpendicular to the second direction LL'.

[0049] For example, on the first PCB board 2a, the first secondary USB interface C1, the second secondary USB interface C2, and the third secondary USB interface C3 (e.g. Figure 2 As shown, the corresponding compartments A1, A4, and A7 are arranged along the second direction LL', and the first and second level USB interfaces C1, C2, and C3 are connected one-to-one to compartments A1, A4, and A7.

[0050] In this scenario, if the main PCB board 1 is a horizontal board, then the secondary PCB board 2 is a vertical board, designed as a structure of one horizontal board + three vertical boards. In another embodiment, when there are two or more secondary PCB boards, they are designed as a corresponding structure of one horizontal board + multiple vertical boards.

[0051] In this way, the secondary PCB board 2 can be reused, realizing material normalization in the docking station design, reducing the cost of a single board, and simplifying the assembly and maintenance process.

[0052] In this disclosure, such as Figure 2As shown, the primary USB interface B and the corresponding secondary USB expansion module 20 are connected via a second high-speed connector (not shown in the figure). A high-speed connector is a connector used for transmitting high-speed or high-frequency signals. The primary USB interface B1, the secondary USB interface B2, and the third primary USB interface B3 can be integrated into the second high-speed connector. The second high-speed connector connects to each secondary USB expansion module 20, ensuring that signal transmission is not affected by attenuation.

[0053] In one embodiment, the second high-speed connector is connected to the secondary USB expansion module 20 on the secondary PCB board 2 via an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) flexible board. The FPC acts as a bridge between the second high-speed connector and the secondary expansion module 20 on the secondary PCB board 2. It is a flexible circuit board that can be bent and folded. Using the FPC for connection simplifies the signal wiring inside the docking station 200 and effectively saves space. The FPC connects the primary USB expansion module 10 on the main PCB board 1 to the secondary PCB board 2, helping to reduce space occupation and improve the flexibility of signal transmission.

[0054] In this embodiment, the signal trace length between the secondary USB expansion module 20 and its corresponding compartment is controlled within a preset trace length to ensure signal attenuation is less than 20dB. Thus, by controlling the signal trace length between the secondary USB expansion module 20 and its corresponding compartment, minimal signal attenuation is achieved. The preset trace length is related to the chip design and can also be adjusted according to signal attenuation requirements. This design ensures stable signal quality for high-speed USB signals during long-distance, cross-board transmission.

[0055] like Figure 3 As shown, the main PCB board 1 is also provided with a third high-speed connector 11 and a fourth high-speed connector 12 located at both ends. The third high-speed connector 11 is connected to the first-level USB expansion module 10, and the fourth high-speed connector 12 is connected to the third high-speed connector in the next-level expansion dock corresponding to the current expansion dock. For example, as... Figure 2 The third high-speed connector 11 is shown.

[0056] like Figure 4 As shown, when the expansion dock is a first-level expansion dock, it connects to the host interface in the host 100 via the third high-speed connector 11, and connects to the third high-speed connector (not shown) in the next-level expansion dock via the fourth high-speed connector (not shown). In another embodiment, when the expansion dock is an intermediate-level expansion dock, it connects the preceding and following-level expansion docks via the third and fourth high-speed connectors.

[0057] In this disclosure, such as Figure 3 As shown, the primary USB expansion module 10 is directly connected to the main PCB board 1, or connected via the third high-speed connector 11. The location near the third high-speed connector 11 helps to reduce the signal transmission distance, ensure signal stability, and effectively manage data exchange between the host and the expansion dock, as well as between adjacent expansion docks.

[0058] The secondary USB expansion module 20 is located roughly in the central area inside the docking station and connects directly to each compartment via a secondary USB interface C. This design reduces the cable length for each secondary USB interface C and avoids interference between multiple secondary USB interfaces C. Placing the secondary USB expansion module 20 in the center optimizes the signal transmission path, maintaining better signal quality and stability.

[0059] In this disclosure, such as Figure 5 As shown, a control module is also provided on the main PCB board 1. The control module 3 is connected to the first-level USB expansion module 10 and is used to receive control signals sent by the host 100 from the first-level USB expansion module 10. Combined with... Figure 3 As shown, the secondary PCB board 2 also has a first high-speed connector 4 for connection. Combined with... Figure 5 As shown, the first high-speed connector 4 is connected to the control module 3 and is used to transmit signals between the corresponding compartment A and the control module 3.

[0060] Combination Figure 2 and Figure 5 As shown, exemplarily, the fourth primary USB interface B4 in the primary USB expansion module 10 transmits control signals (signals used to control the compartments) downwards. The primary USB expansion module 10 transmits the control signals downwards to the control module on the main PCB board through the fourth primary USB interface B4. The control module then transmits the control signals to the corresponding compartments through the first high-speed connector 4 on the sub-board, passing the control signals to the compartment functional devices in the corresponding compartments, causing the corresponding compartment functional devices to respond. These compartment functional devices can be compartment locks, lights, etc., and are not limited here.

[0061] The function of the first high-speed connector 4 is to receive control signals from the control module 3 or the compartment it is located in. These signals include switch, connection command, equipment management, fault alarm, etc., and control the corresponding compartment response based on the control signals from the control module 3.

[0062] In this embodiment, the first high-speed connector 4 is a PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express, or PCI-E for short) high-speed connector. The PCIe standard is a high-speed serial communication interface, and the PCIe high-speed connector is the physical interface component that implements this connection. The PCIe high-speed connector operates based on serial communication, supporting full-duplex data transmission. Data is transmitted between the "channels" of the PCIe high-speed connector via high-speed serial signals. Each channel has an independent signal transmission path, enabling simultaneous data input and output. Specifically, the PCIe connector uses electrical signals to communicate with the device through the data channels, and data is allocated according to priority, thereby maximizing bandwidth utilization.

[0063] In this embodiment, each compartment's backplane on the sub-PCB board 2 is designed with gold fingers (not shown in the figure). A PCIe high-speed connector (first high-speed connector 4) is plugged into the corresponding compartment's gold fingers for easy assembly and maintenance. In this embodiment, because the first high-speed connector 4 is connected to the gold fingers on the corresponding compartment's backplane, it can transmit control signals from the control module to the corresponding compartment, thus controlling the compartment.

[0064] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the utility models disclosed herein. This disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A docking station for a data acquisition station, characterized in that, include: Multiple compartments; The main PCB board has a primary USB expansion module with at least one primary USB interface. At least one secondary PCB board is provided, on which a secondary USB expansion module is provided. The secondary USB expansion module has multiple secondary USB interfaces, each of which is coupled to a corresponding compartment for connecting to a data acquisition device. The primary USB interface is connected to the corresponding secondary USB expansion module, and is used to connect the secondary USB expansion module and the primary USB expansion module.

2. The expansion dock for a data acquisition station according to claim 1, characterized in that, The primary USB expansion module is provided with multiple primary USB ports; Multiple sub-PCBs are arranged in parallel and connected to each of the multiple primary USB interfaces. Each sub-PCB is connected to the corresponding primary USB interface through its secondary USB expansion module.

3. The expansion dock for a data acquisition station according to claim 2, characterized in that, The main PCB board is perpendicular to the secondary PCB board, and the multiple secondary USB ports on the secondary PCB board are arranged along the length of the PCB board and are respectively located in the multiple compartments.

4. The expansion dock for a data acquisition station according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the expansion dock includes multiple sub-PCBs, the wiring structure on the multiple sub-PCBs is the same.

5. The expansion dock for a data acquisition station according to claim 1, characterized in that, The primary USB interface is connected to the corresponding secondary USB expansion module via a second high-speed connector.

6. The expansion dock for a data acquisition station according to claim 5, characterized in that, The second high-speed connector is connected to the secondary USB expansion module on the sub-PCB via an FPC flexible board.

7. The expansion dock for a data acquisition station according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main PCB board is also equipped with a third high-speed connector, which is connected to the first-level USB expansion module.

8. The expansion dock for a data acquisition station according to claim 1, characterized in that, A control module is also provided on the main PCB board. The control module is connected to the first-level USB expansion module and is used to receive control signals sent by the host from the first-level USB expansion module. The sub-PCB board is also provided with a first high-speed connector, which is connected to the control module and is used to transmit signals between the corresponding compartment and the control module.

9. The expansion dock for a data acquisition station according to claim 8, characterized in that, The back panel inside the cabin is designed with gold fingers, and the first high-speed connector is plugged into the corresponding gold fingers in the cabin to transmit signals between the corresponding cabin and the control module.

10. A data acquisition station, characterized in that, include: The host and the multi-level expansion dock cascaded with the host according to any one of claims 1-9.

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