PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) signal slot expansion equipment

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of circuit design, in particular to PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) signal slot expansion equipment, which comprises a PCIe signal exchange board card, a PCIe cable and a test connection card which are connected in sequence. According to the utility model, the tested card is connected with the test connection card, then the high-speed PCIe cable is connected with the test card, high-speed PCIe signals in the tested card are extended out of the test case and connected with the PCIe signal exchange board card, and test result observation is carried out, so that a plurality of tested cards can be tested at the same time, and the test convenience is greatly improved. And the PCIe signal exchange board card and the high-speed PCIe cable can be repeatedly used, so that the tool design component cost and the engineering design cost are greatly reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of circuit design technology, and more specifically, to a PCIe signal slot expansion device. Background Technology

[0002] PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express), a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard, is widely used in the circuit hardware design of modern electronic devices and computer systems. This bus standard boasts significant advantages such as high transmission rate, strong real-time performance, and good scalability, making it one of the mainstream hardware interface standards. However, in practical engineering applications, especially when conducting environmental and reliability tests on single boards that transmit signals via the PCIe protocol, numerous technical challenges often arise. The primary issue is that PCIe signals need to be transmitted from inside the test chamber to the outside for monitoring and analysis, a process that faces challenges such as signal integrity loss and transmission quality degradation. Due to the high-speed characteristics of PCIe signals and the stringent requirements for signal quality, traditional testing methods often struggle to meet experimental needs; therefore, it is necessary to design and manufacture specialized test fixtures for the boards under test. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a PCIe signal slot expansion device, which solves the problems of high testing difficulty and high tooling cost when testing multiple VPX boards in environmental testing.

[0004] The embodiments of this utility model are achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0005] A PCIe signal slot expansion device includes: a PCIe signal switching board, a PCIe cable, and a test connection card connected in sequence.

[0006] Optionally, the PCIe signal switching board consists of a PCIe switching chip, a signal access module, a signal switching module, a signal output module, a power supply module, a clock module, and a peripheral module; the signal access module, signal switching module, signal output module, power supply module, clock module, and peripheral module are respectively connected to the PCIe switching chip.

[0007] Optionally, the peripheral module includes: a debugging module, a storage chip, and a reset chip; the debugging module is used to debug the PCIe switching chip, the EEPROM chip is used to store the parameters of the PCIe switching chip, and the reset chip is used to manage the reset signal of the PCIe switching chip; the debugging module, the storage chip, and the reset chip are respectively connected to the PCIe switching chip.

[0008] Optionally, the test connection card includes: the clock module specifically adopts a differential clock buffer, and the differential clock buffer is connected to the PCIe switching chip.

[0009] Optionally, the PCIe cable includes: a first plug, a heat shrink tubing, and a second plug connected in sequence; the PCIe switching chip is connected to the first plug, and the second plug is connected to the test connection card.

[0010] Optionally, the test connection card includes: an input connector and a test connector; the second plug is connected to the input connector, and the input connector is connected to the test connector.

[0011] Optionally, the test connector is a VPX connector or a PCIe connector.

[0012] The technical solution of this utility model embodiment has at least the following advantages and beneficial effects:

[0013] This invention connects the card under test to a test connection card, and then to the test card via a high-speed PCIe cable. The high-speed PCIe signal from the card under test is extended to the outside of the test chassis and connected to a PCIe signal switching board for observation of test results. This allows for simultaneous testing of multiple cards under test, greatly improving testing convenience. The PCIe signal switching board and high-speed PCIe cable are reusable, significantly reducing tooling and component costs, as well as engineering design costs. Furthermore, the test connection card can be designed according to specific application scenarios, offering flexibility. The test connection card involves fewer components and has low cost. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 Overall block diagram of the PCIe signal slot expansion device provided by this utility model;

[0015] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of the PCIe signal switching board system provided by this utility model;

[0016] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the high-speed PCIe cable provided by this utility model;

[0017] Figure 4 A block diagram of the test connection card system provided by this utility model;

[0018] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the power supply method provided by this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0019] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this utility model clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this utility model, and not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of this utility model described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0020] like Figure 1 As shown, this utility model provides one embodiment: a PCIe signal slot expansion device, which connects to the card under test via a test connection card, and then connects to the test card via a high-speed PCIe cable, extending the high-speed PCIe signal in the card under test to the outside of the test chassis, connecting to the PCIe signal switching board, and observing the test results, so as to achieve the purpose of simultaneously testing multiple cards under test, improving testing convenience and reducing tooling costs.

[0021] In this embodiment, the present invention requires processing of the PCIe signals, dividing a group of PCIe×8 signals into 5 groups of PCIe×4 signals. The PCIe signal slot expansion device transmits the PCIe×4 signals through a customized dedicated high-speed PCIe cable, interconnecting with the card under test placed in the test chamber.

[0022] In a further implementation of this embodiment, such as Figure 2 As shown, the PCIe signal switching board consists of a signal input module, a signal splitting module, a signal output module, a power supply module, a clock module, and other peripheral modules. Figure 2 The signal access module is a standard PCIe×8 add-in card with 98 pins. It is responsible for inputting PCIe×8 signals, reset signals, presence detection signals, sleep / wake-up signals, input clock, device management signals, and other signals, as well as the device power input. The input levels are 12V, 3.3V, and 3.3V auxiliary power.

[0023] The signal switching module handles PCIe signal grouping, splitting the PCIe x8 signal introduced by the gold fingers into multiple PCIe x4 signals via the PEX-8632 PCIe switching chip. The signal output module comprises five high-speed signal connectors; high-speed signal lines are output from the processor chip and connected to these connectors. The power module reduces the auxiliary power (ATX) introduced by the gold fingers and the auxiliary power connector to the required voltage levels for the various components on the board. The clock module consists of a zero-delay differential clock buffer, splitting the clock signal from the gold fingers into multiple differential clock signals of the same frequency and phase, which are then distributed to the PEX-8632 and the connectors of each PCIe signal output module. The peripheral module consists of a debug module (EJTAG), an EEPROM, and a reset chip. The EJTAG is used to debug the PEX-8632, the EEPROM chip stores the chip's system configuration program, and the reset chip manages the device's reset signal. The PCIe signal switching board is a standard PCIe gold finger board with a PCB (print circuit board) size of 167.65mm × 111.15mm, which is half the height and full length.

[0024] As shown in the table below, the PEX-8632, as a PCIe signal switching chip, provides 48 PCIe lanes and has either 8 or 12 port modes, offering flexible port configuration options. This embodiment selects ×8UP×4×4DOWN in Station0 and ×4×4×4×4DOWN in Station1 as the PCIe signal switching chip configuration. The PCIe ×8 signal input from the device is processed by the PEX-8632 PCIe signal switching chip, outputting 5 sets of PCIe ×4 signals, with one set reserved as a backup. The clock signal of the PCIe signal switching board is a 100MHz clock signal input via the gold fingers. This clock signal is divided into 6 sets of 100MHz signals with zero delay and the same frequency by a 9DB106B differential clock buffer, and then transmitted to the PEX-8632 PCIe signal switching chip and the 5 high-speed signal connectors to ensure that the clock signals of the 6 PCIe sets are in phase and frequency. The PCIe signal switching board has reserved debugging interfaces for EJTAG and VPX universal interfaces, with signals brought out via pin headers. The EEPROM chip used in the PCIe signal switching board is the AT25128B, with a storage capacity of 128Mb. The reset system of the PCIe signal switching board is introduced through gold finger signals and controlled uniformly by the SN74AHC1G08 AND gate chip circuit. Simultaneously, an RC (resistor-capacitor) reset circuit separately controls the chip, ensuring hardware compatibility. The PCIe signal switching board features two mechanical vias with electrical attributes, connected to electrical ground via a parallel resistor-capacitor circuit, and static electricity is released via screws mounted on the mechanical vias.

[0025]

[0026] In further expansion, the output connectors of the PCIe signal switching board have two physical forms: four 37-pin micro-rectangular high-speed differential connectors (KJ30JA_37ZW) and one standard 3UVPX connector. The KJ30JA_37ZW connector transmits PCIe×4 signals, a reset signal, and a clock signal, with transmission levels of 12V and 3.3V auxiliary power. The KJ30JA_37ZW connector connects to the high-speed PCIe cable.

[0027] High-speed PCIe cables provide a set of PCIe x4 high-speed signals and the voltage required by the board. High-speed signal cables, such as... Figure 3 As shown, it can provide a set of PCIe×4 high-speed signals and the voltage required by the board under test. The high-speed PCIe cable consists of a KJ30JA-37T connector, YMK27T66K1P40, 27FB40A-20 accessories, high-speed differential cable, AF wire, anti-surge sleeve, military green nylon heat shrink tubing, and marked heat shrink tubing.

[0028] The 3UVPX connector pins transmit PCIe x4 signals, reset signals, presence detection signals, GAP management signals, and a reserved general-purpose interface. The VPX connector transmits 12V, 3.3V, and 3.3V auxiliary power. The VPX connector connects directly to the test card and can be connected to the test card slot without using a high-speed PCIe cable.

[0029] This utility model is designed to meet the needs of various types of test cards, such as Figure 4 As shown, the output connector of the test connection card can be designed according to the actual situation, such as common PCIe signal transmission connectors: VPX connectors and PCIe connectors, etc. However, the input connector of the test connection card must be YMKB27F66Z1P40, which is mated with the YMK27T66K1P40 at one end of the high-speed PCIe cable.

[0030] like Figure 5 As shown, the power supply method of the PCIe signal slot expansion device is flexible, and different power supply modes can be selected according to the application scenario. When the device is being debugged alone or when there is only one card under test, the gold fingers can be powered separately; when there are 2 to 5 cards under test, the ATX power supply and the gold fingers can be powered together.

[0031] The PCIe signal slot expansion device uses two LDO power chips TPS54620RGYT on the PCIe signal switching board to step down the 12V power supply introduced from the gold fingers or ATX power supply to the voltage required by components such as the chip processor PEX-8632, EEPROM, and EJTAG.

[0032] The components and connectors involved in the PCIe signal slot expansion equipment are all industrial-grade products that can operate within a temperature range of -40 to 125℃, meaning they can work stably in environmental testing and reliability testing chambers.

[0033] In summary, this invention proposes a PCIe signal slot expansion device. Through the design and configuration of the PCIe signal switching chip, it achieves group switching functionality between a single group of PCIe×8 signals and five groups of PCIe×4 signals. The advantages of this invention are that the card under test is connected to the test connection card, and then connected to the test card via a high-speed PCIe cable. This extends the high-speed PCIe signal from the card under test to the outside of the test chassis, connecting it to the PCIe signal switching board for test result observation. This allows for simultaneous testing of multiple cards under test, greatly improving the convenience of testing. The PCIe signal switching board and high-speed PCIe cable are reusable, significantly reducing the cost of tooling components and engineering design. Furthermore, the test connection card can be designed according to actual application scenarios, offering flexibility in application scenarios. The test connection card involves fewer components and has low cost.

[0034] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this utility model and are not intended to limit the scope of this utility model. Various modifications and variations can be made to this utility model by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A PCIe signal slot expansion device, characterized in that, include: The PCIe signal switching board, PCIe cable, and test connection card are connected in sequence. The PCIe signal switching board consists of a PCIe switching chip, a signal access module, a signal switching module, a signal output module, a power supply module, a clock module, and peripheral modules; the signal access module, signal switching module, signal output module, power supply module, clock module, and peripheral modules are respectively connected to the PCIe switching chip; The signal access module is in the form of a standard PCIe×8 gold finger and is used for inputting PCIe×8 signals, reset signals, clock signals and power. The PCIe switching chip uses the PEX-8632 chip, and the signal switching module is configured through the PEX-8632 chip to split the PCIe×8 signal introduced by the signal access module into multiple groups of PCIe×4 signals. The clock module uses a differential clock buffer 9DB106B to divide the 100MHz clock signal input from the signal access module into multiple groups of differential clock signals with the same frequency and phase, which are then transmitted to the PCIe switching chip and the signal output module respectively. The signal output module consists of 5 high-speed signal connectors, used to output the PCIe×4 signal processed by the PCIe switching chip and the clock signal divided by the clock module. The power module includes an LDO power chip TPS54620RGYT, which is used to step down the input 12V power supply to the voltage required by the board components.

2. The PCIe signal slot expansion device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The peripheral module includes a debugging module, a storage chip, and a reset chip. The debugging module is used to debug the PCIe switching chip, the EEPROM chip is used to store the parameters of the PCIe switching chip, and the reset chip is used to manage the reset signal of the PCIe switching chip. The debugging module, the storage chip, and the reset chip are respectively connected to the PCIe switching chip.

3. The PCIe signal slot expansion device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The PCIe cable includes a first plug, a heat shrink tubing, and a second plug connected in sequence; the PCIe switching chip is connected to the first plug, and the second plug is connected to the test connection card.

4. The PCIe signal slot expansion device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The test connection card includes: an input connector and a test connector; the second plug is connected to the input connector, and the input connector is connected to the test connector.

5. The PCIe signal slot expansion device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The test connector is specifically a VPX connector or a PCIe connector.

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