Expansion board and electronic device

Abstract

The application provides an extension board and an electronic device. The extension board comprises a first interface, which is used for connecting a second interface of a base board. The extension board further comprises a plurality of extension interfaces, different extension interfaces corresponding to different reserved areas on the extension board. The plurality of extension interfaces can be connected to different modules respectively, and the plurality of different modules are placed on the plurality of different reserved areas respectively.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of circuits, and more particularly to an expansion board and electronic equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In traditional hardware development, developers need to be involved in the entire process from "circuit design → PCB layout → soldering and debugging → chip driver development," which has an extremely high technical threshold and is usually only suitable for professional hardware engineers. Take the Raspberry Pi as an example: although its base board integrates power, clock, reset, and various standard interfaces, greatly simplifying the underlying hardware design work, actual product development still relies on expansion boards (such as Pi-HAT) to implement specific functions. However, different products often require different functions and interfaces, resulting in almost every product needing a redesigned and customized expansion board. This "one product, one design" model leads to extremely low reusability of expansion boards, long development cycles, and high costs, making it difficult to adapt to the needs of rapid iteration and small-to-medium batch production. Utility Model Content

[0003] This application provides an expansion board and electronic device that can improve the reusability of the base board and reduce product development time and costs.

[0004] In a first aspect, an expansion board is provided, comprising: the expansion board includes a first interface for connecting to a second interface of a base board; the expansion board also includes multiple expansion interfaces, different expansion interfaces corresponding to different reserved areas on the expansion board; the multiple expansion interfaces can connect to different modules respectively; and the multiple different modules are placed on multiple different reserved areas respectively.

[0005] In the above solution, by setting up an expansion board with multiple expansion interfaces and multiple reserved areas, different modules can be placed as needed, thereby achieving hardware reuse and reducing product development time and costs.

[0006] In some possible designs, there are no overlapping areas between different reserved areas.

[0007] In some possible designs, the plurality of expansion ports include a first expansion interface and a second expansion interface, the first expansion interface corresponding to a first reserved area, the second expansion interface corresponding to a second reserved area, and at least one of the sizes and shapes of the first reserved area and the second reserved area is different.

[0008] In the above scheme, different reserved areas are used to place modules of different shapes or sizes, so as to adapt to modules of different shapes and sizes.

[0009] In some possible designs, the first expansion interface is used to connect to a first module interface on a first module or a second module interface on a second module, wherein the first module or the second module is placed on the first reserved area, wherein the first module and the second module are the same size and shape, or the first module is smaller than the second module.

[0010] In the above scheme, the same reserved area can be used to place different modules, thereby improving the reuse rate of different modules.

[0011] In some possible designs, the first module is any one of a long-distance communication module, a wireless communication module, a motor drive module, a relay module, and a sensor module, and the second module is any other one of a long-distance communication module, a wireless communication module, a motor drive module, a relay module, and a sensor module.

[0012] In some possible designs, the first expansion interface is a first row of pins, and the first module interface is a first row of females. When it is necessary to connect the first module to the first expansion interface, the first row of females of the first module is snapped onto the first row of pins.

[0013] In some possible designs, the second module interface is a second row of females. When it is necessary to connect the second module to the first expansion interface, the latch between the first row of pins and the first row of females is released, and the second row of females of the second module is latched onto the first row of pins.

[0014] In the above solution, when it is necessary to replace the module corresponding to the first reserved area, the replacement between modules can be easily achieved by snapping and unsnap the pin headers and sockets.

[0015] In some possible designs, the expansion board also includes a third expansion interface and a third reserved area, wherein the first reserved area and the third reserved area are the same size and shape.

[0016] In the above scheme, multiple reserved areas of the same size and shape can be set up, so that they can be used by more modules of the same size and shape.

[0017] In some possible designs, none of the reserved areas are used to place electronic components other than expansion interfaces.

[0018] In the above solution, not placing electronic components other than expansion interfaces in the reserved area can avoid electronic components affecting the placement of modules, and can also avoid interference between electronic components and modules.

[0019] In a second aspect, an electronic device is provided, including a development board and a housing, the development board including a base board and an expansion board, the development board being fixed in the housing, and the expansion board being an expansion board as described in any of the first aspects. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an expansion board provided in this application; Figure 2 These are structural diagrams of some modules provided in this application; Figure 3 These are structural diagrams of some other modules provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0021] See Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an expansion board provided in this application. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the base board 110 and the expansion board 120 of this application are connected.

[0022] The base board 110 provides a plug-and-play hardware foundation, enabling rapid code verification and hardware functionality testing without the need for designing circuits from scratch, ultimately bringing ideas to life from prototype. The base board 110 may include a processor, basic circuitry, and interfaces 1111. The base board can be, for example, a Raspberry Pi board.

[0023] The processor can have various specific implementations. For example, it can be a microprocessor or a microcontroller unit (MCU). The processor may include one or more combinations of a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor unit (MPU), a neural network processing unit (NPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), or a data processing unit (DPU), etc. This application does not impose specific limitations on these embodiments. The processor can also be a single-core or multi-core processor. The processor can be a combination of a CPU and hardware chips. These hardware chips can be application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or combinations thereof. The PLDs can be complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), generic array logic (GALs), or any combination thereof. The processor can also be implemented using logic devices with built-in processing logic, such as FPGAs or digital signal processors (DSPs).

[0024] Basic circuitry ensures the core processor functions correctly; examples include power supply circuits, reset circuits, and clock circuits. The power supply circuit converts external input voltage into a stable operating voltage required by the processor and filters noise to ensure stable power supply. The reset circuit forces the processor back to its initial state and restarts program execution when an abnormality occurs. The clock circuit provides a stable clock signal to the processor, serving as the time base for instruction execution; all processor operations (such as calculations and data transfers) depend on the rhythm of the clock signal.

[0025] Interface 1 111 can be a general purpose input / output (GPIO) interface, a serial communication interface, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, etc. In a specific embodiment, interface 1 111 can be implemented using pin headers.

[0026] The expansion board 120 may include interface 2 121, multiple expansion interfaces 122, and multiple reserved areas 123. The expansion board may be, for example, a Raspberry Pi expansion board (pi-hat) for Raspberry Pi.

[0027] Interface 2 121 can be a General Purpose Input / Output (GPIO) interface, a Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitter (UART) interface, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, etc. In a specific embodiment, interface 2 can be implemented using a header. It can be understood that when interface 1 uses a GPIO interface, interface 2 also uses a GPIO interface; when interface 1 uses a UART interface, interface 2 also uses a UART interface; when interface 1 uses a USB interface, interface 2 also uses a USB interface.

[0028] The expansion interface 122 can be used to connect modules, such as any one or more of a long-distance communication module, a wireless communication module, a motor drive module, a relay module, and a sensor module. There can be multiple expansion interfaces. The expansion interface can be a GPIO interface, a UART interface, a USB interface, etc. In a specific embodiment, the expansion interface can be implemented using pin headers.

[0029] Reserved areas 123 are areas of a specific shape and size on the expansion board. Therefore, these reserved areas can be used to place modules. Electronic components may or may not be placed on these reserved areas. There can be multiple reserved areas. Different reserved areas can have identical, partially identical, or completely different shapes. Different reserved areas may or may not intersect. If different reserved areas intersect, the intersecting reserved areas can be used in shifts; if different reserved areas do not intersect, the non-intersecting reserved areas can be used simultaneously.

[0030] When adding a module, it can be placed in the reserved area 123, and then the socket on the module can be easily attached to the pin header of the corresponding expansion interface 122. When removing a module, the socket on the module can be unattached from the pin header of the corresponding reserved area 123. These modules can be, for example, sensor modules (temperature and humidity sensor modules, etc.), GPS modules, or various communication modules. The specific modules placed can be determined by the actual application scenario required by the customer.

[0031] Different expansion interfaces 122 correspond to different reserved areas 123 on the expansion board. Multiple different modules can be placed on multiple different reserved areas and connected through their respective expansion interfaces 122.

[0032] For example, suppose there are multiple expansion ports, including expansion interface 1 and expansion interface 2. Expansion interface 1 corresponds to reserved area 1, and expansion interface 2 corresponds to reserved area 2. At least one of the sizes and shapes of reserved area 1 and reserved area 2 is different. Then, module 1 can be placed in reserved area 1 and connected via expansion interface 1, and module 2 can be placed in reserved area 2 and connected via expansion interface 2. Figure 2 As shown, at least one of the sizes and shapes of modules 1 and 2 is different. Furthermore, the shape and size of module 1 are adapted to the shape and size of reserved area 1, and the shape and size of module 2 are adapted to the shape and size of reserved area 2. That is, the size of module 1 is the same as the size of reserved area 1, or module 1 is smaller than reserved area 1. The size of module 2 is the same as the size of reserved area 2, or module 2 is smaller than reserved area 2. For example, module 1 can be any one of a long-distance communication module, a wireless communication module, a motor drive module, a relay module, or a sensor module. Module 2 can be any other one of a long-distance communication module, a wireless communication module, a motor drive module, a relay module, or a sensor module.

[0033] To improve reusability, different modules can be reused in both the expansion interface and the reserved area. For example, suppose the expansion interface includes expansion interface 1, and the reserved area includes reserved area 1. Then, when module 1 is needed, it can be placed in reserved area 1 and connected via expansion interface 1; when module 2 is needed, it can be placed in reserved area 2 and connected via expansion interface 2. Modules 1 and 2 are the same size and shape, or module 1 is smaller than module 2.

[0034] To facilitate module installation and removal, expansion interface 1 can be pin header 1, module interface 1 on module 1 is female header 1, and module interface 2 on module 2 is female header 2. When connecting module 1 to expansion interface 1, simply snap female header 1 onto pin header 1 to easily connect module 1 to the expansion board. When connecting module 2 to expansion interface 1, release the snap between pin header 1 and female header 1, and snap female header 2 onto pin header 1 to easily connect module 2 to the expansion board, thus replacing module 1 with module 2.

[0035] To allow the simultaneous use of multiple identical modules, the expansion board can include expansion interface 1, expansion interface 3, and a reserved area 3. Expansion interface 1 corresponds to reserved area 1, and expansion interface 3 corresponds to reserved area 3. Module 1 can be placed in reserved area 1 and connected via expansion interface 1, while module 3 can be placed in reserved area 3 and connected via expansion interface 3. Since reserved area 1 and reserved area 3 are the same size and shape, as... Figure 3 As shown, module 1 and module 3 are the same size and shape.

[0036] This design with reserved module areas, utilizing replaceable modules, allows a single Raspberry Pi expansion board to adapt to various application scenarios, thereby reducing production costs while expanding its application range. Furthermore, this application also improves an electronic device, including a development board and a housing, wherein the development board is fixed within the housing, and the development board is as follows: Figures 1 to 3 And the development board with related written records.

[0037] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other, and any combination of features in different embodiments is also within the protection scope of this application. That is to say, the multiple embodiments described above can also be arbitrarily combined according to actual needs.

[0038] It should be noted that all the above figures are exemplary illustrations of this application and do not represent the actual size of the product. Furthermore, the dimensional proportions between the components in the figures are not intended to limit the actual product of this application.

[0039] The above are merely some embodiments and implementation methods of this application. The scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An expansion board, characterized in that, include: The expansion board includes a first interface for connecting to a second interface of the base board. The expansion board also includes multiple expansion interfaces, each corresponding to a different reserved area on the expansion board. The multiple expansion interfaces can connect to different modules, and the multiple different modules are placed on multiple different reserved areas.

2. The expansion board according to claim 1, characterized in that, There are no overlapping areas between different reserved areas.

3. The expansion board according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The plurality of expansion interfaces include a first expansion interface and a second expansion interface. The first expansion interface corresponds to a first reserved area, and the second expansion interface corresponds to a second reserved area. At least one of the sizes and shapes of the first reserved area and the second reserved area is different.

4. The expansion board according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first expansion interface is used to connect to the first module interface on the first module or the second module interface on the second module. The first module or the second module is placed on the first reserved area. The first module and the second module are the same size and shape, or the first module is smaller than the second module.

5. The expansion board according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first module is any one of a long-distance communication module, a wireless communication module, a motor drive module, a relay module, and a sensor module, and the second module is any other one of a long-distance communication module, a wireless communication module, a motor drive module, a relay module, and a sensor module.

6. The expansion board according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, The first expansion interface is a first row of pins, and the first module interface is a first row of females. When it is necessary to connect the first module to the first expansion interface, the first row of females of the first module is snapped onto the first row of pins.

7. The expansion board according to claim 6, characterized in that, The second module interface is the second row of female pins. When it is necessary to connect the second module to the first expansion interface, release the latch between the first row of pins and the first row of female pins, and latch the second row of female pins of the second module onto the first row of pins.

8. The expansion board according to claim 3, characterized in that, The expansion board also includes a third expansion interface and a third reserved area, wherein the first reserved area and the third reserved area are the same size and shape.

9. The expansion board according to claim 1, characterized in that, None of the reserved areas are used to place electronic components other than expansion interfaces.

10. An electronic device, characterized in that, The device includes a development board and a housing. The development board includes a base board and an expansion board. The development board is fixed in the housing. The expansion board is an expansion board as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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