A serial port card
The modular design of the serial port card enables flexible configuration of interface types and quantities, solves the inherent defects of traditional serial port cards, improves the versatility and ease of maintenance of the equipment, and reduces costs and inventory pressure.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202522502409.X
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-11-25
- Publication Date
- 2026-11-03
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-11-25
AI Technical Summary
Traditional serial port expansion cards have fixed interface types and quantities, which cannot be flexibly adjusted, resulting in high equipment costs, large inventory pressure, and difficult and costly maintenance.
The modular serial port card combines a main control board with pluggable interface function subboards, and uses electrical connectors and mechanical fixing devices to achieve flexible configuration and stable connection of the interface, supporting the plugging and unplugging of different types and numbers of interface function subboards.
It achieves high equipment versatility and scenario adaptability, reduces procurement costs and inventory pressure, simplifies maintenance processes, and reduces maintenance costs and difficulty.
Smart Images
Figure CN224934355U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to a serial port card, which belongs to the field of electronic components. Background Technology
[0002] A serial port card is an expansion card used to extend the serial communication interface of a computer, enabling it to connect to and control external devices using standards such as RS-232 / 422 / 485, such as PLCs, CNC machine tools, and industrial sensors. Traditional serial port expansion cards typically employ a monolithic structure where all serial port circuitry is fixed on a single PCB board. This structure means that the serial port type (e.g., RS-232 / 422 / 485), number, and electrical characteristics (e.g., isolation) are fixed after production, making flexible adjustments impossible to adapt to actual application scenarios. To meet different interface configuration requirements, users are forced to purchase multiple models of cards, increasing equipment costs and inventory pressure, and consuming valuable motherboard slots. Furthermore, when a port on the card fails, the entire card often becomes unusable or difficult to repair, resulting in high maintenance costs. Summary of the Invention
[0003] According to one aspect of this application, a serial port card is provided that improves the versatility and scenario adaptability of the device.
[0004] A serial port card, characterized in that it comprises: The main control board is provided with a standard computer bus interface and a main control chip. At least two interface function sub-boards; The main control board is provided with a number of functional sub-board interfaces that match the number of interface functional sub-boards. The functional sub-board interfaces include electrical connectors and mechanical fixing devices. The interface function sub-board is electrically connected to the main control board via the electrical connector and is fixed to the main control board via the mechanical fixing device.
[0005] Furthermore, the standard computer bus interface is a PCI Express interface, a Mini PCI Express interface, or an M.2 interface.
[0006] Furthermore, the electrical connector is a board-to-board connector.
[0007] Furthermore, the mechanical fixing device includes a fixed base disposed on the main control board, a slider slidably disposed on the fixed base, and a sliding locking member slidably disposed on the fixed base; The side of the interface function sub-board is provided with a locking part that is adapted to the sliding locking member; The sliding direction of the slider is perpendicular to the sliding direction of the sliding locking member; The sliding locking member has a first inclined surface on the side facing the slider; The slider is provided with a second inclined surface that cooperates with the first inclined surface; When the slider slides along the first direction, the second inclined surface cooperates with the first inclined surface to drive the sliding locking member to move along its sliding direction and engage in the engaging part, thereby achieving locking.
[0008] Furthermore, the fixed base is provided with a receiving groove, and the sliding locking member is installed in the receiving groove; An elastic element is provided between the bottom wall of the receiving groove and the end of the sliding locking member to provide a restoring force to the sliding locking member to tend to disengage from the engaging part.
[0009] Furthermore, the interface functional sub-board is a heterogeneous functional sub-board; The heterogeneous functional subboards include at least two of the following: RS-232 interface subboards, RS-485 interface subboards, and CAN bus interface subboards with different interface types.
[0010] The beneficial effects that this application can produce include: The serial port card provided in this application effectively solves the inherent defects of traditional integrated serial port cards by adopting a modular design of a main control board and pluggable interface function daughter boards. The pluggable structure, achieved through electrical connectors and mechanical fixing devices, allows users to flexibly combine different types and quantities of interface function daughter boards according to actual needs, eliminating the need to purchase multiple models of boards to adapt to various scenarios, significantly reducing equipment procurement costs and inventory pressure. At the same time, the design of integrating multiple daughter boards on a single main control board saves valuable motherboard slot resources. When a certain interface function daughter board fails, only the corresponding daughter board needs to be replaced to restore use, avoiding the problem of the entire board failing due to the damage of a single port in traditional boards. This greatly reduces maintenance difficulty and cost, and improves the overall scenario adaptability, cost-effectiveness, and maintenance convenience of the serial port card. Attached Figure Description
[0011] Figure 1 This is a connection frame diagram of a serial port card in one embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a serial port card in one embodiment of this application; List of components and reference numerals: 1-Main control board; 2-Standard computer bus interface; 3-Main control chip; 4-Interface function sub-board; 5-Electrical connector; 6-Mechanical fixing device; 7-Fixing; 8-Slider; 8a-Second inclined surface; 9-Sliding locking component; 9a-First inclined surface. Detailed Implementation
[0012] The present application is described in detail below with reference to the embodiments, but the present application is not limited to these embodiments.
[0013] join Figure 1-2 A serial port card, characterized in that it comprises: Main control board 1, wherein a standard computer bus interface 2 and a main control chip 3 are provided on the main control board 1; At least two interface function sub-boards 4; The main control base plate 1 is provided with a number of functional sub-board interfaces that match the number of interface functional sub-boards 4. The functional sub-board interfaces include electrical connectors 5 and mechanical fixing devices 6. The interface function sub-board 4 is electrically connected to the main control board 1 via the electrical connector 5 and is fixed to the main control board 1 via the mechanical fixing device 6.
[0014] Specifically, the main control board is the foundation of the entire serial port card. The standard computer bus interfaces (such as PCI, PCIe, etc.) on it are used to establish a connection with the computer host and realize data interaction between the serial port card and the host. The main control chip, as the control core, is responsible for coordinating the data transmission, protocol processing and other logic of each interface function sub-board.
[0015] The interface function sub-board includes at least two interface function sub-boards. This serial port card supports multi-interface expansion, and the sub-boards can be flexibly configured according to requirements (for example, different sub-boards can correspond to different serial port types such as RS232, RS485, and RS422, or support different speeds, isolation levels, etc.). This application design breaks the limitation of fixed interface types / numbers in traditional serial port cards, improving the versatility and scenario adaptability of the device. Among them, the function sub-board interfaces achieve pluggable electrical connections through electrical connectors, which not only ensures stable communication between the sub-board and the main control board, but also supports rapid replacement or upgrade of the sub-board. For example, when damaged, the sub-board can be directly replaced without replacing the entire card. The mechanical fixing device physically reinforces the sub-board to avoid poor contact under plugging, unplugging, or vibration environments, ensuring the reliability of the device under complex operating conditions.
[0016] Therefore, the serial port card in this application is modularly expandable, adaptable to diverse needs, and highly maintainable. Its daughterboard can be replaced independently, and the connection is stable through both electrical connection and mechanical fixation. It is suitable for industrial control, communication equipment and other scenarios that require flexible configuration of multiple serial ports.
[0017] The standard computer bus interface 2 is a PCI Express interface, a Mini PCI Express interface, or an M.2 interface.
[0018] Specifically, the PCI Express interface, as a high-speed bus interface for mainstream devices such as desktop computers and servers, boasts high bandwidth (e.g., PCIe 3.0 x1 single-channel bandwidth can reach 8Gbps) and stable transmission, making it suitable for scenarios requiring high-speed parallel communication across multiple serial ports, such as simultaneous data acquisition from multiple devices in industrial automation and centralized monitoring of equipment in data centers, meeting the real-time transmission needs of large amounts of data. The Mini PCI Express interface is smaller than the standard PCIe and is commonly found in space-constrained devices such as embedded industrial PCs and small servers, balancing bandwidth and compact design, making it suitable for scenarios with strict requirements on device size, such as vehicle terminals and small edge computing devices. The M.2 interface, as a new generation of high-speed interface, is even smaller (commonly a 22mm wide strip shape) and supports PCIe lanes (e.g., M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 bandwidth can reach 64Gbps), while also being compatible with different length specifications (e.g., 2230, 2280, etc.), adapting to highly integrated devices such as ultra-thin industrial PCs and micro servers, making it particularly suitable for scenarios requiring extreme miniaturization and high bandwidth. All three interfaces are industry-standard. The main control board can flexibly select the interface type according to the host hardware environment. The modular design of the interface function daughterboard (pluggable, multi-type adaptable) complements the universality of the bus interface. It ensures compatibility with different hosts through the standard bus interface and meets diverse serial port needs through daughterboard expansion.
[0019] The electrical connector 5 is a board-to-board connector.
[0020] Specifically, board-to-board connectors are standard components designed for electrical connections between two printed circuit boards (PCBs). Their structure is naturally suited for board-level connections between the main control board and interface function daughterboards. Compared to other connectors such as wire-to-board connectors, board-to-board connectors do not require additional cable transitions and can directly achieve face-to-face or parallel connections between the daughterboard and the main control board, reducing signal loss in the connection process and lowering the risk of failure due to loose cables. Interface function daughterboards need to transmit various signals, such as serial port signals (e.g., RS232 TX / RX, RS485 A / B lines), power signals, and control signals (e.g., daughterboard identification and reset signals). Board-to-board connectors support high-density pin designs (e.g., single-row / dual-row multi-pin layouts), which can meet the parallel transmission requirements of multiple types of signals and provide a hardware foundation for daughterboards to expand complex functions. In industrial settings, serial port cards often face environmental interference such as vibration and shock. Board-to-board connectors typically employ foolproof designs (preventing reverse insertion) and locking structures (such as clips and screws), along with mechanical fixing devices, to double-protect the connection stability between the daughterboard and the main control board, reducing poor contact caused by physical displacement. Furthermore, some board-to-board connectors support wide temperature ranges (-40℃ to 85℃) and corrosion resistance, making them suitable for harsh environments such as industrial control and automotive applications.
[0021] The mechanical fixing device 6 includes a fixing base 7 disposed on the main control base plate 1, a slider 8 slidably disposed on the fixing base 7, and a sliding locking member 9 slidably disposed on the fixing base 7. The side of the interface function sub-board 4 is provided with a locking part that is adapted to the sliding locking member 9; The sliding direction of the slider 8 is perpendicular to the sliding direction of the sliding locking member 9; The sliding locking member 9 has a first inclined surface 9a on the side facing the slider 8; The slider 8 is provided with a second inclined surface 8a that cooperates with the first inclined surface 9a; When the slider 8 slides along the first direction, the second inclined surface 8a cooperates with the first inclined surface 9a to drive the sliding locking member 9 to move along its sliding direction and engage in the engaging part, thereby achieving locking.
[0022] The fixed base 7 is provided with a receiving groove, and the sliding locking member is installed in the receiving groove; An elastic element is provided between the bottom wall of the receiving groove and the end of the sliding locking member 9 to provide a restoring force to the sliding locking member 9 to tend to disengage from the engaging part.
[0023] Specifically, the fixed base serves as the basic carrier, and the sliding locking component's movement trajectory is limited by the receiving groove to ensure that it slides in a straight line along a preset direction. At the same time, it provides sliding support for the slider, forming a three-level linkage structure of the base, slider, and locking component.
[0024] The slider and the sliding locking member achieve force redirection through the vertical engagement of inclined surfaces (first inclined surface 9a and second inclined surface 8a): when the slider slides in the first direction (horizontal direction), the second inclined surface 8a presses against the first inclined surface 9a, converting the horizontal force into a vertical force (along its sliding direction, vertical direction) on the sliding locking member, driving the locking member to move towards the engaging part of the sub-plate and finally engage, completing the locking. The elastic element (such as a compression spring) between the bottom wall of the automatic trigger receiving groove of the reset mechanism and the end of the sliding locking member is always in a pre-compressed state, providing the locking member with a reset force that tends to disengage from the engaging part. When the slider slides in the opposite direction to the first direction, the pressing force of the inclined surface engagement disappears, the elastic element releases its elastic force, pushing the sliding locking member to move in the opposite direction and disengage from the engaging part, achieving automatic unlocking without the need for additional unlocking force.
[0025] The inclined surface design allows the locking component to generate sufficient locking force through the slight displacement of the slider, ensuring a tight engagement between the locking part and the locking component. Simultaneously, the receiving groove of the fixed base restricts the offset of the locking component, preventing loosening due to vibration or impact, making it particularly suitable for harsh environments such as industrial and automotive applications. Locking and unlocking can be switched simply by sliding the slider, without the need for tools, significantly simplifying the insertion and removal process of interface function daughterboards. For example, when replacing different types of daughterboards, the process can be quick and efficient, improving equipment maintenance efficiency. The sliding direction of the slider and locking component is perpendicular, and the entire structure is integrated within the fixed base, requiring minimal additional space. This allows for a compact layout of the main control board and daughterboards, making it particularly suitable for miniaturized, high-density modular designs.
[0026] The interface function sub-board 4 is a heterogeneous function sub-board; The heterogeneous functional subboards include at least two of the following: RS-232 interface subboards, RS-485 interface subboards, and CAN bus interface subboards with different interface types.
[0027] Specifically, in scenarios such as industrial control and intelligent devices, different peripherals often employ different communication protocols: RS-232 is suitable for short-distance (typically within 15 meters) point-to-point communication (such as the connection between a PC and a single sensor or debugging device), with single-ended signal transmission and relatively weak anti-interference capabilities; RS-485 supports long-distance (hundreds of meters), multi-node (up to 32) differential transmission, with strong anti-interference capabilities, and is widely used in industrial buses (such as the connection between a PLC and multiple actuators); the CAN bus has multi-master control, error detection, and automatic retransmission mechanisms, offering extremely high reliability, and is the mainstream protocol for automotive electronics and industrial automation (such as robots and machine tools). The heterogeneous daughterboard design allows users to integrate multiple protocol interfaces simultaneously on the same main control board, such as one RS-232 daughterboard, two RS-485 daughterboards, and one CAN daughterboard, eliminating the need for separate serial port cards for different protocols and significantly simplifying the hardware architecture for multi-device interconnection.
[0028] Furthermore, the core of the stable operation of heterogeneous daughterboards lies in the standardized interface design between the main control board and the daughterboard. The board-to-board connector provides a unified signal and power transmission channel, such as common power pins, data transceiver pins, and daughterboard identification pins. Different types of daughterboards communicate with the main control chip through preset pin definitions. The main control chip can identify the daughterboard type through firmware, for example, by using the ID resistor or protocol chip feedback signal on the daughterboard, and automatically load the corresponding protocol drive logic, such as RS-232 level conversion, RS-485 differential signal processing, and CAN frame parsing, to achieve plug-and-play protocol adaptation.
[0029] The above description is merely a few embodiments of this application and is not intended to limit this application in any way. Although this application discloses preferred embodiments as described above, it is not intended to limit this application. Any changes or modifications made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the technical solution of this application using the disclosed technical content are equivalent to equivalent implementation cases and fall within the scope of the technical solution.
Claims
1. A serial port card, characterized in that, include: The main control board (1) is provided with a standard computer bus interface (2) and a main control chip (3). At least two interface function sub-boards (4); The main control board (1) is provided with a number of functional sub-board interfaces that match the number of interface functional sub-boards (4). The functional sub-board interfaces include electrical connectors (5) and mechanical fixing devices (6). The interface function sub-board (4) is connected to the main control board (1) via the electrical connector (5) and is fixed to the main control board (1) via the mechanical fixing device (6); The mechanical fixing device (6) includes a fixing base (7) disposed on the main control base (1), a slider (8) slidably disposed on the fixing base (7), and a sliding locking member (9) slidably disposed on the fixing base (7). The side of the interface function sub-board (4) is provided with a locking part that is adapted to the sliding locking member (9); The sliding direction of the slider (8) is perpendicular to the sliding direction of the sliding locking member (9); The sliding locking member (9) has a first inclined surface (9a) on the side facing the slider (8); The slider (8) is provided with a second inclined surface (8a) that cooperates with the first inclined surface (9a); When the slider (8) slides along the first direction, the sliding locking member (9) is driven to move along its sliding direction and engage in the engaging part through the cooperation of the second inclined surface (8a) and the first inclined surface (9a), thereby achieving locking.
2. A serial port card according to claim 1, characterized in that, The standard computer bus interface (2) is a PCI Express interface, a Mini PCI Express interface, or an M.2 interface.
3. A serial port card according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electrical connector (5) is a board-to-board connector.
4. A serial port card according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fixed base (7) is provided with a receiving groove, and the sliding locking member is installed in the receiving groove; An elastic element is provided between the bottom wall of the receiving groove and the end of the sliding locking member (9) to provide a restoring force to the sliding locking member (9) to tend to disengage from the engaging part.
5. A serial port card according to claim 1, characterized in that, The interface function sub-board (4) is a heterogeneous function sub-board; The heterogeneous functional subboards include at least two of the following: RS-232 interface subboards, RS-485 interface subboards, and CAN bus interface subboards with different interface types.