Communication board and power supply management method for optical module

Abstract

The present application provides a communication board and a power supply management method for an optical module. The communication board comprises: optical modules, power supply modules, and a control circuit. The control circuit is used for determining an optical module in an idle state on the communication board, and controlling the power supply modules to stop supplying power to the optical module in the idle state.

Description

A communication board and optical module power supply management method

[0001] Cross-references

[0002] This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application filed with the Patent Office of China on September 28, 2023, with application number 202311288982.4 and invention name “A method for power supply management of a communication board and optical module”. The entire contents of the application are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the technical field of communication equipment, and in particular to a method for managing power supply of a communication board and an optical module. Background Art

[0004] Optical communication equipment refers to communications equipment that uses light waves to transmit information. Optical modules are the interface components of optical communication equipment, primarily responsible for transmitting and receiving signals.

[0005] Typically, when planning a communication system network, capacity expansion and redundancy are considered. Consequently, a large number of optical modules are installed on the communication boards of optical communication equipment. However, some of these modules are often idle, leaving the power modules responsible for powering them idle. The no-load loss of a single power module is typically greater than 0.5W, resulting in significant energy waste for the entire communication system.

[0006] Therefore, how to avoid no-load power supply to optical modules and thus improve unnecessary energy waste in optical communication equipment is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently.

[0007] Summary of the Invention

[0008] The purpose of this application is to provide a communication board and optical module power supply management method.

[0009] In a first aspect, a communication board is provided, comprising an optical module and a power module, wherein the communication board further comprises: a control circuit for determining that the optical module on the communication board is in an idle state, and controlling the power module to stop supplying power to the optical module in the idle state.

[0010] In a second aspect, a method for managing the power supply of an optical module of a communication board is provided, wherein the communication board includes an optical module and a power module, and the method includes: determining the optical module on the communication board that is in an idle state; and controlling the power module to stop supplying power to the optical module in the idle state. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or related technologies, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or related technical descriptions. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0012] FIG1 is a flow chart of a method for managing power supply of an optical module of a communication board according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0013] FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication board device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0014] FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of the communication board device according to an embodiment of the present application in a first power supply mode.

[0015] FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of the communication board device according to an embodiment of the present application in a second power supply mode.

[0016] FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] As mentioned previously, existing optical communication equipment often uses a large number of optical modules on communication boards to meet network expansion and redundancy requirements. This often results in some optical modules on the boards being idle, causing the power modules to operate without power. This idle powering of the power modules is a pointless waste of energy, and from the perspective of the entire communication system, it can be a significant problem.

[0018] To this end, this application aims to propose an optical module power supply management solution that can avoid the power module in the optical communication equipment from supplying power to the optical module at no load, thereby improving the unnecessary energy waste generated by the optical communication equipment.

[0019] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in this specification, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this specification, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this specification, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts should fall within the scope of protection of this specification.

[0020] An embodiment of the present application provides a method for managing optical module power supply on a communication board. The communication board includes an optical module and a power module for supplying power to the optical module. FIG1 is a flow diagram of the optical module power supply management method, which includes: Step S102: Determine an idle optical module on the communication board.

[0021] Specifically, in this embodiment, an optical module that is not connected to a communication board may be determined as being in an idle state, and an optical module that is connected to a communication board may be determined as being in a non-idle state.

[0022] As an example, this embodiment can detect whether the optical module is connected to the communication board in the following two ways.

[0023] Detection method 1: Determine whether the optical module is connected to the communication board by checking the level of the optical module's presence pin.

[0024] Generally, the optical module is connected to the communication board through its in-position pin (MOD_ABS pin). The in-position pin has different voltage levels when it is not connected to the communication board and when it is not connected to the communication board.

[0025] Detection method 2: Initiate access to the optical module to determine whether the optical module is connected to the communication board.

[0026] For example, an access is initiated to the register of the optical module; if the optical module is connected to the communication board, a response signal will be fed back to the access; if the optical module is not connected to the communication board, no response signal will be fed back to the access.

[0027] Step S104: Control the power module to stop supplying power to the optical module in the idle state.

[0028] The optical module that is reconnected to the communication board can be defined as being in a non-idle state. Accordingly, this embodiment can control the power module to supply power to the optical module in the non-idle state.

[0029] It should be noted that how to control the power module to supply power to or stop supplying power to the optical module depends on the power-on and power-off logic of the power module for the optical module in the circuit, which is not specifically limited here.

[0030] As an example, this embodiment can control whether the power module supplies power to the optical module by the level of the MOD_ABS pin of the optical module. That is, the MOD_ABS pin of the optical module defaults to a low level. When the optical module is connected to the communication board, its MOD_ABS pin is connected to the control circuit of the communication board, pulling down one access end of the control circuit to a low level; at this time, the control circuit controls the power module to supply power to the optical module based on the low-level signal. Similarly, when the optical module is no longer connected to the communication board, its MOD_ABS pin no longer pulls down the access end of the control circuit to a low level; at this time, the access end of the control circuit returns to a high level, and controls the power module to stop supplying power to the optical module based on the high-level signal.

[0031] The following describes the power supply solution for the power module in combination with specific implementation methods.

[0032] FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication board provided in an embodiment of the present application, including: an optical module 210 (at least one), a power module 220 (at least one) for supplying power to the optical module, and a control circuit 230 .

[0033] Among them, the control circuit 230 is responsible for determining the optical module 210 in the idle state on the communication board; and based on the level of the in-position pin of the optical module, controlling the power supply module 220 to stop supplying power to the optical module in the idle state and to supply power to the optical module 210 in the non-idle state.

[0034] Specifically, the power module 220 provides power in the following two ways.

[0035] Power supply mode 1: one power module 220 is responsible for supplying power to only one optical module 210 , that is, the power module 220 and the optical module 210 in the communication board are in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0036] Power supply mode 2: one power module 220 is responsible for supplying power to at least two optical modules 210 , that is, each power module 220 in the communication board corresponds to at least two optical modules 210 .

[0037] For power supply mode 1

[0038] Taking one set of corresponding power modules and optical modules as an example, refer to the communication board shown in Figure 3. The control circuit in the communication board is provided with a first resistor R1 and a first transistor VT1 for each corresponding power module and optical module.

[0039] Among them, one end of the first resistor R1 is connected to the MOD_ABS pin of the corresponding optical module and the gate of the corresponding first transistor VT1 (hereinafter referred to as the G pole), and the other end of the first resistor R1 is connected to other power supplies VCC3V3_OTHER of the communication board (such as the power supply of complex programmable logic devices, clocks and other devices on the communication board); the drain of the first transistor VT1 (hereinafter referred to as the D pole) is connected to the enable pin (EN pin) of the corresponding power module, and the source of the first transistor (hereinafter referred to as the S pole) is connected to the ground pin (GND pin) of the corresponding power module.

[0040] When the optical module is plugged into the communication board, its MOD_ABS pin is pulled to GND by default. At this time, the G pole of the first transistor VT1 is pulled to the ground level, the first transistor VT1 is not driven and is not turned on, and the EN pin of the power module is floating. At this time, the power module is turned on and outputs VCC3V3 to power the optical module.

[0041] When the optical module is no longer plugged into the communication board, the MOD_ABS pin becomes floating. At this point, the VCC3V3_OTHER pin, connected directly to resistor R1, pulls the G terminal of the first transistor VT1 to a high potential, turning on the first transistor VT1. After the first transistor VT1 turns on, the EN pin of the power module is pulled to ground through the first transistor VT1, and the EN pin is low. At this point, the power module stops supplying power to the optical module. By default, the VCC3V3 power supply on the communication board has no output. Power is only restored through the control circuit after the optical module is plugged in.

[0042] For power supply mode 2

[0043] Refer to the control circuit of the communication board shown in Figure 4. Assuming that a power module of the communication board is responsible for supplying power to n optical modules, the control circuit is provided with a second resistor R2, a second transistor VT2 and an AND gate D1 for each corresponding power module and optical module.

[0044] The input end of the AND gate D1 is respectively connected to the MOD_ABS pins of all corresponding optical modules; one end of the second resistor R2 is connected to the output end of the corresponding AND gate D1 and the G pole of the corresponding second transistor VT2, and the other end of the second resistor R2 is connected to the other power supply VCC3V3_OTHER of the communication board; the D pole of the second transistor VT2 is connected to the EN pin of the corresponding power module, and the S pole of the second transistor VT2 is connected to the GND pin of the corresponding power module.

[0045] When any target optical module is connected to the communication board, its MOD_ABS pin is pulled to GND and outputs a low level through the AND gate circuit. At this time, the G pole of the second transistor VT2 is pulled to the ground, the second transistor VT2 is not driven and cut off, and the EN pin of the power module is floating. At this time, the power module outputs VCC3V3 to supply power to the target optical module.

[0046] When the target optical module is no longer plugged into the communication board, its MOD_ABS pin remains floating. VCC3V3_OTHER directly connects to the second resistor R2, pulling the G terminal of the second transistor VT2 to a high potential, turning on the second transistor VT2. After the second transistor VT2 turns on, the EN pin of the power module is pulled to ground through the second transistor VT2, and the EN pin is at a low level, stopping the power supply to the target optical module.

[0047] In practice, a communication board has at least two power supply slots for each power module. Each power module supplies power to the optical module inserted into its own power supply slot. For example, optical modules are numbered mn according to the power module number. m represents the mth power module, and n represents the nth slot corresponding to the mth power module. The first power module can supply power to optical modules 11, 12, ..., 1n; the second power module can supply power to optical modules 21, 22, ..., 2n; ...; and the mth power module can supply power to optical modules m1, m2, ..., mn.

[0048] In this embodiment, optical modules that need to be connected to the communication board are preferentially inserted into the corresponding slots according to the order of the power modules. Specifically, optical modules are preferentially inserted into the first power module slot. Once the first power module slot is full, optical modules are inserted into the second power module slot. The control circuit can power down power modules that are not currently connected to the power supply slot, minimizing energy consumption on the communication board.

[0049] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present specification. Referring to FIG5 , at the hardware level, the electronic device includes a processor, and optionally also includes an internal bus, a network interface, and a memory. The memory may include internal memory, such as high-speed random access memory (RAM), and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device. Of course, the electronic device may also include hardware required for other services.

[0050] The processor, network interface, and memory can be interconnected via an internal bus, such as an ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) bus, a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus, or an EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture) bus. These buses can be categorized as address buses, data buses, and control buses. For ease of illustration, FIG5 shows only one bidirectional arrow, but this does not imply that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0051] The memory is used to store programs. Specifically, the program may include program code, which includes computer operating instructions. The memory may include internal memory and non-volatile memory, and provides instructions and data to the processor.

[0052] Optionally, the processor reads a corresponding computer program from the non-volatile memory into the internal memory and then executes the program. Accordingly, the processor executes the program stored in the memory and is specifically configured to: determine which optical modules on the communication board are in an idle state; and control the power module to stop supplying power to the idle optical modules.

[0053] The optical module power supply management method for a communication board disclosed in the embodiments of this specification can be applied to and implemented by a processor. The processor may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor or software instructions. The above processor can be a general-purpose processor, including a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), etc.; it can also be a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. The various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of this application can be directly implemented as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium well-known in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0054] Of course, in addition to software implementation, the electronic device in this specification does not exclude other implementation methods, such as logic devices or a combination of software and hardware, etc. That is to say, the execution subject of the following processing flow is not limited to each logic unit, but can also be hardware or logic devices.

[0055] In addition, an embodiment of the present application also proposes a computer-readable storage medium, which stores one or more programs, and the one or more programs include instructions.

[0056] When executed by a portable electronic device including multiple applications, the above instructions can cause the portable electronic device to perform the steps of the method shown in FIG1 , including: determining that the optical module on the communication board is in an idle state; and controlling the power module to stop supplying power to the idle optical module.

[0057] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of this specification may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Thus, this specification may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. Furthermore, this specification may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0058] The foregoing description of this specification describes specific embodiments. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recited in the claims can be performed in an order different from that described in the embodiments and still achieve the desired results. Furthermore, the processes depicted in the accompanying drawings do not necessarily require the specific order shown or the sequential order to achieve the desired results. In certain embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous.

[0059] The above are merely examples of the present invention and are not intended to limit this specification. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and variations of this specification are possible. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of this specification shall be included within the scope of the claims of this specification. In addition, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort shall fall within the scope of protection of this document.

Claims

1. A communication board, comprising an optical module and a power module for supplying power to the optical module, the communication board further comprising: The control circuit is used to determine the optical module on the communication board that is in an idle state, and to control the power supply module to stop supplying power to the optical module in the idle state.

2. The communication board according to claim 1, wherein: The control circuit is further used to: determine the optical module on the communication board that is in a non-idle state, and control the power supply module to supply power to the optical module in the non-idle state.

3. The communication board according to claim 2, wherein: The control circuit is used to control the power supply module to supply power to the optical module or stop supplying power based on the level of the in-position pin of the optical module.

4. The communication board according to claim 3, wherein: There are multiple optical modules and multiple power modules, and the power modules correspond to the optical modules one by one; The control circuit is provided with a first resistor and a first transistor for each corresponding power module and optical module; Among them, one end of the first resistor is connected to the corresponding in-position pin of the optical module and the gate of the corresponding first transistor, and the other end of the first resistor is connected to other power supplies of the communication board; the drain of the first transistor is connected to the corresponding enable pin of the power module, and the source of the first transistor is connected to the corresponding ground pin of the power module.

5. The communication board according to claim 3, wherein: There are multiple optical modules and power modules, and each power module corresponds to at least two optical modules; The control circuit is provided with a second circuit for each corresponding power module and optical module. A resistor, a second transistor and an AND gate; Among them, the input end of the AND gate is respectively connected to the in-position pins of all corresponding optical modules; one end of the second resistor is connected to the corresponding output end of the AND gate and the corresponding gate of the second transistor, and the other end of the second resistor is connected to other power supplies of the communication board; the drain of the second transistor is connected to the corresponding enable pin of the power module, and the source of the second transistor is connected to the corresponding ground pin of the power module.

6. The communication board according to claim 5, wherein: The communication board is provided with at least two power supply slots for each power supply module, and each power supply module supplies power to the optical module inserted into its own power supply slot; The control circuit is also used to: power off the power supply module in the current power supply slot where no optical module is inserted.

7. The communication board according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein: The control circuit is further used to: determine the optical module that is not connected to the communication board as being in an idle state, and determine the optical module that is connected to the communication board as being in a non-idle state.

8. The communication board according to claim 7, wherein: The control circuit is used to determine whether the optical module is connected to the communication board according to the level of the in-position pin of the optical module.

9. The communication board according to claim 7, wherein: The control circuit is used to determine whether the optical module is connected to the communication board by initiating access to the optical module.

10. A method for managing power supply of an optical module of a communication board, the communication board comprising an optical module and a power module for supplying power to the optical module, the method comprising: Determine the optical module on the communication board that is in an idle state; as well as, The power module is controlled to stop supplying power to the optical module in an idle state.

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