阅读说明：本技术 通信模组 (Communication module ) 是由 程鑫轶 李亮 于 2020-04-24 设计创作，主要内容包括：本说明书一个或多个实施例提供一种通信模组,包括：通信模块、开关模块、至少两种不同类型的数据传输接口以及处理器；所述通信模块的通信端口与所述开关模块的第一端的一组端口相连,所述开关模块第二端的至少两组端口分别与所述至少两种不同类型的数据传输接口相连,所述开关模块的控制端口与所述处理器相连,其中,所述至少两种不同类型的数据传输接口与一个物理接口相连；所述通信模块用于与基站进行通信；所述开关模块用于受所述处理器的控制将所述通信模块的通信端口与所述至少两种不同类型的数据传输接口中的一个数据传输接口导通。(One or more embodiments of the present description provide a communication module, comprising: the device comprises a communication module, a switch module, at least two different types of data transmission interfaces and a processor; the communication port of the communication module is connected with a group of ports at the first end of the switch module, at least two groups of ports at the second end of the switch module are respectively connected with the data transmission interfaces of at least two different types, the control port of the switch module is connected with the processor, and the data transmission interfaces of at least two different types are connected with one physical interface; the communication module is used for communicating with a base station; the switch module is used for conducting a communication port of the communication module with one data transmission interface of the at least two different types of data transmission interfaces under the control of the processor.)

1. A communication module, comprising:

the device comprises a communication module, a switch module, at least two different types of data transmission interfaces and a processor;

the communication port of the communication module is connected with a group of ports at the first end of the switch module, at least two groups of ports at the second end of the switch module are respectively connected with the data transmission interfaces of at least two different types, the control port of the switch module is connected with the processor, and the data transmission interfaces of at least two different types are connected with one physical interface;

the communication module is used for communicating with a base station;

the switch module is used for conducting a communication port of the communication module with one data transmission interface of the at least two different types of data transmission interfaces under the control of the processor.

2. The communication module according to claim 1, wherein the at least two different types of data transmission interfaces are at least two different types of interfaces selected from a USB interface, an m.2 interface, and a Mini-PCI-E interface.

3. The communication module of claim 1, further comprising:

and the signal input module is connected with the input end of the processor and used for inputting a switch switching signal to the processor, wherein the switch switching signal is used for indicating the switch module to conduct one data transmission interface of the at least two different types of data transmission interfaces with the communication module.

4. The communication module of claim 3, wherein the signal input module comprises a key.

5. The communication module of claim 1, further comprising:

and the signal prompting module is connected with the output end of the processor and is used for being controlled by the processor, and sending a prompting signal corresponding to the currently connected data transmission interface when the communication module is conducted with one of the at least two different types of data transmission interfaces through the switch module.

6. The communication module of claim 1, further comprising:

and the input end of the direct current converter is connected with the output ends of the at least two different types of data transmission interfaces, and the output end of the direct current converter is connected with the input end of the communication module and the input end of the switch module.

7. The communication module of claim 1, wherein an equalizer is coupled between the switch module and each of the at least two different types of data transmission interfaces.

8. The communication module of claim 1, wherein the switch module is adjacent to the at least two different types of data transmission interfaces in a printed circuit board of the communication module.

9. The communication module of claim 1, wherein the printed circuit board of the communication module comprises a top layer, a ground layer, a power layer, and a bottom layer, wherein the communication module, the switch module, the at least two different types of data transmission interfaces, and the processor are disposed on the top layer.

10. The communication module according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the communication module is a 5G communication module.

Technical Field

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a communications module.

Background

At present, LGA (Land Grid Array) is generally adopted for 3G, 4G, 5G and other cellular network modules, and due to the limitation of a module controller, the modules cannot simultaneously support various interfaces of different types, so that the modules cannot be adapted to devices with different physical interfaces, and the application scene of the modules is single, and the universality is poor.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of this, one or more embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication module to improve the versatility of the communication module.

One or more embodiments of the present description provide a communication module comprising: the device comprises a communication module, a switch module, at least two different types of data transmission interfaces and a processor; the communication port of the communication module is connected with a group of ports at the first end of the switch module, at least two groups of ports at the second end of the switch module are respectively connected with the data transmission interfaces of at least two different types, the control port of the switch module is connected with the processor, and the data transmission interfaces of at least two different types are connected with one physical interface; the communication module is used for communicating with a base station; the switch module is used for conducting a communication port of the communication module with one data transmission interface of the at least two different types of data transmission interfaces under the control of the processor.

Optionally, the at least two different types of data transmission interfaces are at least two different types of interfaces among a universal serial bus USB interface, an m.2 interface, or a Mini-PCI-E interface.

Optionally, the communication module further includes: and the signal input module is connected with the input end of the processor and used for inputting a switch switching signal to the processor, wherein the switch switching signal is used for indicating the switch module to conduct one data transmission interface of the at least two different types of data transmission interfaces with the communication module.

Optionally, the signal input module includes a key.

Optionally, the communication module further includes: and the signal prompting module is connected with the output end of the processor and is used for being controlled by the processor, and sending a prompting signal corresponding to the currently connected data transmission interface when the communication module is conducted with one of the at least two different types of data transmission interfaces through the switch module.

Optionally, the communication module further includes: and the input end of the direct current converter is connected with the output ends of the at least two different types of data transmission interfaces, and the output end of the direct current converter is connected with the input end of the communication module and the input end of the switch module.

Optionally, an equalizer is connected between the switch module and each of the at least two different types of data transmission interfaces.

Optionally, in the printed circuit board of the communication module, the switch module is adjacent to the at least two different types of data transmission interfaces.

Optionally, the printed circuit board of the communication module sequentially includes a top layer, a ground layer, a power layer, and a bottom layer, wherein the communication module, the switch module, the at least two different types of data transmission interfaces, and the processor are all disposed on the top layer.

Optionally, the communication module is a 5G communication module.

As can be seen from the foregoing, in the communication module according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the switch module controlled by the processor selectively connects the communication module to at least two different types of data transmission interfaces, so that the communication module can support more types of devices with physical interfaces, and the versatility of the communication module is improved.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate one or more embodiments or prior art solutions of the present specification, the drawings that are needed in the description of the embodiments or prior art will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only one or more embodiments of the present specification, and that other drawings may be obtained by those skilled in the art without inventive effort from these drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication module shown in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a communication module shown in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present description;

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a communication module shown in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present description;

fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a switch module shown in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

For the purpose of promoting a better understanding of the objects, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure, reference is made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

It is to be noted that unless otherwise defined, technical or scientific terms used in one or more embodiments of the present specification should have the ordinary meaning as understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The use of "first," "second," and similar terms in one or more embodiments of the specification is not intended to indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but rather is used to distinguish one element from another.

At present, there are many different interface protocols, such as PCI-E (PCI-Express is a general Bus specification), USB (Universal Serial Bus), SDIO (Secure Digital Input and Output card), etc., but in practical applications, a communication module can only be applied to one application scenario, for example, a communication module adopts a USB3.0 protocol through an m.2. interface or a USB interface, so that only one interface can be led out, so that the communication module has only one physical interface, and the communication performance of the communication module is low. One or more embodiments of the present disclosure switch one USB path to at least two output paths, so that the communication module has at least two different physical interfaces. For example, the communication module may be debugged by connecting a PC (Personal Computer) host using a USB3.0 type a interface, and using an m.2. interface as a built-in interface of the communication module.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication module according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in fig. 1, the communication module including:

a communication module 11, a switch module 12, at least two different types of data transmission interfaces (illustrated in fig. 1 by a first data transmission interface 13 and a second data transmission interface 14, respectively), and a processor 15;

optionally, the communication module 11 may be, for example, a 3G, 4G or 5G communication module.

Optionally, the at least two different types of data transmission interfaces may be at least two different types of interfaces among a USB interface, an m.2 interface, a Mini-PCI-E interface, or a connection terminal, where the USB interface may be, for example, a USB3.0 Type a Type interface or a USB3.0 Type C Type interface; the M.2 interface is a new host interface scheme, can be compatible with a plurality of communication protocols, such as sata, PCIe, USB, HSIC, UART, SMBus and the like, and the Mini-PCI-E interface is an interface based on a PCI-E bus and can be mainly used for notebooks and digital equipment.

Alternatively, the processor 15 may be implemented by an MCU (micro controller Unit).

The communication port of the communication module 11 is connected to a group of ports at the first end of the switch module 12, at least two groups of ports at the second end of the switch module 12 are respectively connected to the data transmission interfaces of at least two different types, the control port of the switch module 12 is connected to the processor 15, wherein the data transmission interfaces of at least two different types are connected to one physical interface; the communication ports of the communication module 11 may include, for example, a set of transmitting ports and receiving ports, and the set of ports at the first end of the switch module 12 may include, for example, a set of transmitting ports and receiving ports corresponding to the set of transmitting ports and receiving ports of the communication module 11; and the at least two sets of ports at the second end of the switch module 12 may be at least two sets of transmitting ports and receiving ports corresponding to at least two different types of data transmission interfaces, respectively. The communication module 11 is configured to communicate with a base station, and the switch module 12 is configured to be controlled by the processor 15 to conduct a communication port of the communication module with one of the at least two different types of data transmission interfaces, for example, in fig. 1, the switch module 12 may be controlled by the processor 15 to conduct with the first data transmission interface 13 or the second data transmission interface 14.

In an example, when the communication module has two different types of data transmission interfaces, the switch module 12 may be an alternative switch module, for example. In another example, when the communication module has a plurality of different types of data transmission interfaces, the switch module 12 may be, for example, a one-out-of-one switch module.

In the communication module according to one or more embodiments of the present description, the switch module controlled by the processor selectively connects the communication module to at least two different types of data transmission interfaces, so that the communication module can support more types of physical interfaces, and the versatility of the communication module is improved.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a communication module according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, and as shown in fig. 2, the communication module has two types of interfaces (which are examples of the at least two different types of data transmission interfaces) of USB3.0 and m.2, which can be connected to a host and can supply power to the communication module through the two types of interfaces, the two types of interfaces cannot be used simultaneously, and are commonly connected to a physical interface (which is an example of the Switch module) through a Switch, and the physical interface may be, for example, a USB interface. When the communication module is used, the MCU can be switched to connect different channels through the key module, so that the communication module is connected with a host through a USB3.0 or M.2 interface. The USB3.0 may also be a TypeA interface or a TypeC interface, and the interface may be directly connected to a master device of a PC (personal computer) or SoC (System-on-a-Chip) board card, so that the communication module is used as a slave module to complete a communication function, and the interface is more suitable for use in a debugging stage of the communication module. The M.2 interface is suitable for being arranged in the SoC board card, the interface signal is also a USB3.0 signal, and the general Pin sequence setting and signal can enable the communication module after debugging to be directly applied to products.

In one or more embodiments of the present description, the communication module may further include: and the signal input module is connected with the input end of the processor and used for inputting a switch switching signal to the processor, wherein the switch switching signal is used for indicating the switch module to conduct one data transmission interface of the at least two different types of data transmission interfaces with the communication module. For example, the processor generates a first control signal when receiving a first switch switching signal, and sends the first control signal to the switch module, and the switch module selectively turns on a path between the communication module and the first data transmission interface according to the first control signal, or the processor generates a second control signal when receiving a second switch switching signal, and sends the second control signal to the switch module, and the switch module selectively turns on a path between the communication module and the second data transmission interface according to the second control signal. In one or more embodiments of the present description, the signal input module may include a key. That is, the signal input module may be, for example, a key module having keys thereon, wherein the number of the keys may be adapted to the number of the types of data transmission interfaces of the communication module, for example, the number of the keys may be less than or equal to the number of the types of data transmission interfaces of the communication module, for example, the communication module has three different types of data transmission interfaces, and the key module may have three keys thereon, and each key corresponds to one type of data transmission interface when the three keys are set, and when the key corresponding to one type of data transmission interface is pressed, the processor detects a signal that the key is pressed, determines that the type of data transmission interface is selected, the processor sends a control command corresponding to the type of data transmission interface to the switch module, and after receiving the control command, and connecting a communication module with the data transmission interface. The signal input module is arranged on the communication module, so that a user can conveniently and quickly switch the type of the data transmission interface used for connecting the communication module with other equipment.

In one or more embodiments of the present description, the communication module may further include: the signal prompting module is connected with the output end of the processor and is used for being controlled by the processor, and when the communication module is conducted with one of the at least two different types of data transmission interfaces through the switch module, a prompting signal corresponding to the currently connected data transmission interface is sent out. For example, when the communication module is connected with the first data transmission interface through the switch module, the processor sends a first control signal to the signal prompt module, and the signal prompt module sends a first prompt signal according to the first control signal to prompt a user that the current communication module is connected with other equipment through the first data transmission interface; similarly, when the communication module is connected with the second data transmission interface through the switch module, the processor sends a second control signal to the signal prompt module, and the signal prompt module sends a second prompt signal according to the second control signal to prompt a user that the current communication module is connected with other equipment through the second data transmission interface. When the communication module is connected with other equipment through different types of data transmission interfaces, different prompt signals are presented through the signal prompt module, so that a user can intuitively know the currently used data transmission interface of the communication module, and the use of the user is facilitated. Wherein, the signal prompt module may include a light emitting unit, such as an LED, capable of emitting light of different colors, or a sound output unit, such as a voice output module or a buzzer, capable of emitting different prompt tones.

In one or more embodiments of the present description, the communication module may further include: and the input end of the direct current converter is connected with the output ends of the at least two different types of data transmission interfaces, and the output end of the direct current converter is connected with the input end of the communication module and the input end of the switch module. The dc converter, also called DCDC, can be used to convert the input voltage into the working voltage of the communication module to supply power to the whole communication module.

In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, an equalizer is respectively connected between the switch module and each of the at least two different types of data transmission interfaces, for example, a first equalizer is connected between the switch module and the first data transmission interface, and a second equalizer is connected between the switch module and the second data transmission interface, for example, a USB EQ (equalizer) may be connected in series between the switch module and the first data transmission interface, and similarly, a USB equalizer is also connected in series between the switch module and the second data transmission interface, which may ensure signal quality of the communication module, enable an eye diagram of a signal to be opened and normally decoded, and improve reliability and stability of the communication module.

In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, in order to shorten the routing distance from the impedance transformation point to the output interface and ensure the signal quality when performing system layout on the printed circuit board of the communication module, a switch module may be disposed near the data transmission interface, for example, as shown in fig. 2, in the printed circuit board of the communication module, the switch module is adjacent to the data transmission interfaces of the at least two different types.

In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the printed circuit board of the communication module sequentially includes a top layer, a ground layer, a power layer, and a bottom layer, wherein the communication module, the switch module, the at least two different types of data transmission interfaces, and the processor are disposed on the top layer. The switch module, the USB3.0 interface wiring and the M.2 interface wiring all need to realize an impedance matching design, the impedance matching design can adopt a differential 90 ohm design, the lamination layer adopts a 4-layer PCB design as shown in figure 3, the wiring is arranged on the top layer, and the GND ground layer is used as a reference plane, so that the continuity of impedance can be ensured. In the stacked structure shown in fig. 3, the TOP layer (TOP) may have a thickness of 1.65mil, the ground layer (GND) may have a thickness of 1.2mil, the TOP layer and the ground layer are spaced apart by 4.5mil, the POWER layer (POWER) may have a thickness of 1.2mil, the BOTTOM layer and the POWER layer are spaced apart by 16.77mil, the BOTTOM layer (BOTTOM) may have a thickness of 1.65zmil, and the BOTTOM layer and the POWER layer are spaced apart by 4.5mil, for example.

Fig. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a communication module according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, and as shown in fig. 3, the communication module includes a USB3.0 5G communication module, a DCDC module, a Switch module, an MCU module, a Key module, a Led, a USB3.0 interface, and an m.2. interface. The 5G communication module is used for establishing communication connection with a base station, and is led out through a USB3.0 serial bus; the DCDC module is used for converting the voltage input by the M.2. interface from the USB3.0 interface into the working voltage of the communication module; the Switch module is a 1-in-2 Switch and is used for connecting a USB3.0 bus of the 5G communication module with a USB3.0 interface and an M.2 interface; the key module is responsible for inputting key signals; the LED is an interface working indicator light and is responsible for indicating a working interface; the MCU module is responsible for detecting a key signal input by the key module, outputting a Switch control signal according to the key signal, and lighting a corresponding LED according to the key signal, such as LED1 or LED2 shown in FIG. 3; the USB3.0 interface can be connected with an external host and an SoC mainboard and supplies power through the USB3.0 interface of the host; the M.2. interface can be connected with the SoC mainboard as well, is stacked with the mainboard as a built-in interface, and supplies power to the system through the M.2. interface.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a switch module according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 4, the switch module includes TX + (USB3. x positive differential transmit signal of COM port), TX- (USB3. x negative differential transmit signal of COM port), RX + (USB3. x positive differential receive signal of COM port), RX- (USB3. x negative differential receive signal of COM port), D + (positive differential USB2.0 COM port), and D- (negative differential USB2.0 COM port) connected to a 5G module, and multiplexed by switches to TX + A (USB3. x positive differential transmit signal of Port 1), TX-A (USB3. x negative differential transmit signal of Port 1), RX + A (USB3. x positive differential receive signal of Port 1), RX-A (USB3. x negative differential receive signal of Port 1), D + A (USB port 2.0 positive differential receive signal of Port 0), D-A (differential USB2.0 negative signal of port 0) and TX + B (USB3. x positive differential transmission signal of port 0), TX-B (USB3. x negative differential transmission signal of port 0), RX + B (USB3. x positive differential reception signal of port 0), RX-B (USB3. x negative differential reception signal of port 0), D + B (differential USB2.0 positive signal of port 1) and D-B (differential USB2.0 negative signal of port 1), so as to realize the connection of one 5G communication module to 2 main equipment interfaces. Wherein, the TX + A, TX-A, RX + A, RX-A, D + a and D-a ports correspond to USB3.0 port (i.e. the port 1), and the TX + B, TX-B, RX + B, RX-B, D + B and D-B ports correspond to m.2 port (i.e. the port 0), as shown in fig. 4, the switch module further includes a logic control unit, and the logic control unit is connected to the logic control unitIncluding SEL1 (control of USB 3.0) port, SEL2 (control of USB 2.0) port, PD (power off and USB3.x output disabled) port, and(control of USB 2.0) ports, in FIG. 4, the TX +, TX-, RX +, RX-, D + and D-ports are an example of a set of ports at the first end, the TX + A, TX-A, RX + A, RX-A, D + A and D-A ports and the TX + B, TX-B, RX + B, RX-B, D + B and D-B ports are an example of at least two sets of ports at the second end of the switch module.

The foregoing description has been directed to specific embodiments of this disclosure. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recited in the claims may be performed in a different order than in the embodiments and still achieve desirable results. In addition, the processes depicted in the accompanying figures do not necessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing may also be possible or may be advantageous.

For convenience of description, the above devices are described as being divided into various modules by functions, and are described separately. Of course, the functionality of the modules may be implemented in the same one or more software and/or hardware implementations in implementing one or more embodiments of the present description.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that: the discussion of any embodiment above is meant to be exemplary only, and is not intended to intimate that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited to these examples; within the spirit of the present disclosure, features from the above embodiments or from different embodiments may also be combined, steps may be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of different aspects of one or more embodiments of the present description as described above, which are not provided in detail for the sake of brevity.

In addition, well-known power/ground connections to Integrated Circuit (IC) chips and other components may or may not be shown in the provided figures, for simplicity of illustration and discussion, and so as not to obscure one or more embodiments of the disclosure. Furthermore, devices may be shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the understanding of one or more embodiments of the present description, and this also takes into account the fact that specifics with respect to implementation of such block diagram devices are highly dependent upon the platform within which the one or more embodiments of the present description are to be implemented (i.e., specifics should be well within purview of one skilled in the art). Where specific details (e.g., circuits) are set forth in order to describe example embodiments of the disclosure, it should be apparent to one skilled in the art that one or more embodiments of the disclosure can be practiced without, or with variation of, these specific details. Accordingly, the description is to be regarded as illustrative instead of restrictive.

While the present disclosure has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, many alternatives, modifications, and variations of these embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the foregoing description. For example, other memory architectures (e.g., dynamic ram (dram)) may use the discussed embodiments.

It is intended that the one or more embodiments of the present specification embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations as fall within the broad scope of the appended claims. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, substitutions, improvements, and the like that may be made without departing from the spirit and principles of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.