CN215341062U - Expansion device for cooperating with computing equipment and computing system - Google Patents

Abstract

An expansion device for use with a computing device including a first OPS port and a computing system including the expansion device are disclosed. The expansion device includes: a second OPS port configured to couple to a first OPS port of the computing device; and a network adapter configured to access the computing device to a network, the network adapter connected to the data terminal in the second OPS port to enable data communication.

Description

Expansion device for cooperating with computing equipment and computing system

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of computer technology, and in particular, to an expansion device for use with a computing device and a computing system including such an expansion device.

Background

In the field of computer technology, computing devices (e.g., conference interaction devices) typically need to access a network to communicate with other devices, e.g., a terminal computing device may communicate with a server to obtain a corresponding service. Generally, a computing device may be integrated with a wired or wireless network card for accessing a computer network during the manufacturing process to implement network communication functions. However, in practical use, this single network access approach may be far from sufficient. Illustratively, for computing devices such as conference interaction tablets, the motherboard circuitry typically includes only Wi-Fi enabled wireless network cards. Thus, such a computing device would be unable to implement a web-surfing feature without a Wi-Fi device (e.g., a router) nearby or with a Wi-Fi device malfunctioning.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

In view of the above, the present disclosure provides an apparatus and system that may alleviate, reduce, or even eliminate the above-mentioned problems.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an expansion apparatus for use with a computing device, the computing device including a first OPS port, the expansion apparatus including: a second OPS port configured to couple to a first OPS port of the computing device; a network adapter configured to connect a computing device to a network, the network adapter connected to the data terminal in the second OPS port to enable data communication.

In the expansion device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the network adapter is further connected with a power terminal in the second OPS port to implement power transmission.

In an expansion device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, further comprising a first transformer, wherein the network adapter is connected with a power terminal in the second OPS port via the first transformer.

In an expansion device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, further comprising: a third OPS port configured to couple to an OPS device, a data terminal and a power terminal in the third OPS port connected with a data terminal and a power terminal in the second OPS port, respectively.

In an expansion device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a data port expander is further included, wherein the data terminal in the second OPS port is respectively connected with the data terminal in the third OPS port and the network adapter via the data port expander.

In an expansion device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a second transformer is further included, and wherein the data port expander is connected with a power terminal in the second OPS port via the second transformer to enable power transfer.

In an expansion device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the expansion device further includes a data communication port, wherein the network adapter is connected with the data terminal in the second OPS port via the data communication port.

In an expansion device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a power port is further included, wherein the network adapter is connected with a power terminal in the second OPS port via the power port.

In an expansion device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the data communication port includes a universal serial bus port.

In an expansion device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the network adapter includes a mobile communication network adapter.

In some embodiments according to the present disclosure, the computing device comprises a conference interaction device.

In an extension arrangement according to some embodiments of the disclosure, the second transformer comprises at least one of a DC-DC converter and a low dropout linear regulator.

In an extension device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the coupling includes a pluggable coupling.

In an expansion device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the connection comprises a pluggable connection.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computing system comprising: a computing device comprising a first OPS port; an expansion device, comprising: a second OPS port configured for pluggable coupling to the first OPS port of the computing device; a network adapter configured to connect a computing device to a network, the network adapter connected to the data terminal in the second OPS port to enable data communication.

In a computing system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a computing device includes: a motherboard comprising a first data port; an OPS adapter including a second data port and the first OPS port, the second data port being connected to the first data port, a data terminal in the first OPS port being connected to the second data port.

In a computing system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the OPS switch further includes a fourth OPS port configured to be pluggably coupled to an OPS device, a data terminal in the fourth OPS port being connected with the second data port.

In a computing system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the OPS switch further comprises a data port expander, wherein the second data port is connected with the data terminal in the first OPS port and the data terminal in the fourth OPS port via the data port expander, respectively.

In a computing system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the computing device further comprises a power source configured for at least one of: providing power to the motherboard and providing power to the expansion device through the OPS adapter.

These and other aspects of the disclosure will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter.

Drawings

Further details, features and advantages of the disclosure are disclosed in the following description of exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an expansion device and a computing system, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an expansion device and a computing system, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates an expansion device and a computing system, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates an expansion device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates an expansion device and a computing system, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a computing system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

It should be understood that the drawings are merely schematic and are not necessarily to scale. Also, in these drawings, some technical features may be omitted for the sake of brevity.

Detailed Description

In view of the aforementioned network access problems, the applicant has found that according to the related art, support for accessing a certain network can be achieved by the following two schemes, and network access functions can be extended. The first solution is to add a plug-in device, which may be a device that supports some network access function, for example. For example, a computing device such as a conference tablet may be added with a plug-in device that supports mobile communications network access functionality, e.g., 4G or 5G networks. The plug-in device may be externally connected to the computing device through, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface. However, the connection between the plug-in device and the computing device may not be tight enough, resulting in poor contact; at the same time, plug-in devices can negatively impact the appearance of the computing device and the ease of movement. The second solution is to modify the motherboard circuit of the computing device and integrate a device supporting some network access function inside the computing device. For example, a motherboard circuit of a computing device, such as a conference tablet, may be modified to add circuitry thereon that supports 4G or 5G network access functionality. However, modifying motherboard circuitry requires a large budget investment, consumes additional labor and time, and is difficult to solve the network support problem for a manufactured computing device.

Based on the above analysis, the applicant further found that in the related art, there is a need for: allowing a computing device to access additional networks without adding neither a plug-in nor modifying the motherboard circuitry, for example allowing a computing device such as a conference tablet with the motherboard circuitry integrating only Wi-Fi functionality to access a mobile communications network such as a 4G, 5G network.

Therefore, the applicant proposes a technical solution for extending network access functions for a computing device based on an OPS port. Before describing the technical aspects of the present disclosure in detail, some concepts are first briefly introduced.

In the present disclosure, a "port" may refer to a structure for implementing coupling between two devices or apparatuses, and may also be referred to as an "interface". References to "ports" in this disclosure may encompass ports in both a physical and logical sense. In a physical sense, "port" means a physical port for implementing functions such as data and/or power transfer between a certain device or apparatus and another device or apparatus, and illustratively, two devices or apparatuses may respectively include a male port and a female port that are matched with each other, so that the two devices or apparatuses may be coupled together by matching the included male and female ports to implement data and/or power transfer, etc. In a logical sense, "port" means a logical port that follows a protocol to enable the transfer of data and/or power, etc. between different devices or apparatuses according to the protocol, and two devices or apparatuses may each include a port that follows the same protocol, for example, so that the two devices or apparatuses may be coupled together based on the protocol to enable the transfer of data and/or power, etc.

In the present disclosure, an "OPS port" may refer to a port conforming to an OPS Specification (Open plug capable Specification), and may also be referred to as an "OPS interface". The OPS specification is a standardized specification issued by Intel (Intel) for enabling coupling between pluggable devices and other devices, and includes different versions, such as OPS-C, OPS-C +, etc. In this disclosure, when referring to "OPS," it should be understood to encompass different versions of the OPS specification, such as OPS-C, OPS-C +.

In the present disclosure, an "OPS device" may refer to a pluggable device that includes an OPS port and can perform transmission of data and/or power, etc. through the OPS port. Illustratively, for conference tablets, it typically includes an OPS port that allows access to the OPS device. For example, the conference tablet is usually integrated with a SoC (System on Chip) board supporting the android System, and optionally, it may access an OPS box supporting the Windows System through an OPS port, thereby implementing a dual System to extend the functions of the conference tablet.

In the present disclosure, "terminal" may refer to a structure exposed in a port for forming a coupling relationship with another port. In a physical sense, it may refer to a Pin or Pin (Pin) for connection; in a logical sense, it may refer to the input/output portion of a port that is responsible for the transmission of data and/or power, etc. A "data terminal" may refer to one or a set of terminals responsible for data transmission, and a "power terminal" may refer to one or a set of terminals responsible for power transmission.

In the present disclosure, "network" may refer to at least one of various wired or wireless networks, such as a broadband network, a Wi-Fi network, a 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, and so on mobile communication network.

Moreover, it will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various devices, features or sections, these devices, features or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one device (or group of devices, features or components) from another device (or group of devices, features or components). It will be further understood that the terms "connected," "coupled," and the like as referred to in this disclosure may refer to either a direct connection, a direct coupling arrangement, or an indirect connection, an indirect coupling arrangement via one or more intermediate devices, components, and the like. In some embodiments, "connected" and "coupled" or similar terms may refer to fixed connections, couplings, or the like, as well as pluggable (or removable) connections, couplings, or the like. For example, in the description of one element or device being connected/coupled to another element or device, it may mean that one element or device is fixedly connected/coupled to another element or device, and it may also mean that one element or device is pluggably connected/coupled to another element or device.

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates an expansion device 120 and a computing system 100 including the expansion device 120, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 1, computing system 100 includes a computing device 110 and an expansion apparatus 120. The computing device 110 includes a first OPS port OPS _ 1. illustratively, the computing device 110 may include a conference interaction device, such as a conference tablet or the like. The expansion means 120 for use with the computing device 110 comprises a second OPS port OPS _2 and a network adapter 121. The second OPS port OPS _2 of the expansion apparatus 120 is configured to be coupled to the first OPS port OPS _1 of the computing device 110, for example, fixedly or pluggably coupled to the first OPS port OPS _1 of the computing device 110, to enable data and/or power transfer between the expansion apparatus 120 and the computing device 110. The network adapter 121 of the expansion device 120 is configured to access the computing device 110 to a network, so that transmission and/or reception of data can be achieved via the accessed network. Illustratively, the network adapter 121 may comprise a mobile communications network adapter to access the computing device 110 to a mobile communications network, such as a 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G mobile communications network. The network adapter 121 may be connected with a data terminal D of the second OPS port OPS _2 to implement data communication. Illustratively, the network adapter 121 may be a 2G module, a 3G module, a 4G module, or a 5G module, etc., which may take the form of, for example, a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) integrated with a radio frequency, a baseband. Thus, the computing device 110 may obtain access functionality to the respective network via the extension apparatus 120. In particular, the computing device 110 may access the respective network via the network adapter 121 through a data channel constituted by the coupling between the first OPS port OPS _1 and the second OPS port OPS _2, the connection between the data terminal D of the second OPS port OPS _2 and the network adapter 121, and receive and/or transmit data through the accessed network, for example, transmit and/or receive data to and/or from the server, to use the service provided by the server. It should be understood that the data terminal D shown in fig. 1 may be all or a part of the terminals available for data transmission in the second OPS port OPS _ 2.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, the extension apparatus 120 for use with the computing device 110 may be a pluggable apparatus that may provide the computing device with extended functionality for accessing one or more networks, such as one or more of 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, or other networks. Because the OPS port is typically disposed within a housing of a computing device and may allow for a tight, secure coupling, expansion apparatus 120 coupled through the OPS may allow computing device 110 to be provided with functionality to access one or more networks without using a plug-in device. Furthermore, for a computing device with an OPS port, such as the aforementioned conference tablet, the above-mentioned expansion apparatus 120 can be used without modifying the internal circuitry of the computing device. Alternatively, even for a computing device that does not originally have an OPS port, the expansion device 120 may be used by adding a structure such as an OPS patch panel to the internal circuit (without modifying the internal circuit) to convert one or more original ports (e.g., data communication ports and/or power transmission ports) into the OPS port.

In the expansion device for cooperating with the computing equipment according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, by designing the OPS port, the main board interface structure of the computing equipment (for example, the OPS port for coupling with the OPS box) is fully utilized, and the network communication function (for example, 5G) of the computing equipment is effectively expanded without modifying or redesigning the internal main board structure of the interactive equipment; the expansion device can be coupled to the mainboard of the computing equipment inside the whole computing equipment, so that the problems of contact and attractiveness caused by external equipment are solved; meanwhile, due to the fact that the structural design is simple, development cost is reduced, and working efficiency is improved.

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates an expansion device 220 and a computing system 200 including the expansion device 220, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 2, computing system 200 includes a computing device 210 and an expansion device 220 for use with computing device 210. Similar to fig. 1, the computing device 210 includes a first OPS port OPS _1, the expansion apparatus 220 includes a second OPS port OPS _2 and a network adapter 221, and is similarly coupled or connected. For simplicity, the depiction of the terminals is substantially omitted in fig. 2 and subsequent figures, but it is understood that the various ports depicted may include one or more terminals.

Illustratively, the OPS port may take the form of an 80Pin port as shown, but other forms of ports may be used as needed. In general, an 80Pin port may include 80 pins or pins (pins), some of which may be configured to transmit data, such as TMDS signals (Transition-minimized differential signaling), display signals, audio signals, control signaling, and data transmitted based on, for example, USB protocol, UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter) protocol, and so on. Additional portions of the pins or pins may be configured to transmit power, such as 12-19V of power.

In some embodiments, the network adapter 221 may also be connected with a power terminal in the second OPS port OPS _2 to enable power transfer. Thus, the network adapter 221 may be provided with power via the coupling between the second OPS port OPS _2 and the first OPS port OPS _1, allowing it to draw power from the computing device 210. Alternatively, the network adapter 221 may be powered by other means, such as a power supply built into the expansion device or connected to a power supply via another port, etc.

In some embodiments, the expansion device 220 may further comprise a first transformer 222, and the network adapter 221 may be connected with the power terminal in the second OPS port OPS _2 via the first transformer 222. Illustratively, the first transformer 222 may be a direct current transformer, an input of which may be connected to the power terminal of the second OPS port OPS _2 and an output of which may be connected to the power terminal of the network adaptor 221, to transform the voltage at the power terminal of the second OPS port OPS _2 into a voltage usable by the network adaptor 221.

In some embodiments, the computing device 210 may include a motherboard and an OPS adapter 213. The motherboard may be, for example, SoC motherboard 212 shown in fig. 2 or another form of motherboard, and may include a first data port. The first data port may comprise a port on the motherboard for data transfer or a portion thereof. For example, the first data port may include a portion of the 41Pin port and/or the USB port shown in fig. 2 for data transfer, or may include other types of ports for data transfer. In particular, a 41Pin port and/or a USB port or the like may be used for transferring both data and power, i.e. it may have both data and power terminals, the first data port may comprise only a part of the portion thereof related to the data terminal or only a part of the portion thereof related to the data terminal. Accordingly, the OPS switch 213 may comprise the second data port and the above-mentioned first OPS port OPS _ 1. The second data port may comprise a type of port that matches the first data port of the motherboard and is coupled to the first data port for data transfer between the motherboard and the OPS switch. For example, the second data port may include a portion of the 41Pin port and/or the USB port shown in fig. 2 for data transfer, or may include other types of ports for data transfer. The data terminal of the first OPS port (80 Pin port as shown) and the second data port (41 Pin port as shown and the data terminal (all or part) of the USB port) in the OPS switch 213 can be connected accordingly, so that the conversion from the data port included in the main board to the OPS port can be realized.

In some embodiments, computing device 210 may also include a power source 211, which may be configured for at least one of: power is provided to a motherboard (e.g., SoC motherboard 212) and power is provided to expansion device 220 through OPS adapter 213. The power source 211 may refer to a structure in the computing device 210 for providing electrical power, which may be, for example, a built-in power supply and associated circuitry, or circuitry for connecting to an external power supply including, for example, a plug structure, etc. As shown, power source 211 may include a port P _ SoC for providing electrical power to SoC motherboard 212, and SoC motherboard 212 may include a port corresponding thereto, which may be coupled together to provide power to SoC motherboard 212 through power source 211. Alternatively or additionally, the power source 211 may include a port P _ OPS for providing electrical power to the OPS switch 213, and the OPS switch 213 may include a corresponding port, which may be coupled together to provide power to the OPS switch 213 through the power source 211, and thus to provide power to the expansion device 220 coupled (fixedly or removably) to the OPS switch 210. In such an embodiment, the power port P _ OPS in the OPS switch 213 may have a power terminal and may be connected to the power terminal in the first OPS port (e.g., 80Pin port) in the OPS switch 213. Additionally or alternatively, the power terminals in the 41Pin port and/or the USB port shown in fig. 2 may be connected to power terminals in a first OPS port (e.g., 80Pin port) in the OPS switch 213. Thus, the expansion device 220 coupled (fixedly or pluggably) to the OPS adapter 213 may be powered directly (via port P _ OPS) or indirectly (via SoC motherboard 212) by a power source 211 in the computing device 210.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 2, the expansion device 220 may be implemented based on a housing of the OPS device in the related art. For example, a network adapter (e.g., in the form of a PCB, etc.) supporting one or more networks may be provided in the OPS device housing and connected to data terminals and/or power terminals in the OPS port on the OPS device housing, and optionally a circuit structure such as a transformer, etc., as desired. Thus, the extension device 220 can be designed and produced more conveniently, and the investment in cost such as manpower and time can be further reduced.

Fig. 3 schematically illustrates an expansion device 320 and a computing system 300 including such an expansion device 320, according to further embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 3, computing system 300 includes a computing device 310 and an expansion device 320 for use with computing device 310. Similar to fig. 1 and 2, the computing device 310 includes a first OPS port OPS _1, the expansion apparatus 320 includes a second OPS port OPS _2 and a network adapter 321, and is similarly coupled or connected. The structure of the computing device 310 shown in fig. 3 is substantially the same as that of the computing device 210 shown in fig. 2, and the description is not repeated here, and the differences between the expansion apparatus 320 and the expansion apparatus 220 will be described below.

Compared to the expansion apparatus 220 shown in fig. 2, the second OPS port OPS _2 and the network adapter 321 included in the expansion apparatus 320 may be arranged similarly to the description about the expansion apparatus 220, and various embodiments described about the expansion apparatus 220 of fig. 2 may also be applied to the expansion apparatus 320 shown in fig. 3.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 3, compared to the expansion apparatus 220 shown in fig. 2, the expansion apparatus 320 may further include a third OPS port OPS _3 configured to be coupled (fixedly coupled or pluggably coupled) to the OPS port of the OPS apparatus 330. The data terminal and the power terminal of the third OPS port OPS _3 may be connected with the data terminal and the power terminal in the second OPS port OPS _2, respectively. Similarly, the third OPS port OPS _3 may also take the form of an 80Pin port, or other forms of ports as desired.

In some embodiments, expansion device 320 may also include a data port expander 322. Data port expander 322 may be used to expand one data port into at least two data ports, where a data port may be an actual data port or may also be an equivalent data port consisting of one or a set of data terminals. The data terminals of the network adapter 321 and the third OPS port OPS _3 may be connected to the data terminals in the second OPS port OPS _2 via the data port expander 322, respectively.

In some embodiments, the expansion device 320 may further include a second transformer, and the data port expander 322 may be connected with a power terminal in the second OPS port OPS _2 via the second transformer to implement power transmission, so as to supply power to the data port expander 322 through the second OPS port OPS _ 2. Alternatively, the data port expander 322 may be powered by other means, such as a power source built into the expansion device or connected to a power source via another port, etc.

The various embodiments described with respect to fig. 3 allow for the expansion of network access functionality through the OPS port of a computing device while still having access to the OPS device to expand other functionality of the computing device. Illustratively, for a computing device such as a conference tablet, it may be possible to provide it with access functionality to a 4G, 5G, etc. network by adding an extension device, while still allowing it to be provided with other extension functionality by accessing an OPS box, for example providing an additional Windows system for a conference tablet that itself only supports the android system.

Fig. 4 schematically illustrates the expansion device 320 of fig. 3 in more detail, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 4, a part of the terminals in the second OPS port OPS _2 in the form of 80Pin may be regarded as equivalent USB ports (actually, a part of the terminals in the 80Pin port), such as equivalent USB2.0 or USB3.0 ports. The equivalent USB port may include both data terminals and power terminals. Thus, the network adapter 321 can enable data transfer and optionally electrical power to be obtained by means of such an equivalent USB port by making a connection thereto. Similarly as mentioned above in relation to fig. 1, it will be appreciated that the second OPS port OPS _2 in the form of 80Pin may have one or more other terminals for data transfer in addition to the data terminals referred to by the equivalent USB port. Alternatively, the data transmission between the network adapter 321 and the second OPS port OPS _2 may be implemented by other schemes.

Further, optionally, the network adapter 321 may be further connected with a power terminal or a part of power terminals in the 80Pin port to obtain electric power through the port. For example, as shown in fig. 4, the 80Pin port serving as the second OPS port OPS _2 may have a power terminal for supplying 18V voltage, and the network adaptor 321 may be connected to the 18V power terminal to obtain corresponding electric power. Alternatively, the voltage level required by the network adapter 321 may be different from the voltage level that the 80Pin port is capable of providing. In this case, a first transformer 323 may be provided to transform a voltage of, for example, 18V to a voltage suitable for the network adaptor 321 (e.g., 5V shown in fig. 4), so that the network adaptor 321 may be indirectly connected to the power terminal in the 80Pin port via the first transformer 323.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 4, optionally, the data terminals of the network adaptor 321 and the third OPS port OPS _3 may be connected to the data terminals in the second OPS port OPS _2 via a USB HUB (USB HUB) 3221, respectively. The USB HUB may be used to expand one USB port to at least two USB ports. As described above, a USB port may include both data terminals and power terminals. Thus, the USB HUB may be used as the data port expander 322 shown in FIG. 3. The USB HUB 3221 may extend the equivalent USB port provided by the 80Pin port to at least two equivalent USB ports for use by the network adaptor 321 and the third OPS port OPS _ 3. Alternatively, the USB HUB 3221 may be a passive USB HUB, an active USB HUB, or a smart USB HUB, among others. Alternatively, other types of components may be used as the data port expander 322, as desired. Further alternatively, a second transformer may be provided in the expansion device 320, an input terminal of the second transformer may be directly connected to a power terminal of the 80Pin port, such as for providing 18V of electric power, and an output terminal may be connected to a power terminal of the USB HUB 3221, thereby converting a voltage, such as 18V, into a voltage, such as 3.3V, 1.8V, etc., that the USB HUB 3221 may use. Alternatively, the input terminal of the second transformer may be connected to the output terminal of the first transformer 323, and the output terminal may be connected to the USB HUB 3221, so as to convert the voltage, such as 5V, converted by the first transformer 323 into a voltage, such as 3.3V, 1.8V, and the like, which can be used by the USB HUB 3221. The transformer mentioned in the present disclosure may be any suitable structure that can implement a voltage conversion function, such as a DC-DC converter, an LDO (low dropout linear regulator), and the like.

Fig. 5 schematically illustrates an expansion device 420 and a computing system 400 including the expansion device 420, in accordance with further embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 5, computing system 400 includes a computing device 410 and an expansion apparatus 420 for use with computing device 410. Similar to fig. 1, 2 and 3, the computing device 410 includes a first OPS port OPS _1, the expansion apparatus 420 includes a second OPS port OPS _2 and a network adapter 421, and is similarly coupled or connected. The computing device 410 shown in fig. 4 is substantially identical to the computing device 210 shown in fig. 2 and the computing device 310 shown in fig. 3, and the description thereof is not repeated, and the differences between the expansion apparatus 420 and the expansion apparatus 320 will be described below.

Compared to the expansion apparatus 320 shown in fig. 3, the second OPS port OPS _2, the third OPS port OPS _3 and the data port expander 422 included in the expansion apparatus 420 may be arranged similarly to the corresponding parts in the expansion apparatus 320, and various embodiments described with respect to the expansion apparatus 320 of fig. 3 may also be applied to the expansion apparatus 420 shown in fig. 5.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 5, compared to the expansion device 320 shown in fig. 3, the expansion device 420 may further include a data communication port, via which the network adapter 421 may be connected with the data terminal in the second OPS port OPS _ 2.

Illustratively, the network adapter 421 may be an integrated network access module 4211. The network access module 4211 may be a module configured to provide access functionality to one or more networks, such as one or more of 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, or other networks, which may take the form of a packaged PCB or set of PCBs, for example, and include another data communication port that matches a data communication port in the expansion device 420. Alternatively, the further data communication port may be provided by a USB port or other suitable type of port. Illustratively, a standard network access module commercially available may be used, or a network access module similar to the expansion device 220 shown in fig. 2 may be used. For example, for a 5G network, a commercially available standard 5G board (generally having a USB port) may be used as the network access module 4211, or the expansion device 220 including the network adapter 221 supporting access to the 5G network may be used as the network access module 4211.

Accordingly, the data communication port of the expansion device 420 may be provided through a universal serial bus port, or alternatively by an OPS port or other suitable type of port. Illustratively, the expansion device 420 shown in FIG. 4 provides the data communication port through a USB port. As described previously, a USB port may include both data terminals and power terminals. In such an embodiment, the expansion module 420 may employ the USB HUB as a data port expander to expand the equivalent USB port in the second OPS port OPS _2 (as shown in the 80Pin port) into at least two equivalent USB ports for use by the data communication port of the expansion device 420 and the third OPS port OPS _ 3.

In some embodiments, the expansion device 420 may further include a power port P via which the network adapter may be connected with a power terminal in the second OPS port. The power port P may be directly or indirectly connected to a power terminal in the second OPS port OPS _2 to provide additional electrical power to the network adapter 421. For example, the power port P may be indirectly connected to the power terminal in the second OPS port OPS _2 via an additional transformer.

Fig. 6 schematically illustrates a computing system 500 according to some embodiments of the disclosure.

As shown in fig. 6, computing system 500 includes a computing device 510, an expansion apparatus 520. The expansion device 520 may be similar to the expansion device described with respect to fig. 1 or 2, with an emphasis on describing differences in the computing device 510 from the computing devices 210, 310, 410 shown in fig. 2, 3, 5.

In contrast to the computing devices 210, 310, 410 shown in fig. 2, 3, 5, the motherboard and optional power source included with the computing devices may each be arranged similarly to that described with respect to the computing devices 210, 310, 410, and the various embodiments described with respect to the computing device 210 are also applicable to the computing device 510 shown in fig. 6.

In the computing device 510 shown in fig. 6, the OPS switch 513 may further include a fourth OPS port OPS _4, which may be configured to couple (either fixedly coupled or pluggably coupled) to the OPS apparatus 530, as compared to the computing devices 210, 310, 410 shown in fig. 2, 3, 5. The OPS device 530 may be any suitable OPS device that may be coupled (fixedly or pluggably) to the fourth OPS port OPS _4 of the OPS switch 513 via an OPS port. For example, the OPS device 530 may be an OPS box for providing a Windows system for a computing device such as a conference tablet. The data terminal of the fourth OPS port OPS _4 may be connected to a second data port, e.g. the data terminal (all or part) for data transmission in the 41Pin port shown in fig. 6. As described with respect to fig. 2, the second data port of the OPS switch may comprise a type of port that matches the first data port of the motherboard and is coupled with the first data port for data transfer between the motherboard and the OPS switch. Although fig. 6 only depicts the 41Pin port of the SoC motherboard 512, it should be understood that the first data port and the second data port may include portions of the 41Pin port and/or the USB port for data transfer, or may include other types of ports for data transfer, similar to that described with respect to fig. 2. Additionally, the OPS switch may also include a power port, such as the P _ OPS shown in the figure, to draw power directly from a power source 511 of the computing device 510, or indirectly from the power source 511 via the SoC motherboard 512.

With the embodiment shown in fig. 6, two OPS ports can be provided with minor modifications to an OPS switch that originally provided only one OPS port, so as to provide the function of accessing one or more networks using the expansion device 520 and provide other expansion functions using the OPS device at the same time. Alternatively, more than two OPS ports may be provided by minor modifications to the OPS switch that originally provided only one OPS port.

In some embodiments, OPS switch 513 may also include a data port expander 5131. The data terminal of the first OPS port OPS _1 and the data terminal of the fourth OPS port OPS _4 may be connected to the second data port via the data port expander 5131, respectively. Optionally, the data port expander 5131 may be similarly arranged according to the data port expander 322 described with respect to fig. 3 and 4, so as to expand the second data port into at least two data ports for use by the first OPS port OPS _1 and the fourth OPS port OPS _ 4. Illustratively, the combination of the second data port and the power port of the OPS switch may provide an equivalent USB port, and the data port expander 5131 may employ a corresponding USB HUB to expand the equivalent USB port into at least two equivalent USB ports for access and use by the first OPS port OPS _1 and the fourth OPS port OPS _4, and further for use by the coupled expansion device 520 and OPS device 530.

Variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed subject matter, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the word "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

In the description of the present specification, the description of the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "an example," "a specific example," or "some examples" or the like means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. In this specification, the schematic representations of the terms used above are not necessarily intended to refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. Furthermore, various embodiments or examples and features of different embodiments or examples described in this specification can be combined and combined by one skilled in the art without contradiction.

Claims (20)

1. An expansion apparatus for use with a computing device, the computing device including a first OPS port, the expansion apparatus comprising:

a second OPS port configured to couple to a first OPS port of the computing device;

a network adapter configured to connect a computing device to a network, the network adapter connected to the data terminal in the second OPS port to enable data communication.

2. The expansion device of claim 1, wherein the network adapter is further connected with a power terminal in the second OPS port to enable power transfer.

3. The expansion device of claim 2, further comprising a first transformer, wherein the network adapter is connected with a power terminal in the second OPS port via the first transformer.

4. The extension device of any one of claims 1-3, further comprising:

a third OPS port configured to couple to an OPS device, a data terminal and a power terminal in the third OPS port connected with a data terminal and a power terminal in the second OPS port, respectively.

5. The expansion device of claim 4, further comprising a data port expander, wherein data terminals in the second OPS port are connected with data terminals in the third OPS port and the network adapter, respectively, via the data port expander.

6. The expansion device of claim 5, further comprising a second transformer, and wherein the data port expander is connected with power terminals in the second OPS port via the second transformer to enable power transfer.

7. The expansion device of claim 4, further comprising a data communication port, wherein the network adapter is connected with a data terminal in the second OPS port via the data communication port.

8. The expansion device of claim 7, further comprising a power port, wherein the network adapter is connected with a power terminal in the second OPS port via the power port.

9. The expansion device of claim 7, wherein the data communication port comprises a universal serial bus port.

10. The extension device of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the network adapter comprises a mobile communications network adapter.

11. The extension apparatus of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the computing device comprises a conference interaction device.

12. The extension device of claim 6, wherein the second transformer comprises at least one of a DC-DC converter and a low dropout linear regulator.

13. The extension device of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the coupling comprises a pluggable coupling.

14. The expansion device of claim 4, wherein the coupling comprises a pluggable coupling.

15. The expansion device of claim 7 or 8, wherein the connection comprises a pluggable connection.

16. A computing system, comprising:

a computing device comprising a first OPS port;

an expansion device, comprising:

a second OPS port configured for pluggable coupling to the first OPS port of the computing device;

a network adapter configured to connect a computing device to a network, the network adapter connected to the data terminal in the second OPS port to enable data communication.

17. The computing system of claim 16, wherein the computing device comprises:

a motherboard comprising a first data port;

an OPS adapter including a second data port and the first OPS port, the second data port being connected to the first data port, a data terminal in the first OPS port being connected to the second data port.

18. The computing system of claim 17, wherein the OPS switch further comprises a fourth OPS port configured to be pluggably coupled to an OPS device, a data terminal in the fourth OPS port connected with the second data port.

19. The computing system of claim 18, wherein the OPS switch further comprises a data port expander, wherein the second data port is connected to a data terminal in the first OPS port and a data terminal in a fourth OPS port, respectively, via the data port expander.

20. The computing system of claim 17, wherein the computing device further comprises a power source configured for at least one of:

providing power to the motherboard, an

Providing power to the expansion device through the OPS adapter.

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