TWI676406B - Expansion card - Google Patents

Abstract

An expansion card includes a board, a connection port, and a chip. The board has a plurality of through seams that are not connected to each other and a plurality of connecting sections located between the through seams. These through seams are arranged in a line to divide the board into a first area and a second area, and these connections The segment connects the first region and the second region. The ports are formed on the first area. The chip is disposed on the first area and is electrically connected to the port. The expansion card can optionally operate in a form having a first zone and a second zone, or the expansion card can optionally break these connecting sections along this line, so that the second zone is completely separated from the first zone, and does not have Formal operation of the second zone.

Description

Expansion card

The present invention relates to an expansion card, and more particularly, to an expansion card that can be changed in size according to the needs of consumers.

With the advancement of science and technology and the improvement of process technology, electronic components are getting smaller and smaller, and motherboards are also available in different specifications. From ATX, Mini-ITX, Thin Mini-ITX to Nano-ITX, etc., consumers can choose according to their needs and purchase the chassis and equipment corresponding to the motherboard of their choice. However, because the market is full of expansion cards of different lengths, consumers are dazzled, and even the embarrassing situation of finding that the size is not the same after the purchase and the need to return.

The invention provides an expansion card, which can be changed in size according to the needs of consumers.

An expansion card of the present invention includes a board, a connection port, and a chip. The board has a plurality of through seams that are not connected to each other and a plurality of connecting sections located between the through seams. These through seams are arranged in a line to divide the board into a first area and a second area, and these connections The segment connects the first region and the second region. The ports are formed on the first area. The chip is disposed on the first area and is electrically connected to the port. The expansion card can optionally operate in a form having a first zone and a second zone, or the expansion card can optionally break these connecting sections along this line, so that the second zone is completely separated from the first zone, and does not have Formal operation of the second zone.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the board has a plurality of stamp holes formed on the connecting sections, and the stamp holes are aligned with the through seams along a line, and the size of each stamp hole is smaller than that of each of the through seams. size.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the extending direction of the line is parallel to the width direction of the plate body, and the ratio of the total length of these connecting sections to the width of the plate body is between about 0.2 and 0.3.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the extending direction of the above-mentioned line is parallel to the width direction of the plate body, and the ratio of the length of each connecting section to the width of the plate body is between about 0.03 and 0.07, and the number of these connecting sections is 3 To between 6.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the expansion card further includes a first connector and a second connector. The first connector is disposed in the first area and is electrically connected to the chip. The second connector is disposed in the second area and is adapted to be electrically connected to the first connector through a transmission line.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the expansion card further includes a plurality of heat dissipation pads formed on at least one of the first region and the second region.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the expansion card further includes an M.2 connector and a first fixing structure. The M.2 connector is disposed in the first area and is electrically connected to the chip. The first fixing structure is arranged in the first area, and is used for fixing a first M.2 expansion card detachably inserted in the M.2 connector.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned expansion card further includes a second fixing structure arranged in the second area for fixing a second M.2 expansion card detachably inserted in the M.2 connector. The length of the second M.2 expansion card is greater than the length of the first M.2 expansion card.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned plate body has two recessed areas recessed on two opposite edges. The two recessed areas are located on both sides of the through-slots, and are aligned along the line with the through-slots.

In an embodiment of the present invention, there is no conductive line across the connecting section on the board.

Based on the above, the expansion card of the present invention weakens the structural strength of this part by arranging these penetration slits arranged in a line on the board. When a user needs an expansion card of a general specification, the original expansion card (that is, an expansion card with a first zone and a second zone) can be directly used. When the user needs an expansion card with a smaller length, as long as the user breaks these connection sections, the second area can be completely separated from the first area, and becomes an expansion card of another specification (without the second area). In this way, the expansion card of the present invention can meet various needs of users.

In order to make the above features and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, embodiments are hereinafter described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

At present, some expansion cards on the market will have different length specifications. Consumers need to purchase expansion cards of corresponding specifications according to the size of the motherboard or the size of the casing. Otherwise, it may fail to install. The following will provide an expansion card that allows consumers to adjust the length according to their own needs.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an expansion card according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the expansion card 100 of this embodiment includes a board 110, a connection port 140 and a chip 150. The board body 110 has a plurality of through seams 112 which are not connected to each other and a plurality of connecting sections 114 located between the through seams 112. The through seams 112 are arranged in a line to divide the board body 110 into a first region 120 and a The second region 130, and the connecting sections 114 connect the first region 120 and the second region 130.

The connection port 140 is formed on the first region 120. The chip 150 is disposed on the first region 120 and is electrically connected to the connection port 140. In this embodiment, the connection port 140 is, for example, a connection port of a PCI-E interface, and the chip 150 is, for example, a processor or other electronic components. Of course, in other embodiments, the connection port 140 may also be a connection port of an AGP interface or a connection port of a CNR interface. The types of the connection port 140 and the chip 150 are not limited thereto.

In this embodiment, the expansion card 100 uses a PCI-E expansion card as an example. The total length L1 of the board 110 is, for example, a specification that conforms to the full length of the PCI-E. The length L2 of the first region 120 is, for example, Meets MD2 length specifications. More specifically, the total length L1 of the plate body 110 is, for example, 312 mm, and the length L2 of the first region 120 is, for example, between 150 mm and 170 mm (for example, 167.64 mm). Of course, in other embodiments, the total length L1 of the plate 110 may be between 180 mm and 312 mm. The total length L1 of the plate 110 and the length L2 of the first region 120 are not the same as the above. limit.

In this embodiment, consumers can adjust the length according to their own needs. In detail, when a current motherboard (not shown) and a case (not shown) of a consumer can be configured with an expansion card that complies with the full length specification of PCI-E, this embodiment can be directly inserted The expansion card 100 includes a first area 120 and a second area 130. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a connection section of the expansion card of FIG. 1 being broken without a second area. Please refer to FIG. 2, if the consumer's current motherboard and case need to be equipped with a relatively small expansion card, the consumer can break the connecting sections 114 along the line of the through-holes 112 in FIG. 1, and The second area 130 is completely separated from the first area 120 and becomes a relatively short expansion card 100 ′. Therefore, the expansion card 100 of this embodiment can provide two specifications for consumers to choose.

It is worth mentioning that, in this embodiment, the main line structure of the expansion card 100 is configured on the first area 120, and the second area 130 may be an area without a line structure. Therefore, after the second region 130 is separated from the first region 120, the first region 120 can still operate normally. Of course, in other embodiments, the second region 130 may have a line structure, and is not limited thereto.

In addition, in this embodiment, the extending direction of the through slits 112 is parallel to the width direction of the plate body 110, and the number of the connecting sections 114 between the first region 120 and the second region 130 is between three and six. The ratio of the length L3 of each connection segment 114 to the width W of the plate body 110 is between about 0.03 and 0.07, and the ratio of the total length of these connection segments 114 to the width W of the plate body 110 is between about 0.2 to 0.3. For example, in this embodiment, the width W of the plate body 110 is about 97 mm, the length L3 of each connecting section 114 is about 5 mm, and the number of the connecting sections 114 is five.

When the dimensional relationship between the length of the connecting section 114 and the width of the plate body 110 is between the above values, the connecting section 114 has sufficient structural strength so that the second region 130 can be stably fixed when it does not need to be removed. When the first area 120 and the second area 130 need to be removed, the consumer can pull the second area 130 by hand without using tools.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an expansion card according to another embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 3. The main difference between the expansion card 100 a in this embodiment and the expansion card 100 in the previous embodiment is that, in this embodiment, the board 110 also has a plurality of stamp holes 165 formed on the connecting sections 114. The stamp holes 165 and the through slits 112 are arranged along a line, and the size of each stamp hole 165 is smaller than the size of each through slit 112. In this embodiment, the diameter of the stamp hole 165 is, for example, between 0.4 mm and 0.5 mm, but the size of the stamp hole 165 is not limited thereto.

Since the expansion card 100a of this embodiment is stamped with a stamp hole 165 on the connecting section 114, the strength of the connecting section 114 can be slightly weakened on the premise that it can support the second zone 130. The actual measurement of the expansion card 100 shows that The linker 114 can be broken by a force of 6.5 kg. Of course, when the second region 130 does not need to be removed, the design of this embodiment still allows the second region 130 to be stably fixed on the first region 120.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an expansion card according to another embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 4. The main difference between the expansion card 100 b in this embodiment and the expansion card 100 a in the previous embodiment is that, in this embodiment, the expansion card 100 b further includes a first connector 122 and a second connector 132. The first connector 122 is disposed in the first region 120 and is electrically connected to the chip 150. The second connector 132 is disposed in the second area 130 and is connected to the electronic component 134 located on the second area 130. The second connector 132 located in the second area 130 can be electrically connected to the first connector 122 located in the first area 120 through a transmission line 10.

That is, in this embodiment, the second region 130 of the board 110 is configured with a conductive circuit (not shown), but the conductive circuit does not directly extend from the first region 120 across the connection section 114 to the second region 130. In the area 130, the board 110 does not have a conductive line across the connecting section 114. In this embodiment, the electrical connection between the first region 120 and the second region 130 of the board 110 is achieved through the first connector 122, the transmission line 10, and the second connector.

In this embodiment, when the second area 130 of the expansion card 100 is to be separated from the first area 120, it is only necessary to remove the transmission line 10 and then disconnect the connection section 114. The design of no conductive line across the connecting section 114 on the board body 110 is because the material of the connecting section 114 (the insulation material of the circuit board, such as glass fiber) is different from the material of the conductive circuit (such as copper). If the first area 120 extends across the connection section 114 and extends to the second area 130, after the connection section 114 is pulled off, the conductive line will not be broken due to better ductility. Instead, it may be located in the process of being pulled off. The conductive line of the first area 120 is pulled out from the cross section, so that the expansion card 100 is damaged. Therefore, in this embodiment, the expansion card 100 electrically connects the second area 130 to the first area 120 through an external connection.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an expansion card according to another embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 5. The main difference between the expansion card 100 c in this embodiment and the expansion card 100 a in FIG. 3 is that, first, compared with the expansion card 100 a in the embodiment of FIG. It is flat. In this embodiment, the plate body 110 has two recessed areas 160 recessed on two opposite edges. The two recessed areas 160 are located on the edges of the upper and lower sides of the through-slots 112, and are shared along the through-slots 112. Line up. In this embodiment, since the recessed area 160 is made by a machine at the factory end, the edges of the recessed area 160 are smooth, which can make the second area 130 separate from the first area 120 and the first area 120 in cross section and The junction of the upper and lower edges is smooth and has a good feel.

In addition, in this embodiment, the expansion card 100c further includes an M.2 connector 124 and at least one first fixing structure 126 corresponding to the M.2 connector 124. The M.2 connector 124 is disposed in the first region 120 and is electrically connected to the chip 150. Because M.2 expansion cards have many different sizes, usually multiple corresponding fixed structures are set at multiple positions away from the M.2 connector to fix the M.2 expansion card. For example, M.2 expansion card For example, the length is 30mm, 42mm, 60mm, 80mm, etc., the corresponding distance will be set at a distance of 30mm, 42mm, 60mm, 80mm from the M.2 connector. The fixing structure is used to fix the M.2 expansion card to the board 110.

In this embodiment, at least one first fixing structure 126 is disposed in the first area 120 for fixing a first M.2 expansion card 12 (represented by a dotted line) detachably inserted in the M.2 connector 124. . In addition, in this embodiment, the expansion card 100 further includes a second fixing structure 136 disposed in the second area 130 for fixing a second M.2 extension detachably inserted in the M.2 connector 124. Card 14 (shown in dashed lines).

In detail, in this embodiment, the expansion card 100 includes four M.2 connectors 124. For the two M.2 connectors 124 below FIG. 5, each M.2 connector 124 is provided next to A first fixed structure 126 located in the first area 120 and corresponding to three M.2 expansion card lengths, and a second fixed structure 136 located in the second area 130 and corresponding to one M.2 expansion card length. The first fixing structure 126 and the second fixing structure 136 are, for example, studs with screw holes, but the types of the first fixing structure 126 and the second fixing structure 136 are not limited thereto.

It can be seen in FIG. 5 that if the first M.2 expansion card 12 is an M.2 expansion card with a length of 30 mm, the first M.2 expansion card 12 can be inserted through the M.2 connector 124 and can pass through. The first fixing structure 126 closest to the M.2 connector 124 is used for fixing. If the second M.2 expansion card 14 is an M.2 expansion card with a length of 80 mm, the second M.2 expansion card 14 can be located in the second area 130 after being inserted into the M.2 connector 124. The second fixing structure 136 is used for fixing. In other words, if the M.2 expansion card selected by the consumer does not need to be fixed by the second fixing structure 136 in the second area 130, the second area 130 may also be removed.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the back surface of FIG. 5. Referring to FIG. 6, the expansion card 100 c further includes a plurality of heat dissipation pads 170 formed on at least one of the first region 120 and the second region 130. In this embodiment, the heat dissipation pads 170 of the expansion card 100 are formed in the first region 120 and the second region 130. The material of the heat dissipation pad 170 is metal, such as solder, which can bring the heat emitted by the expansion card 100 to back. Since the heat dissipation pad 170 is exposed on the back of the expansion card 100, the heat can be more easily carried away by a fan (not shown) on the motherboard (not shown). Of course, the position of the heat dissipation pad 170 is not limited thereto.

In summary, the expansion card of the present invention can be provided in two sizes. The expansion card is divided into a first area and a second area, and the port and the main conductive line are arranged on the first area, and the second area can be configured and fixed. Structure, heat sink, attached conductive lines, or other structures. These penetrating seams arranged in a line are arranged on the board to weaken the structural strength between the first region and the second region. When a user needs an expansion card of a general specification, the original expansion card (that is, an expansion card with a first zone and a second zone) can be directly used. When the user needs an expansion card with a smaller length, as long as the user breaks these connection sections, the second area can be completely separated from the first area, and becomes an expansion card of another specification (without the second area). In this way, the expansion card of the present invention can meet various needs of users.

Although the present invention has been disclosed as above with the examples, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person with ordinary knowledge in the technical field can make some modifications and retouching without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention shall be determined by the scope of the attached patent application.

L1, L2, L3‧‧‧ length

W‧‧‧Width

10‧‧‧ Transmission line

12‧‧‧The first M.2 expansion card

14‧‧‧second M.2 expansion card

100, 100 ’, 100a, 100b, 100c‧‧‧ expansion cards

110‧‧‧ plate

112‧‧‧through seam

114‧‧‧ connecting section

120‧‧‧ District 1

122‧‧‧first connector

124‧‧‧M.2 connector

126‧‧‧First fixed structure

130‧‧‧Second District

132‧‧‧Second connector

134‧‧‧Electronic components

136‧‧‧Second fixed structure

140‧‧‧Port

150‧‧‧chips

160‧‧‧ Sag area

165‧‧‧Stamp hole

170‧‧‧ Thermal Pad

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an expansion card according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a connection section of the expansion card of FIG. 1 being broken without a second area. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an expansion card according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an expansion card according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an expansion card according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the back surface of FIG. 5.

Claims (10)

An expansion card includes: a board body having a plurality of through-slots which are not connected to each other and a plurality of connecting sections located between the through-slots, the through-slots are arranged in a line to divide the board into a first A region and a second region, and the connection sections connect the first region and the second region; a port is formed on the first region; and a chip is disposed on the first region and is electrically Connected to the port, wherein the expansion card can optionally operate in a form having the first zone and the second zone, or the expansion card can optionally break the connection sections along the line, so that The second zone is completely separated from the first zone and operates in a form without the second zone. The expansion card according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the board body has a plurality of stamp holes formed on the connecting sections, the stamp holes and the through seams are arranged along the line together, and each of the The size of the stamp hole is smaller than the size of each of the through slits. The expansion card according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the extending direction of the line is parallel to the width direction of the board, and the ratio of the total length of the connecting sections to the width of the board is between about 0.2 and 0.3. . The expansion card according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the extension direction of the line is parallel to the width direction of the board body, and the ratio of the length of each connection segment to the width of the board body is between about 0.03 and 0.07, and The number of these connecting sections is between 3 and 6. The expansion card according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, further comprising: a first connector configured in the first area and electrically connected to the chip; and a second connector configured in the second area And is adapted to be electrically connected to the first connector through a transmission line. The expansion card according to item 1 of the patent application scope further includes: a plurality of heat dissipation pads formed on at least one of the first area and the second area. The expansion card according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, further comprising: an M.2 connector disposed in the first area and electrically connected to the chip; and a first fixed structure disposed in the first Area for fixing a first M.2 expansion card detachably inserted in the M.2 connector. The expansion card according to item 7 of the scope of patent application, further comprising: a second fixing structure arranged in the second area for fixing a second M. detachably inserted in the M.2 connector. 2 expansion card, wherein the length of the second M.2 expansion card is greater than the length of the first M.2 expansion card. The expansion card according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the board has two recessed areas recessed on two opposite edges, and the two recessed areas are located on both sides of the through-slots, and are shared along the through-slots. Arranged along the line. The expansion card according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein no conductive lines on the board cross the connecting sections.