TWI678624B - Modularized computer system and computing core board thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A modular computer system includes an input-output board and a computing core board. The input-output board includes: a first connection interface and at least one input-output peripheral circuit. Each input-output peripheral circuit is connected to the first connection interface. The computing core board includes: a second connection interface, a memory unit, a storage unit, and a processing unit. The second connection interface is used for connecting the first connection interface of the input-output board. The memory unit records the type information of the corresponding input and output peripheral circuits. The storage unit stores a plurality of prepared firmware. The processing unit is connected to the memory unit, the storage unit and the second connection interface. The processing unit obtains type information from the memory unit, and obtains a match from the prepared firmware according to the type information as the driving firmware. The processing unit executes driving firmware to control input and output peripheral circuits.

Description

Modular computer system and its computing core board

The invention relates to a computer system, in particular to a modular computer system and a computing core board thereof.

At present, in order to meet the needs of most users, general manufacturers will design the computing core board with input and output boards when manufacturing application systems. However, when you want to update or upgrade the application system, sometimes you must upgrade the computing core board accordingly, so that you can replace it with a more efficient processor.

However, usually the same type of computing core board can be applied to multiple types of input and output boards. That is, the same computing core board can be combined with different types of input and output boards to form an application system. Therefore, when you want to use different I / O boards, you must install the corresponding firmware on the computing core board, which causes users to not know where to obtain the correct firmware, and how to install the firmware.

In view of the foregoing, an embodiment of the present invention provides a modular computer system. The modular computer system includes an input-output board and a computing core board.

The input-output board includes: a first connection interface and at least one input-output peripheral circuit. Each input-output peripheral circuit is connected to the first connection interface. The computing core board includes: a second connection interface, a memory unit, a storage unit, and a processing unit. The second connection interface is correspondingly connected to the first connection interface of the input-output board. The memory unit records the type information of the corresponding input and output peripheral circuits. The storage unit stores a plurality of prepared firmware. The processing unit is connected to the memory unit, the storage unit and the second connection interface. The processing unit obtains type information from the memory unit, and obtains a match from the prepared firmware according to the type information as the driving firmware. The processing unit executes driving the firmware to control the input-output peripheral circuits of the input-output board.

In an embodiment, the computing core board further includes an input interface to write type information to the memory unit through the input interface.

According to the above embodiments, when the modular computer system and the computing core board of the present invention can connect the computing core board to the input / output board, the computing core board can provide suitable driving firmware according to the memory unit to further control the input / output board. This allows users to operate more conveniently and saves a lot of research and development costs.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of a modular computer system according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the modular computer system 1 includes an input-output board 10 and a computing core board 20. The input / output board 10 is connected to a computing core board 20.

In one embodiment, the modular computer system 1 may be, for example, an industrial computer, a personal computer, a notebook computer, an embedded system, or the like.

In one embodiment, the input-output board 10 includes a first connection interface 11 and an input-output peripheral circuit 12. The input-output peripheral circuit 12 is connected to the first connection interface 11. The input-output peripheral circuit 12 receives a message from the first connection interface 11, and further causes the input-output peripheral circuit 12 to operate correspondingly according to the message.

In an embodiment, the input / output peripheral circuit 12 may be a peripheral module having one or more specific uses. Therefore, it is possible to send a message through the computing core board 20 and to the input / output peripheral circuit 12 through the first connection interface 11 to further The input / output peripheral circuit 12 is controlled. In some embodiments, the input / output peripheral circuit 12 may be a storage module, a display module, a control module, and the like, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the input / output peripheral circuit 12 further includes an input / output port 121. The input / output port 121 can be further connected to a peripheral device 30 having a specific application.

In one embodiment, the computing core board 20 includes a second connection interface 21, a memory unit 22, a storage unit 23 and a processing unit 24. The processing unit 24 is connected to the second connection interface 21, the memory unit 22, and the storage unit 23, respectively.

The second connection interface 21 is a corresponding connection for the first connection interface 11 of the input / output board 10, so that the input / output peripheral circuit 12 can receive information through the second connection interface 21 and the first connection interface 11, and can allow input and output peripherals The circuit 12 operates according to the message (or correspondingly transmits through the input / output port 121). In this way, the computing core board 20 can directly control the input / output peripheral circuit 12 located on the input / output board 10, and can also expand more types of input / output ports 121 by connecting different input / output boards 10.

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a memory unit 22 according to the present invention. Please refer back to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The memory unit 22 records type information corresponding to the input / output board 10. In one embodiment, the memory unit 22 records the type information of the input / output peripheral circuit 12. Here, the type information may include, for example, the manufacturer, version, and chip model of each component in the input / output board 10 (such as the first connection interface 11 or each input / output peripheral circuit 12), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

In one embodiment, the computing core board 20 includes an input interface 25, and the type information of the memory unit 22 can be loaded through the input interface 25 according to a write instruction. In other words, the user can write the type information corresponding to the input-output board 10 into the memory unit 22 through the input interface 25 by using the write instruction.

The storage unit 23 stores a single or plural prepared firmware 231, which is plural in one embodiment. Each type of information corresponds to a prepared firmware 231. The preparation firmware 231 includes definitions of registers, pins and the like of the chip corresponding to each element in the input-output board 10. Here, the input / output peripheral circuit 12 can receive information from the first connection interface 11 according to the corresponding type information 231 in the memory unit 22 for further transmission through the input / output port 121 and the external peripheral device 30.

In one embodiment, the input / output peripheral circuit 12 can be designed by the user or used the same circuit as the reference circuit, which is not limited in the present invention. The reference circuit may be provided by a provider of the computing core board 20 or a provider of the input / output board 10.

In an embodiment, the memory unit 22 further stores parameters of the reference circuit corresponding to the corresponding type information. Therefore, when the input / output peripheral circuit 12 used by the user is a reference circuit provided by the computing core board 20 provider, the user only needs to connect the input / output board 10 and the computing core board 20 to quickly input. The output board 10 operates normally.

Here, when the computing core board 20 detects that the input / output board 10 is connected (that is, after the first connection interface 11 and the second connection interface 21 are correspondingly connected), the processing unit 24 reads the type information stored in the memory unit 22 . Therefore, after receiving the type information from the memory unit 22, the processing unit 24 can obtain the corresponding ones from the respective prepared firmware 231 in the storage unit 23 as the driving firmware according to the type information. Therefore, after the processing unit 24 executes the driving firmware, it can control the input / output board 10, and can transmit or control the input / output peripheral circuit 12 through the first connection interface 11 (or the input / output port 121 and the connected The peripheral device 30 performs transmission or manipulation). Therefore, the user can connect and use the peripheral device 30 after the input / output board 10 is connected to the computing core board 20 without having to find and install appropriate firmware.

In one embodiment, when the input / output board 10 of the same type is replaced, it corresponds to the type information recorded by the memory unit 22. Then, the user does not need to write another type information conforming to the input / output version 10 to the memory unit 22, and it can be directly replaced with the input / output board 10 of the same type to enable the input / output board 10 to run normally.

In an embodiment, please refer to FIG. 2 again. Each type of information includes a common information 222 and a different information 221. The common information 222 is a common part of a plurality of types of information, and the different information 221 is a different part of the plurality of types of information. This saves memory space. The common information 222 may include the identification number, the version number of the type information, and the product number of the input-output board 10.

In one embodiment, the I / O port 121 is implemented by a COM port. Here, the input / output peripheral circuit 12 is a driving circuit corresponding to a COM port. After the computing core board 20 is connected to the input / output board 10, the input / output board 10 receives a message (such as a data file) from the computing core board 20 through the first connection interface 11. Through the driving circuit, the data file can be smoothly transferred from the COM port to the peripheral device 30 connected to it, so that it can be opened, stored, and loaded into an execution program or other various applications.

In one embodiment, the input / output port 121 is implemented as an HDMI port. Here, the input / output peripheral circuit 12 is a driving circuit corresponding to the HDMI port. After the computing core board 20 is connected to the input / output board 10, the input / output board 10 receives a message (such as an image file) from the computing core board 20 through the first connection interface 11. Through the driving circuit, the image file can be smoothly transmitted from the HDMI port to the peripheral device 30 connected to it, so that it can display the image, store the image file, or other various applications.

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an input-output board 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, the first connection interface 11 is implemented by a low pin count 40, and the input / output port 121 is implemented by a serial communication port 43. There are two input-output peripheral circuits 12 here, and each input-output peripheral circuit 12 includes a first peripheral circuit 41 and two second peripheral circuits 42. The input / output board 10 receives messages from the computing core board 20 via the low pin count 40. The first peripheral circuit 41 converts the low pin count 40 protocol into another communication protocol, such as UART. Here, the first peripheral circuit 41 is converted into two sets of UART outputs. The two second peripheral circuits 42 respectively receive the two sets of UART outputs, and convert the UART signals into COM port signals (such as RS232, RS422, RS485), and output them through the serial communication port 43. Here, the computing core board 20 can initialize the first peripheral circuit 41 via the low pin count 40. The first peripheral circuit 41 and the second peripheral circuit 42 also have some pins connected to communicate with the low pin count 40, so that the computing core board 20 can initialize the second peripheral circuit 42 through the first peripheral circuit 41. In other words, the input / output peripheral circuit 12 can convert a message received from the first connection interface 11 into a communication protocol conforming to the input / output port 121.

In one embodiment, the storage unit 23 and the memory unit 22 are non-volatile memory. For example: electronic erasable rewritable read-only memory (EEPROM).

In one embodiment, the processing unit 24 may be a microprocessor, a microcontroller, or the like.

In an embodiment, the input / output port 12 may be, for example, a DIO (Digital Input Output) port, a USB port, an HDMI port, a COM port, a UART port, a network port, a memory card port, or other types of input. Any one of the output ports 12 or any combination thereof.

In an embodiment, the first connection interface 11 and the second connection interface 21 include any one of a COM Express transmission interface, a Qseven transmission interface, a SMARC transmission interface, or any combination thereof, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The transmission interface (such as the first connection interface 11 or / and the second connection interface 21) may be, for example, a system management bus (System Management Bus, SMBus), a fast peripheral component interconnect (PCI Express), and a low pin count ( Low Pin Count (LPC) or any other type of transmission interface or any combination thereof.

In one embodiment, the peripheral device 30 may be a storage device (such as a hard disk, SSD, memory card, ROM, or ROM), a display device (such as an LCD screen, a touch screen), and a control device (such as a mouse, a keyboard, or a handwriting device). Board or button), computing device (GPU, microprocessor or microcontroller) or various other electronic devices, the present invention is not limited. In some embodiments, the peripheral device 30 may be any combination of the aforementioned various electronic devices.

In one embodiment, the computing core board 20 may be a main board that provides a computing unit in the modular computer system 1. The input / output board 10 can provide the computer system 1 with various types of input / output peripheral circuits 12 (such as different types of input / output ports 121) or peripheral devices 30, so as to further achieve the motherboard as expected by the modular computer system 1.

According to the above embodiment, the modular computer system 1 and the computing core board 20 of the embodiment of the present invention can automatically execute appropriate firmware according to the type information in the memory unit 22 when the input / output board 10 is connected, so as to correctly The I / O board 10 communicates with the I / O peripheral circuit 12 (or further communicates with the peripheral device 30) via the I / O board 10, without requiring the user to install additional firmware. In this way, users can update conveniently and further improve the performance of the modular computer system 1 quickly.

1‧‧‧ computer system

10‧‧‧I / O board

11‧‧‧First connection interface

12‧‧‧I / O peripheral circuit

20‧‧‧ Computing Core Board

21‧‧‧Second connection interface

22‧‧‧Memory unit

23‧‧‧Storage unit

24‧‧‧ Processing Unit

25‧‧‧Input interface

30‧‧‧ Peripherals

40‧‧‧ Low pin count

41‧‧‧First peripheral circuit

42‧‧‧Second peripheral circuit

43‧‧‧Serial communication port

121‧‧‧I / O port

221‧‧‧ Dissimilar information

222‧‧‧ Common Information

231‧‧‧Firmware Preparation

[Fig. 1] A schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of a modular computer system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a memory unit of the present invention. [FIG. 3] A schematic diagram of the architecture of an input-output board according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (9)

A modular computer system includes: an input-output board including: a first connection interface; and at least one input-output peripheral circuit connected to the first connection interface; and a computing core board including: a second connection An interface for corresponding connection of the first connection interface of the input-output board; a memory unit that records a type of information corresponding to the input-output peripheral circuit; a storage unit that stores a plurality of preliminary firmware; and a processing unit that connects to the A memory unit, the storage unit, and the second connection interface; after the first connection interface is correspondingly connected to the second connection interface, the processing unit obtains the type information from the memory unit and uses the type information to prepare the The match obtained in the body is used as a driving firmware, and the processing unit executes the driving firmware to control the input-output peripheral circuit of the input-output board. The modular computer system according to claim 1, wherein the computing core board further includes an input interface to write the type information to the memory unit through the input interface. The modular computer system according to claim 1, wherein the second connection interface and the first connection interface include any one of a COM Express transmission interface, a Qseven transmission interface, a SMARC transmission interface, or any combination thereof. The modular computer system according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the second connection interface and the first connection interface include a system management bus (SMBus), a fast peripheral component interconnect (PCI Express), and a low Any one or any combination of pin counts (LPC). The modular computer system according to claim 1, wherein the input / output peripheral circuit further includes at least one input / output port, and the processing unit executes the driving firmware to control the input / output board, and via the at least one input / output port Communicate with external parties. A computing core board is suitable for connecting an input-output board, the input-output board includes a first connection interface, and the computing core board includes: a second connection interface for the first connection interface of the input-output board to connect; A memory unit that records a type of information corresponding to an input-output peripheral circuit of the input-output board; a storage unit that stores a plurality of prepared firmware; and a processing unit that connects the memory unit, the storage unit, and the second connection interface After the first connection interface is correspondingly connected to the second connection interface, the processing unit obtains the type of information from the memory unit, and obtains a match from the preliminary firmware as a driving firmware according to the type of information, The processing unit executes the driving firmware to control the input-output peripheral circuit of the input-output board. The computing core board according to claim 6, further comprising an input interface to write the type information to the memory unit through the input interface. The computing core board according to claim 6, wherein the second connection interface includes any one of a COM Express transmission interface, a Qseven transmission interface, a SMARC transmission interface, or any combination thereof. The computing core board according to claim 6 or 8, wherein the second connection interface and the first connection interface include a system management bus (SMBus), a fast peripheral component interconnect (PCI Express), and a low pin Any of the counts (LPC) or any combination thereof.