TWM676502U - Electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic device comprising a first electronic component and a second electronic component is provided. The first electronic component comprises a first connector and a control unit. The first connector has a plurality of first pins, which includes a first detection pin. The first detection pin is connected to a voltage source through a first resistor. The control unit is electrically connected to the first detection pin for detecting a voltage level of the first detection pin. The second electronic component comprises a second connector. The second connector has a plurality of second pins, which includes a second detection pin. The second detection pin is grounded through a second resistor. When the first connector is connected to the second connector, the control unit determines that the second electronic component is assembled to the first electronic component according to the detected voltage level of the first detection pin.

Description

Electronic devices

This case relates to an electronic device, and more particularly to a computer host.

Most computer motherboards on the market currently use USB 2.0 9-pin connectors to connect the motherboard to cooling devices such as fans and water cooling modules. However, for fans and water cooling modules, their operation only uses one set of USB 2.0 signals, thus failing to fully utilize the performance of the USB 2.0 9-pin connector, resulting in a waste of the transmission interface.

This application provides an electronic device. The electronic device includes a first electronic component and a second electronic component. The first electronic component includes a first connector and a control unit. The first connector has a plurality of first contacts, including a first detection contact, which is connected to a voltage source via a first resistor. The control unit is electrically connected to the first detection contact and is adapted to detect the potential of the first detection contact. The second electronic component includes a second connector. The second connector is adapted to connect to the first connector and has a plurality of second contacts. The plurality of second contacts includes a second detection contact, which is grounded via a second resistor. When the first connector is connected to the second connector, the first detection contact is electrically connected to the second detection contact, and the control unit confirms that the second electronic component is installed in the first electronic component based on the potential of the first detection contact.

The first connector of the first electronic component provided in this application is provided with a first detection contact, and the second connector of the second electronic component is provided with a second detection contact. The control unit of the first electronic component can detect the potential of the first detection contact to determine whether the electronic component plugged into the first connector is the second electronic component, thereby changing the definition of at least one variable contact of the first connector. In this way, the first electronic component can adjust the contact definition of the first connector according to the actual connection status, so as to fully utilize the transmission performance of the first connector and avoid waste in the use of the transmission interface.

The specific implementation of this application will be described in more detail below with reference to the schematic diagrams. The advantages and features of this application will become clearer based on the following description and the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that the drawings are all in a very simplified form and use non-precise proportions, intended only to facilitate and clearly illustrate the embodiments of this application.

The first figure is a block diagram of the electronic device 10 provided according to an embodiment of this case.

As shown in the figure, this electronic device 10 includes a first electronic component 100 and a second electronic component 200. The first electronic component 100 includes a first connector 120 and a control unit 140. The control unit 140 is electrically connected to the first connector 120. The second electronic component 200 includes a second connector 220 adapted to connect to the first connector 120. In one embodiment, the first connector 120 can be connected to the second connector 220 via a first connecting line 320. In another embodiment, the first connecting line 320 can be a pin-to-pin connection. However, this invention is not limited to this.

In one embodiment, the electronic device 10 is a computer host, wherein the first electronic component 100 is a motherboard, and the second electronic component 200 is a hub card. The first connector 120 is a USB 2.0 9-pin connector, and the second connector 220 is a USB 2.0 9-pin connector, and some contacts of the second connector 220 are configured for System Management Bus (SMBus) signal transmission. However, this invention is not limited to this.

Control unit 140 can confirm, via first connector 120, whether the component plugged into first connector 120 is second electronic component 200. Specifically, it confirms whether the connector plugged into first connector 120 is second connector 220. The technical details of control unit 140 confirming the type of component plugged into first connector 120 via first connector 120 will be explained in more detail in later paragraphs.

Please also refer to Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of the first connector 120 provided according to an embodiment of this invention. The figure shows a USB 2.0 9-pin connector as an example to illustrate the technology of this invention.

As shown in the figure, the first connector 120 has a plurality of first contacts 122, including a first detection contact ND1. The first detection contact ND1 is connected to a voltage source VCC through a first resistor R1. In one embodiment, the voltage level of this voltage source VCC is 3.3V.

In one embodiment, as shown in the figure, the first connector 120 is a USB 2.0 9-pin connector with 9 contacts, which can be divided into a first USB contact group G1, a second USB contact group G2, and a first detection contact ND1. The first USB contact group G1 includes contacts numbered 1, 3, 5, and 7 in the figure, and the second USB contact group G2 includes contacts numbered 2, 4, 6, and 8 in the figure. According to the definition of a USB 2.0 9-pin connector, the first detection contact ND1 corresponds to an unconnected (NC) contact, which is contact numbered 10 in the figure.

The control unit 140 is electrically connected to the first detection contact ND1 of the first connector 120, and confirms the type of component plugged into the first connector 120 by detecting the potential of the first detection contact ND1.

Please also refer to Figure 3, which is a schematic diagram of the second connector 220 provided according to an embodiment of this invention. The figure shows a USB 2.0 9-pin connector as an example to illustrate the technology of this invention.

As shown in the figure, the second connector 220 has a plurality of second contacts 222. The aforementioned plurality of second contacts 222 includes a second detection contact ND2, which is grounded through a second resistor R2.

In one embodiment, the second connector 220 is a USB 2.0 9-pin connector with 9 contacts, which can be divided into a third USB contact group G3, a fourth USB contact group G4, and a second detection contact ND2.

The third USB contact group G3 includes contacts numbered 1, 3, 5, and 7 in the diagram, and the fourth USB contact group G4 includes contacts numbered 2, 4, 6, and 8 in the diagram. The second detection contact ND2 is the unconnected (NC) contact of this USB 2.0 9-pin connector, which is contact numbered 10 in the diagram. When the first connector 120 is connected to the second connector 220, the first USB contact group G1 is electrically connected to the third USB contact group G3, the second USB contact group G2 is electrically connected to the fourth USB contact group G4, and the first detection contact ND1 is electrically connected to the second detection contact ND2.

In one embodiment, the first USB contact group G1 of the aforementioned first connector 120 includes a variable contact NV. As used herein, a variable contact NV means that the definition of the contact (or the type of transmission interface) is not fixed. In this embodiment, the control unit 140 can determine the type of the second electronic component 200 plugged into the first connector 120 based on the potential of the first detection contact ND1, and thereby change or control the definition of the variable contact NV of the first USB contact group G1. In one embodiment, depending on actual needs, all contacts of the first USB contact group G1 can be variable contacts NV, or all contacts of both the first USB contact group G1 and the second USB contact group G2 can be variable contacts NV. The operation of the control unit 140 in changing or controlling the variable contact NV of the first USB contact group G1 will be explained in more detail in the paragraphs corresponding to Figures 4 and 5.

Please refer to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the connection status of the second electronic component 200 installed in the first electronic component 100, and Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of the connection status of a conventional USB 2.0 9-pin device 500 installed in the first electronic component 100. This USB 2.0 9-pin device 500 has a USB 2.0 9-pin connector 520.

As shown in Figure 4, the first electronic component 100 of this embodiment includes at least one switching element 160 (four switching elements 160 are shown in the figure, each corresponding to one of the four contacts of the first USB contact group G1). Each switching element 160 corresponds to one of the contacts of the first USB contact group G1.

The switching element 160 includes a first input terminal N1, a second input terminal N2, and an output terminal N3, with the output terminal N3 electrically connected to a variable contact. In one embodiment, the switching element 160 may be a multiplexer (MUX).

Control unit 140 controls switching element 160 to electrically connect either the first input terminal N1 or the second input terminal N2 to a variable contact via output terminal N3, based on the potential of the first detection contact ND1. In this way, control unit 140 can change or control the definition of the variable contact of the first USB contact group G1. For example, in one embodiment, the first input terminal N1 of the aforementioned switching element 160 may correspond to a USB 2.0 pin, and the second input terminal N2 of the aforementioned switching element 160 may correspond to a transmission line of the System Management Bus (SMBus).

As shown in Figure 4, when the second connector 220 is plugged into the first connector 120, the first detection contact ND1 is electrically connected to the second detection contact ND2, and the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2 are connected in series between the voltage source VCC and the ground terminal GND. The potential of the first detection contact ND1 is equivalent to the voltage divider potential of the voltage divider point between the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2. By appropriately adjusting the resistance values of the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2, the potential of the first detection contact ND1 can be made close to the potential of the ground terminal GND.

Conversely, as shown in Figure 5, when the conventional USB 2.0 9-pin connector 520 is plugged into the first connector 120, because the contact of the USB 2.0 9-pin connector 520 corresponding to the first detection contact ND1 (that is, the contact number 10) is unconnected, the potential of the first detection contact ND1 will be forcibly pulled high by the voltage source VCC, and will be higher than the potential of the first detection contact ND1 detected in Figure 4 above.

Please refer to Figures 1 and 4 together. When the control unit 140 confirms through the potential of the first detection contact ND1 that the electronic component plugged into the first connector 120 is the second electronic component 200 provided in this invention, the control unit 140 will control the switching element 160 to switch to the second input terminal N2, so that the first electronic component 100 and the second electronic component 200 can communicate through the transmission interface of the system management bus.

In this embodiment, control unit 140 controls four switching elements 160 corresponding to the four contacts of the first USB contact group G1 to switch to the second input terminal N2. The contacts numbered 2, 4, 6, and 8 in the figure included in the second USB contact group G2 can be set to the 5V, D2-, D2, and GND contacts natively defined by USB 2.0, respectively.

In other words, at the same time, the first connector 120 still retains the second USB contact group G2, which can communicate with the second electronic component 200 through the USB transmission interface.

Please refer to Figures 1 and 5 together. When the control unit 140 confirms through the potential of the first detection contact ND1 that the electronic component plugged into the first connector 120 is a conventional USB 2.0 9-pin device 500, rather than the second electronic component 200 provided in this application, the control unit 140 will control the switching element 160 to switch to the first input terminal N1 (corresponding to the pin of USB 2.0), so that the first USB contact group G1 of the first connector 120 communicates with the conventional USB 2.0 9-pin device 500 according to the native definition of the USB 2.0 9-pin connector. Specifically, the first USB contact group G1 includes contacts numbered 1, 3, 5, and 7 in the diagram, which can be set to the 5V, D2-, D2, and GND contacts natively defined by USB 2.0, respectively.

In this way, the first electronic component 100 (e.g., the motherboard) can adjust the contact definition of the first connector 120 according to the actual connection status, and use the first USB contact group G1, which is not needed for USB interface transmission, for communication of the system management bus (SMBus), so as to give full play to the transmission performance of the first connector 120 and avoid waste of transmission interface usage.

Please refer to Figure 6, which is a schematic diagram of an electronic device 60 provided according to another embodiment of this case.

As shown in the figure, in one embodiment, the electronic device 60 may include a control panel 62, which is connected via a second connection cable 340 to a control panel connector 260 of a second electronic component 200 (e.g., a hub). The control panel 62 is user-controlled and used to display status signals to prompt the user. For example, the control panel 62 may have a power switch, a reset switch, a hard drive status LED, and a power status LED. In the case of a computer host, the control panel 62 may be located on the front of the computer host's chassis.

The control panel 62 is designed to communicate with the first electronic component 100 (e.g., the motherboard) via a transmission interface operating in the system shutdown state (S5) such as the system management bus. Since the second electronic component 200 in this invention supports communication via the system management bus, the control signal S1 generated by the control panel 62 can be transmitted to the second electronic component 200. The second electronic component 200 then transmits the control signal S1 to the first electronic component 100 (e.g., the motherboard) for further processing via the system management bus (SMBus) communication through the first connector 120 and the second connector 220.

By using the second electronic component 200 provided in this case, the connection cable between the control panel 62 and the motherboard can be omitted, reducing the use of cables inside the case and making the computer host cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing.

In summary, the first connector 120 of the first electronic component 100 provided in this application is provided with a first detection contact ND1, and the second connector 220 of the second electronic component 200 is provided with a second detection contact ND2. The control unit 140 of the first electronic component 100 can detect the potential of the first detection contact ND1 to determine whether the electronic component plugged into the first connector 120 is the second electronic component 200, thereby changing the definition of at least one variable contact NV of the first connector 120. In this way, the first electronic component 100 can adjust the contact definition of the first connector 120 according to the actual connection status, so as to fully utilize the transmission performance of the first connector 120 and avoid waste in the use of the transmission interface.

The above is merely a preferred embodiment of this case and does not limit the scope of this case in any way. Any person skilled in the art who makes any equivalent substitution or modification to the technical means and content disclosed in this case without departing from the scope of the technical means of this case shall still be considered as part of the technical means of this case and shall remain within the protection scope of this case.

10, 60: Electronic device; 100: First electronic component; 120: First connector; 122: First contact; 140: Control unit; 160: Switching element; 200: Second electronic component; 220: Second connector; 222: Second contact; 260: Control panel connector; 320: First connection cable; 340: Second connection cable; 500: Traditional USB 2.0 9-pin device; 62: Control panel; ND1: First detection contact; ND2: Second detection contact; NV: Variable contact; R1: First resistor; R2: Second resistor; N1: First input terminal; N2: Second input terminal; N3: Output terminal; VCC: Voltage source; GND: Ground terminal; G1: First USB contact group; G2: Second USB contact group; G3: Third USB contact group; G4: Fourth USB contact group; S1: Control signal.

The first figure is a block diagram of an electronic device provided according to an embodiment of this application; the second figure is a diagram of a first connector provided according to an embodiment of this application; the third figure is a diagram of a second connector provided according to an embodiment of this application; the fourth figure shows a connection state of a second electronic component installed on a first electronic component; the fifth figure shows a connection state of a conventional USB 2.0 9-pin device installed on a first electronic component; and the sixth figure is a diagram of a power supply provided according to yet another embodiment of this application.

10: Electronic Devices

100: First Electronic Components

120: First Connector

140: Control Unit

200: Second Electronic Component

220: Second Connector

320: First connection line

Claims (14)

An electronic device includes: a first electronic component comprising: a first connector having a plurality of first contacts, the plurality of first contacts including a first detection contact connected to a voltage source via a first resistor; and a control unit electrically connected to the first detection contact and adapted to detect the potential of the first detection contact; and a second electronic component comprising: a second connector. The device is adapted to connect to the first connector and has a plurality of second contacts, including a second detection contact that is grounded through a second resistor; wherein, when the first connector is connected to the second connector, the first detection contact is electrically connected to the second detection contact, and the control unit confirms that the second electronic component is installed in the first electronic component based on the potential of the first detection contact. The electronic device as described in claim 1, wherein the first electronic component is a motherboard. The electronic device as described in claim 2, wherein the second electronic component is a hub card. The electronic device as described in claim 3 further includes a control panel adapted to generate a control signal, the control panel being connected to the hub. The electronic device as described in claim 4, wherein the hub is adapted to receive the control signal and transmit the control signal to the motherboard via the first connector and the second connector. The electronic device as described in claim 1, wherein the first connector is a USB 2.0 connector. The electronic device as described in claim 6, wherein the first detection contact is an open (NC) contact of the USB 2.0 connector. The electronic device as described in claim 1, wherein the second connector is a USB 2.0 connector. The electronic device as described in claim 8, wherein the second detection contact is an open (NC) contact of the USB 2.0 connector. The electronic device as described in claim 1, wherein the plurality of first contacts includes a variable contact, and the control unit changes the definition of the variable contact based on the potential of the first detection contact. The electronic device as described in claim 10, wherein the plurality of first contacts includes a first USB contact group, a second USB contact group, and the first detection contact, the first USB contact group including the variable contact, and the control unit changes the definition of the variable contact based on the potential of the first detection contact. The electronic device as described in claim 10, wherein the first electronic component includes a switching element, the switching element including a first input terminal, a second input terminal and an output terminal, the output terminal being electrically connected to the variable contact, and the control unit controlling the switching element to electrically connect either the first input terminal or the second input terminal to the variable contact based on the potential of the first detection contact. The electronic device as described in claim 12, wherein the first input terminal corresponds to a USB 2.0 pin. The electronic device as described in claim 12, wherein the second input terminal corresponds to a transmission line of a system management bus.