PCI-Express multimode expansion card and communication device having the same

• US 20080065805A1
• Filed: 09/11/2006
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cameo Communications Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cameo Communications Incorporated
• Inventors: Kuo, Fong-Ming, Wu, Kun-Fang, Lin, Yi-Jen
• Application Number:
  US11/518,417
• Publication Number:
  US 20080065805A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/301
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/186 Securing of expansion boards in correspondence to slots provided at the computer enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/387 for adaptation of different data processing systems to different peripheral devices, e.g. protocol converters for incompatible systems, open system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/0026 PCI express
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/0042 Universal serial bus [USB]

Abstract

The present invention discloses a PCI-Express multimode expansion card comprising a PCI-Express interface port for insertion into a PCI-Express slot of a motherboard, a PCI-Express expansion port, a USB expansion port, and a jumper circuit connecting the PCI-Express interface port and the two expansion ports. The PCI-Express expansion port provides expandability by allowing the attachment of a PCI-Express interfaced peripheral device, and the USB expansion port provides expandability by allowing the attachment of a USB-interfaced peripheral device. As such, a single PCI-Express multimode expansion card inserted into a PCI-Express slot configured on the motherboard can be used to attach two peripheral devices with different interface, thereby achieving the function of multimode expansion.

Claims

1. A PCI-Express multimode expansion card, comprising:

a PCI-Express interface port configured on one side of the PCI-Express multimode expansion card and having a plurality of pins, the plurality of pins further consisting of a plurality of USB interface pins and a plurality of PCI-Express interface pins;

a first expansion port which is an interface port compliant with PCI-Express specification;

a second expansion port which is an interface port compliant with USB specification; and

a jumper circuit connecting the PCI-Express interface port to the first expansion port, and connecting the PEI-Express interface port to the second expansion port;

wherein the first expansion port is connected at least to the PCI-Express interface pins via the jumper circuit, and the second expansion port is connected at least to the USB interface pins via the jumper circuit.

2. The PCI-Express multimode expansion card according to claim 1, wherein said first expansion port provides expandability by allowing the attachment of a PCI-Express interfaced first peripheral device, and said second expansion port provides expandability by allowing the attachment of a USB-interfaced second peripheral device.

3. The PCI-Express multimode expansion card according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of pins of the PCI-Express interface port further contain a plurality of LED pins to control the display of LED indicator.

4. The PCI-Express multimode expansion card according to claim 1, wherein said PCI-Express interface port has 52 pins, and said fist expansion port is connected at least to pins #21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33 and 35 of the PCI-Express interface port via the jumper circuit, while said second expansion port is connected at least to pins #34, 36, 38 and 40 of the PCI-Express interface port via the jumper circuit.

5. The PCI-Express multimode expansion card according to claim 1, wherein said PCI-Express multimode expansion card is not disposed with any signal conversion circuit but with said jumper circuit only.

6. The PCI-Express multimode expansion card according to claim 1, wherein said PCI-Express interface port is insertable into a PCI-Express slot of a motherboard.

7. A communication device having a PCI-Express multimode expansion card, comprising:

a PCI-Express multimode expansion card, further comprising;

a PCI-Express interface port configured on one side of the PCI-Express multimode expansion card and insertable into a PCI-Express slot of an external motherboard;

a first expansion port;

a second expansion port; and

a jumper circuit connecting the PCI-Express interface port to the first expansion port, and connecting the PCI-Express interface port to the second expansion port; and

a peripheral device capable of external communication, which attaches to either the first expansion port or the second expansion port and engages in signal transmission with the motherboard via the PCI-Express interface port.

8. The communication device according to claim 7, wherein said first expansion port provides expandability by allowing the attachment of a PCI-Express interfaced first peripheral device, and said second expansion port provides expandability by allowing the attachment of a USB-interfaced second peripheral device.

9. The communication device according to claim 7, wherein said PCI-Express interface port has 52 pins, and said first expansion port is connected at least to pins #21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33 and 35 of the PCI-Express interface port via the jumper circuit, while said second expansion port is connected at least to pins #34, 36, 38 and 40 of the PCI-Express interface port via the jumper circuit.

10. The communication device according to claim 7, wherein said PCI-Express multimode expansion card is not disposed with any signal conversion circuit but with said jumper circuit only.

11. The communication device according to claim 7, wherein said peripheral device is one of the following:

wireless local area network (WLAN) device, bluetooth transmitter, and ultra wideband (UWB) wireless networking device.

12. The communication device according to claim 7, wherein said peripheral device supports either PCI-Express interface or USB interface.

13. The communication device according to claim 7, wherein said peripheral device is a wireless transceiver and further comprises:

a connector interface port insertable into one of the expansion ports on PCI-Express multimode expansion card for transmission of data signal compliant with the expansion port-supported communication protocol;

an antenna used for receiving/sending wireless signals;

a front-end unit coupled to the antenna;

a controller coupled to the front-end unit for signal modulation; and

a signal conversion module connected between the controller and the connector interface port that carries out the task of signal conversion between the expansion port-supported communication protocol and the communication protocol of the wireless transceiver.

14. A communication device, comprising:

a PCI-Express multimode expansion card, further consisting of;

a PCI-Express interface port insertable into a PCI-Express slot of an external motherboard, at least one expansion port, and a jumper circuit connecting the PCI-Express interface port and the at least one expansion port; and

an ultra wideband (UWB) wireless networking device, further consisting of;

a connector interface port insertable into one of the expansion ports of PCI-Express multimode expansion card for transmission of data signals compliant with the expansion port-supported communication protocol, an antenna used for receiving/sending UWB wireless signals, a UWB front-end unit coupled to the antenna, a UWB controller coupled to the UWB front-end unit for signal modulation, and a signal conversion module connected between the UWB controller and the connector interface port to carry out the task of signal conversion between the expansion port-supported communication protocol and the UWB communication protocol.

15. The communication device according to claim 14, wherein said at least one expansion port consists of a first expansion port and a second expansion port;

said PCI-Express interface port further consists of a plurality of USB interface pins and a plurality of PCI-Express interface pins;

wherein the first expansion port is connected at least to the PCI-Express interface pins via the jumper circuit, and the second expansion port is connected at least to the USB interface pins via the jumper circuit.

16. The communication device according to claim 15, wherein said first expansion port provides expandability by allowing the attachment of a PCI-Express interfaced first peripheral device, and said second expansion port provides expandability by allowing the attachment of a USB-interfaced second peripheral device.

17. The communication device according to claim 15, wherein the plurality of pins of the PCI-Express interface port further contain a plurality of LED pins to control the display of LED indicator.

18. The communication device according to claim 15, wherein said PCI-Express interface port has 52 pins, and said first expansion port is connected at least to pins #21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33 and 35 of the PCI-Express interface port via the jumper circuit, while said second expansion port is connected at least to pins #34, 36, 38 and 40 of the PCI-Express interface port via the jumper circuit.

19. The communication device according to claim 15, wherein said PCI-Express multimode expansion card is not disposed with any signal conversion circuit but with said jumper circuit only.

20. The communication device according to claim 15, wherein the connector interface port of said UWB wireless networking device is compliant with PCI-Express interface specification and connected to the first expansion port.