TWI449025B - Power distribution inside cable - Google Patents

Description

Power distribution in the cable

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/360,432, filed on Jun. 30, 2010, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61/446,027, filed on Feb. 23, 2011. Circuitry for Active Cable, US Patent Application Serial No. 13/ 　　 , 　　 No. (Agency file number 20750P-02500US), these cases are incorporated by reference.

Electronic devices often include connectors that provide power and data signals that can be shared with other devices. These connectors are often designed to conform to a standard so that the electronic devices can communicate with each other in a reliable manner. Various Universal Serial Bus (USB), Peripheral Component Fast Interconnect (PCIe), and DisplayPort (DP) standards are just a few examples.

Typically, the device communicates via a cable. These cables may have plugs or inserts on each end that are inserted into the sockets in the device. However, the data rates of these standards are increasing dramatically, and new cables are needed to enable devices to communicate at these higher data rates.

To meet these increased data rates, active circuitry can be included in the cable. But these active circuits need to be powered. It is generally not necessary to provide power to such cables using a source other than one of the connected devices. That is, it may not be necessary to use a second cable to power the first cable.

For this reason, power can be supplied to the active circuitry in the cable by means of a device connected by the cable. However, such devices may have unequal power delivery capabilities. For example, the first device can be powered by a wall outlet and the second device can derive its power from the first device. Furthermore, various devices can provide various voltage levels.

Therefore, there is a need for circuits, methods and apparatus for powering active circuits in a cable in a smart and configurable manner. It may also be desirable to reduce power by providing various states such as sleep and other lower power states.

Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention provide circuits, methods and apparatus for powering active circuits in a cable in a smart and configurable manner.

In various embodiments of the invention, the active components in the connector insert at each end of a cable can be powered in a variety of ways. For example, where a host is coupled to a device that is not self-powered, the host can provide power to circuitry at each end of the cable. In various embodiments of the invention, the device can request a higher voltage from the host such that more power can be delivered. Under such conditions, the device can adjust the voltage received from the host to a lower voltage and then provide the lower voltage to circuitry at one or both ends of the cable. Where the host is connected to a self-powered device, the host and the self-powered device can power their respective connector embedded circuits.

More specifically, in one embodiment of the invention, a host can be coupled to communicate with a device that is not powered by a wall outlet or other external power source, but in various embodiments of the invention, The device can be powered by an internal or external battery. The host can provide a low voltage supply to the device via a cable. The circuit in the cable can be powered from the same low voltage supply. The cable circuit can include circuitry in a first cable plug that is coupled to one of the hosts, and circuitry in a second cable plug that is coupled to the device.

In another embodiment of the invention, a host can provide a higher voltage to a device. This higher voltage can provide an increased amount of power to the device, and it can allow for faster charging of the battery in or associated with the device. However, this higher voltage may not be needed to power the cable circuit, and using this higher voltage may cause excessive power dissipation in the cable. This higher power dissipation can cause heat and an unpleasant user experience. Thus, the device can receive this higher voltage and reduce the higher voltage to a lower voltage. This lower voltage can then be used to power the cable circuit. In this way, the circuitry required to reduce the high voltage to a lower voltage is only included on the device that will be used, and it need not be included on each host device.

In another embodiment of the invention, a host can communicate with a device that is self powered or powered by a wall outlet or other power source. In this case, the host and the device can each power the circuitry in the plug to which they are connected.

In other embodiments of the invention, signals compliant with one of a plurality of agreements may be provided on a cable. Such embodiments of the invention may provide circuitry for detecting which protocol is being used. Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention can provide circuitry for conserving power by disconnecting unused circuitry and providing a sleep state during periods of inactivity.

Various embodiments of the invention may be combined with one or more of these and other features described herein. A better understanding of the nature and advantages of the present invention will be obtained in the light of the <RTIgt;

Figure 1 illustrates an older version of the system that can be modified by the incorporation of embodiments of the present invention. This figure illustrates a computer 110 that communicates with a legacy display 120 via an legacy connection 115. In a particular embodiment of the invention, legacy connection 115 is a DisplayPort connection, although other connections may be used in other embodiments of the invention.

In this figure, connection 115 is shown as a legacy connection. In other embodiments of the invention, the connection 115 can also be a novel connection. Moreover, although computer 110 is shown as being in communication with display 120, other types of connections may be modified by the incorporation of embodiments of the present invention. For example, the connection can be provided between the portable media player and the display, between the computer and the portable media player, or between other types of devices. In various embodiments of the invention, computer 110, display 120, and other devices shown or discussed may be fabricated by Apple Inc. (Cupertino, California).

Again, it may be desirable for the computer 110 to be able to drive a legacy display (such as display 120) or any newer computer, display, or other type of device. Typically, this requires the addition of another connector on the computer 110. This may be undesirable because of the complexity, cost, and size of adding computer 110. The addition of another connector can also increase consumer confusion.

Thus, embodiments of the present invention may provide newer connections using the same connectors as the legacy connections 115. An example is shown in the figure below.

2 illustrates a computer system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. This figure is shown for illustrative purposes in conjunction with other figures, and does not limit the scope of the embodiments or claims of the invention.

This figure illustrates a computer 110 that communicates with a computer or display 220 via a high speed connection 225. The computer or display 220 communicates with the disk drive 230 via a high speed connection 235. The computer 110 can use the same connector to form the legacy connection 115 of FIG. 1 and the high speed connection 225 of FIG. As shown, the high speed connection provided by computer 110 can be daisy chained to multiple devices. In this configuration, each high speed connection 225 and 235 shares the bandwidth available at the connector of computer 110.

The number of connectors on the computer 110 is reduced by providing a connector on the computer 110 that supports the legacy connection 115 of FIG. 1 and the high speed connection 225 of FIG. This reduces device size, saves money and reduces consumer confusion. In this example, computer 110 is in communication with a computer or display 220 and disk drive 230. Other types of devices can be used in other embodiments of the invention. For example, computer 110 can drive a display of an all-in-one computer, a second computer, a stand-alone monitor, an expansion device, a raid drive, or other type of device.

Embodiments of the present invention may take into account at least two considerations when configuring an exit line for a high speed connection using an existing legacy connector. First, the signals in the different channels of the high speed connection can be configured such that they do not interfere with each other. That is, crosstalk between high speed signals can be reduced and the signals can be isolated. Second, the circuitry used to drive and receive new high speed signals and the circuitry associated with the legacy standards can be isolated to limit interference therebetween. An example is shown in the figure below.

Figure 3 illustrates the lead wires of a connector in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, DisplayPort is an older version of the standard that has been overlaid by a pin for the new standard (herein referred to as HSIO, referred to elsewhere as T29 in this document). In other embodiments of the invention, other criteria may be used. Furthermore, one or both of these standards may be an old standard, or one or both of these standards may be a newer standard. Moreover, although the two standards are shown here as a common connector, in other embodiments of the invention, other numbers of standards may share the connector.

In various embodiments of the invention, the two criteria may be separate and unrelated. In other embodiments of the invention, it may be related. For example, HSIO can be a high-speed signaling technology that carries DisplayPort information. That is, DisplayPort information can be tunneled using the HSIO signal. HSIO can also carry other types of signal information (such as PCIe information). In this way, the connector of Figure 3 can directly carry the DisplayPort signal, or it can carry DisplayPort information transmitted as HSIO signal. It should be noted that in various embodiments of the invention described below, HSIO is also referred to as T29.

In this configuration, the high speed input and output pins can be isolated from each other. In particular, the high-speed receiving signal can be placed on the pin 4 and the pin 6 as well as the pin 16 and the pin 18. Each of these signal pairs can be isolated by a signal that is AC grounded. For example, the high speed receiving pins 4 and 6 can be isolated by the hot plug detecting pin 2 and the grounding pin 8. Similarly, the high speed receiving pins 16 and 18 can be isolated by the ground 14 and the power pin 20. The high speed transmission pin 3 and the pin 5 and the pin 15 and the pin 17 can be isolated by the ground pins 1, 7, 13 and 19. Some or all of the ground pins (such as pins 1 and 7) may be AC ground (as opposed to a direct DC connection to ground). That is, the pins can be coupled to ground via a capacitor. This provides a ground connection at high frequencies and an open circuit at low frequencies. This configuration allows the power supply to be received at these pins while maintaining ground at high frequencies.

In a particular embodiment of the invention, the pin 20 at the first end of the cable is connected to the pin 1 at the second end of the cable. This allows the power supplied by the host device on the pin 20 to be supplied to the pin 1 at the device connection. Since the pin 1 is coupled to ground via a capacitor, DC power can be received, but the pin 1 provides AC ground.

Also in this configuration, the high speed signal in the high speed HSIO standard can be shared with the appropriate signal of the old DisplayPort standard. In particular, the high-speed receive signals on pins 4 and 6 can share pins with the configuration signals in the DisplayPort standard. The high speed receive signal on pin 16 and pin 18 can share the pin with the auxiliary signal in the DisplayPort standard. The high-speed transmission signal on the pin 3 and the pin 5 can share the pin with the DisplayPort output signal, and the high-speed transmission signal on the pin 15 and the pin 17 can share the pin with the DisplayPort output signal.

Moreover, in various embodiments of the invention, the active cable can deliver signals that conform to various standards. As discussed above, in certain embodiments of the invention, these may be referred to as HSIO and DisplayPort. The active cable may be able to determine which standards are being used by detecting the status of various pull-up or pull-down resistors. An example of this can be found in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13/, which is incorporated herein by reference. 　　 , 　　 Found in the number (Agency File Number 20750P-02500US), the case is incorporated by reference.

In various embodiments of the invention, the active cable can connect various types of electronic devices together. Such electronic devices can include host devices and other types of devices. These other types of devices may include their own power supplies, or they may be powered by host devices. Devices with their own power supplies can draw power from batteries, wall outlets, car chargers or other supplies. Such devices can be devices such as disk drives, monitors, or other types of devices.

Furthermore, a host in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention may be able to provide a higher voltage, such as 12 V or 15 V. In such cases, more power can be supplied to the second device without increasing the maximum current. The components in the cable may not operate at high voltages, so the second device may provide a lower voltage to the cable circuit. Furthermore, by providing a circuit for generating a lower voltage on the second device, the circuit need not be included in the host. An example is shown in the figure below.

Figure 4 illustrates an electronic system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. This figure includes a host 480 coupled to device 490 via cable 410. Cable 410 includes a left plug 420 that is coupled to host 480 and a right plug 450 that is coupled to device 490. Host 480 may be capable of providing one or more voltages to both device 490 and the cable circuitry in cable 410. Host 480 can provide a lower voltage of 3.3 V, or a higher voltage of 12 volts or 15 volts. In other embodiments of the invention, host 480 can provide various voltage levels to device 490 and cable circuitry in cable 410.

In this particular example, host 480 provides 3.3 V to cable circuitry and device 490 in cable 410. Thus, switch 482 in host 480 provides 3.3 V as voltage V1. This voltage is pulled up on the gate of the transistor N1, thereby turning on the transistors N1 and P1. Transistor P1 provides a 3.3 V to cable microcontroller 422 and switch 424. This voltage further turns on the body diode of transistor P2, which pulls the voltage on line V2 to 2.6 V, or 3.3 V minus a diode drop. This voltage turns on transistors N3 and P3, thereby connecting the voltage on line V2 to cable microcontroller 452 and switch 454. The transistors N4 and P4 are turned off, thereby isolating the voltage on line V2 from the voltage on line V1.

Voltage V1 is received by low-drop-out regulator 492 in device 490, which provides power to helium microcontroller 494. Host 埠 microcontroller 484 can then communicate with cable microcontrollers 422 and 452 and 埠 microcontroller 494 to determine the proper configuration for the cable. In a particular embodiment of the invention, host 埠 microcontroller 484 can be identical to device 埠 microcontroller 494 to determine if device 490 requires a higher power level. If desired, the host 埠 microcontroller 484 can be compliant with the cable microcontroller 422 to determine if the cable can support the delivery of this higher power level. If device 490 requires higher power and the cable can deliver it, host 480 can provide a higher power level. In another embodiment of the invention, host 埠 microcontroller 484 can determine the amount of power that cable and device 490 will require. In some cases, a link including a pair of clock and data recovery circuits or other circuits may require a power outage.

In this example, power supply 496 receives only 3.3 V on line V1 from host 480. At this voltage, the power supply 496 can be in an undervoltage lockout state and can therefore be powered down. In this state, power supply 496 does not provide power to the cable circuitry.

In this example, the cable plug circuit includes clock and data recovery circuits 426 and 456. The clock and data recovery circuits can receive and retime data from the host 480, the device 490, and from each other. An example of this can be found in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13/, which is incorporated herein by reference. 　　 , 　　 Found in the number (Agency File Number 20750P-02500US), the case is incorporated by reference.

Again, host 480 can provide a higher voltage, such as 12 V or 15 V. In such cases, although it may be desirable to provide this higher voltage to device 490, this higher voltage may cause excessive power dissipation in the circuitry of cable 410 and thereby heat. Thus, in various embodiments of the invention, although device 490 receives a higher voltage from host 480, device 490 provides a lower voltage to cable circuit. This allows cable power dissipation to remain low. Again, this circuit need not be included in host 480 by providing circuitry for generating a lower voltage on device 490. Therefore, without the host 480 having to provide this lower voltage, the circuit is not wasted. The truth is, the circuit is only included on devices that require higher voltages. An example is shown in the figure below.

FIG. 5 illustrates an electronic system in which host 580 provides a high voltage to device 590 via cable 510. Moreover, providing a high voltage to the cable circuitry in cable 510 can cause excessive power dissipation in the left plug 520 and right plug 550 and component heating. Thus, in this embodiment of the invention, device 590 receives a higher voltage from host 580 and in turn provides a lower voltage to the cable circuitry in cable 510. The higher voltage provided by host 580 or the lower voltage provided by device 590 can be used to power device 590, charge the battery in device 590 or associated with device 590, or for other purposes.

In particular, the high voltage power switch 586 in the host 580 provides 12 V on line V1. This 12 V causes shunt regulator 522 to turn off transistors N1 and P1. High voltage is received by low dropout regulator 592 in device 590, and low dropout regulator 592 provides a lower regulated voltage to 埠microcontroller 594. The higher voltage received by device 590 is regulated to a lower supply (such as 3.3 V) and is provided by line 596 by power supply 596. This in turn turns on transistor P3, which provides the voltage on line V2 to cable microcontroller 552 and switch 554. Because transistor N1 is open, transistors N2 and P2 are turned on, thereby coupling 3.3 V on line V2 to cable microcontroller 522 and switch 524.

In this manner, host 580 provides a high voltage (12 V) to device 590. This higher voltage increases the amount of power that host 580 can provide to device 590. This in turn reduces the number of battery charges. Device 590 in turn transmits a low voltage (3.3 V) back to the cable circuits in left plug 520 and right plug 550 in cable 510. That is, the high voltage V1 does not have to directly supply power to any of the cable circuits. The fact is that the higher voltage on V1 is reduced to a lower voltage by power supply 596, which is provided on line V2. This lower voltage then powers the active circuitry in left plug 520 and right plug 550.

Still further, in some embodiments of the invention, the host can be connected to another host or self-powered device. In this case, each host or self-powered device is required to supply its own corresponding plug. In this way, power is not transmitted via the cable. An example is shown in the figure below.

6 illustrates an electronic system in which host 680 provides power to left plug 620 and host or self-powered device 690 provides power to right plug 650. In this example, power switch 682 in host 680 provides 3.3 V to left plug 620 on line V1. This voltage turns on transistors N1 and P1, thereby providing 3.3 V to cable microcontroller 622 and switch 624. Similarly, power switch 692 in host or self-powered device 690 provides a 3.3 V to right plug 650 on line V2. This voltage turns on transistors N3 and P3, thereby providing 3.3 V to cable microcontroller 652 and switch 654.

An instantaneous condition can occur when the left plug 620 is connected to the host 680 before the right plug 650 is connected to the host or self-powered device 690. During this transient condition, 3.3 V on line V1 turns on transistors N1 and P1. This turns P2 on via the body diode of P2, thereby bringing the voltage on line V2 to 2.6V. When the right plug 650 is connected to the host or self-powered device 690, the power switch 692 can provide 3.3 V on line V2, thereby disconnecting the transistor P2.

In the above embodiments of the invention, a particular circuit configuration is shown. In other embodiments of the invention, other circuit configurations can be used. Such circuits may be formed using discrete components, which may be partially integrated, or they may be fully integrated. Another specific circuit configuration is shown in the following figure.

Figure 7 illustrates another electronic system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In these examples, two shunt regulators are used. The use of two shunt regulators prevents the situation where both the host and the device provide a high voltage and the two plugs connect their circuits to their respective pins 1 (even if a high voltage is provided on the pins). The use of two shunt regulators means that the circuits in the two plugs can be disconnected and thus protected from higher power.

This figure includes a host 780 coupled to device 790 via cable 710. Cable 710 includes a left plug 720 that is coupled to host 780 and a right plug 750 that is coupled to device 790. Host 780 may be capable of providing one or more voltages to both device 790 and the cable circuitry in cable 710. Host 780 can provide a lower voltage of 3.3 V, or a higher voltage of 12 volts or 15 volts. In other embodiments of the invention, host 780 can provide various voltage levels to device 790 and cable circuitry in cable 710.

In this particular example, host 780 provides 3.3 V to cable circuitry and device 790 in cable 710. Thus, switch 782 in host 780 provides 3.3 V as voltage V1. This voltage is pulled up on the gate of the transistor P1, thereby turning off the transistor P1 and turning on the transistor P2. Transistor P2 provides a 3.3 V to cable microcontroller 722 and switch 724. This voltage further turns on the body diode of transistor P4, which pulls the voltage on line V2 to 2.6 V, or 3.3 V minus a diode drop. This voltage turns off transistor P5 and turns on transistor P6, thereby connecting the voltage on line V2 to cable microcontroller 752 and switch 754. The transistor P8 is open, thereby isolating the voltage on line V2 from the voltage on line V1.

Voltage V1 is received by low dropout regulator 792 in device 790, and low dropout regulator 792 provides power to helium microcontroller 794. Host 埠 microcontroller 784 can then communicate with cable microcontrollers 722 and 752 and device 埠 microcontroller 794 to determine the proper configuration for the cable. As previously mentioned, the host 埠 microcontroller 784 can determine if a higher power level can be provided and if some circuits may need to be powered down.

In this example, power supply 796 receives only 3.3 V on line V1 from host 780. At this voltage, the power supply 796 can be in an undervoltage lockout state and can therefore be powered down. In this state, power supply 796 does not provide power to the cable circuit.

Again, host 780 can provide a higher voltage, such as 12 V or 15 V. In such cases, although it may be desirable to provide this higher voltage to device 790, this higher voltage may cause excessive power dissipation in the circuitry of cable 710 and thereby generate heat. Thus, in various embodiments of the invention, although device 790 receives a higher voltage from host 780, device 790 provides a lower voltage to cable circuit. This allows cable power dissipation to remain low. Again, this circuit need not be included in host 780 by providing circuitry for generating a lower voltage on device 790. Therefore, in the case where the host 780 does not need to provide this lower voltage, the circuit is not worn out. The truth is, the circuit is only included on devices that require higher voltages. An example is shown in the figure below.

FIG. 8 illustrates another electronic system in which host 880 provides a high voltage via cable 810 to device 890. Moreover, providing such a high voltage to the cable circuitry in cable 810 can cause excessive power dissipation in the left plug 820 and right plug 850 and component heating. Thus, in this embodiment of the invention, device 890 receives a higher voltage from host 880 and in turn provides a lower voltage to the cable circuitry in cable 810. Moreover, the higher voltage provided by host 880 or the lower voltage generated by device 890 can be used to power device 890, charge the battery in device 890 or associated with device 890, or for other purposes.

In particular, the high voltage power switch 886 in the host 880 provides 12 V on line V1. This 12 V causes shunt regulator 812 to turn on transistor P1, which turns off transistor P2. In device 890, a high voltage is received by low dropout regulator 892, which provides a lower regulated voltage to 埠microcontroller 894. The higher voltage received by device 890 is regulated to a lower supply (such as 3.3 V) and is provided by power supply 896 on line V2. This in turn turns on transistor P6, which provides the voltage on line V2 to cable microcontroller 852 and switch 854. Because transistors N1 and P3 are open, transistor P4 is turned "on", thereby coupling 3.3 V on line V2 to cable microcontroller 822 and switch 824.

In this manner, host 880 provides a high voltage (12 V) to device 890. This higher voltage increases the amount of power that host 880 can provide to device 890. This in turn reduces the number of battery charges. Device 890 in turn transmits a low voltage (3.3 V) back to the cable circuits in left plug 820 and right plug 850 in cable 810. That is, the high voltage V1 does not have to be directly powered by these cable circuits. The fact is that the higher voltage on V1 is reduced to a lower voltage by power supply 896, which is provided on line V2. This lower voltage then powers the active circuitry in left plug 820 and right plug 850.

Moreover, if a high voltage is supplied to the respective pins 20 by both the host 880 and the device 890, the additional shunt regulators 814 and 864 can disconnect the devices P4 and P8, respectively. This in turn protects the cable circuitry from connecting to high voltages.

Still further, in some embodiments of the invention, the host can be connected to another host or self-powered device. In this case, each host or self-powered device is required to supply its own corresponding plug. In this way, power is not transmitted via the cable. An example is shown in the figure below.

9 illustrates another electronic system in which host 980 provides power to left plug 920 and host or self-powered device 990 provides power to right plug 950. In this example, power switch 982 in host 980 provides 3.3 V to left plug 920 on line V1. This voltage turns on transistor P1, thereby providing 3.3 V to cable microcontroller 922 and switch 924. Similarly, power switch 992 in host or self-powered device 990 provides a 3.3 V to right plug 950 on line V2. This voltage turns on transistor P6, thereby providing 3.3 V to cable microcontroller 952 and switch 954.

An instantaneous condition can occur when the left plug 920 is connected to the host 980 before the right plug 950 is connected to the host or self-powered device 990. During this transient condition, 3.3 V on line V1 can turn on transistor P1. This turns P4 on via the body diode of P4, thereby bringing the voltage on line V2 to 2.6V. When the right plug 950 is connected to the host or self-powered device 990, the power switch 992 can provide 3.3 V on line V2, thereby turning off the transistor P4 and reducing its body diode current.

Moreover, various circuit configurations can be used in various embodiments of the invention. In this and other embodiments, a shunt regulator can be used. These shunt regulators can receive the voltage provided by the resistor divider in the above example. Compare this received voltage with the internal reference voltage. If the received voltage is higher than the reference voltage, the output transistor can be electrically conductive; if the received voltage is lower than the reference voltage, the output transistor can be turned off. For example, in Figure 7, the voltage on line V1 is only 3.3 V and the received voltage is less than the reference voltage. In this case, the output transistor in the shunt regulator is turned off and P1 is turned off, which turns P2 on. In Figure 8, the voltage on line V1 is 12 V and the received voltage is higher than the reference voltage. In this case, the output transistor in the shunt regulator is turned "on" and P1 is turned "on", which turns off P2.

In the case of the above configuration, if the received power is below the threshold, the received power is used to power the two plugs if the sink device is not self-powered. If the received power is above the threshold, the received power is used by the sink device to generate a voltage to power the active circuitry in the plug. If the sink device is self-powered, each device can power its own plug. In various embodiments of the invention, various numbers of such adjusters can be used and can be placed in a variety of positions.

In this and other embodiments of the invention, hysteresis may be included to reduce the likelihood of chattering and oscillation. For example, resistor Rhy has been added to the circuits of Figures 7-9 to provide hysteresis to the above thresholds when entering various states.

Embodiments of the invention may include circuitry for receiving and retiming data. For example, one or more clock and data recovery circuits 926 and 956 can be included in either or both of plugs 920 and 950. The clock and data recovery circuit 926 in the left plug 920 can receive signals from the host 980 and provide them to the clock and data recovery circuit 956 in the right plug 950. Similarly, the clock and data recovery circuit 956 in the right plug 950 can receive the signal from the device 990 and provide it to the clock and data recovery circuit 926 in the left plug 920. In various embodiments of the invention, one or two two-way traffic simplex lanes may be provided by clock and data recovery circuits 926 and 956. An example of this can be found in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13/, which is incorporated herein by reference. 　　 , 　　 Found in the number (Agency File Number 20750P-02500US), the case is incorporated by reference.

In these examples, the switch is shown coupled to each of the two clock and data recovery circuits in each plug. In other embodiments of the invention, only one switch can be connected to two clock and data recovery circuits. When a clock and data recovery circuit is not needed, it can be powered down via a software rather than a physical switch. In other embodiments of the invention, other power management techniques may be used.

In various embodiments of the invention, 埠 microcontrollers 984 and 994 and cable microcontrollers 922 and 952 are used to control most of the configuration of the cable circuits. The microcontrollers can be connected to each other using signals originating on the LSR2P TX and LSP2R RX pins. These pins can be referred to as LSx bus bars.

This bus bar can deliver a circuit that disconnects an unused channel or a simplex channel, determines the presence of a connection, and can negotiate a signal for a higher voltage. For example, the connection can exist through the LSP2R RX pin with a weak (1 MΩ) pull-down resistor and each end of the LSR2P TX pin with a strong (10 KΩ) pull-up resistor (host or device) To promote. Because the cables cross in an end-to-end fashion, each end can sense its P2R signal to determine if there is a powered host or device on the far side and continue to allow power management when the cable is not fully connected. Furthermore, if the device requires a higher voltage to be provided by the host, the device can request an increase in voltage using the LSx bus.

Moreover, in various embodiments of the invention, the cable microcontroller can communicate with the host and the microcontroller in the device via cable communication. In a particular embodiment of the invention, the chirp microcontroller in the first device can be directly coupled to the cable microcontroller embedded in the plug in the first device and the remote device attached to the distal plug The 埠 microcontroller communicates. Further communication with the remote or remote plug can be accomplished by a "bounce back" message from the top microcontroller in the remote device.

Such communication between the helium microcontroller and the cable microcontroller can take a variety of forms. Traditionally, interconnects have been fixed at each end, with few opportunities to discover improved performance or flexible implementation. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention provide this communication capability such that, for example, a cable can share information about its characteristics with a host or device, and the host or device can utilize such features.

In other examples, such communication between various helium microcontrollers and cable microcontrollers may be diagnostic in nature. Such diagnostic communications may assist in fault isolation by the end user or other users, which may allow for rapid correction of problems and focus on the device that caused the failure. These communications can also be useful in testing and manufacturing. It can also be used to optimize configurations for power savings, for example, unused channels can be powered down, and low power remote devices can be powered by the host so that the device does not require a connection to a wall outlet. Again, the power consumed by the remote device can be monitored and power up (or reduced) can be enabled as needed. It also allows the device to continue to operate regardless of various damage. It may also enable the use of copper or other conductors, or fibers in the cable itself. A further example of this can be found in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13/, which is incorporated herein by reference. 　　 , 　　 Found in the number (Agency File Number 20750P-02500US), the case is incorporated by reference.

In such embodiments of the invention, cable microcontrollers 922 and 952 control switches 924 and 954 that connect or disconnect power to and from clock and data recovery circuits 926 and 956. Cable microcontrollers 922 and 952 and clock and data recovery circuits 926 and 956 consume power that can discharge or otherwise dissipate power over time. Therefore, when such circuits are not needed, they can be powered down. For example, if only one of the data links in cable 910 is used, then a set of clock and data recovery circuits 926 and 956 can be deactivated by cable microcontrollers 922 and 952. Moreover, if no data is transferred from the host 982 to the device 990, the circuits in the left plug 920 and the right plug 950 can be disconnected to conserve power. An example is shown in the figure below.

Figure 10 illustrates a method of conserving power in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. After power up, reset, or other start event 1010, it is determined in act 1020 whether there is no data activity via the cable during time T1. If there is no activity, a low power sleep state can be entered in act 1030. In act 1040, it is determined, for example, whether there is a data edge on the low speed or high speed input. If there is a data edge, the code required to exit the sleep state and can begin to load the cable in action 1050. This edge can be transient noise if necessary. This edge may not be followed by any other activity. In this situation, the sleep state can be re-entered in act 1030. If there is activity at time T2 (act 1060), the remainder of the code can be loaded in action 1070 and/or normal operation resumed.

Furthermore, connectors and cables consistent with embodiments of the present invention may be capable of handling two or more signal protocols. In a particular embodiment of the invention, the two agreements are DisplayPort and the high speed protocol HSIO, and the high speed protocol HSIO is referred to as T29 in the following example. Thus, when the devices are connected together using a cable in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a determination as to which protocol to use is made by a 埠 microcontroller, such as 埠 microcontroller 984. An example of the way this decision is made is shown in the figure below.

Figure 11 illustrates a state machine that can be used in configuring a data link in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In a particular embodiment of the invention, such determinations may be made by a 埠 microcontroller such as a 埠microcontroller 984 or other microcontroller or state machine.

After the power is turned on or the condition is reset, the reset state 1100 is entered. In general, the presence of a DisplayPort link is detected by a high pullup on the hot plug detection line HPD. Therefore, if the hot plug detection is sensed as high, then the connected state 1110 is entered. At this time, it is determined whether the high state is maintained for a certain period of time (for example, 100 milliseconds). This decision has the effect of removing voltage jitter on the HPD line. If this high state is maintained, then the DisplayPort state 1112 can be entered. If there is a low signal on the hot plug detection line, the reset phase 1100 is re-entered. The microcontroller can remain in DisplayPort state 1112 until the hot plug detection returns low. In this case, the disconnected state 1114 is entered.

Disconnected state 1114 provides a hysteresis amount to prevent DisplayPort state 1112 from exiting prematurely. For example, the DisplayPort provides a second interrupt via the HPD pin. These interruptions can be high-low-high pulses that last less than 1 millisecond on the HPD. These interrupts should not be considered disconnected and this hysteresis (10 millisecond delay) is provided to prevent disconnection. Therefore, if the hot plug detection remains low for 10 milliseconds, the reset phase 1100 is re-entered, otherwise the DisplayPort state 1112 is re-entered.

Furthermore, in general, the presence of the T29 connection is determined by configuring the pin CONFIG2 (identified as CFG2 elsewhere) to be high. When this is established, the reset state 1100 is exited and the T29 connection state 1120 is entered. The loopback state 1122 can be entered by passing a unique ID from the input to the output. If CONFIG2 returns low, then the T29 disconnected state 1124 can be entered. As with disconnected state 1114, T29 disconnected state 1124 provides a hysteresis and prevents premature exit from the T29 connected state.

Once in T29 connection state 1120, if a message is received, cable status 1126 is entered. Once the cable state 1126 is entered, if the data is received again, the T29 state 1128 is entered. As shown, if CONFIG2 returns low, the cable state 1126 and T29 state 1128 can be exited.

As described above, various sleep states are accessible in various embodiments of the invention. For example, a command may be received indicating that the microcontroller is ready to sleep or is ready to enter a quiescent state, thereby entering state 1158 or 1160.

In the above example, as the supplied power ramps up from a low voltage to a high voltage, there may be a time when P2 is off in Figure 8 because the shunt threshold has been crossed, but device 890 still does not have sufficient voltage to provide 3.3 V to its pin 20. As a result, the cable "browns-out" and the CONFIG2 can be stepped down. It may not be necessary to detect this as a disconnect. Therefore, once the serial communication has been successfully performed, CONFIG2 becomes irrelevant and only the UART abort can be detected as disconnected. An example is shown in the figure below.

Figure 12 illustrates a state machine that can be used in configuring a data link in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In a particular embodiment of the invention, such determinations may be made by a 埠 microcontroller such as a host 埠 microcontroller 984 or other microcontroller or state machine.

After the power is turned on or the condition is reset, the reset state 1200 is entered. In general, the presence of a DisplayPort link is detected by a high pullup on the hot plug detection line HPD. Therefore, if the hot plug detection is sensed as high, then the connected state 1210 is entered. At this time, it is determined whether the high state is maintained for a certain period of time (for example, 100 milliseconds). This decision has the effect of removing voltage jitter on the HPD line. If this high state is maintained, then the DisplayPort state 1212 can be entered. If there is a low signal on the hot plug detection line, the retry phase 1200 is re-entered. The microcontroller can remain in DisplayPort state 1212 until the hot plug detection returns low. In this state, the disconnected state 1214 is entered.

Disconnected state 1214 provides a hysteresis amount to prevent DisplayPort state 1212 from exiting prematurely. For example, the DisplayPort provides a second interrupt via the HPD pin. These interruptions can be high-low-high pulses that last less than 1 millisecond on the HPD. These interrupts should not be considered disconnected and this hysteresis (10 millisecond delay) is provided to prevent disconnection. Therefore, if the hot plug detection remains low for 10 milliseconds, the reset phase 1200 is re-entered, otherwise the DisplayPort state 1212 is re-entered.

Furthermore, in general, the presence of a T29 (or TBT) connection is determined by configuring the pin CONFIG2 (identified as CFG2 elsewhere) to be high. When this is established, the reset state 1200 is exited and the TBT (identified as T29 elsewhere) connection state 1220 is entered. The loopback state 1222 can be entered by passing a unique ID from the input to the output. If CONFIG2 returns low, the TBT disconnected state 1224 can be entered. As with the disconnected state 1214, the TBT disconnected state 1224 provides a hysteresis and prevents premature exit from the TBT connected state.

Once in the TBT connection state 1120, if a message is received, the cable state 1226 is entered. Once in the cable state 1226, if the data is received again, the TBT state 1228 is entered. Once in TBT state 1228, it exits by UART abort and enters abort state 1240. Moreover, in this embodiment of the invention, the TBT state 1228 is not exited by the loss of the pull-up resistor on CONFIG2. If no data is received within 5 milliseconds, the cable state 1226 is entered. If the data is received, the TBT state 1228 can be re-entered. Again, in this embodiment, one or more simplex channels may not be enabled for TBT data transmission. In this situation, while in cable state 1226, wait for power state 1242 can be entered until a simplex channel or channel is enabled.

Moreover, in various embodiments of the invention, various sleep states are accessible. For example, a command may be received indicating that the microcontroller is ready to sleep or is ready to enter a quiescent state, thereby entering state 1258.

The above description of the embodiments of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the embodiments of the invention and the embodiments of the invention The invention is well utilized. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not intended to

1. . . Grounding pin

2. . . Hot plug detection pin

3. . . High speed transmission pin

4. . . High speed receiving pin

5. . . High speed transmission pin

6. . . High speed receiving pin

7. . . Grounding pin

8. . . Grounding pin

9. . . Pin

10. . . Pin

11. . . Pin

12. . . Pin

13. . . Grounding pin

14. . . Grounding pin

15. . . High speed transmission pin

16. . . High speed receiving pin

17. . . High speed transmission pin

18. . . High speed receiving pin

19. . . Grounding pin

20. . . Power pin

110. . . computer

115. . . Legacy connection

120. . . Legacy display

220. . . Computer or display

225. . . High speed connection

230. . . Disk drive

235. . . High speed connection

410. . . Cable

420. . . Left plug

422. . . Cable microcontroller

424. . . switch

426. . . Clock and data recovery circuit

450. . . Right plug

452. . . Cable microcontroller

454. . . switch

456. . . Clock and data recovery circuit

480. . . Host

482. . . switch

484. . . Host 埠 microcontroller

486. . . HV埠 power switch

490. . . Device

492. . . Low pressure drop regulator

494. . . Device and microcontroller

496. . . Power Supplier

510. . . Cable

520. . . Left plug

522. . . Cable Microcontroller / Shunt Regulator

524. . . switch

526. . . Clock and data recovery circuit

550. . . Right plug

552. . . Cable microcontroller

554. . . switch

556. . . Clock and data recovery circuit

580. . . Host

582. . . DP埠 power switch

584. . .埠microcontroller

586. . . HV埠 power switch / high voltage power switch

590. . . Device

592. . . Low pressure drop regulator

594. . . Device and microcontroller

596. . . Power Supplier

610. . . Cable

620. . . Left plug

622. . . Cable microcontroller

624. . . switch

626. . . Clock and data recovery circuit

650. . . Right plug

652. . . Cable microcontroller

654. . . switch

656. . . Clock and data recovery circuit

680. . . Host

682. . . Power switch

684. . .埠microcontroller

686. . . HV埠 power switch

690. . . Host or self-powered device

692. . . Power switch

694. . .埠microcontroller

696. . . HV埠 power switch

710. . . Cable

720. . . Left plug

722. . . Cable microcontroller

724. . . switch

726. . . Clock and data recovery circuit

750. . . Right plug

752. . . Cable microcontroller

754. . . switch

756. . . Clock and data recovery circuit

780. . . Host

782. . . switch

784. . . Host 埠 microcontroller

786. . . HV埠 power switch

790. . . Device

792. . . Low pressure drop regulator

794. . . Device and microcontroller

796. . . Power Supplier

810. . . Cable

812. . . Shunt regulator

814. . . Shunt regulator

820. . . Left plug

822. . . Cable microcontroller

824. . . switch

826. . . Clock and data recovery circuit

850. . . Right plug

852. . . Cable microcontroller

854. . . switch

856. . . Clock and data recovery circuit

864. . . Shunt regulator

880. . . Host

882. . . DP埠 power switch

884. . .埠microcontroller

886. . . HV埠 power switch / high voltage power switch

890. . . Device

892. . . Low pressure drop regulator

894. . .埠microcontroller

896. . . Power Supplier

910. . . Cable

920. . . Left plug

922. . . Cable microcontroller

924. . . switch

926. . . Clock and data recovery circuit

950. . . Right plug

952. . . Cable microcontroller

954. . . switch

956. . . Clock and data recovery circuit

980. . . Host

982. . . Power switch

984. . .埠microcontroller

986. . . HV埠 power switch

990. . . Host or self-powered device

992. . . Power switch

994. . .埠microcontroller

996. . . HV埠 power switch

1100. . . Reset state/reset phase

1110. . . Connection Status

1112. . . DisplayPort status

1114. . . Disconnected state

1120. . . T29 connection status

1122. . . Return status

1124. . . T29 disconnected state

1126. . . Cable status

1128. . . T29 status

1158. . . PtoS status

1160. . . PtoQ status

1162. . . Q state

1200. . . Reset state/reset phase

1210. . . Connection Status

1212. . . DisplayPort status

1214. . . Disconnected state

1220. . . TBT connection status

1222. . . Return status

1224. . . TBT disconnected state

1226. . . Cable status

1228. . . TBT status

1240. . . Abort state

1242. . . Waiting for power status

1258. . . PtoS status

N1. . . Transistor

N2. . . Transistor

N3. . . Transistor

N4. . . Transistor

P1. . . Transistor

P2. . . Transistor

P3. . . Transistor

P4. . . Transistor

P5. . . Transistor

P6. . . Transistor

P7. . . Transistor

P8. . . Transistor

V1. . . Line/voltage

V2. . . line

Figure 1 illustrates an older version of the system that can be modified by the incorporation of embodiments of the present invention;

2 illustrates a computer system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 illustrates a lead wire of a connector in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 4 illustrates an electronic system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5 illustrates an electronic system in which a host provides a high voltage to a device via a cable;

Figure 6 illustrates an electronic system in which the host provides power to the left plug and the host or self-powered device provides power to the right plug;

Figure 7 illustrates another electronic system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 8 illustrates another electronic system in which the host provides a high voltage to the device via a cable;

Figure 9 illustrates another electronic system in which the host provides power to the left plug and the host or self-powered device provides power to the right plug;

Figure 10 illustrates a method of conserving power in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 11 illustrates a state machine that can be used in configuring a data link in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 12 illustrates another state machine that can be used in configuring a data link in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

710. . . Cable

720. . . Left plug

722. . . Cable microcontroller

724. . . switch

726. . . Clock and data recovery circuit

750. . . Right plug

752. . . Cable microcontroller

754. . . switch

756. . . Clock and data recovery circuit

780. . . Host

782. . . switch

784. . . Host 埠 microcontroller

786. . . HV埠 power switch

790. . . Device

792. . . Low pressure drop regulator

794. . . Device and microcontroller

796. . . Power Supplier

N1. . . Transistor

N2. . . Transistor

P1. . . Transistor

P2. . . Transistor

P3. . . Transistor

P4. . . Transistor

P5. . . Transistor

P6. . . Transistor

P7. . . Transistor

P8. . . Transistor

V1. . . Line/voltage

V2. . . line

Claims (18)

A cable device comprising: a cable; a first plug coupled to a first end of the cable and comprising: a first active circuit that receives and retimes data and provides the Re-timed data; and a first circuit that receives a first supply voltage and determines whether the first supply voltage is above a threshold voltage; and a second plug coupled to one of the cables The second end includes: a second active circuit that receives and retimes the data and provides the retimed data; and a second circuit, wherein if the first supply voltage is below the first threshold, then The first circuit supplies the first active circuit with the first supply voltage and supplies a second power supply to the second circuit, and the second circuit supplies power to the second active circuit with the second power supply, and If the first supply voltage is not below the first threshold, the first circuit and the second circuit each receive a third supply voltage, and the first circuit uses the third supply voltage to the first active circuit Powering, and the second circuit is Supplying a second supply voltage to the active circuitry. The cable device of claim 1, wherein the first supply voltage is received from a host device. The cable device of claim 2, wherein the third supply voltage is received from a second device. The cable device of claim 3, wherein the second supply voltage is a diode drop below the first supply voltage. The cable device of claim 3, wherein the first active circuit and the second active circuit comprise a clock and a data recovery circuit. The cable device of claim 5, wherein the first active circuit and the second active circuit each further comprise a microcontroller. The cable device of claim 1, wherein the first circuit comprises a shunt regulator. A cable device comprising: a cable; a first plug having a first terminal for receiving a first power supply and a second terminal for receiving a second power supply; and a second plug Receiving a first terminal for receiving the second power supply and receiving a second terminal of the first power supply, wherein the first terminal of the first plug is coupled to the second via the cable The second terminal of the plug, and the second terminal of the first plug is coupled to the first terminal of the second plug via the cable, wherein the first plug further comprises: a first circuit selectively coupling the first power supply received on the first terminal to a first active circuit; and a second circuit selectively selectively supplying the first power supply A portion is coupled to the second terminal. The cable device of claim 8, wherein the second plug further comprises: a first circuit selectively receiving the first terminal A second power supply is coupled to a second active circuit; and a second circuit selectively coupling at least a portion of the first power supply to the second terminal. The cable device of claim 9, wherein a first supply is received at the first terminal of the first plug and the first supply is below a threshold, then the first plug is The first circuit couples the first supply to the first active circuit; and the second of the first plugs couples at least a portion of the first power supply to the second terminal. The cable device of claim 9, wherein a second power supply system is received when a first supply is received at the first terminal of the first plug and the first supply is above the threshold Receiving at the first terminal of the second plug, the first circuit of the second plug coupling the second supply to the second active circuit and the second terminal of the second plug And the second circuit of the first plug couples the second supply to the first active circuit. The cable device of claim 9, wherein the first supply voltage is received from a host device. The cable device of claim 12, wherein the second supply voltage is received from a second device. The cable device of claim 13, wherein the first active circuit and the second active circuit comprise a clock and a data recovery circuit. A method of providing a power to a cable circuit, comprising: receiving a first supply voltage from a first device at a first plug of a cable, and if the power is supplied from the first device to the first Two And the first supply voltage is below a first threshold, the first active circuit in the first plug is powered by the first supply voltage, and the second plug is at least a part of the first voltage The second active circuit in the plug is powered, if the power is supplied from the first device to a second device and the first supply voltage is above a first threshold, then the first supply is from the second device The voltage generates a second supply voltage, and the first active circuit and the second active circuit are powered by the second supply voltage, and if the power is not provided from the first device to a second device, receiving The second power supply voltage of one of the two devices, and the first active circuit is powered by the first power supply voltage and the second active circuit is powered by the second power supply voltage. The method of claim 15, wherein the first active circuit and the second active circuit comprise a clock and a data recovery circuit. The method of claim 16, wherein the first device is a host device. The method of claim 15, wherein the first active circuit and the second active circuit each further comprise a microcontroller.