Receiver, communication device, and communication method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10027313-B2
Application number	US-201514820628-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2015
Priority date	Aug 25, 2014
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

To provide a receiver, a communication device, and a communication method capable of restoring a signal transmitted via a non-contact transmission channel with high accuracy. A communication device has a transmission circuit that converts an input signal into a pulse, a non-contact transmission channel that has a primary side coil and a secondary side coil and transmits the pulse from the transmission circuit in a non-contact manner, a restoration circuit that restores the input signal on the basis of a reception signal corresponding to the pulse transmitted via the non-contact transmission channel, an initialization unit that initializes an output of the non-contact transmission channel, and an initialization control unit that outputs a control signal of controlling the initialization unit on the basis of the reception signal corresponding to the pulse received via the non-contact transmission channel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A communication device comprising:
a transmission circuit that converts an input signal into a pulse;
a non-contact transmission channel that includes an AC coupling element and transmits the pulse from the transmission circuit in a non-contact manner;
an initialization control circuit that generates a control signal on a basis of a reception signal corresponding to the pulse received via the non-contact transmission channel; and
an initialization circuit that initializes an output of the non-contact transmission channel based on the generated control signal; and
a restoration circuit that restores the input signal based on the reception signal corresponding to the pulse transmitted via the non-contact transmission channel and based on the initialization of the output of the non-contact transmission channel by the initialization circuit,
wherein the restoration circuit comprises:
a first comparator and a second comparator, the first and the second comparators configured to detect a polarity of the reception signal;
a first terminal coupled to a first end of the AC coupling element; and
a second terminal coupled to a second end of the AC coupling element,
wherein the first terminal is further coupled to a non-inverting terminal of the first comparator and an inverting terminal of the second comparator
wherein the second terminal is further coupled to a non-inverting terminal of the second comparator and an inverting terminal of the first comparator, and
wherein the initialization circuit is disposed between the first terminal and the second terminal.

2. The communication device according to claim 1 , further comprising a widening circuit that increases a pulse width of the pulse received via the non-contact transmission channel,
wherein the restoration circuit restores the input signal on a basis of the received pulse, the pulse width of which is increased by the widening circuit.

3. The communication device according to claim 1 , further comprising a circuit that adjusts at least one of a timing and a period of the initialization performed by the initialization circuit.

4. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the initialization circuit is connected to both ends of the AC coupling element on a reception side of the non-contact transmission channel.

5. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein
the initialization circuit includes a transistor connected to a reception side of the non-contact transmission channel,
wherein the initialization control circuit performs on/off control for the transistor,
wherein the transistor is turned on, thereby performing initialization, and
wherein a source of the transistor is directly connected to the first terminal, a drain of the transistor is directly connected to the second terminal and a gate of the transistor is configured to receive the control signal generated by the initialization control circuit.

6. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein
the reception signal includes a main pulse and a counter pulse corresponding to the pulses transmitted through the non-contact transmission channel,
the counter pulse has a polarity opposite to the main pulse and is continuous with the main pulse, and
the restoration circuit restores the input signal in accordance with the polarity of the main pulse.

7. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein, to the non-contact transmission channel, a high-pass filter connected to the AC coupling element is provided.

8. A communication method comprising:
converting an input signal into a pulse in a transmission circuit;
transmitting the pulse from the transmission circuit to a reception circuit in a non-contact manner via a non-contact transmission channel including an AC coupling element;
generating a control signal a basis of a reception signal corresponding to the pulse received via the non-contact transmission channel;
initializing, by an initialization circuit, an output of the non-contact transmission channel based on the generated control signal; and
restoring, by a restoration circuit, the input signal based on the reception signal corresponding to the pulse transmitted via the non-contact transmission channel and based on the initialization of the output of the non-contact transmission channel,
wherein the restoring the input signal comprises detecting a polarity of the reception signal by a first comparator and a second comparator,
wherein a first terminal of the restoration circuit is coupled to a first end of the AC coupling element,
wherein a second terminal of the restoration circuit is coupled to a second end of the AC coupling element,
wherein the first terminal is further coupled to a non-inverting terminal of the first comparator and an inverting terminal of the second comparator,
wherein the second terminal is further coupled to a non-inverting terminal of the second comparator and an inverting terminal of the first comparator, and
wherein the initialization circuit is disposed between the first terminal and the second terminal.

9. The communication method according to claim 8 , further comprising:
increasing a pulse width of the pulse received via the non-contact transmission channel; and
restoring the input signal on a basis of the received pulse, the pulse width of which is increased.

10. The communication method according to claim 8 , further comprising adjusting at least one of a timing and a period of performing the initialization.

11. The communication method according to claim 8 , wherein, to both ends of the AC coupling element on a reception side of the non-contact transmission channel, an initialization circuit that performs the initialization is connected.

12. The communication method according to claim 8 , wherein, the initialization circuit comprises a transistor that is connected to a reception side of the non-contact transmission channel,
wherein the transistor is on/off controlled in accordance with the control signal,
wherein the initialization is performed by turning on the transistor, and
wherein a source of the transistor is directly connected to the first terminal, a drain of the transistor is directly connected to the second terminal and a gate of the transistor is configured to receive the control signal generated by the initialization control circuit.

13. The communication method according to claim 8 , wherein
the reception signal includes a main pulse and a counter pulse corresponding to the pulses transmitted through the non-contact transmission channel,
the counter pulse has a polarity opposite to the main pulse and is continuous with the main pulse, and
the input signal is restored in accordance with the polarity of the main pulse.

14. The communication method according to claim 8 , wherein, to the non-contact transmission channel, a high-pass filter connected to the AC coupling element is provided.

15. A receiver comprising:
a processor configured to execute:
an initialization control circuit that generates a control signal on a basis of a reception signal corresponding to a pulse received via a non-contact transmission channel; and
an initialization circuit that initializes an output of the non-contact transmission channel based on the generated control signal; and
a restoration circuit that restores an input signal based on the reception signal corresponding to the pulse transmitted via the non-contact transmission channel including an AC coupling element and based on the initialization of the output of the non-contact transmission channel by the initialization

Assignees

• Renesas Electronics Corp

Inventors

• Nagase Hirokazu
• Takeda Koichi
• Kaeriyama Shunichi

Classifications

• H03K17/61 Primary

  using transformer coupling · CPC title

• H03K5/04 Primary

  by increasing duration; by decreasing duration · CPC title