Transmission apparatus, communication system, and transmission method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10461885-B2
Application number	US-201615551001-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 4, 2016
Priority date	Mar 18, 2015
Publication date	Oct 29, 2019
Grant date	Oct 29, 2019

Abstract

A first control signal is transmitted via the second signal line in a case where a transmission of the signal via the first signal line is restored from a suspended state, and that a transmission of a charging signal that charges an AC coupling capacitance serially connected to the first signal line via the first signal line is started before a timing when the transmission of the first control signal is ended. The present technology is applicable, for example, to a communication system in conformity with the eDP standard.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A transmission apparatus, comprising:
a communication circuitry configured to
transmit a signal to a reception apparatus via a first signal line, the reception apparatus being AC-coupled to the transmission apparatus via the first signal line, and
transmit a first control signal to the reception apparatus via a second signal line that is different than the first signal line; and

a communication control circuitry configured to
control transmission of the signal to the reception apparatus,
determine whether the transmission of the signal to the reception apparatus will be restored from a suspended state,
responsive to determining that the transmission of the signal to the reception apparatus will be restored from the suspended state, control the communication circuitry to transmit the first control signal via the second signal line, and
control the communication circuitry to transmit a charging signal that charges an AC coupling capacitance serially connected to the first signal line via the first signal line before a timing when the transmission of the first control signal is ended.

2. The transmission apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the communication control circuitry is further configured to control the communication circuitry to transmit a second control signal via the first signal line before the communication control circuitry controls the communication circuitry to suspend the transmission of the signal via the first signal line.

3. The transmission apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the transmission of the signal to the reception apparatus is in accordance with an Embedded DisplayPort standard,
the first control signal is an AUX_PHY_WAKE signal, and
the second control signal is one of an ML_PHY_SLEEP signal or an ML_PHY_STANDBY signal.

4. The transmission apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the communication control circuitry is further configured to control the communication circuitry to transmit the first control signal and the charging signal at approximately the same time.

5. The transmission apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the communication control circuitry is further configured to control the communication circuitry to transmit the charging signal before a first predetermined time to a start the transmission of the first control signal or after a second predetermined time from the start of the transmission of the first control signal.

6. The transmission apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the communication control circuitry is further configured to control the communication circuitry to end the transmission of the first control signal and the transmission of the charging signal at approximately the same time.

7. The transmission apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a bias circuit configured to
maintain a potential of the first signal line at a transmission apparatus side from a capacitance and at a predetermined potential, and
enter a suspended state during a downtime of the transmission of the signal via the first signal line.

8. The transmission apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the first signal line is constituted of a pair of two signal lines, and
the communication circuitry is further configured to transmit a differential signal via the first signal line.

9. The transmission apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the communication control circuitry is further configured to control the communication circuitry to transmit a second transmission of the signal to the reception apparatus after the timing when the transmission of the first control signal is ended, and
wherein the second transmission is within 0.5 microseconds after the timing when the transmission of the first control signal is ended.

10. A transmission method, the method comprising:
determining, with a communication control circuitry, whether a transmission of a signal from a communication circuitry to a reception apparatus via a first signal line will be restored to an active state from a suspended state;
responsive to determining the transmission of the signal from the communication circuitry to the reception apparatus will be restored to the active state from the suspended state, controlling, with the communication control circuitry, the communication circuitry to transmit a predetermined control signal via a second signal line; and
controlling, with the communication control circuitry, the communication circuitry to transmit a charging signal that charges an AC coupling capacitance serially connected to the first signal line via the first signal line before a timing when the transmission of the predetermined control signal is ended.

11. A communication system, comprising:
a transmission apparatus; and
a reception apparatus connected to the transmission apparatus via a first signal line and a second signal line and AC-coupled to the transmission apparatus via the first signal line,
the transmission apparatus including
a communication unit that transmits a signal via a first signal line and a second signal line to the reception apparatus, and
a communication control unit that controls transmission of the signal to the reception apparatus, the communication control unit controlling such that a first control signal is transmitted via the second signal line in a case where a transmission of the signal via the first signal line is restored from a suspended state, and that a transmission of a charging signal that charges an AC coupling capacitance serially connected to the first signal line via the first signal line is started before a timing when the transmission of the first control signal is ended.

12. The transmission apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein
the communication control unit is further configured to control the communication unit to transmit a second control signal via the first signal line before the communication control unit controls the communication unit to suspend the transmission of the signal via the first signal line.

13. The transmission apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein
the transmission of the signal to the reception apparatus is in accordance with an Embedded DisplayPort standard,
the first control signal is an AUX_PHY_WAKE signal, and
the second control signal is one of an ML_PHY_SLEEP signal or an ML_PHY_STANDBY signal.

14. The transmission apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein
the communication control unit is further configured to control the communication unit to transmit the first control signal and the charging signal at approximately the same time.

15. The transmission apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein
the communication control unit is further configured to control the communication unit to transmit the charging signal before a first predetermined time to a start the transmission of the first control signal or after a second predetermined time from the start of the transmission of the first control signal.

16. The transmission apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein
the communication control unit is further configured to control the communication unit to end the transmission of the first control signal and the transmission of the charging signal at approximately the same time.

17. The transmission apparatus according to claim 11 , further comprising:
a bias circuit configured to
maintain a potential of the first signal line at a transmission apparatus side from a capacitance and at a predetermined potential, and
enter a suspended state during a downtime of the transmission of the signal v

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Nakahara Kentaro
• Matsumoto Hideyuki

Classifications

• H04L1/0023 Primary

  characterised by the signalling · CPC title

• H04L25/0272

  Arrangements for coupling to multiple lines, e.g. for differential transmission · CPC title

• H04B3/04

  Control of transmission; Equalising · CPC title

• G06F1/3203

  Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode · CPC title

• G08C17/06 Primary

  using capacity coupling · CPC title