Information Handling System Differential Signalling Variable Bandwidth Interface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016335222-A1
Application number	US-201514708420-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 11, 2015
Priority date	May 11, 2015
Publication date	Nov 17, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An information handling system port selectively communicates differential and single-ended signals from port pins to a cable coupled with the port so that bandwidth of information sent through the port increases if a cable accepts single-ended signals. Single-ended signals sent from the port pins are provided to a redriver of the cable to generate differential signals on wireline pairs of the cable. The redriven single-ended signals effectively double the bandwidth from reconfigured differential pairs of a port without increasing the port footprint or altering the port from a standard form factor, such as a Type-C USB form factor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An information handling system comprising:
a housing; a processor disposed in the housing and operable to execute instructions to process information; a memory disposed in the housing and interfaced with the processor, the memory operable to store the information; a port disposed at the housing and having plural pins configured to connect with a cable inserted in the port, the cable having plural wirelines; and a communications controller interfaced with the processor and operable to send the information to the port for communication through the pins; wherein the communications controller selectively configures the port plural pins in a first configuration having differential signaling at plural pairs of the plural pins and a second configuration having each pin of the plural pairs having single-ended signaling.

2 . The information handling system of claim 1 further comprising first and second cables configured to insert into the port and couple with the plural pins, the first cable accepting the differential signaling for communication of the information to an external device, the second cable accepting single-ended signals through the plural pins and adding differential signals at wirelines of the cable to send the information through the cable with differential signaling.

3 . The information handling system of claim 2 wherein the second cable comprises a redriver at a connector that inserts in the port, the redriver generating a differential signal for each of the single-ended signals, the differential signals added to the wirelines.

4 . The information handling system of claim 3 wherein the second cable further has an end opposite the connector that inserts in the port, the end having another connector and a redriver generating a differential single for each of plural single-ended signals that insert at the opposite end connector.

5 . The information handling system of claim 3 wherein the second cable further has an end opposite the connector that inserts in the port, the end having another connector that provides the differential signals to a port.

6 . The information handling system of claim 1 further comprising a port monitor operable to establish the first configuration if a first cable is detected at the port and to establish the second configuration if a second cable is detected at the port.

7 . The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the plural pins comprises eight pins configurable in the first configuration as four differential pairs to communicate universal serial bus (USB) signals and in the second configuration as eight single-ended signals to communicate USB signals, each single-ended signal communicated at one of the eight pins.

8 . The information handling system of claim 7 wherein in the second configuration further comprises four single-ended signals to communicate display signals, each single-ended signal communicated at one of the eight pins.

9 . A method for information handling system differential signaling, the method comprising:
sending information from a port of the information handling system as plural differential signals, each differential signal sent from a set of first and second port pins; re-configuring one or more of the sets of first and second pins to send a first single-ended signal at the first port pin and a second single-ended signal at the second port pin; and adding a differential signal to a cable connected with the port for each single-ended signal provided from the port pins.

10 . The method of claim 9 further comprising:
detecting that a cable coupled to the port is capable of adding a differential signal to a single-ended signal; and
in response to detecting, automatically re-configuring the one or more of the sets of the first and second pins.

11 . The method of claim 9 further comprising:
sending information with USB protocol through the differential signals; and
sending display information with a display protocol through the single-ended signals.

12 . The method of claim 9 wherein four sets of first and second pins sends information as four differential signals and re-configured as eight single-sided signals, each single-sided signal sent to one pin of the four sets of first and second pins.

13 . The method of claim 11 wherein adding a differential signal to a cable connected with a port for each single-ended signal further comprises:
generating the differential signals with a redriver integrated in the cable; and
providing the differential signals to wirelines disposed in the cable and not physically connected to pins of the information handling system port.

14 . The method of claim 9 further comprising:
receiving at least one of the differential signals at an opposing end of the cable; and
removing the differential signal in the cable to send the information as a single-sided signal to a device coupled to the opposite end of the cable.

15 . A communications controller comprising:
a controller operable to process information into a digital signal having high and low values, and to process a digital signal having high and low values into information; and non-transitory memory storing instructions for the controller to; send the information as differential signals at one or more sets of first and second pins, the differential signals having opposing high and low values; detect a predetermined condition; and in response to the predetermined condition, send at least some of the information as single-ended signals to each of plural pins individually.

16 . The communications controller of claim 15 wherein the predetermined condition comprises coupling of a cable to a port interfaced with the controller, the cable having first and second wirelines for each of the plural pins sent the single-ended signals.

17 . The communications controller claim 15 wherein the predetermined condition comprises a redriver disposed in a cable interfaced with the single-ended signals, the redriver operable to apply each single-ended signal as a differential single to first and second wireline disposed in the cable.

18 . The communications controller of claim 15 wherein differential signals comprise information formatted to communicate with the USB protocol.

19 . The communications controller of claim 15 wherein the single-ended signals comprise pixel information formatted to communication with a display protocol.

20 . The communications controller of claim 15 wherein the plural pins comprise USB Type-C port pins.

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Schnell Arnold T

Classifications

• G06F13/385

  for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices · CPC title

• G06F13/4286 Primary

  using a handshaking protocol, e.g. RS232C link · CPC title