Single wire concurrent bi-directional communication for PSU

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9235545-B2
Application number	US-201213566142-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2012
Priority date	Aug 3, 2012
Publication date	Jan 12, 2016
Grant date	Jan 12, 2016

Abstract

A communication system where first and second devices communicate concurrently and bidirectionally over a single wire and a ground. The second device can be a computing device having a powered component which requires a certain power output, for instance, and the first device may be a power supply unit. The second device provides a signal on a control line (the single wire) which is characterized by a frequency, pulse width, duty cycle and/or an amplitude which is associated with a message from the second device. The first device recognizes the message in the signal and invokes a corresponding function, such as by enabling a corresponding power supply. The power supply provides power to the second device via a separate power line. Further, the first device modifies the signal, without adding power, to provide a message from the first device, concurrent with the message from the second device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A communication system, comprising:
a first device comprising a signal recognizer connected to a first end of a control line, and a path to ground connected to the first end of the control line, the path to ground comprising a first transistor and a first resistor with a resistance R1A; and
a second device comprising a signal generator connected to a second end of the control line via a second resistor with a resistance R2, the second device also comprises a receiver connected to the second end of the control line, wherein:
the signal generator is configured to generate a signal at the second end of the control line;
the signal represents a message from the second device;
the signal recognizer is configured to recognize the message from the second device from the signal;
first transistor is switchable between a conductive state and a non-conductive state responsive to the signal recognizer to provide a modification of the signal;
when the first transistor is in the conductive state, a voltage V of the signal is divided between the first resistor and the second resistor;
the modification of the signal represents a message from the first device; and
the receiver of the second device is configured to recognize the message from the first device from the modification of the signal.

2. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein:
the modification of the signal imparts a respective frequency to the signal by pulling down the voltage V of the signal at the respective frequency; and
the receiver of the second device is configured to recognize the message from the first device based on the respective frequency.

3. The communication system of claim 2 , wherein:
the signal comprises a waveform characterized by a first frequency, different than the respective frequency; and
the signal recognizer is configured to recognize the message from the second device based on the first frequency.

4. The communication system of claim 2 , wherein:
the signal has an amplitude; and
the signal recognizer is configured to recognize the message from the second device based on the amplitude.

5. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein:
the modification of the signal reduces an amplitude of the signal from an initial level which is the voltage V to a non-zero reduced level which is V×R1A/(R1A+R2); and
the receiver of the second device is configured to recognize the message from the first device based on the amplitude of the signal being at the non-zero reduced level.

6. The communication system of claim 5 , wherein:
the signal comprises a waveform characterized by a respective frequency; and
the signal recognizer is configured to recognize the message from the second device based on the respective frequency.

7. The communication system of claim 5 , wherein:
the signal recognizer is configured to recognize the message from the second device based on an initial amplitude of the signal, before the modification of the signal.

8. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein:
the first device is a power supply unit which plugs into an alternating current mains power supply;
the message from the second device is a request for the first device to provide a first power output from among a plurality of power outputs of the first device; and
the message from the first device indicates to the second device that the first power output is ready on a power line, separate from the control line.

9. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein:
the control line is one wire; and
communication between the first device and the second device is bidirectional and concurrent over the one wire.

10. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein:
the message from the second device is a request for the first device to identify a frequency of an alternating current mains used by the first device; and
the message from the first device identifies the frequency.

11. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein:
the modification comprises one or more pull downs of a the voltage V of the signal so that the first device does not add power to the signal to provide the modification of the signal.

12. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein:
the first device is a power supply unit which plugs into an alternating current mains power supply;
the modification comprises a periodic pull down of the voltage V of the signal responsive to the alternating current mains power supply; and
a low pass filter provides a low pass filtered version of the signal with the voltage periodically pulled down to a power output enable node.

13. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein:
when the first transistor is in the non-conductive state, the voltage V is provided at the first end and the second end; and
when the first transistor is in the conductive state, a voltage V×R1A/(R1A+R2) is provided at the first end and the second end.

14. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein:
the first device comprises another path to ground connected to the first end of the control line, the another path to ground comprises a second transistor and a third resistor with a resistance R1B, and R1B is different than R1A;
the second transistor is switchable between the conductive state and the non-conductive state responsive to the signal recognizer to provide another modification of the signal; and
when the second transistor is in the conductive state, the voltage V of the signal is divided between the third resistor and the second resistor.

15. A power supply unit, comprising:
at least one power supply connectable to an external alternating current mains power supply;
a first end of a control line, the control line is connectable to a power management unit in a computing device; and
a signal recognizer and a signal modifier both connected to the first end of the control line, the signal recognizer is configured to recognize a message from the power management unit from a signal on the control line, the message from the power management unit relates to the at least one power supply, the signal modifier is responsive to the signal recognizer to provide a modification of the signal, the modification comprises at least one pull down of a voltage of the signal by a specified percentage to a non-zero voltage, the modification of the signal represents a message from the power supply unit which is recognizable to the power management unit, and the message from the power supply unit relates to the at least one power supply.

16. The power supply unit of claim 15 , wherein:
the modification comprises a periodic pull down of the voltage of the signal by the specified percentage to the non-zero voltage responsive to the external alternating current mains power supply.

17. The power supply unit of claim 15 , wherein:
the message from the power management unit comprises a request to identify a frequency of the external alternating current mains power supply; and
the message from the power supply unit identifies the frequency.

18. The power supply unit of claim 15 , wherein:
the message from the power management unit comprises a request for a specific power output;
the at least one power supply provides the specific power output on a power line, responsive to the signal recognizer; and
the message from the power supply unit indicates that the specific power output is ready.

19. A method for bidirectional communication, comprising:
transmitting a signal to a first device via a control line, the signal is generated by a second device an

Assignees

• Fong Chee K
• Tin Suet Fong
• Singh Harjit
• Atkinson Peter
• Stultz Perry
• Braun Jeremy
• Evans Duane M
• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Fong Chee K
• Tin Suet Fong
• Singh Harjit
• Atkinson Peter
• Stultz Perry
• Braun Jeremy
• Evans Duane M

Classifications

• G06F13/4286 Primary

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

• G06F1/266

  Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips · CPC title

• H04L5/1423

  for simultaneous baseband signals · CPC title