Signal transmission system, connector apparatus, electronic device, and signal transmission method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9337919-B2
Application number	US-201113697210-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2011
Priority date	May 18, 2010
Publication date	May 10, 2016
Grant date	May 10, 2016

Abstract

A signal transmission system including: a first connector apparatus, and a second connector apparatus that is coupled with the first connector apparatus. The first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus are coupled together to form an electromagnetic field coupling unit, and a transmission object signal is converted into a radio signal, which is then transmitted through the electromagnetic field coupling unit, between the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A signal transmission system comprising:
a first connector apparatus; and
a second connector apparatus configured to couple with the first connector apparatus to form an electromagnetic field coupler,
wherein the first connector apparatus includes a radio coupler having a first waveguide, the second connector apparatus includes a second radio coupler having a second waveguide, the first waveguide and the second waveguide are configured to face each other to pass radio transmissions through the first and second waveguides, and
electromagnetic waves of the radio transmissions traverse at least one interface between a dielectric of the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus via a cavity formed by coupling the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus to form the electromagnetic field coupler.

2. The signal transmission system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first signal converting circuit that executes modulation processing on the basis of the signal and converts the signal into a high-frequency signal; and
a second signal converting circuit that executes demodulation processing on the basis of a received radio signal and converts the signal into a baseband signal,
wherein the first radio coupler of the first connector apparatus is electrically connected to the first signal converting circuit,
the second radio coupler of the second connector apparatus is electrically connected to the second signal converting circuit, and
the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus are coupled together to form the electromagnetic field coupler to transmit the radio signal between the first radio coupler and the second radio coupler, the signal is converted into the high-frequency signal by the first signal converting circuit, and a radio signal based on the high-frequency signal is transmitted to the second signal converting circuit through the electromagnetic field coupler.

3. The signal transmission system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the first radio coupler has a first transmission path coupler connected to the first signal converting circuit through a first high-frequency transmission path,
the second radio coupler has a second transmission path coupler connected to the second signal converting circuit through a second high-frequency transmission path, and
radio transmission is performed in a space between the first transmission path coupler and the second transmission path coupler that is formed when the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus are coupled together.

4. A signal transmission system comprising:
a first connector apparatus; and
a second connector apparatus coupled with the first connector apparatus,
wherein the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus are configured to be coupled together to form an electromagnetic field coupler,
wherein the first connector apparatus includes a first radio coupler, the second connector apparatus includes a second radio coupler and a waveguide, and
electromagnetic waves traverse at least one interface between a dielectric of the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus via a cavity formed by coupling the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus to form the electromagnetic field coupler.

5. The signal transmission system according to claim 1 , further comprising a signal system that performs signal transmission by an electrical contact between the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus, when the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus are coupled together.

6. The signal transmission system according to claim 1 ,
wherein any one of the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus is provided in an electronic device, and the signal transmission system further comprises a power supply system that supplies power when the first connector apparatus is coupled with the second connector apparatus.

7. The signal transmission system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an electronic device; and
a connection cable that performs signal transmission between the electronic device and the connection cable,
wherein the electronic device has one of the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus,
the connection cable has the other of the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus, and
the connector apparatus that is provided in the connection cable has a wired communication circuit that performs a conversion of a radio signal and a wired signal transmitted through the connection cable.

8. The signal transmission system according to claim 7 ,
wherein the connection cable has a conducting wire that transmits an electrical signal corresponding to the radio signal; and
the wired communication circuit generates the electrical signal corresponding to the radio signal, as the wired signal.

9. The signal transmission system according to claim 7 ,
wherein the wired communication circuit executes signal processing for decreasing a transmission speed per signal line by parallelization of signals.

10. The signal transmission system according to claim 7 ,
wherein any one of the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus is provided in each of a plurality of electronic devices, and
the other of the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus is provided in both ends of the connection cable.

11. The signal transmission system according to claim 1 , wherein the signal transmission system corresponds to bidirectional communication, and one set of electromagnetic field couplers are shared in each direction of the bidirectional communication.

12. The signal transmission system according to claim 11 , further comprising:
a direction managing circuit that separates a radio signal to be transmitted to the electromagnetic field coupler and a radio signal transmitted from the electromagnetic field coupler.

13. The signal transmission system according to claim 11 ,
wherein the bidirectional communication is performed using each different carrier frequency, and
a frequency selection functional circuit corresponding to each different carrier frequency is provided in each reception system of each direction.

14. A connector apparatus, having a coupling structure that is coupled with another connector apparatus, comprising:
a radio coupler connected to a signal converting circuit to execute modulation processing on the basis of a signal and convert the signal into a high-frequency signal and execute demodulation processing on the basis of a received radio signal and convert the signal into a baseband signal and transmits the radio signal, and
the connector apparatus is coupled with the other connector apparatus to form an electromagnetic field coupler between the radio coupler and a radio coupler of the other connector apparatus,
wherein the connector apparatus includes a first waveguide, the other connector apparatus includes a second waveguide, and the first waveguide and the second waveguide are configured to face each other to pass radio transmissions through the first and second waveguides, and
electromagnetic waves corresponding to the radio transmissions traverse at least one interface between a dielectric of the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus via a cavity formed by coupling the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus.

15. The connector apparatus according to claim 14 , further comprising:
the signal converting

Assignees

• Kikuchi Hidekazu
• Mogi Takayuki
• Akiyama Yoshiyuki
• Kawamura Hirofumi
• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Kikuchi Hidekazu
• Mogi Takayuki
• Akiyama Yoshiyuki
• Kawamura Hirofumi

Classifications

• H04L12/00

  Data switching networks (interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units G06F13/00) · CPC title

• H05K1/0239

  Signal transmission by AC coupling · CPC title

• H04B3/56

  Circuits for coupling, blocking, or by-passing of signals · CPC title

• H01P1/208 Primary

  Cascaded cavities; Cascaded resonators inside a hollow waveguide structure (H01P1/205 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01P3/165

  Non-radiating dielectric waveguides · CPC title