GB2331680A

GB2331680A - Communication system comprising channels of two different media

Info

Publication number: GB2331680A
Application number: GB9817330A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hang-Jae Yu; Jin-Seok Kim
Original assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 1997-11-24
Filing date: 1998-08-11
Publication date: 1999-05-26
Anticipated expiration: 2018-08-11
Also published as: CN1218345A; KR19990041786A; GB9817330D0; GB2331680B; JPH11187023A; KR100331301B1; DE19833235A1

Abstract

A data communication system comprises a first device 110; a second device 130 which is connected with the first device 110 via first and a second communication channels 141, 142, for transmitting or receiving information data and a plurality of control signals to or from the first device 110. The communication channels include the first communication channel, which is made of a first medium 141, for transferring the information data between the first and second devices; and the second communication channel 142, which is made of a second medium, for transferring the plurality of control signals between the first and second devices. The first medium is different from the second medium. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the second medium is copper wire and the first medium is optical fibre.

Description

2331680 DATA COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD THEREFOR The present

invention relates to a communication system, and more particularly, to a data communication system including a plurality of types of physical channels and a communication method suitable for the system.

Considering the improvements and expanding of information services, a reliable high-capacity data communication network which can be implemented easily at low costs is required. To meet such a need, a communications method such as the universal serial bus (USB) and the IEEE1394 has been proposed. However, such methods has various shortcomings with respect to speed, distance, and convenience.

That is, if a copper wire cable interface such as RS232C and IEEE1394 is used, a high speed communication is difficult to achieve and a communication range is was short when high speed data communication is to be carried out. In case of an interface using only optical fibre cables, the protocol for data processing is complicated. Further, since the interface requires much computing power and a high capacity of memory, It is hard to implement the interface and the cost thereof is very high.

An aim of preferred embodiments, of the present invention is to provide a data communication system for transmitting and receiving data through a hybrid serial bus (HSB) in which an optical interface is mixed with a cable interface between two communication devices.

Another aim of embodiments the present invention is to provide a data communication method for transmitting and receiving data through a hybrid serial bus in which an optical interface is mixed with a cable interface between two communication devices.

I 1 According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a data communication system comprising: a first device; a second device, which is connected with the first device via a first and a second communication channel, for transmitting or receiving information data and a plurality of control signals to or from the first device; and a hybrid communication channel. The hybrid communication channel includes the first communication channel, which is made of a first medium, for transferring the information data between the first and second devices; and the second communication channel, which is made of a second medium, for transferring the plurality of control signals between the first and second devices, wherein the first medium is different from the second medium.

Preferably, the first medium is copper wire and the second medium is optical fibre.

Preferably, said first device comprises: a first optical transmission unit for transmitting information data to said second device via said first communication channel; a first optical receiving unit for receiving information data transmitted by said second device via said first communication channel; and afirst controller for controlling said first optical transmission unit and said first optical receiving unit and transmitting or receiving the control signals to said second device via said second communication channel, and wherein said second device comprises: a second optical transmission unit for transmitting information data to said first device via said first communication channel; a second optical receiving unit for receiving information data transmitted 3 - by said first device via said first communication channel; and a second controller for controlling said second optical transmission unit and said second optical receiving unit and transmitting or receiving the control signals to or from said first controller via said second communication channel.

The first medium may comprise resin fibre.

The first medium may comprise infrared data transmission means.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a data communication method in a data communication system comprising a first device and a second device which are spaced apart and communicates with each other. The method comprises the steps of:

transferring a data send notification signal from the first device to the second device through a first communication channel which is made of a first medium; transferring a ready signal from the second device to the first device through the first communication channel; transferring information data from the first device to the second device through a second communication channel which is made of a second medium; and transferring a completion signal from the second device to the first device through the second communication channel.

The first medium is preferably copper wire and the second medium is optical fibre.

According to aspects of the present invention, a hybrid serial bus in which an optical interface is mixed with a cable interface is used for the data communication.

Accordingly, it is possible to compensate for the shortcomings of using only one kind of interface. Also, it is possible to perform high speed communications in a simply circuitry which may be implemented reliably at low costs.

For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how embodiments of the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a block diagram of a data communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 shows the hybrid serial bus cable shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a detailed block diagram of the system shown in Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a flowchart of the data communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 1, a data communication system according to the present invention includes a first device 100, a second device 120, and a hybrid serial bus (HSB) cable 140 connected between the first device and the second device 120 for performing data communications between the first device 100 and the second device 130.

The first device 100 includes an MB controller 110 for performing and controlling the transmitting and receiving of data to be communicated. The second device 120 includes a second MB controller 130 for performing and controlling the transmitting and receiving of data to be communicated.

Figure 2 shows the MB cable shown in Figure 1.

The HSB cable of Figure 2 includes an optical fibre cable 141 for transmitting and receiving of the data to be communicated during the data communication and a copper wired cable 142 for transferring a control signal between the first device 110 and the second device 130 during the data communication.

Figure 3 shows the system of Figure 1 in detail.

The first device 110 includes a first transmission shift register 111 for storing data to be transmitted, a first optical transmission unit 112 for transmitting the data stored in the first transmission shift register 111, a first optical receiving unit 113 for receiving data transferred from the second device 120 through the optical fibre cable 141, a first receiving shift register 114 for storing the data received via the first optical receiving unit 113, a first control unit 115 for controlling the data transmission via the first optical transmission unit 112 and the data reception via first optical receiving unit 113, a first power unit 116 for supplying power to each part of the first device 100.

The second device 130 includes a second optical receiving unit 131 for receiving the data transferred from the first device 110 through the optical fibre cable 141, a second receiving shift register 132 for storing data received via the second optical receiving unit 132, a second transmission shift register 133 for storing data to be transmitted, a second optical transmission unit 134 for transmitting data stored in the second transmission shift register 133, a second control unit 135 for controlling the data reception via second optical receiving unit 131 and the data transmission via the second optical transmission unit 134, and a second power unit 136 for supplying power to each part of the second device 130.

The first optical transmission unit 112 and the second optical receiving unit 131is connected by the optical fibre cable 141. The first optical receiving unit 113 and the second optical transmission unit 134 is connected by the optical fibre cable 141, also. The first control unit 115 and the second control unit 135 is connected by the copper wire cable 142. Meanwhile, the first power unit 116 and the second power unit 136 may optionally connected by the copper wire cable 142.

The operation of the communication system FIGs. 1 through 3 will now be described in detail.

The HSB cable 140 is a communication channelfor performing data communications between the first device and the second device 130. The HSB cable 140 includes an optical fibre cable 141 and a copper wire cable 142 as shown in Figure 2, which respectively perform different functions. The optical fibre cable 141 is used to transfer data between the first device 100 and the second device 130. The copper wire cable 142 is used to transmit data communication control signals between the devices and share a power supply between the devices. Since the HSB cable 140 is composed of different channels such as the optical fibre cable 141 and the copper wire cable 142 as mentioned above, it is possible to compensate for shortcomings of communicating using only one type of cable.

The first MB controller 110 and the second HSB controller 130 controls the data transmission between the devices and the other operations of the first device 100 and the second device 130. The first transmission shift register 111 stores data to be transmitted from the first device 100 to the second device 130. The first optical transmission unit 112 transmits data stored in the first transmission shift register 111 through the optical fibre cable 141. The second optical receiving unit 131 receives the data transmitted through the optical fibre cable 141. The second receiving shift register 132 stores the data received via the second optical receiving unit 131. The second transmission shift register 133 stores the data to be transmitted from the second device 130 to the first device 110. The second optical transmission unit 134 transmits the data stored in the second transmission shift register 133 through the optical fibre cable 141. The first optical receiving unit 113 receives the data transmitted through the optical fibre cable 141. The first receiving shift register 114 stores the data received via the first optical receiving unit 113.

In other embodiments of the present invention, the optical fibre cable 141 can be replaced by another kind of cable according to the data transmission rate and the distance between the devices. For example, when the data transmission rate is high, the optical fibre cable 141 can be replaced by a single optical fibre. When the data transmission rate is at a medium range, the optical fibre cable 141 can be replaced by a resin f ibre. When the data transmission rate is low and the distance between the devices is short, the optical f ibre cable 141 may be replaced by an infrared data associate (IRDA) in which an infrared wave is used for the communication.

11-1\ 1 - 8 The first control unit 115 and the second control unit 135 communicate with each other in order to control the data transmission between the devices. The f irst control unit 115 and the second control unit 135 are connected to each other by the copper wire cable 142. The first control unit 115 and the second control unit 135 determine whether the first optical transmission unit 112 can transmit data to the second optical receiving unit 131, whether the first optical transmission unit 112 is property transmitting data to the second optical receiving unit 131, whether the second optical receiving unit 131 has completed receiving the data, and vice versa.

The first power unit 116 and the second power unit supply power to the first device 100 and the second device 130, respectively. The first power unit 116 and the second power unit 135 are connected to each other by the copper wire cable 142. Therefore, when one of the first device 100 and the second device 130 does not have power source, power is shared between the devices through the copper wired cable 142. When the first device 100 and the second device 130 both have power source, the copper wired cable connecting the first power unit 116 and the second power unit 135 is not used.

Figure 4 is a flowchart of the data communication method. As an example of the data communication, Figure 4 shows the data transmission from the first device 110 to the second device 130. However, the same procedure is carried out when the second device 130 transmits data to the first device 110. - i The first device 100 notifies a data transmission to the second device 130 by sending a data send notification signal through the copper wired cable 142 (step 400). The send notification signal is sent to the second device 130 in response to a request signal from the second device 130 or in accordance with the necessity of the first controller 115.

The second device 130 which received the send notification signal determines whether it is ready to receive data (step 410). When the second device 130 is ready to receive data, the second control unit 135 sends a ready signal which indicates that the second device 130 is ready to receive data to the first control unit 115 through the copper wire cable 142 (step 420).

If the first device 100 does not receive the ready signal in the step 430, the first device 100 repetitively transmits the send notification signal to the second device 130.

When the first device 100 received the ready signal in the step 430, the first device 100 transmits data to the second device 130 (step 430). Here, the first optical transmission unit 112 transmits data to the second optical receiving unit 131 through the optical fibre cable 141.

The second device 130 determines whether it completely received data from the first device 110 (step 440). When the second device 130 has not completed receiving of data, the first device 100 transmits data to the second device 130. The first device 100 transmits an end-of-data signal at the end of the transmission data. Therefore, the second device receives this signal and determines that it completely received data from the first device 100. When the second device 130 has completed receiving data, the second device 130 outputs a completion signal to the first device 100. Here, the completion signal is transmitted to the first control unit 115 through the copper wire cable 142.

The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

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Claims

A data communication system comprising:

a first device; a second device, connected with said f irst device via first and second communication channels, for transmitting or receiving information data and a plurality of control signals to or from said first device; and a hybrid communication channel including said first communication channel, made of a first medium, for transferring information data between said first and second devices; and said second communication channel, made of a second medium, for transferring the plurality of control signals between said first and second devices, wherein the f irst medium is dif f erent f rom, the second medium.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first medium is copper wire and the second medium is optical fibre.

The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein said f irst device comprises:

a first optical transmission unit for transmitting information data to said second device via said first communication channel; a first optical receiving unit for receiving information data transmitted by said second device via said first communication channel; and a first controller for controlling said first optical transmission unit and said first optical receiving unit and transmitting or receiving the control signals to said second device via said second communication channel, and wherein said second device comprises:

a second optical transmission unit for transmitting information data to said first device via said first communication channel; a second optical receiving unit for receiving information data transmitted by said first device via said first communication channel; and a second controller for controlling said second optical transmission unit and said second optical receiving unit and transmitting or receiving the control signals to or from said first controller via said second communication channel.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first medium is resin fibre.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first medium comprises infrared data transmission means.

6. In a data communication system comprising a first device and a second d evice which are spaced apart and communicates with each other, a data communication method comprising the steps of:

transferring a data send notification signal from the first device to the second device through a first communication channel which is made of a first medium; 13 - transferring a ready signal from the second device to the first device through the first communication channel; transferring information data from the first device 5 to the second device through a second communication channel which is made of a second medium; and transferring a completion signal from the second device to the first device through the second 10 communication channel.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first medium is copper wire and the second medium is optical fibre.

8. A data communication system substantially as herein described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

9. A data communication method substantially as herein described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.