JP2013545212A - Active high speed data cable and method for transmitting signals - Google Patents

Abstract

A high-speed video cable (102.j) carries signals according to a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) standard or a DisplayPort standard, and includes a low (108.j) cable and a booster (118). The low cable (108.j) includes a coaxial line or a shielded twisted pair (STP) in which the characteristic impedance of the cable is lower than the impedance defined in the standard. Appropriate impedance is observed at the receiving end by the series resistor mounted on the cable connector (110). The resulting signal loss is compensated by the booster (118) at the other end of the cable. Alternatively, the STP or coaxial line may carry the signal to the booster (118) over the shield wiring or over the shield, and the booster removes common mode noise induced by the signal on the shield. Auxiliary signals, including power, are carried over shields that are not grounded. As a result, the number of wires included in the cable is reduced, and the cable is thinner, lighter, and less expensive. Using uniform technology, whether STP or coaxial, makes the manufacture and construction of cables simpler and less expensive.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to the construction of boosted high speed data cables for wiring high-speed signal lines.

  The distribution of television signals is increasingly dependent on digital and digitally encoded video and audio signals. At the same time, higher resolutions (high-definition TVs) are becoming available on the market for large and high-resolution displays. Requirements for interconnecting such high-resolution displays to digital signal sources such as digital versatile disc (DVD) players and receivers / decoders of video resources distributed via digital satellite / digital cables The digital interface standard known as High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) has been developed to meet the requirements. Detailed specifications of HDMI can be obtained from the “hdmi.org” website. The HDMI specification currently available and used herein is the HDMI specification version 1.4a dated March 4, 2010, which is incorporated herein by reference.

  In accordance with the HDMI specification, a variety of construction modes for transmitting high-speed digital signals from digital signal sources including, but not limited to, those exemplified above to a digital display or other device configured to receive signals. An HDMI cable can be used.

  HDMI cables carry not only four shielded high-speed differential signals, but also a number of slower signals, power, and ground, all of which are further shielded by an outer braid. The resulting composite cable configuration containing a large number of wires, some of which are individually shielded, is expensive to manufacture and terminate.

  Another standard for connecting video sources to video sinks has been published by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) as the DisplayPort standard. The latest DisplayPort specification used herein is DisplayPort Version 1.2 dated January 5, 2010, a copy of which is available at www. vesa. org. The DisplayPort standard defines a high-speed data cable that is primarily used between a computer and its display monitor or home theater system. Cables that conform to the DisplayPort standard are very similar to HDMI cables, with the main difference being in each physical connector.

  Therefore, there is a need in the industry to develop improved and easy to manufacture high speed cables that avoid or reduce the disadvantages of the prior art while at the same time being economical.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved high-speed cable having fewer characteristics than the prior art cable and having fewer wires.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved low impedance boost high speed data cable with superior characteristics over prior art cables.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, a digital video cable is provided that carries one or more high-speed differential digital data signals and one or more auxiliary signals between a video source device and a video sink device according to a cable specification. The digital video cable comprises a booster and a raw cable having one or more double shielded cable elements, each double shielded cable element comprising two shield conductors and a shield, at least one The shield conductor of one double shielded cable element extends between the video source device and the booster, and the shield of one or more double shielded cable elements extends between the video source device and the video sink device. The shield of the at least one double shielded cable element is configured to carry an auxiliary signal, at least Shield conductor One double shielded cable element is configured to convey a high-speed differential digital data signals.

  In the above cable, the one or more double shielded cable elements are double coaxial elements, each double coaxial element including two coaxial lines with shields coupled together, each coaxial line having one Enclose the shield conductor. Alternatively, only some of the one or more double shielded cable elements may be double coaxial elements, each double coaxial element including two coaxial lines with shields coupled together, each coaxial line being One shield conductor is included.

  In a cable design change, the low cable includes a shield that encloses one shield conductor, extends between the video source device and the video sink device, and the shield carries another auxiliary signal. It may further comprise a coaxial line configured and configured such that the shield conductor carries yet another auxiliary signal.

  Alternatively, in the cable described above, the one or more double shielded cable elements are shielded twisted pairs (STP), and each shielded twisted pair includes a shield that encloses the two shielded conductors. Alternatively, only some of the one or more double shielded cable elements may be shielded twisted pairs (STP), each shielded twisted pair including a shield that encloses the two shielded conductors described above.

Alternatively, a low cable has only one or more double shielded cable elements between the video source device and the video sink device, no other wiring, and each double shielded cable element
(I) a double coaxial element including two coaxial lines each having a shield coupled to each other and including one shield conductor; and (ii) a shielded twisted pair including a shield including the two shield conductors. (STP)
One of them.

  In one embodiment of the invention, the cable specification is a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) standard. In another embodiment of the invention, the cable specification is a DisplayPort standard.

  The cable is a first circuit support for connecting the video source device to the low cable, and further includes a terminal for connecting the high-speed differential digital data signal from the video source device to the shield conductor of the at least one double shielded cable element. And a first circuit support. The first circuit support further comprises a terminal for connecting at least one auxiliary signal from the video source device to the shield of at least one double shielded cable element.

  The cable may further include a second circuit support that connects the low cable to the video sink device and includes the above-described booster.

  A cable according to an embodiment of the present invention that conforms to the HDMI specification includes a high-speed differential digital data signal, which is a transition time shortest differential signal transmission method (TMDS) signal, a consumer electronics control (CEC) signal, and a serial clock (SCL). ) Signal, hot plug detect (HPD) signal, and auxiliary signal which is a + 5V power signal.

  In the HDMI cable according to the embodiment of the present invention, the shield conductors of the four double shield cable elements extend between the video source device and the booster device, and the shield conductors of the four double shield cable elements have the transition time. Each of the four high-speed differential digital data signals, which are shortest differential signal transmission system (TMDS) signals, is configured to carry, and the shield conductor of the other one double shielded cable element includes a video source device and a video sink device. 4 double shielded cable elements and one other double shielded cable configured to carry an auxiliary signal that is a HDMI Ethernet® Audio Return Channel (HEAC) differential signal Element shield is consumer electronics control (CEC) signal, serial Clock (SCL) signal, a serial data (SDA) signal, digital data channel (DDC) / CEC Ground signals, and +5 configured to carry the auxiliary signal is a power signal.

  In the HDMI cable, the booster device may include an averaging device and an amplifier that average and boost the TMDS signal, respectively.

  The cable according to the embodiment of the present invention according to the DisplayPort specification is designed as follows. The shield conductors of the four double shield cable elements extend between the video source device and the boost device, and the shield conductors of the four double shield cable elements are the four high-speed differential digital data signals that are the main line lanes. And the shield conductor of the other one double shielded cable element extends between the video source device and the video sink device, and transmits an auxiliary signal that is an auxiliary channel (AUX CH) differential signal. Constructed to carry, the shields of the four double shielded cable elements and one other double shielded cable element are CONFIG1 signal, CONFIG2 signal, ground signal, hot plug detect (HPD) signal, and DisplayPort power ( DP_PWR) signal is configured to carry an auxiliary signal That.

  In the DisplayPort cable according to the embodiment of the present invention, the boosting device may include an averaging device and an amplifier that average and boost the main line lane, respectively.

  In the above cable, the impedance of the at least one double shielded cable element may be lower than the nominal impedance of the cable specified in the cable specification. In this case, the cable is a first circuit support that connects the video source device to the raw cable, and has two padding resistors each in series with two shield conductors of at least one double shielded cable element. A circuit support and a second circuit support connecting the low cable to the video sink device, wherein the booster device is mounted on the second circuit support and terminates at least one double shielded cable element. And boosting the high-speed differential digital data signal.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, one or more high-speed differential digital data signals and one or more auxiliary signals are transmitted from a video source device to a video sink device over a digital video cable comprising a low cable and a booster. A method is provided, the method comprising conveying at least one high-speed differential digital data signal from a video sink device to a booster device with a pair of shield conductors in a low cable, and at least one high-speed differential signal in the booster device. Boosting the digital data signal to generate a boost signal, transmitting the boost signal to the video sink device, and transporting at least one auxiliary signal on the shield of the pair of shield conductors.

  The method further comprises averaging at least one high-speed differential digital data signal with a booster.

  In the above method, the transmitting step includes transmitting on a digital video cable that is one of a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) cable and a DisplayPort cable. In an embodiment of the invention, the cable specification may be a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) standard or a DisplayPort standard.

According to one or more aspects of the present invention, a digital video carrying one or more high-speed differential digital data signals and one or more auxiliary signals between a video source device and a video sink device according to cable specifications. Cable is provided, digital video cable is
A low cable having one or more double shielded cable elements, each double shielded cable element comprising a shield and two shield conductors carrying two polarities of a high-speed differential digital data signal, at least A low cable in which the impedance of one double shielded cable element is lower than the nominal impedance of the cable as specified in the cable specification;
A first circuit support for connecting a video source device to a low cable, the first circuit support having two padding resistors each in series with two shield conductors of at least one double shielded cable element;
A high-speed differential digital data signal which is a second circuit support for connecting a low cable to a video sink device, terminates at least one double shielded cable element and is carried by at least one double shielded cable element And a second circuit support having a booster that boosts the voltage of the booster. The output of the booster is connected to the video sink device.

  The total resistance value of the two padding resistors is substantially equal to the difference between the nominal impedance and the impedance of the at least one double shielded cable element. For convenience, the two padding resistors have the same resistance value.

  In the above cable, the one or more double shielded cable elements are double coaxial elements, each double coaxial element including two coaxial lines with shields coupled together, each coaxial line having one Enclose the shield conductor. Alternatively, only some of the one or more double shielded cable elements may be double coaxial elements, each double coaxial element including two coaxial lines with shields coupled together, each coaxial line being One shield conductor is included.

  Alternatively, the one or more double shielded cable elements may be a shielded twisted pair (STP), each STP including a shield that encloses the two shield conductors described above. Alternatively, only some of the one or more double shielded cable elements may be shielded twisted pairs (STP), each STP including a shield that encloses the two shield conductors described above. Or, the low cable has only one or more double shielded cable elements between the video source device and the video sink device, that is, no other wiring, each double shielded cable element is A double coaxial element comprising two coaxial lines, in which the shields are coupled together and each encloses one shield conductor. Still further, the low cable has only one or more double shielded cable elements between the video source device and the video sink device, that is, no other wiring, each double shielded cable element is A shielded twisted pair (STP) including a shield containing the two shield conductors.

  In the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the cable specification is the high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) standard or the DisplayPort standard.

  In an embodiment of the present invention, the nominal impedance of the cable is 100 ohms, and the impedance of the at least one double shielded cable element is between about 50 ohms and about 90 ohms, including the characteristic impedance of the two coaxial lines. is there. In this example, the characteristic impedance of each coaxial line may be about 35 ohms.

  In another embodiment of the invention using STP, the nominal impedance of the cable is 100 ohms and the characteristic impedance of the shielded twisted pair is between about 50 ohms and about 90 ohms. For example, the characteristic impedance of a shielded twisted pair may be about 70 ohms.

  In the above cable, the shield of one double shielded cable element of the one or more double shielded cable elements is configured to carry an auxiliary signal and one of the one or more double shielded cable elements is one of two. The two shield conductors of the heavy shield cable element are configured to carry a high speed differential digital data signal.

  In the HDMI cable according to the embodiment of the present invention, the shield conductors of the four double shield cable elements extend between the video source device and the booster device, and the shield conductors of the four double shield cable elements have the transition time. Each of the four high-speed differential digital data signals, which are shortest differential signal transmission system (TMDS) signals, is configured to carry, and the shield conductor of the other one double shielded cable element includes a video source device and a video sink device. 4 double shielded cable elements and one other double shielded cable configured to carry an auxiliary signal that is a HDMI Ethernet® Audio Return Channel (HEAC) differential signal Element shield is consumer electronics control (CEC) signal, serial Clock (SCL) signal, configured to carry serial data (SDA) signal, digital data channel (DDC) / CEC Ground signal, and + 5V auxiliary signal is a power signal.

  In an HDMI cable, the booster device may include an averaging device and an amplifier that average and boost the TMDS signal, respectively.

  The cable according to the embodiment of the present invention according to the DisplayPort specification is designed as follows. The shield conductors of the four double shield cable elements extend between the video source device and the boost device, and the shield conductors of the four double shield cable elements are the four high-speed differential digital data signals that are the main line lanes. The shield conductor of the other one double shielded cable element extends between the video source device and the video sink device and carries an auxiliary signal that is an auxiliary channel (AUX CH) differential signal The shields of the four double shielded cable elements and the other one double shielded cable element are CONFIG1 signal, CONFIG2 signal, ground signal, hot plug detect (HPD) signal, and DisplayPort power (DP_PWR). ) Configured to carry an auxiliary signal that is a signal.

  In the DisplayPort cable according to the embodiment of the present invention, the boosting device may include an averaging device and an amplifier that average and boost the main line lane, respectively.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for transmitting a high-speed differential digital data signal from a video source device to a video sink device over a digital video cable designed to meet cable specifications. Is
Coupling the two polarities of the high-speed differential digital data signal to the input of a low cable having an impedance lower than the nominal impedance of the cable as specified in the cable specification, via two padding resistors, respectively;
Coupling the differential output signal from the output of the low cable to a booster having an input that matches the impedance of the low cable;
Boosting the differential output signal to generate a boosted differential signal; and
Coupling the step-up differential signal to the video sink device.

  The method further includes transmitting an auxiliary signal from the video source device to the video sink device on the low cable shield. In the above method, the transmitting step includes transmitting on a coaxial cable including a pair of coaxial lines with which the shields are coupled together, and the auxiliary signal is transmitted on the combined shields.

  Alternatively, the transmitting step may include transmitting on a shielded twisted pair (STP) including a shield containing two shield conductors, wherein the auxiliary signal is transmitted on the STP shield, and high-speed differential digital data is transmitted. The signal is transmitted on two shield conductors.

  Accordingly, an improved high-speed data cable with a reduced number of wires and a method for transmitting digital signals over the cable are provided. Also provided is an improved low impedance boost high speed data cable and a method for transmitting digital signals over the cable.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.
A simplified booster cable 10 for explaining the principle of transmitting a single-ended signal and differential Shingo on a shielded cable comprising a double shielded cable element 12 that is a shielded twisted pair (STP) and a booster circuit 20. Indicates. 1B shows a dual coaxial element 12B that can be used as an alternative to the double shielded cable element 12 of FIG. 1A. j may be any of a number of types according to embodiments of the present invention, a general boost digital video cable 102... interconnecting a video source device (Tx) 104 and a video sink device (Rx) 106. The configuration 100 of j is shown. 1 shows a basic coaxial HDMI cable 102.1 based on coaxial technology according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 shows a basic STP HDMI cable 102.2 based on shielded twisted pair (STP) technology according to a second embodiment of the invention. 10 shows a HEAC compatible coaxial HDMI cable 102.3 based on coaxial technology according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 10 shows a HEAC-compliant STP HDMI cable 102.4 based on shielded twisted pair (STP) technology according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. 10 shows a coaxial DisplayPort cable 102.5 based on coaxial technology according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 shows an STP DisplayPort cable 102.6 based on shielded twisted pair (STP) technology according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. Three coaxial cross sections are shown to show a comparison between typical design options including standard coaxial 902, outer diameter reduced coaxial 904, and core diameter increased coaxial 906. 4 shows a low impedance coaxial HDMI cable 102.10 that is identical to the basic coaxial HDMI cable 102.1 of FIG. 3, except for a low impedance input paddle board 114.10 that replaces the first input paddle board 114.1.

  Embodiments of the present invention include shielded high speed signal lines and also carry other slower signals, power, and ground, and shield shielded high speed signal lines carry slower signals, power, and ground. A boost high speed cable used to do this is described.

  The inherent characteristics and manufacturing deficiencies of high speed differential signaling cables, such as those used to carry HDMI signals, adversely affect high speed signals carried on the cables. In order to reduce these effects, various boost high-speed data cables have been proposed in the industry. For example, in US application Ser. No. 11 / 826,713, filed Jul. 18, 2007, previously filed by the same assignee as the present application, the voltage booster is incorporated into the cable. The entire contents of the patent application are incorporated herein by reference.

  The inventors have discovered that in addition to using a booster to average and boost the signal as described in the above-referenced US application Ser. No. 11 / 826,713, we have specifically For example, a booster that allows each shield of a plurality of differential high-speed signals to be used to carry other signals may be used.

  In prior art cables, all shields are coupled to ground to reduce electromagnetic interference (EMI). In a cable according to any of the embodiments of the present invention, the EMI shield is unchanged, but the shield of the high speed HDMI signal is not coupled to the ground, but the slower signal, power, and ground are transmitted by the shield. .

  FIG. 1A shows a booster cable 10 that is simplified to illustrate the principle of transmitting single-ended and differential signals over shielded cables. The simplified booster cable 10 includes a double shielded cable element 12 that is a shielded twisted pair (STP) having a single shield 14 that encloses first and second signal lines (two shielded conductors) 16 and 18; And a booster circuit 20 having inputs i + and i− and outputs o + and o−. Inputs i + and i− of the booster circuit 20 are differential input pairs, and outputs o + and o− of the booster circuit 20 are differential output pairs.

  The simplified booster cable 10 receives a single-ended signal “A” and a differential signal “D” having polarities D + i and D−i at the input of the simplified booster cable 10 and substantially receives these signals at its output. To avoid distortion. The booster circuit 20 includes an averaging circuit (EQ) and a differential amplifier (Amp) for averaging and boosting the differential signal “D”.

  The signal lines 16 and 18 receive the differential signal “D” from the input of the simplified booster cable 10 having polarity D + i and D−i via the double shielded cable element 12 and the inputs i + and i− of the booster circuit 20. Transport to. The outputs o + and o− of the booster circuit 20 transmit the processed differential signal having the polarities D + o and D−o to the output of the simplified booster cable 10, thereby representing the differential signal “D”.

  The single shield 14 carries the single-ended signal “A” directly from the input of the simplified boost cable 10 to its output.

  The processing function of the booster circuit 20 includes receiving the differential input signal, removing the common mode component of the differential input signal, and averaging the signal to compensate for the disturbance to the signal caused by the double shielded cable element 12 And outputting the result of boosting the averaged differential signal “D”.

  That is, the differential signal is a high-speed data signal “D” that can benefit from averaging and boosting, and the single-ended signal is a ground signal, power supply signal, or some slow signal that does not require averaging or boosting. .

  Along the length of the STP raw cable 12, a small portion of the single-ended signal “A” is undesired to each of the signal lines 16 and 18 via the distributed capacitors 22 and 24. Coupling as noise is unavoidable, so the differential signal “D” is affected. In the configuration of double shielded cable element 12, if capacitors 22 and 24 are essentially equal, polarities D + i and D-i are equally affected and the combined noise appears as common mode noise.

  The booster circuit 20 that has received the differential signal “D” at the receiving end of the double shielded cable element 12 sufficiently removes the common mode noise and prevents the common mode noise from being converted into the differential signal. The outputs o + and o− of the booster circuit 20 that generates the boost signal are transmitted to the output of the simplified booster cable 10 as clean differential signals.

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 1B, a double coaxial element 12B may be used instead of the double shielded cable element 12. The dual coaxial element 12B comprises two coaxial lines 26 and 28 forming a coaxial pair 30 with outer conductors (shields) coupled to each other, with the combined shield providing a single-ended signal “A”. Connection is provided. The coaxial line 26 carries the polarity D + i of the differential signal “D” on its inner conductor 32, and the coaxial line 28 carries the polarity D−i of the differential signal “D” on its inner conductor 34. The coupling of the single-ended signal “A” and the inner conductors 32 and 34, also referred to as shield conductors, via the distributed capacitors 36 and 38, respectively, is similar to that of the double shielded cable element 12 and generates common mode noise. However, it is removed by the booster circuit 20.

  In the following drawings, various boost HDMI cable configurations are shown as embodiments of the present invention based on the cable elements shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

  2 shows a general boost digital video cable 102... That connects the video source device (Tx) 104 to the video sink device (Rx) 106. A configuration 100 of j is shown, where j may be any of a number of types described below. Boost digital video cable 102. j is a low cable 108. j, an input connector 110, and an output connector 112.

  The input connector 110 is connected to the low cable 108. j to the video source device (Tx) 104, the signal from the video source device (Tx) 104 and the low cable 108. input paddle board 114. j for connecting to the equipment (wiring, shield) of j. j.

  Low cable 108. j includes a double shielded cable element for carrying a video signal, which is a high-speed differential data signal, and an auxiliary signal defined in the cable specification, and optionally a single coaxial line. Alternatively, the low cable may include only double shielded cable elements, that is, no other wiring between the video source device and the video sink device.

  Covers the HDMI and DisplayPort specifications, and uses either coaxial or shielded twisted pair (STP) technology while using low cable 108. Various embodiments of j are described below. The output connector 112 connects the low cable 108 to the video sink device (Rx) 106 and includes an output paddle board 116. j and a low cable 108. The equipment (wiring, shield) of j and the video sink device (Rx) 106 are connected. The cable booster 118 is connected between some of the wirings included in the cable and the video sink device (Rx) 106. The cable booster 118 includes a number of booster circuits 20, one of which is a duplex of low cable 108 that carries high-speed differential digital data signals transmitted over the low cable 108 from the video source device (Tx) 104. One booster circuit 20 terminates the shielded cable element.

  Input paddle board 114. j and output paddle board 116. j comprises first and second circuit carriers that are conveniently constructed as a small printed circuit board (PCB), according to cable specifications, eg according to HDMI or DisplayPort standards It may be configured to mechanically support the contact.

  FIG. 3 is a coaxial view comprising a circuit support as a first input paddle board 114.1, a first low cable 108.1, and a first output paddle board 116.1, according to one embodiment of the present invention. 1 illustrates a basic coaxial HDMI cable 102.1 based on technology. The first row cable 108.1 includes four double shielded cable elements, namely, coaxial pairs 202, 204, 206, and 208 and a total of nine individual coaxial lines arranged as a single coaxial line 210. Each of the coaxial pairs 202-208 has two coaxial lines, the internal signal wirings of which are indicated as “a” and “b”, respectively, and two shields combined to form a single conductive path. Thus, each of the coaxial pairs 202-208, as described above (see FIG. 1B), has three electrical connections, ie, one differential connection (wiring “a” and “b”) and one single End connections (combined shields) are provided. Depending on the single coaxial line 210, only two conductive paths are provided, namely the internal signal wiring “a” and the shield.

  The cable booster 118 is provided in the first output paddle board 116.1 and has a high-speed differential signal input D2 (polarity D2 +, D2-), D1 (D1 +, D1-), (D0 +, D0-), and D3. (D3 +, D3-) and corresponding boosted outputs C2 (polarities C2 +, C2-), C1 (C1 +, C1-), C0 (C0 +, C0-), and C3 (C3 +, C3-). Further, the cable booster 118 has a ground input and power input (GND, + 5V) and a programming input (Pgm). The programming input is used to program the parameters of the cable booster 118 at the time of manufacture. In normal operation, this input is not active and is effectively grounded (connected to GND) through a low resistance in the cable booster 118.

  The HDMI signal can be classified as either a high-speed differential data signal or an auxiliary signal. The high-speed differential data signal includes transition time shortest differential signal transmission (TMDS) data 0, TMDS data 1, TMDS data 2, and a TMDS clock. Auxiliary signals are single-ended signals such as Consumer Electronics Control (CEC), Serial Clock (SCL), Serial Data (SDA), Utility, and Hot Plug Detect (HPD). + 5V power and digital data channel (DDC) / CEC ground connections are also provided via cables. For simplicity, + 5V power and DDC / CEC ground connections are included in the auxiliary signal herein.

  The signal from the video source device (Tx) 104 is connected to a terminal included in the input connection field 212 of the basic coaxial HDMI cable 102.1 and is transmitted to the video sink device (Rx) 106 on the opposite side of the cable. Restored at the terminal included in the output connection field 214 at the end. Standard HDMI signal names and corresponding terminal labels in the input connection field 212 and the output connection field 214 are listed in Table 1, and Table 1 shows suitable connection configurations for the basic coaxial HDMI cable 102.1. Or a signal assignment scheme is shown.

  Referring to FIG. 3 and Table 1, each of the four HDMI high-speed differential data signals (TMDS data 0, TMDS data 1, TMDS data 2, and TMDS clock) is transmitted below via the basic coaxial HDMI cable 102.1. Routed as described.

TMDS data 2 differential signals including TMDS data 2+ and TMDS data 2-
-Connected from the video source device (Tx) 104 to the txD2 + terminal and the TxD2- terminal in the input connection field 212;
-At the first input paddle board 114.1, routed to the input of the low cable, i.e. the internal signal wires "a" and "b" of the coaxial pair 202;
-Routed through the internal signal wiring "a" and "b" of the coaxial pair 202 of the first low cable 108.1;
-Coupled from the end of the first low cable 108.1 to the D2 + input and D2- input of the cable booster 118 of the first output paddle board 116.1;
-Coupled from the C2 + output and C2- output of the cable booster 118 to the rxD2 + and rxD2- terminals of the output connection field 214.

  The other three HDMI high-speed differential data signals (TMDS data 0, TMDS data 1, and TMDS clock) are similarly connected. See Table 1.

  HDMI high-speed data signal shields (TMDS data 0 shield, TMDS data 1 shield, TMDS data 2 shield, and TMDS clock shield) and the DDC / CEC ground signal from the video source device (Tx) 104 are input terminals 212. connected to txD0s, txD1s, txD2s, txCKs, and txGnd and coupled to the input common ground node 216 of the first input paddle board 114.1, which is connected to the shield of the single coaxial line 210 .

  In the first output paddle board 116.1, the shield of the single coaxial line 210 is connected to the ground (GND) input of the cable booster 118 and the shield connection and ground connection of the video sink device (Rx) 106, that is, the terminals rxD0s, rxD1s, Connected to the output common ground node 218 connected to rxD2s and rxGnd. The TMDS clock shield of the video sink device (Rx) 106 is connected to the programming (Pgm) input of the cable booster 118 via the terminal rxCKs and is therefore indirectly grounded via the low resistance of the cable booster 118. . Therefore, the cable booster can be programmed from the HDMI connector after constructing the booster cable without providing extra wiring for accessing the cable booster 118. Alternatively, the rxCKs terminal may be directly grounded together with other shield connections at the output common ground node 218.

  The remaining auxiliary signals (CEC, SCL, SDA, utility, + 5V power, and HPD) are connected to terminals txCEC, txSCL, txSDA, txUt, txPWR, and txHPD in the first input paddle board 114.1, respectively. . In the first output paddle board 116.1, these are connected to terminals rxCEC, rxSCL, rxSDA, rxUt, rxPWR, and rxHPD, respectively. Compared to the HDMI high-speed data signal boosted by the booster 118, these auxiliary HDMI signals are low-speed, may bypass the cable booster 118, and may be conveniently transported on the internal wiring or shield of the coaxial line. Unused “utility” signals do not currently need to carry cables.

  Four of the auxiliary signals CEC, SCL, + 5V power, and HPD are carried on the shields of coaxial pairs 202-208, and another auxiliary signal (DDC / CEC ground) that is also coupled with the shield of the TMDS signal is: A single auxiliary signal (SDA) is carried on the shield of the single coaxial line 210, and another auxiliary signal (SDA) is carried on the internal signal wiring “a” of the single coaxial line 210.

In the basic coaxial HDMI cable 102.1, these remaining HDMI signals (excluding utility signals) are carried on the cable as follows.
CEC from terminal txCEC is over the combined shields of coaxial pair 202 to terminal rxCEC;
SCL from terminal txSCL is on the coupling shield of coaxial pair 204 to terminal rxSCL;
SDA from terminal txSDA is on internal wiring “a” of coaxial 210 to terminal rxSDA;
Utility + 5V power from the terminal txPWR is on the coupling shield of the coaxial pair 206 to the terminal rxPWR;
Hot plug detect from terminal txHPD is on the coupling shield of coaxial pair 208 to terminal rxHPD.
In the first output paddle board 116.1, + 5V power is also connected to the power input (+ 5V) of the booster 118.

  FIG. 4 shows a shielded twisted pair (STP) comprising a second input paddle board 114.2, a second low cable 108.2, and a second output paddle board 116.2, according to another embodiment of the invention. ) Shows a basic STP HDMI cable 102.2 based on technology.

  The input connection field 212 and the output connection field 214 having the respective terminals are not changed from the basic coaxial HDMI cable 102.1. The second low cable 108.2 includes five shielded twisted pairs (STP) 302, 304, 306, 308, and 310, each of which has the shield shown in FIG. 1A and the two signal lines “a” and “b”. including. The assignment of HDMI standard signals to connections via the second low cable 108.2 is provided by the settings of the second input paddle board 114.2 and the second output paddle board 116.2.

  In the first low cable 108.1, 14 (3 × 4 + 1) paths are provided, but in the second low cable 108.2, 15 (3 × 5) lines are provided by the STPs 302, 304, 306, 308, and 310. Are provided with different conductive paths. Thus, additional paths are available that can be used advantageously to change signal assignments. This is illustrated in FIG. 4 and Table 2, which lists the preferred configuration of the basic STP HDMI cable 102.2.

  Compared to the first raw cable 108.1, additional lines are available in the second raw cable 108.2, so that all connections can be made using a shield connection (common node 312 connected to the shield of the STP 308). High-speed signal (D0, D1, D2, and CK) shields can be connected, and another shield connection (STP 310 shield) can be used for ground connection.

  The preferred configurations shown in Tables 1 and 2 are somewhat arbitrary and may be adjusted to best utilize the space on the paddle board and the settings of each connector.

  In this embodiment of the present invention, the low cable includes only the STP, that is, there is no other wiring between the video source device and the video sink device.

[HEAC function]
In the above-mentioned supplement 2 of the HDMI specification version 1.4 dated June 5, 2009, “HDMI Ethernet (registered trademark) audio return channel” (HEAC) is defined. The HEAC channel replaces the HEAC compliant HDMI cable as a differential data signal, that is, a hot plug detect (HPD) signal and an unused “utility” signal in the HDMI standard signal set, respectively. It is carried as a positive polarity signal HEAC + and a negative polarity signal HEAC-. The HEAC channel is a passive channel that does not require boosting by the cable booster 118. However, its impedance needs to be carefully controlled and should therefore be included in the shield by transmitting each polarity on a coaxial line or by transmitting both polarities on a shielded twisted pair (STP). is there. Therefore, to change the basic HDMI cable (102.1 and 102.2) to conform to the HEAC channel, the connection changes (HPD and above unconnected “utility” signals are taken on the paddle board and low cable). Only need to add an alternative HEAC channel).

  FIG. 5 includes a third input paddle board 114.3, a third low cable 108.3, and a third output paddle board 116.3 according to yet another embodiment of the present invention and is adapted to carry HEAC channels. The HEAC-compatible coaxial HDMI cable 102.3 based on the coaxial technology is shown.

  A signal included in the HEAC compatible HDMI signal set from the video source device (Tx) 104 is connected to the HEAC compatible input connection field 412 of the HEAC compatible coaxial HDMI cable 102.3 and is transmitted to the video sink device (Rx) 106. Thus, it is restored in the HEAC-compatible output connection field 414 at the opposite end of the cable. The change in the HEAC-compatible input field 412 and the HEAC-compatible output field 414 is related to the name change in the input field 212 and the output field 214 and reflects the corresponding terminal name change. txUt, rxUt, txHPD, and rxHPD become txHEAC-, rxHEAC-, txHEAC +, and rxHEAC + in the modified input field 412 and modified output field 414, respectively.

  The third raw cable 108.3 is four double shielded cable elements for carrying high speed digital data signals, namely coaxial pairs 402, 404, 406 and 408, and another for carrying differential auxiliary signals. It includes one double shielded cable element, ie a total of 10 individual coaxial lines arranged as coaxial pairs 410. Each of the coaxial pairs 402-410 includes two coaxial lines with internal signal wiring denoted as "a" and "b", and two shields coupled together so that each coaxial pair forms a single conductive path. Including. Therefore, as described above (see FIG. 1B), each of the coaxial pairs 402-410 has three electrical connections, ie, one differential connection (wiring “a” and “b”) and one A single-ended connection (coupled shield) is provided.

  The assignment of HDMI signals to cable connections available on the third input paddle board 114.3 and the third output paddle board 116.3 is used by the first input paddle board 114.1 and the first output paddle board 116.1. Similar to each assigned assignment. The connection of the differential HDMI high-speed data channels TMDSD2, TMDSD1, TMDSD0, and TMDS clock input from the video source device 104 is not changed, and these are cable boosted via coaxial pairs 402, 404, 406, and 408, respectively. Connected to the corresponding input of device 118.

  The differential HEAC channel is connected via a coaxial pair 410 and bypasses the cable booster 118. The shields of coaxial pairs 402, 404, 406, 408, and 410 are used as conductors for HDMI signals CEC, SCL, + 5V power, SDA, and DDC / CEC ground, respectively.

  The HDMI high-speed data channels TMDSD2, TMDSD1, TMDSD0, and the TMDS clock input shield are coupled to the DDC / CEC ground connection through the shield of the coaxial pair 410 included in the cable, so that the HDMI high-speed data channels TMDSD2, TMDSD1, And a connection to the output shield of TMDSD0 is provided. The TMDS clock output shields (rxCKs) are connected to the programming pins (Pgm) of the cable booster 118 as described above with reference to the basic coaxial HDMI cable 102.1.

  Suitable HDMI signal routing for the HEAC compatible coaxial HDMI cable 102.3 is listed in Table 3.

  FIG. 6 includes a fourth input paddle board 114.4, a fourth low cable 108.4, and a fourth output paddle board 116.4 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and corresponds to the transport of the HEAC channel. 1 shows a HEAC compliant STP HDMI cable 102.4 based on shielded twisted pair (STP) technology.

  The HEAC compatible input connection field 412 and the HEAC compatible output connection field 414 of the HEAC compatible STP HDMI cable 102.4 having each terminal are not changed from the HEAC compatible coaxial HDMI cable 102.3. The fourth raw cable 108.4 includes five shielded twisted pairs (STP) 502, 504, 506, 508, and 510, each of which, as shown in FIG. 1A, includes a shield and two signal wires “a "And" b ". The assignment of the HDMI signal to the connection via the fourth low cable 108.4 is provided by the settings of the fourth input paddle board 114.4 and the fourth output paddle board 116.4.

  The STPs 502, 504, 506, 508, and 510 of the fourth low cable 108.4 provide 15 (3 × 5) different conductive paths, the same number as the third low cable 108.3. Therefore, the assignment of each signal to the shielded twisted pair including the shield can be similarly performed. Similarly, some of the allocation schemes can be borrowed from other STP-based embodiments (basic STP HDMI cable 102.2) and appropriately modified to support HEAC signals.

  Here, another connection allocation scheme is presented to explain the considerable degree of freedom that can be enjoyed in setting selection. FIG. 6 and Table 4 show preferred assignments with the HEAC STP HDMI cable 102.4.

  As described above, suitable assignments of signal lines in the cable are shown in Table 1, Table 2, Table 3, and Table 4. These have a certain degree of arbitraryness. “+ 5V power” and “DDC / CEC ground” connections are preferably carried over the shield, and HDMI high-speed data signals (TMDSD0, TMDSD1, TMDSD2, and TMDS clocks) can be shielded, ie coaxial, depending on the type of wiring. Should be carried on the inner conductor of the wire or the twisted signal wiring of the STP, and slower connections (CEC, SCL, SDA, Utility, and HPD) will best optimize the space on the paddle board and the configuration of each connector In configurations that can be tailored for use, the internal / signal wiring or over the shield may be carried.

  The use of the receiver TMDS clock shield connection (rxCKs) to access the programming pins (Pgm) of the cable booster 118 is convenient for programming the device in a fully constructed boost HDMI cable. If this property is not required, the TMDS clock shield should be grounded with the other TMDS signal shields at both ends of the cable.

[DisplayPort cable]
FIG. 7 shows a coaxial display port cable 102 based on coaxial technology comprising a fifth input paddle board 114.5, a fifth low cable 108.5, and a fifth output paddle board 116.5, according to an embodiment of the present invention. .5. The fifth low cable 108.5 includes a total of ten individual coaxial lines arranged as five coaxial pairs 602, 604, 606, 608, and 610. Each of the coaxial pairs 602-610 includes two coaxial lines with internal signal wiring denoted as “a” and “b”, and two shields coupled together to form a single conductive path. . Therefore, as described above (see FIG. 1B), each of the coaxial pairs 602-608 has three electrical connections, ie, one differential connection (wiring “a” and “b”) and one A single-ended connection (coupled shield) is provided.

  The fifth output paddle board 116.5 includes the same cable booster 118 that is included in the above-described boost HDMI cable.

  The DisplayPort standard signal from the video source device (Tx) 104 is connected to a terminal included in the input connection field 612 of the coaxial DisplayPort cable 102.5 and is transmitted to the video sink device (Rx) 106 on the opposite side of the cable. Is restored at a terminal included in the output connection field 614. DisplayPort signal names and corresponding terminal designations in the input connection field 612 and output connection field 614 are listed in Table 5, where a preferred connection configuration or signal assignment scheme for the coaxial DisplayPort cable 102.5 is shown. ing.

  Referring to FIG. 7 and Table 5, four DisplayPort high speed differential data lanes ML-L0, ML-L1, ML-L2, and ML-L3 are connected to a coaxial DisplayPort cable 102.5 as described below. Routed.

The main line lane 0 differential signal having positive polarity (p) and negative polarity (n) is:
-Connected from the video source device (Tx) 104 to the txML_L0 + and txML_L0- terminals of the input connection field 612;
-Routed to the internal signal wiring "a" and "b" of the coaxial pair 602 at the fifth input paddle board 114.5;
-Routed in the fifth row cable 108.5 on the internal signal wirings "a" and "b" of the coaxial pair 602 of the fifth row cable 108.5;
-Coupled from the end of the fifth low cable 108.5 to the D0 + and D0- inputs of the cable booster 118 of the fifth output paddle board 116.5;
-Coupled from the C0 + and C0- outputs of the cable booster 118 to the rxML_L0 + and rxML_L0- terminals of the output connection field 614.

  The other three main line differential data signals (main line lane 1, main line lane 2, and main line lane 3) are similarly connected. See Table 5.

  The input DisplayPort connector, shown as txGND0, txGND1, txGND2, txGND3, and txGNDaux, and the ground connection of the "return" (txGNDpwr), or power return terminal, are all input common ground on the fifth input paddle board 114.5 Coupled to node 616 and connected to the shield of coaxial pair 604.

  In the fifth output paddle board 116.5, the shield of the coaxial pair 604 is connected to the ground (GND) input of the cable booster 118 and the shield and ground connection of the video sink device (Rx) 106, that is, the terminals rxGND0, rxGND1, rxGND2. , RxGNDaux, and rxGNDpwr are connected to an output common ground node 618. The exception is the fourth ground pin on the receiving side which is connected to the programming (Pgm) input of the cable booster 118 via terminal rxGND3 and is therefore only indirectly grounded. Therefore, the cable booster can be programmed from the connector after the booster cable is constructed without providing extra wiring to access the cable booster 118. Alternatively, the rxGND3 terminal may be grounded together with other ground connections at the output common ground node 618.

  The other DisplayPort signals CONFIG1, CONFIG2, AUX channels (p) and (n), hot plug, and DP_PWR are connected to the terminals txCONFIG1, txCONFIGFIG2, txAuxCh + and txAuxCh-, txHPD, and txHPD in the fifth input paddle board 114.5. Connected to each. In the fifth output paddle board 116.5, these are connected to terminals rxCONFIG1, rxCONFIG2, rxAuxCh + and rxAuxCh-, rxHPD, and rxDP_PWR, respectively. Compared with the main line high-speed signal boosted by the booster 118, these other DisplayPort signals are low-speed, bypass the cable booster 118, and are conveniently transported on the internal wiring or shield of the coaxial line. Good. However, AUX channel signals are slightly faster and need to carry impedance controlled wiring. In this embodiment of the present invention, the coaxial pair 610 is selected as the impedance-controlled wiring.

In the coaxial display port cable 102.5, the remaining signals are carried on the cable as follows.
CONFIG1 from the txCONFIG1 terminal is on the coupling shield of the coaxial pair 606 to the rxCONFIG1 terminal;
CONFIG2 from the txCONFIG2 terminal is on the coupling shield of the coaxial pair 608 to the rxCONFIG2 terminal;
Hot plug from the txHPD terminal is on the coupling shield of the coaxial pair 610 to the rxHPD terminal;
DP_PWR from the txDP_PWR terminal is on the coupling shield of the coaxial pair 602 to the rxDP_PWR terminal.

  In the fifth output paddle board 116.5, DP_PWR is also connected to the power input (+ 5V) of the cable booster 118. Although the DP_PWR voltage is lower than the HDMI + 5V power, the same cable booster 118 may be designed or programmed to operate with both the HDMI voltage and the DisplayPort voltage. Or you may develop the cable booster 118 only for DisplayPort.

  FIG. 8 is based on shielded twisted pair (STP) technology comprising a sixth input paddle board 114.6, a sixth low cable 108.6, and a sixth output paddle board 116.6, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The STP DisplayPort cable 102.6 is shown. The sixth low cable 108.6 includes a total of five STPs 702, 704, 706, 708, and 710, each as shown in FIG. 1A, with a shield and two signal wires “a” and “b”. Including.

  The assignment of the DisplayPort signal to the connection via the sixth low cable 108.6 is provided by the settings of the sixth input paddle board 114.6 and the sixth output paddle board 116.6, and the coaxial display port cable 102.5 of FIG. Similar to the assignment in STP signal assignment is shown in FIG. 8, except that FIG. 8 shows shielded twisted pair (STP) 702, 704, 706, 708, and 710 instead of coaxial pairs 602-610. Same as 7. The sixth input paddle board 114.6 and the sixth output paddle board 116.6 have similar connectivity to the corresponding fifth input paddle board 114.5 and fifth output paddle board 116.5, but on the paddle board It may have different mechanical properties to accommodate the difference in termination arrangement between the STP and the coaxial pair.

  Auxiliary signals CONFIG1, CONFIG2, hot plug, ground, and DP_PWR are all coaxial or STP lines to make it convenient for configurations that can be adjusted to best utilize the space on the paddle board and the settings of each connector May be assigned to any of the shields.

[Summary of low wiring count]
The number of wires included in a high-pressure high-speed digital video cable such as an HDMI cable or a DisplayPort cable can be increased from 14 or more in the prior art to 9 or 10 by using shields that carry active signals and power and ground, respectively. Has been reduced to books. This reduction in number is made possible by boosters that compensate for the removal of common mode interference that can be detrimental on high speed data lines. By reducing the number of wires, alignment for wiring termination in the connector is simplified. The original high-speed cable uses a combination of a coaxial wire or shielded twisted pair and standard wiring. In the present invention, the cost of constructing a high-speed cable is reduced by carrying all signals using only a single type of wiring, either coaxial or STP. This greatly simplifies the construction of the cable and requires only a single termination process, resulting in cost savings.

[Low impedance cable]
In addition to the advantages obtained through the low wire count technology described above, a coaxial line having a lower impedance than the nominal wiring impedance indicated in the standard to carry high speed data signals on any of the boost digital video cables 102 described herein. Alternatively, additional cost benefits can be obtained by using shielded twisted pair (STP).

  FIG. 9 shows three coaxial line cross sections to show a comparison between typical design options including a standard coaxial 902, an outer diameter reduced coaxial 904, and a core diameter increased coaxial 906. The standard coaxial 902 has an outer insulating coating 902. a, shield 902. b, inner insulator 902. c, and core wiring (core) 902. including d. The outer diameter reduction coaxial 904 has an outer insulating coating 904. a, shield 904. b, inner insulator 904. c, and core wiring (core) 904. including d. The core diameter increasing coaxial 906 has an outer insulating coating 906. a, shield 906. b, inner insulator 906. c, and core wiring (core) 906. including d.

  The characteristic impedance Z0 of the coaxial line is determined by the size of the cable, more specifically, the ratio of the core wiring diameter to the shield inner diameter and the dielectric constant of the inner insulating material.

  Core 902 of thin standard coaxial 902 with characteristic impedance of 50 ohms. d is an American wire gauge (AWG) standard wiring having a diameter of about 78 μm, and as a result, the overall diameter of the standard coaxial 902 is about 210 μm.

  By allowing the coaxial to maintain a smaller “non-standard” characteristic impedance, for example, the coaxial outer diameter can be reduced without using a thinner core wire, or the core diameter can be maintained while maintaining the outer diameter. Can be increased without changing the insulating material.

  The core 904.4 of the outer diameter reduction coaxial 904 has the same wire gauge as the core 902.4 of the standard coaxial 902, but the shield 904. By reducing c, the characteristic impedance of the outer diameter reduced coaxial 904 becomes 35 ohms. As a result, the overall diameter of the outer diameter reduction coaxial 904 is about 145 μm, which is about 30% reduction from the standard coaxial 902 having a characteristic impedance of 50 ohms.

  If the outer diameter is not changed, a thicker core wiring may be used. Shield 906. b, therefore, the overall diameter of the core diameter increasing coaxial 906 matches the overall diameter of the standard coaxial 902. However, the core 906... Is made so that the characteristic impedance of the core diameter increasing coaxial 906 becomes 35 ohms. As a result, the core 906. of the core diameter increasing coaxial 906 is increased. The wiring size of d is AWG40. The AWG 35 corresponds to a wiring diameter of about 143 μm, and the thickness is increased by about 80%.

  The inventors of the present invention implemented the above HDMI cable and DisplayPort cable, that is, the basic coaxial HDMI cable 102.1, the HEAC compatible coaxial HDMI cable 102.3, the coaxial DisplayPort cable 102.5, and other boost digital video cables. In doing so, the effect of deviating from the standard 50 ohm coaxial was taken into account. In summary, the video source device 104 transmits a high-speed differential signal to the cable booster 118 via a coaxial pair, and the cable booster averages and boosts the signal before transmitting it to the video sink device 106.

  Video source device 104 is configured to transmit high-speed differential signals over a cable that differentially exhibits a characteristic impedance of 100 ohms. This is two 50 ohms for a double coaxial line (coaxial pair). Similarly, the input circuit of the video sink device 106 presents a matched 100 ohm differential termination on the cable.

  In the case of a booster cable including a coaxial with reduced impedance, the cable booster 118 is an appropriate output circuit for transmitting a booster signal to the video sink device 106. The input termination of the cable booster 118 can be adjusted to terminate the impedance reducing cable with an appropriate impedance, eg, 35 ohms or 70 ohms.

  The video source device 104 is configured as a current source and can transmit directly to any cable impedance. As long as the cable is properly terminated at the receiving end, ie, the cable booster 118, no unwanted signal reflections occur. However, HDMI cable and DisplayPort cable compatibility tests require the cable to exhibit a differential impedance of nominally 100 ohms at the source end for unidirectional active cables and at both ends for passive cables.

  10 shows a low impedance coaxial HDMI cable 102.10 identical to the basic coaxial HDMI cable 102.1 of FIG. 3, except for the low impedance input paddle board 114.10 that replaces the first input paddle board 114.1. Show. The low-impedance input paddle board 114.10 corresponds to the high-speed signal terminals txD2 +, txD2-, txD1 +, txD1-, txD0 +, txD0-, txCK +, and txCK- of the input connection field 212 and the first low cable 108.1. Same connectivity as the first input paddle board 114.1 except for 8 padding resistors R1-R8 inserted between the internal signal wires "a" and "b" of the coaxial pairs 202-208 Have

  A pair of padding resistors must be inserted in series with each of the internal signal wirings “a” and “b” of the TMDS signal. The resistance value of each resistor is equal to the total resistance value of two padding resistors connected in series with the internal signal wiring (shield conductor) of each coaxial pair (double shielded cable element) 202-208. Is derived to be equal to the difference between the impedance and the impedance of the coaxial pair, for example, a nominal impedance of 100 ohms using two coaxial lines with a impedance of 35 ohms each having 15 ohm padding resistance as the coaxial pair Is obtained.

  The padding resistors R1 to R8 are not lost even if they are not provided, but are provided so as to meet 100 ohms which is the specified differential input impedance of the low impedance coaxial HDMI cable 102.10.

  When the coaxial pair 202-208 of the first low cable 108.1 is formed from a low impedance coaxial line, such as a reduced outer diameter coaxial 904 or an increased core diameter coaxial 906, each having an exemplary characteristic impedance of 35 ohms, for example. The value of each padding resistor R1-R8 is 50-35 =, so that each coaxial pair combined with the padding resistor exhibits an impedance of 2 × 50 = 100 ohms to the differential terminal of the input connection field 212. Should be 15 ohms. In general, the resistance of each padding resistor R1-R8 should be X ohms, which is the difference between half the specified nominal impedance (eg, 100 ohms for HDMI) and the actual characteristic impedance of the coaxial. is there.

  Similarly, other coaxial-based high-speed video cables such as the HEAC-compliant coaxial HDMI cable 102.3 (FIG. 5) and the coaxial DisplayPort cable 102.5 (FIG. 7) can also be input to accommodate low-impedance coaxial cables. It is easily changed by adding padding resistors R1 to R8 to the paddle board.

  It is pointed out that signals other than high-speed differential data signals, such as HDMI HEAC channels, DisplayPort AUX channels, etc., are not boosted by the cable booster 118. The coaxial pair carrying these signals (coaxial pair 410 for HEAC and coaxial pair 610 for AUX channel) cannot be of low impedance type and must be a normal 50 ohm coaxial.

  The same technology as impedance-reducing coaxial cables also applies to boost HDMI cables and boost DisplayPort cables that use shielded twisted pair (STP) to transmit high-speed differential data signals. The characteristic impedance of STP is determined by the ratio of the insulated wire diameter to the bare wire diameter and the dielectric properties of the insulating material.

  Low impedance STP is easily created by reducing the insulation thickness relative to the diameter of the bare wire. This of course also affects the size of the shield. By reducing the insulation thickness of the STP wiring by about 30% without changing the bare wire thickness, the (differential) impedance of the STP is reduced from the nominal 100 ohms to 70 ohms. Instead of reducing the size of the STP cable in this way, it is also possible to increase the thickness of the bare wire while maintaining the original overall size.

  Low-impedance STP is used for any of the boost video cables based on STP technology, such as the basic STP HDMI cable 102.2 (Fig. 4), HEAC-compatible STP HDMI cable 102.4 (Fig. 6), and STP DisplayPort cable 102.6. Similar considerations apply to coaxial based cables, the input circuit of the cable booster 118 should be programmed to match the STP impedance, and the input paddle board should be modified to include padding resistors It is. Similar to the convention applied in the coaxial case, the resistance value of each padding resistor R1-R8 at STP is half the difference between the nominal nominal impedance (eg, 100 ohms for HDMI) and the actual differential impedance of STP. The value of Y should be Y.

  To reduce the characteristic impedance in a coaxial or STP-based cable with a booster, to reduce the size of the cable to save material, improve flexibility, etc., or to improve handling and reduce material costs There are many advantages that can be utilized to increase the size of the wiring without reducing the overall size of the cable. In fact, it should be noted that thicker wiring can reduce manufacturing costs than very thin wiring.

  While various exemplary embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, those skilled in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications can be made to achieve some of the advantages of the invention without departing from the true scope of the invention. Will be clear.

  Those skilled in the art will envision alternative constructions and alternative embodiments or variations of the above, all of which are described in the following claims. It shall be included in the range.

In the first low cable 108.1, 14 (3 × 4 + 2 ) paths are provided, but in the second low cable 108.2, 15 (3 × 5) are provided by STPs 302, 304, 306, 308, and 310. Different conductive paths of books are provided. Thus, additional paths are available that can be used advantageously to change signal assignments. This is illustrated in FIG. 4 and Table 2, which lists the preferred configuration of the basic STP HDMI cable 102.2.

[DisplayPort cable]
FIG. 7 shows a coaxial display port cable 102 based on coaxial technology comprising a fifth input paddle board 114.5, a fifth low cable 108.5, and a fifth output paddle board 116.5, according to an embodiment of the present invention. .5. The fifth low cable 108.5 includes a total of ten individual coaxial lines arranged as five coaxial pairs 602, 604, 606, 608, and 610. Each of the coaxial pairs 602-610 includes two coaxial lines with internal signal wiring denoted as “a” and “b”, and two shields coupled together to form a single conductive path. . Therefore, (see FIG. 1B) as described above, by respective coaxial pairs 602-610, three electrical connections, that is, one differential connection (wiring "a" and "b"), one A single-ended connection (coupled shield) is provided.

Claims (39)

A digital video cable carrying one or more high-speed differential digital data signals and one or more auxiliary signals between a video source device and a video sink device according to cable specifications,
A booster that boosts the one or more high-speed differential digital data signals;
A low cable having one or more double shielded cable elements, each double shielded cable element comprising two shield conductors and a low cable comprising a shield;
The two shield conductors of at least one double shielded cable element extend between the video source device and the booster;
The shield of the one or more double shielded cable elements extends between the video source device and the video sink device;
The shield of the at least one double shielded cable element is configured to carry an auxiliary signal;
The two shield conductors of the at least one double shielded cable element are configured to carry a high-speed differential digital data signal;
Digital video cable.   Some or all of the one or more double shielded cable elements are double coaxial elements, each double coaxial element including two coaxial lines with shields coupled together, and each coaxial line The digital video cable according to claim 1, which includes one shield conductor.   The low cable includes a shield containing one shield conductor, extends between the video source device and the video sink device, and the shield is configured to carry another auxiliary signal. The digital video cable of claim 1, wherein the shield conductor further comprises a coaxial line configured to carry yet another auxiliary signal.   2. Some or all of the one or more double shielded cable elements are shielded twisted pairs (STP), wherein each shielded twisted pair includes a shield that encloses the two shielded conductors. The digital video cable described.   A first circuit support for connecting the video source device to the raw cable, the high-speed differential digital data signal from the video source device to the two shield conductors of the at least one double shielded cable element; The digital video cable according to claim 1, further comprising a first circuit support having a terminal to be connected.   The said 1st circuit support body further has a terminal which connects an at least 1 auxiliary signal to the said shield of the said at least 1 double shielded cable element from the said image | video source device. Digital video cable.   7. The digital video cable according to claim 1, further comprising a second circuit support that connects the low cable to the video sink device, the second circuit support having the boosting device. 8.   The digital video cable according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the boosting device includes an averaging device and an amplifier for averaging and boosting the one or more high-speed differential digital data signals.   The digital video cable according to claim 1, wherein the cable specification is a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) standard.   The digital video cable according to claim 1, wherein the cable specification is a DisplayPort standard.   The one or more high-speed differential digital data signals are transition time shortest differential signal transmission (TMDS) signals, and the one or more auxiliary signals are consumer electronics control (CEC) signals, serial clocks. The digital video cable of claim 9, wherein the digital video cable is a (SCL) signal, a hot plug detect (HPD) signal, and a + 5V power signal. The two shield conductors of the four double shielded cable elements extend between the video source device and the booster;
The two shield conductors of the four double shielded cable elements are configured to carry four high-speed differential digital data signals that are transition time shortest differential signaling (TMDS) signals;
The two shield conductors of the other double shielded cable element extend between the video source device and the video sink device to provide an HDMI Ethernet Audio Return Channel (HEAC) differential signal. Is configured to carry an auxiliary signal that is
The shields of the four double shielded cable elements and the one other double shielded cable element include consumer electronics control (CEC) signals, serial clock (SCL) signals, serial data (SDA) signals, 12. Digital video cable according to claim 9 or 11, configured to carry a digital data channel (DDC) / CEC ground signal and an auxiliary signal which is a + 5V power signal. The two shield conductors of the four double shielded cable elements extend between the video source device and the booster;
The two shield conductors of the four double shielded cable elements are configured to carry four high-speed differential digital data signals that are mainline lanes;
The two shield conductors of another one double shielded cable element extend between the video source device and the video sink device to carry an auxiliary signal that is an auxiliary channel (AUX CH) differential signal. Configured,
The shields of the four double shielded cable elements and the other one double shielded cable element are CONFIG1 signal, CONFIG2 signal, ground signal, hot plug detect (HPD) signal, and DisplayPort power (DP_PWR) signal. The digital video cable of claim 12, configured to carry an auxiliary signal that is The impedance of the at least one double shielded cable element is lower than the nominal impedance of the digital video cable defined in the cable specification;
The first circuit support has two padding resistors each in series with the two shield conductors of the at least one double shielded cable element;
The digital video cable according to any one of claims 5 to 13, wherein the booster device includes a booster circuit that terminates the at least one double shielded cable element. A method of transmitting one or more high-speed differential digital data signals and one or more auxiliary signals from a video source device to a video sink device over a digital video cable comprising a low cable and a boost device,
Conveying at least one high-speed differential digital data signal from the video sink device to the booster device with a pair of shield conductors of the low cable;
Boosting the at least one high-speed differential digital data signal with the booster to generate a boost signal and transmitting the boost signal to the video sink device;
Carrying at least one auxiliary signal on the shield of the pair of shield conductors.   The method of claim 15, further comprising averaging the at least one high-speed differential digital data signal with the boost device. The transmitting step includes
17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, comprising transmitting on the digital video cable which is one of a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) cable and a DisplayPort cable. A digital video cable carrying one or more high-speed differential digital data signals and one or more auxiliary signals between a video source device and a video sink device according to cable specifications,
A low cable having one or more double shielded cable elements, each double shielded cable element comprising a shield and two shield conductors carrying two polarities of a high-speed differential digital data signal, at least A low cable in which the impedance of one double shielded cable element is lower than the nominal impedance of the digital video cable defined in the cable specification;
A first circuit support for connecting the video source device to the raw cable, the first circuit having two padding resistors each in series with the two shield conductors of the at least one double shielded cable element A support;
A second circuit support for connecting the raw cable to the video sink device, the high speed terminating the at least one double shielded cable element and being carried by the at least one double shielded cable element; A second circuit support having a booster for boosting the differential digital data signal;
With
A digital video cable in which an output of the boosting device is connected to the video sink device.   19. The digital video cable of claim 18, wherein a total resistance value of the two padding resistors is equal to a difference between the nominal impedance and the impedance of the at least one double shielded cable element.   The digital video cable according to claim 19, wherein the two padding resistors have the same resistance value.   21. A digital video cable according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein the shield of one double shielded cable element of the one or more double shielded cable elements is configured to carry an auxiliary signal.   23. The digital video cable of claim 21, wherein the two shield conductors of one double shielded cable element of the one or more double shielded cable elements are configured to carry a high speed differential digital data signal.   Some or all of the one or more double shielded cable elements are double coaxial elements, each double coaxial element including two coaxial lines with shields coupled together, and each coaxial line The digital video cable according to claim 18, wherein the digital video cable includes one shield conductor.   The nominal impedance of the digital video cable is 100 ohms, and the impedance of the at least one double shielded cable element is between 50 ohms and 90 ohms, including the characteristic impedance of the two coaxial lines. Item 24. The digital video cable according to Item 23.   The digital video cable according to claim 24, wherein the characteristic impedance of each coaxial line is 35 ohms.   23. Some or all of the one or more double shielded cable elements are shielded twisted pair (STP), each STP including a shield enclosing the two shield conductors. The digital video cable according to any one of the above.   27. The digital video cable of claim 26, wherein the nominal impedance of the digital video cable is 100 ohms and the characteristic impedance of a shielded twisted pair is between 50 ohms and 90 ohms.   28. The digital video cable of claim 27, wherein the characteristic impedance of the shielded twisted pair is 70 ohms.   The digital video cable according to any one of claims 18 to 28, wherein the cable specification is a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) standard.   The digital video cable according to any one of claims 18 to 28, wherein the cable specification is a DisplayPort standard.   The one or more high-speed differential digital data signals are transition time shortest differential signal transmission (TMDS) signals, and the one or more auxiliary signals are consumer electronics control (CEC) signals, serial clocks. 30. The digital video cable of claim 29, wherein the digital video cable is an (SCL) signal, a hot plug detect (HPD) signal, and a + 5V power signal. The two shield conductors of the four double shielded cable elements extend between the video source device and the booster;
The two shield conductors of the four double shielded cable elements are configured to carry four high-speed differential digital data signals that are transition time shortest differential signaling (TMDS) signals;
The two shield conductors of the other double shielded cable element extend between the video source device and the video sink device to provide an HDMI Ethernet Audio Return Channel (HEAC) differential signal. Is configured to carry an auxiliary signal that is
The shields of the four double shielded cable elements and the one other double shielded cable element include consumer electronics control (CEC) signals, serial clock (SCL) signals, serial data (SDA) signals, 32. Digital video cable according to claim 29 or 31, configured to carry a digital data channel (DDC) / CEC ground signal and an auxiliary signal which is a +5 power signal.   The digital video cable according to claim 31 or 32, wherein the boosting device includes an averaging device and an amplifier for averaging and boosting the TMDS signal, respectively. The two shield conductors of the four double shielded cable elements extend between the video source device and the booster;
The two shield conductors of the four double shielded cable elements are configured to carry four high-speed differential digital data signals that are mainline lanes;
The two shield conductors of another one double shielded cable element extend between the video source device and the video sink device to carry an auxiliary signal that is an auxiliary channel (AUX CH) differential signal. Configured,
The shields of the four double shielded cable elements and the other one double shielded cable element are CONFIG1 signal, CONFIG2 signal, ground signal, hot plug detect (HPD) signal, and DisplayPort power (DP_PWR) signal. The digital video cable of claim 30, wherein the digital video cable is configured to carry an auxiliary signal that is   The digital video cable according to claim 34, wherein the boosting device includes an averaging device and an amplifier for averaging and boosting the main line lane, respectively. A method of transmitting a high-speed differential digital data signal from a video source device to a video sink device over a digital video cable designed to meet cable specifications,
The two polarities of the high-speed differential digital data signal are coupled to the input of a low cable having an impedance lower than the nominal impedance of the digital video cable defined in the cable specification through two padding resistors, respectively. When,
Coupling a differential output signal from the output of the low cable to a booster having an input that matches the impedance of the low cable;
Boosting the differential output signal to generate a boosted differential signal;
Coupling the boost differential signal to the video sink device.   37. The method of claim 36, further comprising transmitting an auxiliary signal from the video source device to the video sink device over the raw cable shield.   38. The transmitting of claim 37, wherein transmitting comprises transmitting on a coaxial cable comprising a pair of coaxial lines coupled to each other by a shield, and the auxiliary signal is transmitted on the coupled shield. the method of.   The transmitting step includes transmitting on a shielded twisted pair (STP) including a shield containing two shield conductors, the auxiliary signal being transmitted on the shield of the STP, and the high-speed differential digital 38. The method of claim 37, wherein a data signal is transmitted on the two shield conductors.

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