JP2019140551A - Communication cable module - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a communication cable module capable of controlling compensation from the outside.SOLUTION: A communication cable module includes: a cable that transmits a signal; and connectors that are provided at both ends of the cable and include a plurality of electrodes for connecting with an apparatus and an IC for compensating signal input via the cable on the basis of data input into an electrode of the electrodes and outputting a resultant signal to an electrode of the electrodes.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication cable module.

  In the information and communication field, cables with a built-in cable for differential signal transmission for transmitting and receiving differential signals and cables with connectors consisting of connectors provided at both ends of the cable are used for transmission within and between devices. It has been.

  The connector has a built-in module board for electrically connecting the device to be connected and the differential signal transmission cable. In this module board, on the receiving side transmission path, that is, the transmission path for transmitting the electrical signal input from the differential signal transmission cable to the equipment, the loss generated by the equipment and the differential signal transmission cable is compensated and output. There is a connector equipped with an IC (Integrated Circuit) for transmission loss compensation.

  A cable including such a transmission loss compensating IC on a connector (module board) is an active cable module (also called an active direct attach cable (active DAC) or an active copper cable (ACC)).

  As a technique related to an active cable module, Patent Document 1 discloses an active cable module including a compensation circuit that compensates and outputs an electric signal input from a cable, and the compensation circuit has a resistance value of a temperature detection line in the cable. A technique for performing compensation according to the above is disclosed.

JP2015-109494A

  If the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used, it is possible to perform compensation according to a change in the cable temperature using only the cable module (active cable module). However, since there may be a cable and a connecting device that require compensation for factors other than temperature, there is a possibility that the compensation with only the cable module may be limited.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a communication cable module in which compensation can be controlled from the outside.

A representative communication cable module according to the present invention includes a cable for transmitting a signal, a plurality of electrodes for connecting to a device, and data input to the electrodes in the plurality of electrodes. A connector including an IC that compensates a signal input via a cable and outputs the signal to an electrode of the plurality of electrodes, the connector provided at both ends of the cable;
It is characterized by comprising.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the cable module for communication which can control compensation from the outside can be provided.

It is a figure which shows the example of the cable module for communication. It is a block diagram which shows the example of a module board | substrate. It is a flowchart figure which shows the example of operation | movement of a module board | substrate. It is a figure which shows the example of the frequency characteristic with respect to a some compensation value. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication cable module in Embodiment 2. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a module substrate in Example 3. FIG.

  A preferred embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described as Example 1 with reference to FIGS. A communication cable module 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a cable 3 incorporating a plurality of differential signal transmission cables 2 and 10, and connectors 4-1 and 4-2 provided at both ends of the cable 3. .

  Since the connector 4-1 and the connector 4-2 have the same structure, the connector 4-1 will be described and the description of the connector 4-2 will be omitted. The connector 4-1 includes a module substrate 5 for electrically connecting a device to be connected (not shown) and the differential signal transmission cables 2 and 10.

  The module board 5 has a transmission loss compensation IC 6, a microcomputer 7 for controlling the transmission loss compensation IC 6, and an EEPROM 8 (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) that stores setting values of the transmission loss compensation IC 6. ) Is installed. The EEPROM 8 may be another type of nonvolatile memory.

  The module substrate 5 includes an electrode 9 for electrical contact with a device, a transmission side electrode 11, and a reception side electrode 13. The transmission-side electrode 11 and the differential signal transmission cable 10 are connected by a transmission-side transmission line 12, that is, a transmission line that transmits an electrical signal input from the device to the differential signal transmission cable 10.

  Further, the differential signal transmission cable 2 and the reception-side electrode 13 are connected by a reception-side transmission path 14, that is, a transmission path that transmits an electrical signal input from the differential signal transmission cable 2 to the device. A transmission loss compensation IC 6 that compensates and outputs a loss caused by the device or the differential signal transmission cable 2 is mounted in the middle of the reception side transmission path 14.

  The transmission loss compensation IC 6 is electrically connected on the module substrate 5 to the microcomputer 7 and the EEPROM 8 for controlling the transmission loss compensation IC 6. Further, the microcomputer 7 is connected to a plurality of electrodes 9 in order to communicate with the device.

  In the example of FIG. 1, the electrode 9, the transmission-side electrode 11, and the reception-side electrode 13 are separate electrodes. However, the electrode 9 does not have to be a dedicated electrode, and one of the transmission-side electrode 11 or the reception-side electrode 13 is used. It may be shared with the department. Conversely, the electrode 9 is a dedicated electrode and may be disposed at a position on the connector 4-1 different from the electrode row of the transmission side electrode 11 and the reception side electrode 13.

  The connector 4-1 and the connector 4-2 have the same structure, but in the connector 4-1, the differential signal transmission cable 10 on the transmission side becomes the reception side in the connector 4-2, and the transmission loss in the connector 4-2 Via compensation IC. In the connector 4-1, the differential signal transmission cable 2 on the receiving side is the transmitting side in the connector 4-2.

  FIG. 2 is an example of a block diagram of the module substrate 5. In FIG. 2, the transmission side transmission path 12, the reception side transmission path 14, and the like are omitted, and the transmission loss compensation IC 6, the microcomputer 7 for controlling the transmission loss compensation IC 6, and the set values of the transmission loss compensation IC 6 are shown. Each example of the EEPROM 8 for saving will be described.

  The microcomputer 7 controls the transmission loss compensation IC 6 and also communicates with the device 21. The device 21 is a device connected by the electrode 9 shown in FIG. The EEPROM 8 stores a plurality of compensation values of the transmission loss compensation IC 6. The compensation value will be further described later with reference to FIG.

  As a basic operation, when a command for changing the compensation value of the transmission loss compensation IC 6 is sent from the device 21, the microcomputer 7 reads the compensation value of the transmission loss compensation IC 6 stored in the EEPROM 8, and the compensation value. Is written in the transmission loss compensation IC 6.

  For this purpose, the device 21 sends a command (specific data) to the microcomputer 7 of the module substrate 5 and transmits / receives information related to signal quality, which will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The microcomputer 7 sends the compensation value address to be read into the EEPROM 8 and receives compensation value data from the EEPROM 8. Then, the microcomputer 7 writes the compensation value in the transmission loss compensation IC 6, and reads the value (compensation value) written and held in the transmission loss compensation IC 6 from the transmission loss compensation IC 6.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the module substrate 5. First, when the module substrate 5 is connected to the external device 21, the power is turned on (step S301), the microcomputer 7 is initialized (step S302), and the process is started. For this purpose, the module substrate 5 may be supplied with power from the device 21 via the electrode 9.

  Next, the microcomputer 7 reads the compensation value of the transmission loss compensation IC 6 stored in the EEPROM 8 (step S303) and writes the read compensation value to the transmission loss compensation IC 6 (step S304). The address of the compensation value read in step S303 is the address of the initial compensation value in step S302 or the address of the compensation value selected in step S310.

  The microcomputer 7 reads the compensation value written to the transmission loss compensation IC 6 from the transmission loss compensation IC 6 and determines that the written compensation value and the read compensation value are the same, thereby determining whether or not the data has been written normally. Determination is made (step S305). If it is determined that the data has not been written normally, the process returns to step S304 to rewrite.

  If the microcomputer 7 determines that the data has been normally written, it determines the signal quality of the receiving side transmission path 14 on the output side of the transmission loss compensating IC 6 (step S306). For this determination, the microcomputer 7 may send a signal quality measurement instruction to the device 21 and receive the measurement result from the device 21. A signal quality measurement circuit (not shown) is provided on the module substrate 5. It may be mounted.

  The measurement of signal quality may be a measurement of whether or not a communication error has occurred, or may be a measurement of the amplitude of a signal. The result of the measurement may be information on whether or not a communication error has occurred, information on a result of comparison between the amplitude of the signal and a preset threshold value, or information on the amplitude of the signal. It may be information on the measurement value itself.

  The microcomputer 7 determines that it has received information that a communication error has not occurred, determines that it has received information that the signal amplitude exceeds a preset threshold value, or the measurement value of the signal amplitude itself. If it is determined that the signal quality is good by receiving the information and determining that the preset threshold value is exceeded, the setting (compensation value) of the transmission loss compensation IC 6 is fixed and completed (step S307). ).

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the signal quality is not good, the microcomputer 7 receives specific data for changing the compensation value of the transmission loss compensation IC 6 from the device 21 (step S308). Here, the microcomputer 7 may send a command requesting specific data to the device 21, or the device 21 may send specific data at the time of sending information on the result of signal quality measurement.

  It is desirable that the transmission loss compensation IC 6 can change the compensation value when specific data is sent. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the compensation value of the transmission loss compensation IC 6 from being arbitrarily changed due to noise or erroneous writing. For this purpose, the specific data may be a password.

  Alternatively, the specific data may be data as shown in FIG. The data 413-1 and the data 413-2 shown in FIG. 4 are the same data, and the data that has been duplicated (multiplexed) a predetermined number of times is set as the specific data, thereby causing noise and some of the data. It is possible to detect an abnormality in specific data due to erroneous writing. The data 411, 412, and 414 also include duplicate data.

  Alternatively, the specific data may be data having a Hamming distance of 2 or more. In the example of FIG. 4, 011 can be detected as a 1-bit error of “001” in data 411, “010” in data 412, or “111” in data 414. In this case, the data 411, 412, and 414 may be 3 bits that do not include duplicated data, such as only 3 bits of the data 413-1.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the microcomputer 7 determines whether the specific data is normal data (step S309), and returns to step S308 until normal data is received. This normal determination may be determination of whether the password is correct, or may be detection using duplication or hamming distance described with reference to FIG.

  The microcomputer 7 selects a compensation value in the EEPROM 8 based on the specific data determined to be normal (step S310), and returns to step S303. The microcomputer 7 reads the compensation value from the EEPROM 8 again, writes it in the transmission loss compensation IC 6, and repeats the above processing flow until the signal quality becomes good.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of frequency characteristics of the communication cable module 1 for each compensation value stored in the EEPROM 8. The data 411, 412, 413-1 (413-2) and 414 are specific data as described above, and each of them is “setting A”, “setting B”, “setting C”, and “setting D”. Correspond.

  The EEPROM 8 stores values corresponding to “setting A”, “setting B”, “setting C”, and “setting D” as compensation values. These may be the same value as the specific data or different values. Each of the frequency characteristics 401, 402, 403, 404 is a frequency characteristic of the communication cable module 1 corresponding to “setting A”, “setting B”, “setting C”, and “setting D”.

  For example, the compensation value is changed to “setting B” when “setting A” is set as the initial compensation value and the signal quality is not good such as a communication error occurs. By changing the compensation value from “Setting A” to “Setting B”, the transmission loss is reduced instead of the frequency characteristic 401 to the frequency characteristic 402, and thus the signal quality is improved.

  Even when the compensation value is “setting B”, if the signal quality is not good, such as a communication error, the signal quality is improved by changing from “setting B” to “setting C”. Also, signal quality deteriorates even if transmission loss is compensated excessively. In such a case, the signal quality is improved by intentionally increasing the loss as in “Setting D”.

  Since the frequency characteristic of the communication cable module 1 on the receiving side of the connector 4-1 does not pass through the circuit at the connector 4-2, the frequency characteristic of the differential signal transmission cable 2 and the frequency of the transmission loss compensation IC 6 are mainly used. It depends on the characteristics. The frequency characteristic 404 of “setting D” may be a frequency characteristic equivalent to a passive cable, and the transmission loss compensating IC 6 may be in a state of transmitting a signal by “setting D”.

  The frequency characteristics may be changed according to the frequency band. For example, the transmission loss compensation IC 6 has the frequency characteristic 404 of “setting D” in the band E421, the frequency characteristic 401 of “setting A” in the band F422, and the frequency characteristic 402 of “setting B” in the band G423. The compensation value for each band may be writable.

  In order to write the compensation value for each band, a plurality of compensation values may be processed in steps S303 to S305 and S308 to S310 described with reference to FIG. Since the signal can be compensated according to the band by such a compensation value for each band, the signal quality can be further improved. In the example of FIG. 4, the frequency characteristics 401 to 404 are linear, but are not limited to linear frequency characteristics.

  As described above, the compensation value of the transmission loss compensation IC 6 is changed, and the frequency characteristic of the module substrate 5 is changed, thereby improving the quality of the signal coming from the differential signal transmission cable 2 (for communication). The frequency characteristics of the cable module 1 are improved), and the signal can be output from the receiving electrode 13. Thereby, it is possible to prevent a communication error in a circuit that inputs an output signal from the receiving electrode 13.

  In addition, devices used in a data center or the like transmit signals via a communication cable module such as an electric cable. A transmission loss compensation IC having an automatic equalization function is installed inside each device, and the transmitting device and the receiving device determine each other's compensation value while performing communication between transmission and reception. Yes.

  On the other hand, if the communication cable module changes the frequency characteristics by compensation regardless of the automatic equalization function of each device, the effect of the compensation value determined by the automatic equalization function may be lost. As described with reference to FIG. 3, once it is determined that the signal quality is good, the compensation value is fixed. Therefore, connection with a device equipped with a transmission loss compensation IC having an automatic equalization function is also possible. Is possible.

  Since the compensation capability of the transmission loss compensation IC installed in each device differs from the compensation loss in the device depending on each device, the compensation capability of the transmission loss compensation IC installed in each device is low or in the device When a transmission loss is large, it is expected that a communication error will occur due to a deterioration in signal quality. However, the compensation capability can be improved by using the communication cable module described above.

  In the first embodiment, an example in which the microcomputer 7 and the EEPROM 8 are mounted as separate circuits has been described. In the second embodiment, an example in which the EEPROM 8 is not required will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the communication cable module 51 in the present embodiment. The same components as those shown in FIG.

  In the communication cable module 51, connectors 54-1 and 54-2 are provided at both ends of the cable 3 instead of the connectors 4-1 and 4-2 shown in FIG. The connector 54-1 includes a module substrate 55. The module substrate 55 is not equipped with the EEPROM 8, and is equipped with a microcomputer 57 instead of the microcomputer 7.

  The microcomputer 57 includes a memory having a capacity capable of storing a plurality of compensation values, and holds the compensation values instead of the EEPROM 8, so that the EEPROM 8 need not be mounted. Also in the present embodiment, writing the compensation value to the transmission loss compensating IC 6 and changing the frequency characteristics are the same as in the first embodiment, but since the EEPROM 8 is not mounted, a communication cable module that requires high-density mounting. 51 is effective.

  In the first embodiment, an example in which the module substrate 5 receives specific data from the device 21 and selects a compensation value has been described. In the third embodiment, an example in which a switch is mounted on the module substrate 5 will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the module substrate 5 in the present embodiment. Cables and connectors corresponding to the cable 3 and the connectors 4-1 and 4-2 shown in FIG. 1 are not shown, and the same components as those shown in FIG.

  The module substrate 65 is different from the module substrate 5 shown in FIG. 1 in that a dip switch 61 is mounted. The DIP switch 61 is a switch for selecting a compensation value written in the transmission loss compensation IC 6. In the example of FIG. 6, the dip switch 61 is electrically connected to the EEPROM 8, but may be electrically connected to the microcomputer 7.

  In the present embodiment, the selected compensation value is written in the transmission loss compensation IC 6 and the frequency characteristics are changed as in the first embodiment. However, by providing the dip switch 61, for example, the first When the pin is turned “ON”, “setting value A” shown in FIG. 4 is selected, and when the second pin is turned “ON”, “setting value B” is selected.

  Thereby, the compensation value written in the transmission loss compensation IC 6 manually from the outside of the communication cable module can be changed. Note that the communication cable module of the present embodiment is preferably disposed at a position where the dip switch 61 can be manually operated while being physically connected to the device.

  For this purpose, the dip switch 61 is mounted on the module substrate 65, but the operation surface of the dip switch 61 protrudes from the surface of the connector with respect to the connector corresponding to the connector 4-1 not shown in FIG. Yes.

  Further, the dip switch 61 is not limited to the shape of the dip switch as long as it can select the compensation value. The dip switch 61 may be, for example, a dial switch instead of the dip switch.

  Since the compensation value stored in the EEPROM 8 is selected by the dip switch 61 and read by the microcomputer 7, the dip switch 61 may be a switch for setting the address of the EEPROM 8. A part of the address of the EEPROM 8 may be set by the DIP switch 61 and the other part of the address may be sent from the microcomputer 7.

  The electrode 9 may be used to supply power to the microcomputer 7 or to communicate information related to signal quality. Alternatively, the address of the initial compensation value in step S302 shown in FIG. 3 may be set by the dip switch 61, and specific data may be received via the electrode 9 in step S308 for selection of the address in step S310.

  By making the compensation value manually selectable, the user repeats the selection in step S310 shown in FIG. 3 when the user has experience in connection with the same type of device and the compensation value is known in advance. Signal quality can be improved by eliminating useless selection of compensation values.

  In the first to third embodiments, an example in which the transmission loss compensation IC is not provided in the transmission side transmission line 12 has been described. However, in addition to the transmission loss compensation IC 6 in the reception side transmission line 14, a transmission loss is added to the transmission side transmission line 12. A compensation IC may be provided. The transmission loss compensation IC provided in the transmission side transmission path 12 may be written with a compensation value by the microcomputer 7.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and it is needless to say that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the first embodiment, an example has been described in which one each of the transmission loss compensation IC 6, the microcomputer 7, and the EEPROM 8 are mounted, but a plurality of them may be mounted on the module substrate 5.

  For example, when the differential signal transmission cable 2 is a multi-core cable, it may be divided into a plurality of cores, and a transmission loss compensation IC or the like may be mounted in parallel for each of the divided core wires. A plurality of transmission loss compensation ICs having different compensation characteristics may be mounted in series on the reception side transmission path 14.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Communication cable module, 2 ... Differential signal transmission cable, 3 ... Cable, 4-1 ... Connector, 5 ... Module board, 6 ... Transmission loss compensation IC, 7 ... Microcomputer, 8 ... EEPROM

Claims (11)

A cable for transmitting signals;
A plurality of electrodes for connecting to a device, and a signal input via the cable based on data input to the electrodes in the plurality of electrodes, and electrodes in the plurality of electrodes A connector including an IC that outputs to the connector, provided at both ends of the cable; and
A communication cable module comprising: The communication cable module according to claim 1,
The connector is
A microcomputer that receives data input to an electrode of the plurality of electrodes and writes a compensation value corresponding to the received data to the IC;
The IC is
A communication cable module, wherein a signal input via the cable is compensated according to a compensation value written by the microcomputer and output to an electrode of the plurality of electrodes. The communication cable module according to claim 2,
The microcomputer is
A communication cable that writes a compensation value to the IC, determines that the compensation value has been normally written to the IC, and rewrites the compensation value to the IC when it is determined that the compensation value has not been normally written. module. In the communication cable module according to claim 3,
The microcomputer is
Writing a compensation value to the IC, reading a written value from the IC, and determining that the read value is the same as the written compensation value, thereby determining that the data has been written normally A cable module for communication. The communication cable module according to claim 4,
The microcomputer is
Receives data input to the electrodes of the plurality of electrodes, determines whether the received data is normal, writes a compensation value corresponding to the received data to the IC when it is determined normal, and is not normal A communication cable module that receives data again when it is determined. The communication cable module according to claim 5,
The microcomputer is
Determining whether the received data is normal by receiving data input to the electrodes of the plurality of electrodes and determining whether a plurality of information included in the received data is the same information; A cable module for communication. The communication cable module according to claim 6,
The connector is
A memory in which a plurality of compensation values are stored;
The microcomputer is
The data input to the electrodes of the plurality of electrodes is received, and according to the received data, the compensation value is selected and read from the plurality of compensation values stored in the memory, and is read from the memory A communication cable module, wherein a compensation value is written to the IC. The communication cable module according to claim 7,
The IC is
According to a compensation value written by the microcomputer, a loss with respect to a frequency of a signal input through the cable is compensated and output to an electrode of the plurality of electrodes. The communication cable module according to claim 8,
The microcomputer is
When the device is connected to the plurality of electrodes, the processing is started, and after writing the compensation value read from the memory into the IC, information on the signal quality input to the electrodes in the plurality of electrodes is obtained. Determining that the signal quality is not good, receiving data input to the electrodes of the plurality of electrodes, and deciding that the signal quality is good, ending the process and fixing the compensation value, Cable module for communication. The communication cable module according to claim 6,
The microcomputer is
Multiple compensation values are saved,
Receiving data input to the electrodes of the plurality of electrodes, and selecting and reading a compensation value from among a plurality of compensation values stored in the microcomputer according to the received data, and reading the compensation value Is written into the IC. A cable for transmitting signals;
A plurality of electrodes for connecting to the device, and an IC for compensating a signal input via the cable based on a compensation value selected by the switch and outputting the signal to the electrodes in the plurality of electrodes, A connector including: a connector provided at both ends of the cable, wherein the switch is exposed on the surface;
A communication cable module comprising:

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