KR20140086920A - Active high speed data cable - Google Patents

Abstract

The high-speed video cable 102.j transmits signals in accordance with High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) or DisplayPort standards and includes a raw 108. j cable and a boost device 118. The raw cable 108.j includes Shielded Twisted Pairs (STP) or coax lines with a characteristic cable impedance lower than the impedance implied by the standards. The correct impedance is observed at the transmitting end by the series resistors mounted on the cable connector 110. The resulting signal loss is compensated by the boost device 118 at the other end of the cable. Alternatively, STPs or coax lines may transmit signals to the boost device 118 with shielding wires or shields, and the common mode noise caused by the signals on the shields is removed at the boost device 118. Ancillary signals, including power, are transmitted to ungrounded shields. As a result, a reduction in the number of wires in the cable is achieved, making the cable thinner, lighter and less expensive. In addition, the use of uniform technology of STP or coax enables simpler, lower cost production and cable assembly.

Description

Active High Speed Data Cable {ACTIVE HIGH SPEED DATA CABLE}

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

The distribution of television signals is increasingly based on digitally encoded forms of video and audio signals and digital techniques. At the same time, high resolution (high definition TV) is becoming available in the market in proportion to large and high definition displays. In order to meet the requirements of connecting these high-definition displays to digital signal sources such as digital versatile disc (DVD) player and digital satellite of video data and receiver / decoder for digital cable distribution, HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface ) Has evolved. Detailed specifications of HDMI are available from the "hdmi.org" website. The currently available HDMI specification used in the present application is the HDMI Specification Version 1.4a, dated March 4, 2010, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Various configurations of HDMI cables may be used to transmit high-speed digital signals from digital signal sources, including but not limited to the examples enumerated above, to other devices designed to receive digital displays or signals in accordance with the HDMI specification.

The HDMI cable carries a number of lower speed signals, power and ground as well as four shielded high-speed differential signals, all of which are further shielded by an outer braid. It is expensive to fabricate and dismantle a composite cable arrangement in which a resultant plurality of wires is provided and portions thereof are respectively shielded.

Another standard for connecting a video source to a video sink is disclosed by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) as a display port standard. The most recent DisplayPort specification used in this application is DisplayPort v1.2, dated January 05, 2010, a copy of which can be obtained from www.vesa.org. The DisplayPort standard specifies a high-speed data cable that is intended primarily to be used between a computer and its display monitor or home-theater system. Cables that meet the DisplayPort standard are very similar to HDMI cables, with the main difference being in their respective physical connectors.

Therefore, there is a need to more easily manufacture and improve high-speed cables in the development industry, which will mitigate or avoid conventional disadvantages and at the same time provide considerable economics.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved high-speed cable with a reduced number of wires, which has superior characteristics over conventional cables.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved low-impedance boosted high-speed data cable having superior characteristics over existing cables.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a digital video cable for transmitting one or more high-speed differential digital data signals and one or more auxiliary signals between a video source device and a video sync device in accordance with cable specifications, the digital video cable comprising: a boost device; And a source cable having one or more double shielded cable elements, wherein each of the double shielded cable elements comprises two shielded conductors and a shield; Shielding conductors of at least one double shielded cable element extending between the video source device and the boost device; Shields of the one or more double shielded cable elements extending between the video source device and the video sink device, wherein the shield of the at least one double shielded cable element is adapted to transmit an ancillary signal; And wherein the shielding conductors of the at least one double shielded cable element are adapted to transmit a high-speed differential digital data signal.

In the above-described cable, the at least one double shielded cable elements are dual coaxial elements, each of the dual coaxial elements includes two coaxial lines to which the shields are coupled, each coaxial line incorporating one shielded conductor enclosing. Alternatively, only a portion of the one or more double shielded cable elements may be dual coaxial elements, each of the dual coaxial elements comprising two coaxial lines to which the shields are coupled, .

In a modification to the cable design, the raw cable may further comprise a coaxial line with a shield enclosing a shielding conductor, the coaxial line extending between the video source device and the video sync device; The shield is adapted to transmit another auxiliary signal, and the shielded conductor is adapted to transmit another auxiliary signal.

Alternatively, in the above-described cable, the one or more double shielded cable elements are shielded twisted pairs (STP), each of the STPs comprising a shield enclosing two shielded conductors. Alternatively, only a portion of the one or more double shielded cable elements may be Shielded Twisted Pairs (STP), each of the STPs comprising a shield enclosing two shielded conductors.

Alternatively, the source cable may include only the one or more double shielded cable elements (i.e., other wires between the video source device and the video sink device), each of the double shielding elements may be one of Lt; / RTI >

(i) a dual coaxial element comprising two coaxial lines to which the shields are coupled, each coaxial line embracing one shielding conductor; or

(ii) Shielded Twisted Pair (STP), including shields incorporating two shielded conductors.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the cable specification is a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) standard. In another embodiment of the present invention, the cable specification is a DisplayPort standard.

Wherein the cable further comprises a first circuit carrier for connecting the video source device to the source cable and the first circuit carrier is capable of providing a high speed differential digital data signal from the video source device to the at least one double shielded cable element Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > of < / RTI > shielding conductors. The first circuit carrier further includes terminals connecting at least one auxiliary signal from the video source device to a shield of the at least one double shielded cable element.

The cable may further comprise a second circuit carrier connecting the raw cable to the video sink device, and the second circuit carrier includes the boost device.

The cable according to the embodiment of the present invention conforming to the HDMI specification includes high-speed differential digital data signals, which are Transition Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) signals; And Consumer Electronics Control (CEC), Serial Clock (SCL), Hot Plug Detect (HPD), and + 5V power signals.

The HDMI cable of embodiments of the present invention includes shielding conductors of four double shielded cable elements extending between the video source device and the boost device; Wherein the shielding conductors of the four double shielded cable elements are adapted to transmit respective four high speed differential digital data signals that are Transition Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) signals; Wherein the shielding conductors of the other double shielded cable element extending between the video source device and the video sink device are adapted to transmit an auxiliary signal that is a differential audio signal (HEAC) differential signal; In addition, the four double shielded cable elements and the shields of the other double shielded cable element may be connected to each other through CEC (Consumer Electronics Control), SCL (Serial Clock), SDA (Serial Data), DDC (Digital Data Channel) Ground, and + 5V power signals.

In the HDMI cable, the boost device may also include an equalizer and an amplifier for equalizing and boosting each of the TMDS signals.

The cable of an embodiment of the present invention according to the display port specification is characterized in that the shielding conductors of the four double shielded cable elements extend between the video source device and the boost device; Wherein the shielding conductors of the four double shielded cable elements are adapted to transmit respective four high speed differential digital data signals that are main line lanes; Shielding conductors of the other double shielded cable element extending between the video source device and the video sink device are adapted to transmit an auxiliary signal which is a supplemental channel (AUX CH) differential signal; The four double shielded cable elements and the shields of the other double shielded cable element are also adapted to transmit the auxiliary signals CONFIG1, CONFIG2, ground, hot plug detect (HPD), and display port power (DP_PWR) signals It was designed to be adaptable.

In the DisplayPort cable of the embodiments of the present invention, the boost device may also include an equalizer and an amplifier for equalizing and boosting each of the main line lanes.

In the above-described 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 carrier for connecting the video source device to the source cable, the padding resistor comprising two padding resistors, each padding resistor being connected to the at least one double shielded cable element The first circuit carrier being in series with each shielded conductor; And a second circuit carrier connecting the raw cable to the video sink device, the boost device terminating the at least one double shielded cable element and also for boosting the high speed differential digital data signal And mounted on the second circuit carrier.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of transmitting one or more high-speed differential digital data signals and one or more ancillary signals from a video source device to a video sink device via a digital video cable having a source cable and a boost device, Transmitting at least one high-speed differential digital data signal from the video sink device to the boost device at a pair of shielded conductors of the cable; Boosting the at least one high-speed differential digital data signal at the boost device to generate a boosted signal and transmitting the boosted signal to the video sync device; And transmitting at least one auxiliary signal to the shield of the pair of shielded conductors.

The method further comprises equalizing the at least one high-speed differential digital data signal at the boost device.

In the above-described method, the transmitting step includes transmitting through the digital video cable, wherein the digital video cable is one of a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) cable and a display port cable. In embodiments of the present invention, the cable specification may be a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) standard or, alternatively, a DisplayPort standard.

According to one or more aspects of the present invention there is provided a digital video cable for transmitting one or more high speed differential digital data signals and one or more ancillary signals between a video source device and a video sink device in accordance with cable specifications, Wherein each double shielded cable element comprises two shielded conductors and a shield for transmitting two polarities of a high speed differential digital data signal and wherein the impedance of the at least one double shielded cable element is such that the cable The raw cable being lower than the nominal impedance of the cable specified in the specification; A first circuit carrier connecting the video source device to the raw cable, the padding resistor comprising two padding resistors, each padding resistor being in series with a respective shielded conductor of the at least one double shielded cable element; A first circuit carrier; And a second circuit carrier for coupling the source cable to the video sink device, wherein the second circuit carrier terminates the at least one double shielded cable element and provides a high speed differential digital data signal, transmitted by the at least one double shielded cable element, Wherein the output of the boost device is coupled to the video sync device. ≪ RTI ID = 0.0 > [0002] < / RTI >

The composite resistance of the two padding resistors being substantially equal to the difference between the impedance of the at least one double shielded cable element and the nominal impedance. Conveniently, the padding resistors have the same resistance.

In the above-described cable, the at least one double shielded cable elements are dual coaxial elements, each of the dual coaxial elements includes two coaxial lines to which the shields are coupled, and each coaxial line incorporates one shielded conductor . Alternatively, only a portion of the one or more double shielded cable elements are dual coaxial elements, each of the dual coaxial elements includes two coaxial lines to which the shields are coupled, and each coaxial line includes one shielded conductor do.

Alternatively, the one or more double shielded cable elements may be Shielded Twisted Pairs (STP), and each STP includes a shield that incorporates two shielded conductors. Alternatively, only a portion of the one or more double shielded cable elements may be Shielded Twisted Pairs (STP), and each STP includes a shield enclosing two shielded conductors. Alternatively, the raw cable may comprise only the one or more double shielded cable elements, each double shielded element including a dual coaxial element, and two coaxial lines to which the shields are coupled, Each coaxial line embeds one shielding conductor, i.e. excludes other wires between the video source device and the video sink device. Alternatively, the source cable may include only the one or more double shielded cable elements, each double shielded element including a shielded twisted pair (STP), and a shield that incorporates two shielded conductors I.e., excludes any other wires between the video source device and the video sync device.

In the above-described embodiments of the present invention, the cable specification is a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) standard or a display port standard.

In embodiments 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 comprised of characteristic impedances of the two coaxial lines, It is about 90 ohms. In this example, the characteristic impedance of each coaxial line may be about 35 ohms.

In another embodiment of the present invention where STPs are used, the nominal impedance of the cable is 100 ohms and the characteristic impedance of the STP (Shielded Twisted Pair) is about 50 ohms to about 90 ohms. For example, the characteristic impedance of the STP (Shielded Twisted Pair) may be about 70 ohms.

In the above-described cable, the shield of the double shielded cable element of one of the one or more double shielded cable elements is adapted to transmit an auxiliary signal; The two shielding conductors of the double shielded cable element of one of the one or more double shielded cable elements are adapted to transmit a high speed differential digital data signal.

The HDMI cable of embodiments of the present invention includes shielding conductors of four double shielded cable elements extending between the video source device and the boost device; Wherein the shielding conductors of the four double shielded cable elements are adapted to transmit respective four high speed differential digital data signals that are Transition Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) signals; Wherein the shielding conductors of the other double shielded cable element extending between the video source device and the video sink device are adapted to transmit an auxiliary signal that is a differential audio signal (HEAC) differential signal; In addition, the four double shielded cable elements and the shields of the other double shielded cable element may be connected to each other by CEC (Consumer Electronics Control), SCL (Serial Clock), SDA (Serial Data), DDC (Digital Data Channel) Ground, and + 5V power signals.

In the HDMI cable, the boost device may also include an equalizer and an amplifier for equalizing and boosting each of the TMDS signals.

The cable of an embodiment of the present invention according to the display port specification is characterized in that the shielding conductors of the four double shielded cable elements extend between the video source device and the boost device; Wherein the shielding conductors of the four double shielded cable elements are adapted to transmit respective four high speed differential digital data signals that are main line lanes; Shielding conductors of the other double shielded cable element extending between the video source device and the video sink device are adapted to transmit an auxiliary signal which is a supplemental channel (AUX CH) differential signal; The four double shielded cable elements and the shields of the other double shielded cable element are also adapted to transmit the auxiliary signals CONFIG1, CONFIG2, ground, hot plug detect (HPD), and display port power (DP_PWR) signals It was designed to be adaptable.

In the display port cable of embodiments of the present invention, the boost device may also include an equalizer and an amplifier for equalizing and boosting each of the main line lanes.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of transmitting a high-speed differential digital data signal from a video source device to a video sink device via a digital video cable designed to meet cable specifications, Coupling two polarities of a digital data signal to an input of a raw cable, the raw cable having an impedance lower than the nominal impedance of the cable specified in the cable specification; Coupling a differential output signal from the output of the raw cable to a boost device, the input of the boost device being matched to the impedance of the raw cable; Boosting the differential output signal to generate a boosted differential signal; And coupling the boosted differential signal to the video sink device.

The method further comprises transmitting an auxiliary signal from the video source device to the video sink device via a shield of the source cable. In the above-described method, the transmitting includes transmitting over a coaxial cable having a pair of coaxial lines to which shields are coupled; Transmitting through the coaxial cable includes transmitting the ancillary signal through the combined shields.

Alternatively, the transmitting may comprise transmitting over a Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) that includes a shield containing two shielded conductors, wherein transmitting through the STP may include sending the shield Signal and transmitting the high-speed differential digital data signal through the two shielded conductors.

Thus, a reduced number of wires of improved high speed data cable and a method of transmitting digital signals over the cable are provided. Also provided is an improved low-impedance boosted 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.
FIG. 1A illustrates a principle of transmitting a single-ended signal and a differential signal through a shielded cable including a double shielded cable element 12 and a boost circuit 20 which are STP (Shielded Twisted Pair) Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 10 < / RTI >
Fig. 1B shows a dual coaxial element 12B that can be used in place of the double shielded cable element 12 of Fig. 1A.
Figure 2 illustrates a generic booth 10 that may be "j" of any of a number of types according to embodiments of the present invention, connecting video source device (Tx) 104 and video sync device (Rx) Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 100. < / RTI >
Figure 3 illustrates a basic coaxial HDMI cable 102.1 based on coaxial technology in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.
4 shows a basic STP HDMI cable 102.2 based on STP (Shielded Twisted Pair) technology according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 illustrates a HEAC-capable coaxial HDMI cable 102.3 based on coaxial technology in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 shows a HEAC-capable STP HDMI cable 102.4 based on Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) technology according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 7 shows a coaxial display port cable 102.5 based on coaxial technology according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 shows an STP display port cable 102.6 based on Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) technology according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 9 shows three coaxial line sections illustrating a comparison between exemplary design choices including a standard coaxial 902 and a reduced outer diameter coaxial 904 and an increased core diameter coaxial 906. [
Figure 10 shows the same low-impedance coaxial HDMI cable 102.1 as the basic coaxial HDMI cable 102.1 of Figure 1 except for a low-impedance input paddle board 114.10 that replaces the first input paddle board 114.1. (102.10).

Embodiments of the present invention describe a boosted high speed cable that includes shielded high speed signal lines and transmits other signals at low speeds and power and ground, wherein the shield of the shielded high speed signal lines has low speed signals Power and ground.

The inherent characteristic defects and manufacturing defects of high-speed differential signaling cables that can be used to transmit HDMI signals have adverse effects on high-speed signals transmitted by the cable. To alleviate these effects, various boosted high speed data cables have been proposed by the industry. For example, in a US patent application previously filed by the same assignee, Application No. 11 / 826,713, filed July 18, 2007, entitled " a boost device is embedded in the cable " The contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The inventors have found that a boost device can be used advantageously in other ways as well as for equalizing and boosting signals, as described in the aforementioned U.S. Serial No. 11 / 826,713, ≪ / RTI > can be used to transmit different signals.

In conventional cables, all of the shields are tied to ground to reduce electromagnetic interference (EMI). In a cable according to any of the embodiments of the present invention, EMI shielding is continuously provided, but instead of associating shields of high-speed HDMI signals to ground, low-speed signals, power, and ground are passed through the shields .

Figure 1a shows a simplified boosted cable 10 illustrating the principle of transmitting a differential signal with a single ended signal over a shielded cable. The simplified boosted cable 10 includes a single shield 14 surrounding the first and second signal wires (two shielded conductors) 16 and 18, respectively, and a single shield 14 surrounding the inputs i + and i- shielded cable element 12 that is a Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) including a boost circuit 20 having a plus and minus o + and o-. The inputs i + and i- of the boost circuit 20 are differential input pairs and the outputs o + and o- of the boost circuit 20 are differential output pairs.

The simplified boosted cable 10 receives the differential signal " D "comprising the polarities D + i and Di at the input of the simplified boosted cable 10 and the single ended signal" A ≪ RTI ID = 0.0 > non-distorted. ≪ / RTI > The boost circuit 20 includes an equalizer circuit EQ and a differential amplifier Amp for equalizing and boosting the differential signal "D ".

The signal wires 16 and 18 transmit a differential signal "D ", which is fed from the input of the simplified boosted cable 10 via the double shielded cable element 12 to the inputs i + i < / RTI > and Di, respectively. The boost circuit 20 outputs o + and o- carry a processed differential signal comprising polarities D + o and Do to the output of the simplified boosted cable 10, which is represented by a differential signal "D" .

The single shield 14 transmits a single ended signal "A " directly from the input of the simplified boosted cable 10 to its output.

The processing functions of the boost circuit 20 include: receiving a differential input signal; Remove any common mode component of the differential input signal; Equalizing the signal to compensate for signal impairments introduced by the double shielded cable element 12; And also outputting the boosted version of the equalized differential signal "D ".

In summary, the differential signal is a high speed data signal "D" that can benefit from equalization and boosting and the single ended signal "A" is a ground signal, power supply signal, Signal.

A small portion of the single ended signal "A" along the length of the STP source cable 12 is undesirable noise in the respective signal wires 16 and 18 through distributed capacitances 22 and 24, Thereby affecting the differential signal "D ". Assuming that the constructions of the double shielded cable element 12 make the capacitances 22 and 24 essentially identical, each of the polarities D + i and Di is equally affected and the coupled noise is itself Common mode noise.

At the receiving end of the double shielded cable element 12, the boost circuit 20 receiving the differential signal "D " provides sufficient common mode rejection so that its common mode noise is not converted into a differential signal do. The outputs o + and o- of the boost circuit 20, which then generate the boosted signal, are then a clean differential signal delivered at the output of the simplified boosted cable 10.

Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 1B, a dual coaxial element 12B can be used in place of the double shielded cable element 12. [ The dual coaxial element 12B includes two coaxial elements 12A and 12B that are coupled together by external conductors (shields) and whose combined shields form a coaxial pair 30 providing a connection to a single ended signal "A & Lines < / RTI > 26 and 28, respectively. The coaxial line 26 transmits the polarity D + i of the differential signal " D " on its internal conductor 32 and the coaxial line 28 transmits its polarity Di . The coupling between the internal conductors 32 and 34, also referred to as shielded conductors, through each of the distributed capacitances 36 and 38 and the single ended signal "A" is only removed by the boost circuit 20 Which is similar to the case of the double shielded cable element 12 resulting in common mode noise.

In the following figures, various bosted HDMI cable configurations are shown, which are embodiments of the present invention based on the cable elements described in Figs. 1A and 1B.

Figure 2 illustrates a generic booster digital video cable (RX) 106, which may be any one of a number of types described below, which connects a video source device (Tx) 104 to a video sync device (102.j). The boosted digital video cable 102.j includes a raw cable 108.j, and input and output connectors 110 and 112, respectively.

The input connector 110 connects the raw cable 108.j to the video source device Tx 104 and the signals from the video source device Tx 104 and the equipment of the raw cable 108.j 0.0 > 114. < / RTI > which provides connectivity between wires (wires, shields).

The raw cable 108.j includes double shielded cable elements and optionally a single coaxial line, which carry high speed differential data signals, video signals and auxiliary signals as defined by the cable specifications. Alternatively, the raw cable may include only double shielded cable elements, i.e., any other wires between the video source device and the video sink device may be excluded.

In the following, various embodiments of raw cables 108.j, which include HDMI and DisplayPort specifications and which use coaxial or STP (Shielded Twisted Pair) technology, are described. The output connector 112 connects the raw cable 108 to the video sync device Rx 106 and controls the facilities (wires, shields) and the video sync device Rx of the raw cable 108. j, And an output paddle board 116.j that includes a cable boot device 118 that provides connectivity between the cable pads 106 and the output paddle board 116. j. The cable boost device 118 is connected between some of the wires of the cable and the input of the video sync device (Rx) The cable boost device 118 includes a plurality of boost circuits 20 and a boost circuit 20 receives the high speed differential digital data signal < RTI ID = 0.0 > Terminating the double shielded cable elements of the source cable 108 that transmits the signal.

The input paddle board 114.j and the output paddle board 116.j are conveniently configured with small printed circuit boards (PCBs) and are also configured according to cable specifications, for example in accordance with HDMI or DisplayPort standards, The first and second circuit carriers may be configured to provide a mechanical support for the first and second circuit carriers.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic representation of a first output paddle board 116.1 based on coaxial technology, including a circuit carrier in the form of a first input paddle board 114.1, a first source cable 108.1, and a first output paddle board 116.1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. And shows a basic coaxial HDMI cable 102.1. The first raw cable 108.1 includes a total of nine respective coaxial lines consisting of four double shielded cable elements, i.e., coaxial pairs 202, 204, 206 and 208 and a single coaxial line 210 . Each coax pair 202-208 includes two coaxial lines with internal signal wires labeled "a" and "b " and two shields coupled together, . Thus, each of the coaxial pairs 202-208 includes three electrical connections: one differential connection (wires "a" and "b") and one single ended connection (See FIG. 1B). The single coaxial line 210 provides only two conductors, the internal signal wire "a" and a shield.

The cable boost device 118 is included in the first output paddle board 116.1 and includes high speed differential signal inputs D2 (polarities D2 +, D2-), D1 (D1 +, D1-), (D0 +, DO- And the corresponding boosted outputs C2 (polarities C2 +, C2-), C1 (C1 +, C1-), (C0 +, CO-), and C3 (C3 +, C3-) do. The cable boost device 118 also has ground and power inputs (GND, + 5V) and a programming input Pgm. The programming input is used to program the parameters of the cable-boost device 118 during manufacture. In normal operation, this input is not active and is effectively grounded (connected to GND) through a low resistance in the cable boost device 118.

The HDMI signals can be classified into high-speed differential data signals or auxiliary signals. The high-speed differential data signals include Transition Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) Data 0, TMDS Data 1, TMDS Data 2, and TMDS Clock. The auxiliary signals are the following single-ended signals: Consumer Electronics Control (CEC), Serial Clock (SCL), Serial Data (SDA), Utility, and HPD (Hot Plug Detect). A + 5V power and Digital Data Channel (DDC) / CEC ground connection is also provided through the cable. The + 5V power and DDC / CEC ground connections are included here for simplicity in the auxiliary signals.

The signals from the video source device (Tx) 104 are connected to the terminals in the input connection field 212 of the basic coaxial HDMI cable 102.1 and are connected to the output connection field < RTI ID = 0.0 >Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 214 < / RTI > The standard HDMI signal names and corresponding terminal labels of the input and output connection fields 212 and 214 are listed in Table 1 and Table 1 lists the preferred connection arrangements for the basic coaxial HDMI cable 102.1, Technique.

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) Routed through:

The TMDS Data 2 differential signal including TMDS Data 2 + and TMDS Data 2 - is:

- connected to the txD2 + and txD2- terminals of the input connection field 212 from the video source device (Tx) 104;

- routed to the input of the raw cable at the first input paddle board 114.1, i.e. to the internal signal wires "a" and "b" of the coaxial pair 202;

A "and" b "of the coaxial pair 202 of the first source cable 108.1;

Coupled from the end of the first source cable 108.1 to the D2 + and D2- inputs of the cable-boost device 118 in the first output paddle board 116.1; Also

- to the rxD2 + and rxD2- terminals of the output connection field 214 from the C2 + and C2- outputs of the cable-boost device 118.

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

A DDC / CEC ground signal from HDMI high speed data signals (TMDS DataO Shield, TMDS Data1 Shield, TMDS Data2 Shield, and TMDS Clock Shield), and video source device (Tx) TxDs, txD2s, txCKs, and txGnd of the input common ground node 216 and to the input common ground node 216 at the first input paddle board 114.1, The ground node 216 is connected to a shield of a single coaxial line 210.

In the first output paddle board 116.1, the shielding of the single coaxial line 210 is connected to an output common ground node 218 which is further connected to the ground (GND) input of the cable boost device 118, (RxDOs, rxD1s, rxD2s, and rxGnd) of the ground (Rx) 106 and the shields, i.e., the terminals rxDOs, rxD1s, rxD2s, and rxGnd. The TMDS Clock Shield of the video sync device (Rx) 106 is connected to the programming (Pgm) input of the cable-boost device 118 via the terminal rxCKs, thereby indirectly grounding through the small resistance of the cable- do. This enables the cable-boot device 118 to be programmed from the HDMI connector even after the boosted cable is assembled without requiring any additional wires to access it. Alternatively, the rxCKs terminal may be directly grounded at the output common ground node 218 as well as other shielded connections.

The remaining auxiliary signals (CEC, SCL, SDA, utility, + 5V power, and HPD) are connected to the terminals txCEC, txSCL, txSDA, txUt, txPWR, and txHPD from the first input paddle board 114.1 . In the first output paddle board 116.1, they are connected to terminals rxCEC, rxSCL, rxSDA, rxUt, rxPWR, and rxHPD, respectively. When compared to the HDMI high speed data signals boosted by the boost device 118, these auxiliary HDMI signals are slower, bypassing the cable boost device 118, Lt; / RTI > The "Utility" signal is not used, and it is not required to be transmitted over the current cable.

The four auxiliary signals (CEC, SCL, + 5V power and HPD) are transmitted through the shields of the coaxial pairs 202-208 and another auxiliary signal (DDC / CEC ground) (the shields of the TMDS signals are also connected) Is transmitted through a shield of a single coaxial line 210 and another auxiliary signal SDA is transmitted through a signal wire "a "

In the basic coaxial HDMI cable (102.1), these remaining HDMI signals (except for the Utility signal) are transmitted over the cable as follows:

Transmit the CEC from terminal txCEC to terminal rxCEC through the combined shields of coaxial pair 202;

Transmit the SCL from terminal txSCL to the terminal rxSCL through the combined shields of coaxial pair 204;

Transfer SDA from terminal txSDA to terminal rxSDA through internal wire "a" of coaxial 210;

Utility

Transmits + 5V Power from terminal txPWR to terminal rxPWR through the combined shields of coaxial pair 206; Also

Sends a Plug Detect from terminal txHPD to terminal rxHPD through the combined shields of coaxial pair 208.

In the first output paddle board 116.1, +5 V Power is also connected to the power input (+5 V) of the boost device 218.

Figure 4 shows a basic STP HDMI cable 102.2 based on Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) technology according to another embodiment of the present invention, which includes a second input paddle board 114.2, a second raw cable 108.2, And a second output paddle board 116.2.

The input and output connection fields 212 and 214, including the respective terminals, remain unaltered from the basic coaxial HDMI cable 102.2. The second source cable 108.2 includes five STPs (Shielded Twisted Pairs) 302, 304, 306, 308 and 310, each of which is shielded and shielded by two signal wires " a "and" b ". The assignment of the standard HDMI signals to the connections via the second source cable 108.2 is provided by the configurations of the respective second input and output paddle boards 114.2 and 116.2. The STPs 302,304, 306,308 and 310 of the second source cable 108.2 are connected to the first source cable 108.1 by a separate 15 < RTI ID = 0.0 > (3 x 5) conductive paths. Since additional paths are available, this is advantageously used when modifying signal assignments. This is shown in Table 2 which lists the preferred arrangement for Figure 4 and the basic STP HDMI cable 102.2.

Due to the additional lines available in the second source cable 108.2, all of the high-speed signals (e.g., the common node 312 connected to the shield of the STP 308), as compared to the first source cable 108.1, (DO, D1, D2, and CK), and it is also possible to use a separate shield connection (a shield of STP 310) for ground connection.

The preferred arrangements shown in Tables 1 and 2 are somewhat arbitrary and may be adapted to make the best use of the space on the paddle boards and the configurations of the respective connectors.

In this embodiment of the invention, the source cable includes only STPs, i.e., excludes any other wires between the video source device and the video sink device.

HEAC  ability( Capability )

The HDMI Specification Version 1.4, dated June 5, 2009, cited above. Appendix 2, "HDMI Ethernet and Audio Return Channel" (HEAC) is specified. The HEAC channel is transmitted as a differential data signal, i.e., positive and negative polarity signals HEAC + and HEAC-, respectively, on a HEAC-capable HDMI cable, and this corresponds to each previously unused "Utility" Hot Plug Detect) signal. The HEAC channel is a passive channel that does not require boosting by the cable boost device 118. However, it needs to carefully control its impedance, and therefore must be embedded in the shield by performing either polarity of the coaxial line through the STP (Shielded Twisted Pair), or both polarities. Thus, in order to convert the primary HDMI cables (102.1 and 102.2) to accommodate the HEAC channel, only the modified connectivity at the paddle boards and the raw cable (replacing the previously unconnected "Utility" signal with the HPD HEAC channel) is required.

Figure 5 shows a HEAC-capable coaxial HDMI cable 102.3 based on coaxial technology according to another embodiment of the present invention and capable of transmitting a HEAC channel, which includes a third input paddle board 114.3, A first output paddle board 108.3, and a third output paddle board 116.3.

The signals of the HEAC-capable HDMI signal set from the video source device (Tx) 104 are connected to the HEAC-capable input connection field 412 of the HEAC-capable coaxial HDMI cable 102.3, Is recovered at the opposite end of the cable using a HEAC-capable output connection field 414 for transmission to the base station 106. The modifications of the HEAC-capable input and output fields 412 and 414 relate to name changes compared to the input and output fields 212 and 214 and reflect the changes in the names of the associated terminals: TxUt, rxUt, txHPD, and rxHPD of the modified input and output fields 212 and 214 become txHEAC-, rxHEAC-, txHEAC +, and rxHEAC + of the modified input and output fields 412 and 414, respectively.

The third raw cable 108.3 includes four double shielded cable elements, i.e., coaxial pairs 402, 404, 406, and 408, for transmission of high speed digital data signals and another double shielded type I.e., a total of ten respective coaxial lines disposed in coaxial pair 410. [ Each coax pair 402-410 includes two coaxial lines with internal signal wires labeled "a" and "b ", and two shields coupled together to form a combined shield Thereby forming a single conductive path. Thus, each of the coaxial pairs 402-410 includes three electrical connections, one differential connection (wires "a" and "b") and one single ended connection (combined shields) (See FIG. 1B).

The allocation of the HDMI signals to the available cable connections at the third input paddle board 114.3 and the third output paddle board 116.3 is an allocation used for each of the first input and output paddle boards 114.1 and 116.1 Are similar when compared to. Unchanged connections are for differential HDMI high-speed data channels (TMDS D2, D1, DO, and clocks) coming from the video source device 104, which through coaxial pairs 402, 404, 406 and 408 Respectively, to the inputs of the corresponding cable-boost device 118.

The differential HEAC channel is connected through a coaxial pair 410 and bypasses the cable boost device 118. The shields of coaxial pairs 402, 404, 406, 408 and 410 serve as conductors for the respective HDMI signals (CEC, SCL, + 5V Power, SDA, and DDC / CEC Ground).

The incoming shields of the HDMI high-speed data channels TMDS D2, D1, DO, and TMDS Clock are coupled to the DDC / CEC ground connection through a shield of the coaxial pair 410 of cables so that HDMI high-speed data channels TMDS D2 0.0 > D1, < / RTI > and DO. The outgoing shield (rxCKs) of the TMDS Clock is connected to the programming pin (Pgm) of the cable boost device 118 as described above with reference to the basic coaxial HDMI cable 102.1.

The preferred HDMI signal routing of the HEAC-capable coaxial HDMI cable (102.3) is listed in Table 3.

6 shows a HEAC-capable STP HDMI cable 102.4 based on Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) technology according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention and capable of carrying a HEAC channel, which is connected to a third input paddle board 114.4, A third source cable 108.4, and a third output paddle board 116.4.

The HEAC-capable input and output connection fields 412 and 414 of the HEAC-capable STP HDMI cable 102.4, including the respective terminals, remain unaltered from the HEAC-capable coaxial HDMI cable 102.3. The fourth source cable 108.2 includes five STPs (Shielded Twisted Pairs) 502, 504, 506, 508 and 510, each of which is shielded and shielded by two signal wires " a "and" b ". The allocation of HDMI signals to connections via the fourth source cable 108.4 is provided by the configuration of each of the second input and output paddle boards 114.4 and 116.4.

The STPs 502, 504, 506, 508, and 510 of the fourth source cable 108.4 provide 15 (3 x 5) distinct pathways that are the same number provided in the third source cable 108.3 do. Thus, the allocation of each of the signals similar to the Shielded Twisted Pairs (STP) including the shields can be made. Likewise, a portion of the allocation scheme may also be "borrowed" from other STPs based on the embodiment (basic STP HDMI cable 102.2) and may be modified accordingly to accommodate the HEAC signal.

Different connection allocation schemes are proposed here to illustrate the significant tolerances available in selecting configurations. Preferred allocations for the HEAC-capable STP HDMI cable 102.4 are shown in FIG. 6 and Table 4.

As indicated above, the preferred allocation of signal lead lines in the cables is shown in Tables 1, 2, 3 and 4. These are some arbitrary. The "+ 5V Power" and "DDC / CEC Ground" connections are preferably sent to the shield; The HDMI high speed data signals TMDS DO, Dl, D2, and Clock should always be transmitted to the inner conductors of the shielded conductors, i.e. the twisted signal wires or coaxial lines of the STPs, depending on the wire type; The low speed connections (CEC, SCL, SDA, Utility, and HPD) are also transmitted to the internal / signal wires or shields in a configuration that can be adapted to make the best use of the space on the paddle boards, .

Accessing programming pin Pgm of cable boot device 118 using a TMDS clock blocking connection on the receive side (rxCKs) is convenient in programming the device with a fully assembled, busted HDMI cable. If this feature is not required, the TMDS clock shunt should be grounded like any other TDMS signal shields on both ends of the cable.

Display port  Cables ( DisplayPort Cables )

Figure 7 shows a coaxial display port cable 102.5 based on coaxial technology in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, which includes a fifth input paddle board 114.5, a fifth source cable 108.5, (116.5). The fifth source cable 108.5 includes a total of ten respective coaxial lines arranged in five coaxial pairs 602, 604, 606, 608, and 610. Each coax pair 602-610 includes two coaxial lines with internal signal wires labeled "a" and "b ", and two coaxial lines with cooperatively coupled shields forming a single conductive path Shields. Each of the coaxial pairs 602-608 therefore has three electrical connections, one differential connection (wires "a" and "b") and one single ended connection (combined shields) (See FIG. 1B).

The same cable boost device 118 as the previously described boosted HDMI cables is included in the fifth output paddle board 116.5.

The standard display port signals from the video source device (Tx) 104 are connected to terminals in the input connection field 612 of the coaxial display port cable 102.5 and transmitted to the video sync device (Rx) 106 Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 614 < / RTI > The display port signal names and corresponding terminal labels of the input and output connection fields 612 and 614 are listed in Table 5 and Table 5 shows the preferred connection arrangement for the coaxial display port cable 102.5, Technique.

7 and Table 5, each of the four display port high-speed differential data lanes ML-L0, ML-L1, ML-L2 and ML-L3 is connected to a coaxial display port cable 102.5): < RTI ID = 0.0 >

The main line Lane0 differential signal, including positive (p) and negative (n) polarities, is:

- connected to the txML_L0 + and txML_L0- terminals from the video source device (Tx) 104 in the input connection field 612;

A "and" b "of coaxial pair 602 at the fifth input paddle board 114.5;

A "and" b "of the coaxial pair 602 of the fifth source cable 108.5 through the fifth source cable 108.5;

- coupled to the D0 + and DO- inputs of cable boost device 118 from the end of fifth raw cable 108.5 at fifth output paddle board 116.5; Also

- to the rxML_L0 + and rxML_L0- terminals from the C0 + and CO- outputs of the cable-boost device 118 in the output connection field 614.

The other three main-line differential data signals (main lines Lanel, Lane2, and Lane3) are similarly connected (see Table 5).

all ground connections of the incoming display port connector labeled txGNDO, txGND1, txGND2, txGND3, txGNDaux and "Return" (txGNDpwr) (ie power return terminals) Node 616, and is also coupled to a shield of coaxial pair 604. [

In the fifth output paddle board 116.5, the shield of the coaxial pair 604 is connected to an output common ground node 618 which is also connected to the ground (GND) input of the cable boost device 118 and also to the video sync device Rx (RxGNDO, rxGND1, rxGND2, rxGNDaux, and txGNDpwr) of the shield 106 and ground connections. The exception is the fourth ground pin on the receive side, which is connected to the programming (Pgm) input of the cable boost device 118 via terminal rxGND3, thereby grounding only indirectly. This enables the cable-boot device 118 to be programmed from the connector even after the boosted cable is assembled without the need to require any additional wires to access it. Alternatively, the rxGND3 terminal may also be grounded at the output common ground node 618 with other ground connections.

(TxCONFIG1, txCONFIG2, txAuxCh + and txAuxCh-, txHPD, and txHPD) from the fifth input paddle board 114.5, and the other display port signals CONFIG1, CONFIG2, AUX Channel And txDP_PWR, respectively. In the fifth output paddle board 116.5, they are connected to the terminals rxCONFIG1, rxCONFIG2, rxAuxCh + and rxAuxCh-, rxHPD, and rxDP_PWR, respectively. These other display port signals are slower when compared to the main line high speed signals boosted by the boost device 118, bypassing the cable boost device 118, and through shields of internal wires or coax lines And can be conveniently transmitted. However, the AUX channel signal is moderately high and needs to be transmitted with a controlled impedance wire, in which coaxial pair 610 is selected in this embodiment of the invention.

In the coaxial display port cable (102.5), the remaining signals are transmitted over the cable as follows:

Transmits CONFIG1 from terminal txCONFIG1 to terminal rxCONFIG1 through the combined shields of coaxial pair 606;

Transmits CONFIG2 from terminal txCONFIG2 to terminal rxCONFIG2 through the combined shields of coaxial pair 608;

Transfer the hot plug from terminal txHPD to terminal rxHPD through the combined shields of coaxial pair 610; Also

DP_PWR from terminal txDP_PWR through the combined shields of coaxial pair 602 to terminal rxDP_PWR.

In the fifth output paddle board 116.5, the DP_PWR is also connected to the power input (+5 V) of the cable boost device 218. Although the voltage of DP_PWR is lower than the HDMI + 5V power, the same cable boost device 218 can be designed or programmed to run at both HDMI and DisplayPort voltages. Alternatively, a display port specific version of the cable boost device 218 may be developed.

8 shows an STP display port cable 102.6 based on Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) technology according to an embodiment of the present invention, which includes a sixth input paddle board 114.6, a sixth raw cable 108.6, And a sixth output paddle board 116.6. The sixth source cable 108.6 includes a total of five STPs 702, 704, 706, 708, and 710, each of which includes a shield and two signal wires "a" and " and "b ".

The assignment of the display port signals to the connections via the sixth source cable 108.6 is provided by the configurations of the sixth input and output paddle boards 114.6 and 116.6 respectively, 102.5). The STP signal assignment is shown in FIG. 8, which is the same as FIG. 7 except that Shielded Twisted Pairs (STP) 702, 704, 706, 708, and 710 are shown instead of coaxial pairs 602-610. Do. The sixth input and output paddle boards 114.6 and 116.6 have similar connectivity to the corresponding fifth input and output paddle boards 114.5 and 116.5, but their mechanical properties are different from the coaxial pairs on the paddle boards, It will be different to accommodate the geometries.

All of the auxiliary signals CONFIG1, CONFIG2, Hot Plug, Ground and DP_PWR may be arbitrarily selected for arbitrary coaxial or STP lines, for convenience or for arrangements that can be adapted to make the best use of the configuration of the respective connectors and the space on the paddle boards. Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > shields < / RTI >

low wire  Count summary Low Wire Count Summary )

The number of wires in a boosted high speed digital video cable, such as an HDMI or DisplayPort cable, has been reduced from 14 to 9 or 10 in conventional cables by using shields that carry active signals and power and ground, respectively . This reduction is made possible by a boost device that ensures that it eliminates potentially harmful common mode interference on high speed data lines. The reduction in the number of wires simplifies the alignment of the ends of the connectors. The original high speed cables use a mix of coaxial lines or shielded twisted pairs and standard wires. The present invention provides a reduction in the manufacturing cost of high speed cables by transmitting all signals using only a single type of wire (coaxial or STP). This considerably simplifies cable assembly, enables a single step termination process, and ultimately reduces cost.

Low impedance cables

In addition to the advantages gained by the above-described low wire count techniques, it is possible to provide a higher bandwidth than the nominal line impedance implied by the standards for transmitting high speed data signals to any of the any of the booted digital video cables 102 described herein Additional cost benefits can be achieved by using low impedance coaxial lines or Shielded Twisted Pairs (STP).

9 illustrates three coaxial line sections that illustrate a comparison between exemplary design choices, which includes a standard coaxial 902, a reduced outer coaxial 904, and an increased core diameter coaxial 906 . The standard coaxial 902 includes an outer insulating sheath 902.a, a shield 902.b, an inner insulator 902.c, and a core wire (core) 902.d. The reduced outer coaxial 904 includes an outer insulating sheath 904.a, a shield 904.b, an inner insulator 904.c, and a core wire 904.d. The increased core diameter coaxial 906 includes an outer insulating sheath 906.a, a shield 906.b, an inner insulator 906.c, and a core wire 906.d.

The characteristic impedance Z0 of the coaxial line is determined by the dimension of the cable, and more specifically, by the ratio of the diameter of the core wire to the inner diameter of the shielding fire and by the dielectric constant of the inner insulating material.

A thin standard coaxial 902 core 902.d with a characteristic impedance of 50 ohms is an American Wire Gauge (AWG) wire with a diameter of about 78 占 퐉 and the total diameter of the standard coaxial 902 is about 210 占 퐉 .

By having the coaxial with a lower "non-standard" characteristic impedance, it is possible to reduce the coaxial outer diameter without having to use a thinner core wire, for example, It becomes possible to increase the core diameter.

The core 904.4 of the reduced outer diameter coaxial 904 is the same wire gauge as the core 902.4 of the standard coax 902 but is less than 35 ohms for the reduced outer diameter coaxial 904 by reducing the shield 904.c ohms) is obtained. This reduces the overall diameter of the reduced outer diameter coaxial 902 to about 145 microns and saves about 30 percent compared to the standard coaxial 902 with a 50 ohm characteristic impedance.

If the outer diameter does not change, a thicker core wire may be used. The shield 906.b (and hence the total diameter of the increased core diameter coaxial 906) corresponds to that of the standard coax 902. However, increasing the thickness of the core 906.d results in a characteristic impedance of 35 ohms on the increased core diameter coaxial 906 resulting in an increased core impedance 906 of the core 906 of the coaxial 906. d). The AWG 35 corresponds to a wire diameter of about 143 탆 with an increase in thickness of nearly 80%.

The present inventors have found that deviating from the standard 50 ohm coaxial with respect to implementing the HDMI and DisplayPort cables described above, i.e., the basic coaxial HDMI cable 102.1, the HEAC-capable coaxial HDMI cable 102.3, (102.5), and the effects of other booster digital video cables. In summary, the video source device 104 sends high-speed differential signals to the cable-boost device 118 via the coaxial pairs, and before the cable-boost device 118 transmits the signals to the video sync device 106 Equalizing and boosting.

The video source device 104 is capable of receiving these high speed differential signals differentially through cables that exhibit a characteristic impedance of 100 ohms (i.e., 2 times 50 ohms in the case of dual coaxial lines (coaxial pairs) Lt; / RTI > The input circuitry of the video sync device 106 similarly provides 100 ohms differential terminations matching the cable.

In the case of busted cables with reduced impedance coaxial, the cable boost device 118 provides appropriate output circuitry for transmitting the boosted signal to the video sink device 106. [ The input termination of the cable boost device 118 may be adjusted to terminate a reduced impedance cable having an accurate impedance, for example, 35 ohms, or 70 ohms, differentially.

Video source device 104 is designed as a current source and can transmit directly to any cable impedance; No undesirable signal reflection will occur as long as the cable is terminated correctly at the receiving end (i. E. Cable booster device 118). However, compliance testing of HDMI and DisplayPort cables requires cables to provide a nominal 100 ohm (differential) differential impedance at both ends for source and passive cables for unidirectional active cables.

10 shows a low-impedance coaxial HDMI cable 102.10, which is identical to the basic coaxial HDMI cable 102.1 of FIG. 1 except that the low-impedance input paddle board 114.10 replaces the first input paddle board 114.1. ). The low-impedance input paddle board 114.10 includes eight paddings inserted between the high speed signal terminals (txD2 +, txD2-, txD1 +, txD1-, txD0 +, txD02-, txCK +, and txCK-) of the input connection field 212 Except for the internal signal wires "a" and "b" of the resistors R1 to R8 and the corresponding coaxial pairs 202 to 208 of the first source cable 108.1, the first input paddle board 114.1, .

A pair of padding resistors need to be inserted in series with each of the internal signal wires "a" and "b" of the TMDS signals. The resistance of each resistor is such that the combined resistance of the two padding resistors in series with the internal signal wires (shielded conductors) of each coaxial pair (double shielded cable element) 202-208 is determined by the impedance of its coaxial pair and the nominal cable (For example, 100 ohm nominal impedance uses two coaxial lines with a 35 ohm impedance as a coaxial pair, and each coaxial line has a 15 ohm impedance ) Padding resistors.

The padding resistors (R1 - R8) can be omitted without loss of function, but are provided to meet the differential input impedance of 100 ohms specified for the low-impedance coaxial HDMI cable (102.10).

If the coaxial pairs 202-208 of the first source cable 108.1 are made of low-impedance coaxial lines, for example, a reduced outer coaxial 904 or an increased core 904, each having an exemplary characteristic impedance of 35 ohms, In the case of a diameter coaxial 906, each coaxial pair, combined with its padding resistors, is connected to an input connection field 212 (i. E., By way of example) such that the respective values of the padding resistors Rl to R8 are 50-35 = 15 ohms ) To provide a 2x50 = 100 ohm impedance for the differential terminals of the differential amplifier. In general, the resistance of each padding resistor (R1 through R8) must be X ohms, where X equals the difference between the actual characteristic impedance of the coaxial and the half of the specified nominal impedance (e.g., 100 ohms for HDMI) Do.

Similarly, other coaxial based high speed video cables such as HEAC-capable coaxial HDMI cable 102.3 (FIG. 5) and coaxial display port cable 102.5 (FIG. 7) And is easily modified by adding padding resistors R1 to R8 on the input paddle boards.

It should be noted that signals other than high-speed differential data signals, such as the HEAC channel of HDMI and the AUX channel of the display port, are not boosted to the cable-boost device 118. The coaxial pairs (the coax pair 410 of the HEAC and the coax pair 610 of the AUX channel) that transmit these signals may not have a low-impedance type but are typically 50 ohms coaxial.

The same techniques for using reduced impedance coaxial cables also apply to boosted HDMI and DisplayPort cables that use Shielded Twisted Pairs (STP) to transmit high-speed differential data signals. The characteristic impedance of the STPs is determined by the ratio of the insulating wire diameter to the diameter of the bare wire and the dielectric properties of the insulating material.

Low-impedance STPs are easily accomplished by reducing the thickness of the insulator as compared to the diameter of the bare wire. This, of course, also affects the size of the shield. Reducing the thickness of the STP wire insulator by about 30% without changing the bare wire thickness reduces the (differential) impedance of the STP from 100 ohms to 70 ohms nominal. In lieu of reducing the size of the STP cable in this manner, it is also possible to increase the bare wire thickness while maintaining the original overall size.

(Figure 4), a HEAC-capable STP HDMI cable 102.4 (Figure 6), and an STP display port cable (Figure 2), where low impedance STP is based on STP technology, such as the standard STP HDMI cable 102.2 102.6), the same considerations as those of the coaxial based cables apply: the input circuit of the cable boost device 118 must be programmed to match the STP impedance, and the input paddle board must be modified to include padding resistors . In the case of STP, the resistance of each padding resistor (R1 to R8) must be Y ohm, where Y is the actual differential impedance of the STP and the specified nominal impedance (e.g., 100 for the HDMI) Which is equal to half of the difference.

Lowering the characteristic impedance in STP-based cables or coax, including boost devices, has many advantages, including reducing the size of the cable for material savings, improved flexibility, etc., or reducing the overall size of the cable Can be used to increase the wire size without reducing the material cost, and may also lower the material cost. In fact, it should be noted that thicker wires can cost less to produce than very thin wires.

Having described various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to accomplish some of the advantages of the invention without departing from the true scope of the invention.

Those skilled in the art will now be able to contemplate alternative constructions, embodiments or variations, all of which are intended to be within the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims (39)

A digital video cable for transmitting one or more high-speed differential digital data signals and one or more ancillary signals between a video source device and a video sync device in accordance with cable specifications,
A boost device for boosting said at least one high-speed differential digital data signal; And
A raw cable having one or more double shielded cable elements, each double shielded cable element comprising two shielded conductors and a shield,
/ RTI >
Shielding conductors of at least one double shielded cable element extending between the video source device and the boost device;
Wherein the shields of the one or more double shielded cable elements extend between the video source device and the video sync device;
Wherein the shield of the at least one double shielded cable element is configured to transmit an ancillary signal;
Wherein the shielding conductors of the at least one double shielded cable element are configured to transmit a high-speed differential digital data signal. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein some or all of the one or more double shielded cable elements are dual coaxial elements, each of the dual coaxial elements includes two coaxial lines to which the shields are coupled and each coaxial line encloses one shielded conductor ), Digital video cable. The method according to claim 1,
The raw cable further comprising a coaxial line with a shield enclosing a shielding conductor, the coaxial line extending between the video source device and the video sync device; Wherein the shield is configured to transmit another ancillary signal and the shielded conductor is configured to transmit another ancillary signal. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein some or all of the one or more double shielded cable elements are Shielded Twisted Pairs (STP), each of the STPs comprising a shield enclosing two shielded conductors. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Further comprising a first circuit carrier for connecting the video source device to the source cable, wherein the first circuit carrier is adapted to apply the high-speed differential digital data signal from the video source device to the shielding of the at least one double shielded cable element A digital video cable comprising terminals for connecting to conductors. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Wherein the first circuit carrier further comprises terminals for connecting at least one auxiliary signal from the video source device to a shield of the at least one double shielded cable element. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Further comprising a second circuit carrier connecting said raw cable to said video sync device, said second circuit carrier comprising said boost device. 8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
Wherein the boost device comprises an equalizer and an amplifier for equalizing and boosting the one or more high-speed differential digital data signals. 9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The cable specification is a digital video cable, which is a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) standard. 9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The cable specification is a display port standard, a digital video cable. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the one or more high speed differential digital data signals comprise Transition Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) signals and wherein the one or more auxiliary signals are selected from the group consisting of Consumer Electronics Control (CEC), Serial Clock (SCL), Hot Plug Detect Digital video cable. The method according to claim 9 or 11,
Shielding conductors of the four double shielded cable elements extend between the video source device and the boost device;
Wherein the shielding conductors of the four double shielded cable elements are configured to transmit respective four high speed differential digital data signals that are Transition Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) signals;
Wherein the shielding conductors of the other double shielded cable element extending between the video source device and the video sink device are configured to transmit an auxiliary signal that is an HDMI Ethernet and Audio Return Channel (HEAC) differential signal;
The four double shielded cable elements and the shields of the other double shielded cable element are connected to each other by a CEC (consumer electronics control), a serial clock (SCL), a serial data (SDA), a digital data channel (DDC) And is configured to transmit auxiliary signals that are + 5V power signals. 13. The method of claim 12,
Shielding conductors of the four double shielded cable elements extend between the video source device and the boost device;
Wherein the shielding conductors of the four double shielded cable elements are configured to transmit respective four high speed differential digital data signals that are main line lanes;
Shielding conductors of the other double shielded cable element extending between the video source device and the video sink device are configured to transmit an auxiliary signal which is a supplemental channel (AUX CH) differential signal;
The four shielded cable elements and the shields of the other shielded cable element are configured to transmit auxiliary signals that are CONFIG1, CONFIG2, ground, Hot Plug Detect (HPD) and DisplayPort power (DP_PWR) signals. Digital video cable. 14. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 13,
The impedance of the at least one double shielded cable element being lower than the nominal impedance of the cable specified in the cable specification;
The first circuit carrier comprising two padding resistors, each padding resistor being in series with a respective shielded conductor of the at least one double shielded cable element;
Wherein the boost device comprises a boost circuit for terminating 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 ancillary signals from a video source device to a video sink device via a digital video cable having a raw cable and a boost device,
Transmitting at least one high-speed differential digital data signal from the video sink device to the boost device in a pair of shielded conductors of the source cable;
Boosting the at least one high-speed differential digital data signal at the boost device to generate a boosted signal, and transmitting the boosted signal to the video sync device; And
Transmitting at least one auxiliary signal to the shield of the pair of shielded conductors
≪ / RTI > 16. The method of claim 15,
Further comprising equalizing the at least one high-speed differential digital data signal at the boost device. 17. The method according to claim 15 or 16,
Wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting over the digital video cable,
Wherein the digital video cable is one of an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) cable and a display port cable. A digital video cable for transmitting one or more high-speed differential digital data signals and one or more ancillary signals between a video source device and a video sync device in accordance with a cable specification,
A source cable having one or more double shielded cable elements, each double shielded cable element comprising two shielded conductors and a shield for transmitting two polarities of a high-speed differential digital data signal and having at least one double shielded cable The impedance of the element is lower than the nominal impedance of the cable specified in the cable specification;
A first circuit carrier connecting the video source device to the raw cable, the first circuit carrier comprising two padding resistors, each padding resistor being connected in series with each shielded conductor of the at least one double shielded cable element -; And
A second circuit carrier for connecting said raw cable to said video sync device, said second circuit carrier terminating said at least one double shielded cable element and for providing a high speed differential digital A boost device for boosting the data signal, the output of the boost device being coupled to the video sink device;
And a digital video cable. 19. The method of claim 18,
Wherein the composite resistance of the two padding resistors is substantially equal to the difference between the impedance of the at least one double shielded cable element and the nominal impedance. 20. The method of claim 19,
Wherein the padding resistors have the same resistance. 21. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 20,
Wherein a shield of the double shielded cable element of one of the one or more double shielded cable elements is configured to transmit an ancillary signal. 22. The method of claim 21,
Wherein the two shielding conductors of the double shielded cable element of one of the one or more double shielded cable elements are configured to transmit a high speed differential digital data signal. 23. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 22,
Wherein some or all of the one or more double shielded cable elements are dual coaxial elements, each of the dual coaxial elements includes two coaxial lines to which a shield is coupled, each coaxial line incorporating one shielded conductor , Digital video cable. 24. The method of claim 23,
Wherein the nominal impedance of the cable is 100 ohms and the impedance of the at least one double shielded cable element is comprised of characteristic impedances of the two coaxial lines. 25. The method of claim 24,
The characteristic impedance of each coaxial line is about 35 ohms, a digital video cable. 23. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 22,
Wherein some or all of the one or more double shielded cable elements are shielded twisted pairs (STP), each STP comprising a shield enclosing two shielded conductors. 27. The method of claim 26,
Wherein the nominal impedance of the cable is 100 ohms and the characteristic impedance of the STP (Shielded Twisted Pair) is about 50 ohms to about 90 ohms. 28. The method of claim 27,
The characteristic impedance of the STP (Shielded Twisted Pair) is about 70 ohms. 29. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 28,
The cable specification is a digital video cable, which is a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) standard. 29. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 28,
The cable specification is a display port standard, a digital video cable. 30. The method of claim 29,
Wherein the one or more high speed differential digital data signals comprise Transition Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) signals; Wherein the at least one auxiliary signal comprises Consumer Electronics Control (CEC), Serial Clock (SCL), Hot Plug Detect (HPD), and + 5V power signals. 32. The method of claim 29 or 31,
Shielding conductors of the four double shielded cable elements extend between the video source device and the boost device;
Wherein the shielding conductors of the four double shielded cable elements are configured to transmit respective four high speed differential digital data signals that are Transition Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) signals;
Wherein the shielding conductors of the other double shielded cable element extending between the video source device and the video sink device are configured to transmit an auxiliary signal that is an HDMI Ethernet and Audio Return Channel (HEAC) differential signal;
The four double shielded cable elements and the shields of the other double shielded cable element are connected to each other by a CEC (Consumer Electronics Control), a SCL (Serial Clock), an SDA (Serial Data), a DDC (Digital Data Channel) And is configured to transmit auxiliary signals that are + 5V power signals. 33. The method according to claim 31 or 32,
Wherein the boost device comprises an equalizer and an amplifier for equalizing and boosting each of the TMDS signals. 31. The method of claim 30,
Shielding conductors of the four double shielded cable elements extend between the video source device and the boost device;
Wherein the shielding conductors of the four double shielded cable elements are configured to transmit respective four high speed differential digital data signals that are main line lanes;
Shielding conductors of the other double shielded cable element extending between the video source device and the video sink device are configured to transmit an auxiliary signal which is a supplemental channel (AUX CH) differential signal;
The four shielded cable elements and the shields of the other shielded cable element are configured to transmit auxiliary signals CONFIG1, CONFIG2, ground, hot plug detect (HPD) and display port power (DP_PWR) signals , Digital video cable. 35. The method of claim 34,
Wherein the boost device includes an equalizer and an amplifier for equalizing and boosting the main line lanes, respectively. A method 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,
Coupling two polarities of the high-speed differential digital data signal through the two respective padding resistors to an input of a source cable, the source cable having an impedance lower than the nominal impedance of the cable specified in the cable specification;
Coupling a differential output signal from an output of the raw cable to a boost device, the input of the boost device being matched to the impedance of the raw cable;
Boosting the differential output signal to generate a boosted differential signal; And
Coupling the boosted differential signal to the video sink device
≪ / RTI > 37. The method of claim 36,
Further comprising transmitting an auxiliary signal from the video source device to the video sync device via a shield of the source cable. 39. The method of claim 37,
Wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting over a coaxial cable having a pair of coaxial lines to which shields are coupled; Wherein transmitting via the coaxial cable comprises transmitting the auxiliary signal through the combined shields. 39. The method of claim 37,
Wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting over a Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) that includes a shield that includes two shielded conductors, wherein transmitting through the STP (Shielded Twisted Pair) Signal and transmitting the high-speed differential digital data signal through the two shielded conductors.

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