TW201946423A - System capable of resetting a link - Google Patents

Abstract

A system capable of resetting a link includes a signal source, a connection port, a control device, a multiplexer, and a processing device. The signal source is used for generating an output signal. The connection port is coupled to the signal source for receiving the output signal. The control device is coupled to the connection port for generating a synchronization signal to the connection port according to the output signal. The control device synchronously receives the output signal through the connection port. When the synchronization signal is abnormal, the control device generates a notification signal. The multiplexer is coupled to the control device for partitioning the output signal into audio/video data and high speed universal serial bus data. The processing device is coupled to the multiplexer and the control device. The processing device generates a reset signal to the control device according to the notification signal.

Description

System with link reset function

The invention describes a system with a connection reset function, and more particularly, a system applied to the connection of a high-speed universal serial bus in a signal transmission alternative mode.

With the rapid development of technology, various wired and wireless ports are also widely used in daily life. Especially for data communication of multiple different electronic devices, a suitable port is particularly important. For example, various types of ports can be applied to handheld electronic devices such as notebook computers, mobile phones, and tablet computers. These electronic devices are characterized by being portable and can be used anytime, anywhere. In order to allow various electronic devices to connect to each other for large-scale and high-speed data transmission, these electronic devices can usually be connected to the downstream port of the hub by using a Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable, and The uplink port of the hub is connected to the host device. In this way, the electronic devices and the host device can transmit or receive data to each other through the USB transmission protocol of the hub.

The USB port was originally initiated by Intel and Microsoft. Its biggest feature is support for hot plug and plug and play. When the electronic device is connected to the host device through the USB port, the host can list the device and automatically load the required driver. Therefore, data communication using the USB transmission protocol is far more convenient than other buses. In addition, USB ports are much faster than standard buses for traditional computers such as parallel ports (such as Enhanced Parallel Port, Line Printer Terminal) and serial ports (such as RS-232). With the increasing demand for data transmission rates, USB ports are also designed for high-speed data transmission. For example, in the USB 1.1 specification, the maximum data transmission bandwidth is 12Mbps. In the USB 2.0 specification, the maximum data transmission bandwidth is increased to 480Mbps. In USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 specifications, the maximum data transmission bandwidth is even 5Gbps to 10Gbps. In addition to the evolution of USB port specifications, USB ports have also made many breakthroughs in hardware. For example, the recent USB Type-C port is characterized by the same and symmetrical upper and lower ends, which also means that users do not need to distinguish Front and back of the USB port. In other words, the USB Type-C port can be inserted into the connection hole in both directions. In addition, the USB Type-C port also supports the latest USB 3.1 high-speed signal transmission specifications. Therefore, many smart phones and notebook computers currently use the USB Type-C port.

In the application of the USB Type-C port, the back end must be matched with a power transmission module controller and a circuit supporting an alternative mode of signal transmission in order to output the image signal and the USB data signal at the same time. However, in the transfer alternative mode, when the USB Type-C port fails to communicate due to hardware failure or poor contact, the image signal cannot be transmitted. Poor image signal transmission will cause the picture to be interrupted or not displayed properly. However, the pins of the USB Type-C port lack Hot Plug Detect pins. Therefore, when USB Type-C fails in data communication, the pins cannot be detected through hot plug. Request for re-communication with the source signal. In other words, when the data communication is interrupted due to the abnormal connection of the USB Type-C port, the user can only reset the USB Type-C port manually. Also, because USB Type-C does not have a hot plug detection pin, when the USB Type-C port connection is abnormal, there will be no obvious warning message to inform the user that the connection is abnormal, which causes inconvenience in operation.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a system with a connection reset function, including a signal source, a port, a control device, a multiplexer, and a processing device. The signal source is used to generate an output signal. The port is coupled to a signal source for receiving an output signal. The control device is coupled to the port for generating a synchronization signal to the port according to the output signal, so that the control device receives the output signal synchronously through the port. If the synchronization signal is abnormal, the control device generates a notification signal. The multiplexer is coupled to the control device, and is configured to separate the output signal into audio and video data and high-speed universal serial bus data in a signal transmission alternative mode. The processing device is coupled to the multiplexer and the control device, and is used for receiving audiovisual data. The processing device generates a reset signal to the control device according to the notification signal, so that the control device re- communicates with the signal source through the port.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a system 100 having a link reset function. In order to simplify the description, the system 100 having a link reset function is hereinafter simply referred to as the system 100. The system 100 includes a signal source 10, a port 11, a control device 12, a multiplexer 13, and a processing device 14. The signal source 10 may be any device capable of outputting audio and video data, such as a personal computer, a tablet computer, a smart phone, an audio and video player. The signal source 10 can generate an output signal. For example, when the signal source 10 is a personal computer, the output signal may include video data generated by a computer display card or a hard disk, and data of a universal serial bus (USB). The port 11 can be a Type-C universal serial bus (USB Type-C) port. Since the port 11 can be a USB Type-C port, the port 11 can support front and back hot plug connections. The definition of each pin of port 11 will be described in detail later. The port 11 is coupled to the signal source 10 for receiving an output signal. The control device 12 is coupled to the port 11 for generating a synchronization signal to the port 11 according to the output signal, so that the control device 12 receives the output signal synchronously through the port 11. The control device 12 can be any device for receiving signals from the pins of the USB Type-C port. In addition, the control device 12 can determine whether the connection between the port 11 and the signal source 10 is abnormal according to the voltage change of the synchronization signal of the configuration channel pin of the USB Type-C. If the connection between the port 11 and the signal source 10 is abnormal (such as poor contact or hardware failure), the voltage of the synchronization signal of the monitoring channel configuration pin will also be abnormal, and the control device 12 can generate a notification signal BS. The multiplexer 13 may be a USB Type-C-dedicated multiplexer integrated circuit, which is coupled to the control device 12 and is used to separate the output signal into audio and video data in the alternative mode of signal transmission (Alternative Mode, hereinafter referred to as Alt Mode). And high-speed universal serial bus data. The processing device 14 may be any device having a programmable logic operation function, such as a display processing chip (Scalar) or a microprocessor, and the like. The processing device 14 is coupled to the multiplexer 13 and the control device 12 for receiving audiovisual data. In addition, when the connection between the port 11 and the signal source 10 is abnormal, the processing device 14 may also receive the notification signal BS generated by the control device 12 and generate a reset signal RS to the control device 12 according to the notification signal BS. In this way, the control device 12 communicates with the signal source 10 through the port 11 again.

The system 100 may further include a display 15. The display 15 may be any kind of screen or projection device. The display 15 is coupled to the processing device 14 and is configured to display an image according to the audiovisual data. The display 15 can also be used to enter the reset setting in the transmission replacement mode through the On Screen Display (OSD) menu 16. For example, the display 15 can be set through the OSD menu to generate the following Table 1: Table 1

In other words, the user can use the display's OSD menu 16 to select whether the processing device 14 should automatically reset the USB Type-C port 11 in the signal transmission replacement mode through the control device 12 through the settings presented in Table 1. . If the user selects "Yes", the processing device 14 will be set to send a reset signal RS when the connection between the port 11 and the signal source 10 is abnormal, so that the control device 12 resets the connection of the port 11 to make it Re-communicate with signal source 10. If the user selects “No”, the reset operation of the port 11 and the signal source 10 can be performed manually. Moreover, no matter what reset setting the user selects in the OSD menu 16, when the connection between the port 11 and the signal source 10 is abnormal, the processing device 14 will display the image displayed on the display 15 according to the notification signal BS generated by the control device 12. A link failure message was generated on. For example, the connection failure message may include text such as "Warning Message: USB Type-C Alt Mode Fail!" Therefore, the user can clearly check the abnormal state of the connection between the port 11 and the signal source 10 through the display 15. However, in the system 100 of the present invention, the content of the OSD menu 16 displayed on the display is not limited by Table 1. For example, the OSD menu 16 may further include advanced settings, such as setting the number of re-communications between the port 11 and the signal source 10. In other words, the user may set the number of re-communications between the port 11 and the signal source 10 through the OSD menu 16 as N, and N may be a positive integer greater than 1. Under this setting, after the port 11 communicates with the signal source 10 again N times, the processing device 14 may generate a stop signal to the control device 12 to suspend the communication between the control device 12 and the signal source 10 through the port 11. Especially when the port 11 is loosened, by limiting the number of re-communications, the control device 12 can avoid unnecessary energy loss caused by the repeated re-communication operation of the control device 12 through the port 11 and the signal source 10.

In the system 100, the port 11 can be defined as a USB Type-C specification port. Therefore, the voltage and current of the output signal generated by the signal source 10 received by the port 11 can be 5 volts (V) and 20 amps (A). The synchronization signal generated by the control device 12 corresponding to the configuration pin of the monitoring channel is also an output voltage / current (5V / 20A) corresponding to the USB Type-C standard under normal circumstances. When the connection between port 11 and signal source 10 is abnormal (such as poor contact or hardware failure), the output signal will drop from 5V to below the threshold voltage, for example, the output signal voltage will become 3V. The abnormal voltage of the output signal will also cause the synchronization signal to be abnormal. When the synchronization signal is abnormal, the control device 12 will generate a notification signal BS with a voltage fluctuation. For example, the control device 12 may generate a notification signal BS that changes from a first potential to a second potential, and the first potential may be smaller than the second potential. Therefore, when the processing device 14 receives the notification signal BS with a voltage fluctuation, it can immediately detect the time when the connection abnormality occurs between the port 11 and the signal source 10, so the connection can be performed in real time. The failure message is displayed on the image of the display 15 to inform the user of the failure message.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of each pin of the port 11 in the system 100. As mentioned above, the port 11 may be a USB Type-C standard port. The pins of the port 11 include pins A1 to A12, and pins B1 to B12. Pins A1 to A12 and pins B1 to B12 are symmetrical pins. Pin A1 and pin B1 are used for grounding. Pins A2 and B2 are used to receive the "positive" end of the Super Speed Date. Pins A3 and B3 are used to receive the "negative" end of overspeed data. Pins A4 and B4 are used to receive bus power. Pin A5 and pin B5 are configuration pins of the monitoring channel, and are used to maintain the synchronization between the port 11 and the signal source 10. Pins A6 and B6 are used to receive low-speed general-purpose serial bus data, such as the “positive” end of USB 2.0 differential signals. Pins A7 and B7 are used to receive low-speed general-purpose serial bus data, such as the "negative" terminal of differential signals of USB 2.0. Pins A8 and B8 are used for Side Band Use, which can transmit low-speed data or configuration information, such as for transmitting auxiliary channel signals (including Extended Display Identification Data (EDID) of the display) information. Pins A9 and B9 are used to receive bus power. Pin A10 and pin B10 are used to receive the "negative" terminal of overspeed data. Pins A11 and B11 are used to receive the "positive" end of overspeed data. Pins A12 and B12 are used for grounding. In port 11, since pins A1 to A12 and pins B1 to B12 are symmetrical pins, when the control device 12 receives a signal output from one row of pins on one side, regardless of port 11 It is forward output (pins for receiving signals are A1 to A12) or reverse output (pins for receiving signals are B1 to B12). The output signals of port 11 can be correctly received by the control device 14, so the connection Port 11 supports hot-swap front and back. In addition, in the port 11, the pin A2 and the pin B11 can be regarded as a pair of full-duplex data transmitting and receiving pins D1. Pin A3 and pin B10 can be regarded as a pair of full-duplex data transmitting and receiving pins D2. Pin A10 and pin B3 can be regarded as a pair of full-duplex data transmitting and receiving pins D3. Pin A11 and pin B2 can be regarded as a pair of full-duplex data transmitting and receiving pins D4. When port 11 is set to the signal transmission alternative mode, among the paired full-duplex data transceiver pins D1 to D4, at least one pair of full-duplex data transceiver pins can be used to transmit digital video interface standards. Audio and video data of specifications (Display Port, DP). In other words, in the signal transmission alternative mode, the port 11 can simultaneously support DP video and audio data, high-speed universal serial bus data, and low-speed universal serial bus data, so it has high transmission convenience.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the power transmission module 12 a in the control device 12 in the system 100. A power delivery module (PD) 12 a of the system 100 may be disposed in the control device 12. The power transmission module 12a is coupled to the port 11 for detecting a synchronization signal through the monitoring channel configuration pins (pin A5 and pin B5 in FIG. 2). If the synchronization signal is abnormal, the power transmission module 12a may generate a notification signal BS to the processing device 14. In the system 100, the power transmission module 12a can also be coupled to the processing device 14, so it can also be used to receive the reset signal RS sent by the processing device 14. After the power transmission module 12a receives the reset signal RS, it can control the port 11 to communicate with the signal source 10 again. Therefore, in addition to supporting the high-speed data transmission characteristics of the USB Type-C standard, the system 100 also has a function of link reset.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the power transmission module 12 a and the universal serial bus hub device 12 b in the control device 12 in the system 100. FIG. 4 is similar to the structure of FIG. 3 except that the control device 12 may further include a universal serial bus hub device 12b. Similarly, the power transmission module 12a is coupled to the port 11 and the processing device 14 for detecting a synchronization signal through the monitoring channel configuration pins (pin A5 and pin B5 in FIG. 2). If the synchronization signal is abnormal, the power transmission module 12a may generate a trigger signal. The universal serial bus hub device (USB Hub) 12b is coupled to the power transmission module 12a, the port 11 and the processing device 14 for receiving a trigger signal. In addition, the universal serial bus hub device 12b may activate the error notification function according to the trigger signal to generate a notification signal BS to the processing device 14. In this embodiment, the error notification function may be a Billboard Function in the USB Type-C specification, and the notification signal BS may also be an error notification signal (Billboard Signal). As mentioned above, when the potential of the notification signal BS changes (for example, from a low potential to a high potential), the processing device 14 and the time point when the abnormal state of the port 11 can be detected, and a connection failure message is generated accordingly Go to the display 15 and selectively operate the control device 12 to communicate with the port 11 and the signal source 10 again according to the settings in the OSD menu 16.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a transmission path of the high-speed universal serial bus data HSD and the low-speed universal serial bus data LSD in the system 100. As mentioned above, the port 11 may be a USB Type-C port. The port 11 may include pins A1 to A12 and pins B1 to B12 which are symmetrical to each other. In port 11, if operating in the transmission alternative mode, as shown in Figure 2, pin A2, pin A3, pin A10, and pin A11 (and its symmetrical pin B2, pin B3, and pin B10 and pin B11) can be used to transmit high-speed DP audiovisual data and high-speed general-purpose serial bus data HSD. The high-speed universal serial bus data HSD can be the data of the full-duplex ultra-speed data communication specification (Full Duplex USB 3.0). The pins A6 and A7 (and their symmetrical pins B6 and B7) can be used to transmit low-speed general-purpose serial bus data LSD. Low-speed universal serial bus data LSD can be data of USB 2.0 specification. Pin 11 corresponding to the high-speed DP audio and video data and high-speed universal serial bus data HSD pins (for example, pin A2, pin A3, pin A10, pin A11, and its symmetrical pin B2. Pins B3, B10, and B11) can be coupled to the power transmission module 12a. Therefore, the power transmission module 12a can receive the part of the output signal generated by the signal source 10, the audiovisual data of the DP and the high-speed universal serial bus data HSD. The universal serial bus hub device 12b can be coupled to the port 11 and corresponding to a low-speed universal serial bus pin (for example, pins A6, A7 and its symmetrical pins B6 and B7) for passing through the port 11 The low-speed universal serial bus data LSD (for example, data of the USB 2.0 specification) that receives the output signal. And, as mentioned above, since the multiplexer 13 can separate the DP audio and video data and the high-speed universal serial bus data HSD. Therefore, the audiovisual data of the DP can be received by the processing device 14. The universal serial bus hub device 12 b may be coupled to the multiplexer 13 to receive the high-speed universal serial bus data HSD output by the multiplexer 13. In other words, for the universal serial bus hub device 12b, it can directly receive the low-speed universal serial bus data LSD transmitted by port 11 through the pins of the low-speed universal serial bus, and it can also receive the output of the multiplexer 13 High-speed universal serial bus data HSD. Therefore, in the system 100, the universal serial bus hub device 12b can receive high-speed and low-speed universal serial bus data.

In the system 100, as shown in FIG. 5, the universal serial bus hub device 12 b may generate a notification signal BS to the processing device 14, so that the processing device 14 displays a connection failure message on the image of the display 15. In addition, the universal serial bus hub device 12b may also feed back the connection failure message to the signal source 10 by using a supported error notification function (Billboard Function). For example, when the signal source 10 is a personal computer or a notebook computer, the connection failure message returned by the universal serial bus hub device 12b may be displayed in the lower right corner of the computer desktop. Therefore, for the user, whether at the end of the signal source 10 or at the end of the display 15, when the connection between the port 11 and the signal source 10 is abnormal, the connection failure message can be viewed. However, the system 100 of the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, in FIG. 3, the control device 12 omits the universal serial bus hub device 12 b. Although the control device 12 omitting the universal serial bus hub device 12b does not feedback display the connection failure message to one end of the signal source 10, the control device 12 can still use the notification signal BS (which can be generated by the power transmission module 12a) to notify the processing The device 14 displays a connection failure message on the image of the display 15. Therefore, for the user, the connection failure message can still be viewed at one end of the display 15. In the system 100, any reasonable technical change or hardware change belongs to the scope disclosed by the present invention.

In summary, the present invention describes a system with a link reset function. The system includes a USB Type-C port that supports high-speed data transfer protocols. In addition, the system also supports a signal transmission alternative mode, which can simultaneously transmit the standard audio and video data of the digital video interface through the USB Type-C port, as well as high-speed and low-speed universal serial bus data. When the connection status between the port and the signal source is abnormal, the system can use the monitoring channel configuration pins to detect the abnormal state, and then the processing device will generate a reset signal to the control device to re-communicate with the signal source. The processing device also generates a link failure message on the image of the display. Therefore, for the user, in addition to customizing whether to perform the link reset processing automatically, or through the link failure message displayed on the display image, the user can immediately understand the abnormal state of the port and perform processing in a timely manner. Therefore, the system with the link reset function of the present invention has high operation convenience and debugging capability. The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and all equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the scope of patent application of the present invention shall fall within the scope of the present invention.

100‧‧‧ system

10‧‧‧ signal source

11‧‧‧Port

12‧‧‧Control device

13‧‧‧ Multiplexer

14‧‧‧Processing device

BS‧‧‧Notification signal

RS‧‧‧ reset signal

15‧‧‧ Display

16‧‧‧Screen adjustment function menu

A1 to A12, B1 to B12‧‧‧ pins

D1 to D4‧‧‧‧ Full duplex data sending and receiving pin pairs

12a‧‧‧Power Transmission Module

12b‧‧‧ Universal Serial Bus Hub Device

HSD‧‧‧High-speed universal serial bus data

LSD‧‧‧ Low-speed universal serial bus data

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a system with a link reset function according to the present invention. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the pins of the port in the system of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the power transmission module in the control device in the system of Figure 1. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the power transmission module and the universal serial bus hub device in the control device in the system of Figure 1. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a transmission path of the high-speed universal serial bus data and the low-speed universal serial bus data in the system of FIG. 4.

Claims (10)

A system with a link reset function includes: a signal source for generating an output signal; a port coupled to the signal source for receiving the output signal; a control device coupled to the port For generating a synchronization signal to the port according to the output signal, so that the control device synchronously receives the output signal through the port, and generates a notification signal if the synchronization signal is abnormal; a multiplexer, coupled Connected to the control device for separating the output signal into a video data and a high-speed universal serial bus data under a signal transmission alternative mode; and a processing device coupled to the multiplexer and the control device For receiving the video and audio data, and generating a reset signal to the control device according to the notification signal, so that the control device re-communicates with the signal source through the port. The system according to claim 1, further comprising: a display coupled to the processing device, for displaying an image according to the video and audio data, and for inputting through an On Screen Display (OSD) menu A reset setting in the transmission replacement mode; wherein the processing device generates a connection failure message on the image displayed on the display according to the notification signal. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control device includes: a power delivery module (PD) coupled to the port for detecting a CC pin through a monitoring channel Measuring the synchronization signal, and if the synchronization signal is abnormal, generating the notification signal to the processing device. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control device includes: a power delivery module (PD) coupled to the port for detecting a CC pin through a monitoring channel Measuring the synchronization signal and generating a trigger signal if the synchronization signal is abnormal; and a universal serial bus hub device (Universal Serial Bus Hub) coupled to the power transmission module for receiving the trigger signal, and based on The trigger signal activates a billboard function to generate the notification signal to the processing device. The system according to claim 4, wherein the universal serial bus hub device is coupled to the port for receiving a low-speed universal serial bus data of the output signal through the port, and the universal serial bus hub The device is coupled to the multiplexer for receiving the high-speed universal serial bus data. The system according to claim 1, wherein if the synchronization signal is abnormal, the notification signal generated by the control device changes from a first potential to a second potential, and the first potential is smaller than the second potential. The system according to claim 1, wherein the port is a Type-C Universal Serial Bus (USB Type-C) port, and the audiovisual data is a digital video interface standard (Display Port, DP) specification, and the high-speed universal serial bus data is a full-duplex ultra-speed data communication specification (Full Duplex USB 3.0). The system according to claim 7, wherein the Type-C universal serial bus port includes a plurality of pairs of full-duplex data transceiver pins, and in the signal transmission alternative mode, the pair of full-duplex data Among the industrial data transmitting and receiving pins, at least one pair of full-duplex data transmitting and receiving pins is used for transmitting the audiovisual data of the digital video interface standard specification. The system according to claim 1, wherein after the port and the signal source communicate again N times, the processing device generates a stop signal to the control device to suspend communication between the control device and the signal source, and N is A positive integer greater than 1. The system according to claim 1, wherein if a voltage of the output signal drops below a threshold voltage and the synchronization signal becomes abnormal, the control device generates the notification signal to the processing device.