WO2013164497A1 - System for interconnecting a mobile device with a docking station which can be connected to peripherals - Google Patents

System for interconnecting a mobile device with a docking station which can be connected to peripherals Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2013164497A1
WO2013164497A1 PCT/ES2012/070313 ES2012070313W WO2013164497A1 WO 2013164497 A1 WO2013164497 A1 WO 2013164497A1 ES 2012070313 W ES2012070313 W ES 2012070313W WO 2013164497 A1 WO2013164497 A1 WO 2013164497A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
base
mobile device
bus
peripherals
hot
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/ES2012/070313
Other languages
Spanish (es)
French (fr)
Inventor
José Rafael MÁÑEZ SANCHIS
Original Assignee
Cucu Mobile, S.L.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Cucu Mobile, S.L. filed Critical Cucu Mobile, S.L.
Priority to PCT/ES2012/070313 priority Critical patent/WO2013164497A1/en
Priority to TW102115952A priority patent/TW201401064A/en
Publication of WO2013164497A1 publication Critical patent/WO2013164497A1/en

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
    • G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
    • G06F1/1613—Constructional details or arrangements for portable computers
    • G06F1/1632—External expansion units, e.g. docking stations

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a system and an interconnection method of a mobile device with a coupling base, the coupling base being arranged for connection to various peripherals.
  • the invention also provides a high-speed connection between the mobile device, which is preferably a Smartphone, and the docking station. When connected, the combined internal electronics of the mobile device and the docking station provide the assembly with computing power and the applications of a conventional computer.
  • the object of the present invention is to provide a user with a system capable of replacing conventional personal computers since the invention has the power of processing and digital data processing comparable to them with the additional advantages of compacting the device. and an increase in the mobility of the user that only the mobile device must carry at any time by having all his personal information inside.
  • US 2002/0119800 Al describes a docking station for wireless communication devices.
  • Said base has been provided with means for detecting the coupling of the communication device and means for connecting to peripherals so that when the device is connected to the base it acts as a link between the peripherals and the terminal.
  • the base described in this document comprises power supplies and an input control module output of the data coming from the terminal and peripherals.
  • it has planned to integrate a modem, USB connectors and a screen. It is clear that the base is not expected to comprise any means of computing or management, so again the computing power of the set falls on the terminal with its corresponding limitations.
  • the Motorola® company has developed a terminal, which has been presented under the name "Atrix®", which makes use of the embedded Nvidia Tegra 2® platform, which integrates all the elements of a relatively reduced performance computer system into a single encapsulated Nvidia Tegra 2® is based on an ARM Cortex® processor at 1 GHz speed, which together with a low-power Nvidia GeForce® GPU and integrated chipset, forms a complete computing device on a single chip (SoC, zucchini On a Chip ).
  • Said terminal offers the novelty that it incorporates a connection slot consisting of a USB connector and another HDMI, adjacent to the first, both connected directly to the chipset that accompanies the phone's processor.
  • FIG 1 shows an overview of the internal architecture of the Nvidia Tegra® processor on which the "Atrix®" terminal is based.
  • This processor is a SoC system that offers all the functionalities offered by the processor, the GPU and the chipset integrating these 3 components in a single integrated circuit.
  • the SoC system incorporates all the functional parts of the system offering a high level of integration for the device manufacturer.
  • the chip houses the processor, the GPU, the northbridge and the southbridge with which it directly offers output to the end user buses as well as output to the peripherals of the terminal, screen, keyboard, flash memories, RAM, etc.
  • the same integrated chipset offers higher quality output from the internal graphics for higher resolution displays. This output is offered by most chipsets in mobile phones as well as in embedded systems, however it is usually left unusable.
  • the novelty of the Motorola Atrix® is that it makes this output available through the HDMI connector along with the audio output.
  • the base to which the Atrix® terminal communicates is a "dumb" base, which does not incorporate a processing unit of any kind so that all computing power falls back on the side of the terminal.
  • the base only holds the terminal and redirects the output to the screen connected to it through the connector and likewise the input of data from the keyboard to the terminal.
  • This product presents other problems such as spontaneous reboots, very low sound quality, errors in the operation of the touchpad, or poor performance and poor use of the possibilities offered by the processor on which it is based.
  • the mobile device described in the present invention opens all exterior the lines of the internal bus of the architecture that unites the components (processor, northbridge and southbridge) allowing the direct connection of the GPU as if it were part of the system, as well as any other peripheral that connects to the connector enabled for it on the side of the device offering a scalability and a series of possibilities never seen before in a phone.
  • the present invention has provided for the identification and conceptual isolation of the physical elements common to a Smartphone and a desktop PC creating a modular system and providing it with the electronic mechanisms and software necessary to enable the automatic transformation between the two in a way transparent to the user, allowing momentary physical reconfiguration and thus changing the internal electronic architecture automatically at the moments of connection and disconnection of the mobile device with the base.
  • the system and method of interconnection of a mobile device and a communications base, to which peripherals are connected, described in the present invention aims to give a novel response to the computational limitations of the prior art systems allowing use the mobile device as a real personal computer while providing a high degree of mobility to the user who transports at any time only the device where it stores all personal information, resulting in a significant improvement of the user experience.
  • the present invention relates firstly to an interconnection system of a mobile device with a coupling base, the base comprising peripheral connection means.
  • the set consists of two connectable elements.
  • a mobile device is offered which contains in its interior the minimum elements of a personal computer, necessary for its autonomous operation capable of offering all the functionality of a last generation Smartphone and with the particularity that it enables on one side a direct connection port to the processor and the most internal buses of its electronic architecture.
  • the purpose of this port is to enable its connection to a docking station that houses the mobile device and contains the rest of the electronics necessary to complete a personal computer.
  • the support or base has connections for the most common peripherals, so that when the Smartphone is connected to it, the elements of both are interconnected creating a desktop computer and working together as a single device capable of offering all its functionalities to through the peripherals connected to it: screen, scanner, keyboard, mouse, etc.
  • the coupling base at least comprises: a first graphic processing unit, an electronic peripheral management module, bus expansion circuits for connecting peripherals to the coupling base and a high-speed serial port for connection with the portable device, the serial port being also connected to the first graphic processing unit and to the expansion circuits by means of a first communications bus.
  • the mobile device at least comprises: a processor, a second graphics processing unit, a RAM, a flash memory and a high-speed serial port to connect to the docking station, the serial port being connected to the processor, the second graphics processing unit and the flash and RAM memories via a second communications bus.
  • both elements are connected to each other by a high-speed communications bus that connects the high-speed serial port of the docking station with the high-speed serial port of the portable device when the base and the device are coupled.
  • Said bus has a separate channel for communication of peripherals connected to the base with the mobile device.
  • the combination of both components equals and even exceeds the performance of any usual workstation.
  • the mobile device has a capacitive screen that occupies 95% of the total surface of the device, which provides great manageability and usability. Any type of application can be accommodated on the mobile device, granting great mobility to the user, who can have all his documents in the palm of his hand while being connected to the Internet at all times. Allows you to install applications from any software manufacturer through the software sales service.
  • the coupling base provides ergonomics, comfort and an increase in performance when working with higher performance applications. This advantage is made possible by connecting the lateral slot that the mobile device has in the existing slot in the coupling base, providing the system with an increase in performance. Once connected to each other, it is possible to connect any peripheral in the base, from a screen to facilitate the visualization of the work done or a keyboard that facilitates the writing to a scanner and a printer, thus completing a common workstation.
  • the present invention is a personal device for everyday use, which integrates all applications for those who until now depended on a personal computer, such as: downloading applications, multimedia, videoconferencing, e-mail, web browsing, games, etc.
  • the coupling base and the mobile device comprise hot-plug means for connecting the device to the base.
  • the hot-plug means are selected between hot-plug and hot-swap connection means.
  • the base when the hot-plug means are hot-swap the base comprises a voltage control module that gradually feeds the device when connected to the base until reaching operating voltage levels of the normal device.
  • a voltage control module that gradually feeds the device when connected to the base until reaching operating voltage levels of the normal device.
  • an input current peak is caused to the device that affects the currents and voltages that reach the different device components.
  • this voltage control module that regulates the current and voltage is planned. This device is also responsible for keeping the base connection port without power when the device is not connected.
  • the high-speed communications bus is a PCI-Express bus.
  • the high-speed communications bus comprises ground lines. interspersed with bus communication lines to avoid interference between bus lines.
  • the communications bus comprises having adjacent mass planes to isolate the bus from external electromagnetic interference.
  • a second object of the present invention is a method of interconnecting the mobile device with the coupling base, this coupling base comprising connection means with peripherals.
  • This method is intended to carry out the interconnection of the interconnection system described above. Said method comprises the following phases:
  • phase of connection of the mobile device to the coupling base which, after physical coupling thereof, comprises the following steps:
  • phase of disconnection of the portable device from the coupling base which, after physical disconnection thereof, comprises the following steps:
  • connection phase of the device to the base comprises loading GPGPU support graphic libraries previously stored in the communication base into the RAM memory and the disconnection phase comprises downloading from memory Communications device RAM the GPGPU support graphic libraries previously loaded. This ensures that the mobile device can make use of GPGPU libraries in case any of the applications that were installed on it require it.
  • the interconnection between the mobile device and the coupling base is carried out under a hot-plug connection / disconnection environment.
  • the interconnection between the portable device is selected between a hot-plug connection and a hot-swap connection.
  • the voltage control module when the connection between the mobile device and the docking station is hot-swap, gradually feeds the mobile device when connected to the base until a device operating voltage is reached. This operation is carried out by means of a monitoring and management of power lines of the communication bus that arrive from the base to the device.
  • the coupling base consists of an electronic device that contains a GPU and electronic support for the mobile device hardware.
  • the base incorporates bus expansion circuits for the connection of end-user peripherals (USB, Firewire, etc.) which make it possible to connect elements such as a mouse, keyboard, USB pen, touchpad, printer, scanner , etc.
  • USB universal serial Bus
  • the docking station lacks its own functionality, being only a connection bridge between internal peripherals of the smart mobile device connected directly to the buses through the connector enabled for it on one of its sides and the additional peripherals that the user connects.
  • USB or Firewire connections are one of the technologies that have this feature and is based on the possibility of connecting or disconnecting a device without the need to turn off the main computer.
  • Figure 1. Shows a block diagram of the most relevant electronic elements of the state-of-the-art Atrix® terminal.
  • Figure 2. Shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the system object of the present invention.
  • Figure 3. Shows a block diagram of the main elements of the internal electronics of a conventional computer and of a Smartphone, the common elements of both being surrounded.
  • Figure 4. It shows a block diagram of an example of embodiment of the elements of the internal electronics of the present invention, the elements and the data flow of the mobile device being shown on the left when uncoupled and being shown on the right the elements and the internal electronics of the mobile device and the docking station when both are coupled.
  • Figure 5. Shows an embodiment of the system of the present invention with the mobile device and the base of decoupled coupling that shows the voltage control module that regulates the power of the device when both are coupled in a hot-swap hot-plug connection / disconnection environment.
  • FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of the Atrix® terminal (1) of the Motorola ⁇ company belonging to the prior art of the present application.
  • said terminal is governed by an ARM Cortex® CPU at lGhz (2) which in turn comprises a video processor (3), an image processor
  • the terminal has an HDMI output (6) and a USB output (7), both of which are connected to the respective HDMI (8) and USB (9) connectors, a RAM memory (10), a flash memory (11), an industrial mobile processing interface (MIPI) (12), a universal receiver / transmitter (UART) (13), a display (14), a peripheral control interface (SPI) (15), a security module for the communications (16) and a communications bus (I2C) (17) for communication between the terminal elements (1).
  • a RAM memory 10
  • a flash memory 11
  • MIPI industrial mobile processing interface
  • UART universal receiver / transmitter
  • SPI peripheral control interface
  • a security module for the communications (16) and a communications bus (I2C) (17) for communication between the terminal elements (1).
  • Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a particular embodiment of the system object of the present invention in which the mobile device (28) and the coupling base (30) are in the decoupling position. Note that the design of both the base and the device shown in this figure is only a particular embodiment of the present invention not being the object thereof.
  • the device (28) is inserted into a slot (18) of the base (29) comprising means for holding the device (28) as well as a connector
  • Base (29) in turn, comprises peripheral connection cables (19)
  • Figure 3 shows a comparison of the basic electronics shared by the intelligent mobile device object of the present invention and a conventional personal computer. It can be seen from this figure that the greatest common factor of both is formed by the CPU (20), RAM (21) and flash memory (22). On the other hand, the high-performance GPU of the PCs versus the integrated GPU (23) of the mobile devices that are very limited and the hardware support of the peripherals (25, 26) that differ greatly by the nature of the peripherals to which they connect. In addition, conventional computers usually incorporate additional memories (27) that do not incorporate Smartphones.
  • Figure 4 shows a block diagram of a particular embodiment of the operation and data flow of the device when it is in decoupled mode from the base as when it is coupled to the base.
  • (28) described in the present invention contains a processor
  • the coupling base (29) contains a powerful GPU (36), analogous to that of a desktop computer, as well as the hardware support (37) to connect the usual peripherals of the same as for example, a high-definition screen
  • a "PCI-Express" connection protocol is used because it is the cutting-edge technology and is capable of providing the necessary bandwidths for this purpose.
  • a converter to the PCI-e protocol has been integrated inside the device (28) in order to make the bus accessible under this protocol. So once coupled the base (29) and the device (28) through the respective expansion connectors (41) of the communication bus (42) of the mobile device, said bus (42) opens each of the channels that integrate it so that the GPU (36) and the hardware support (37) of the base (29) become part of the joint electronics of the system.
  • the bidirectional 4GB / s necessary to supply the necessary data flow from / from an average external graphics card are reached.
  • connection detection by interruption The detection of the connection event of the device (28) is carried out by means of one of the interrupt lines of the CPU (30).
  • Bus scan (42) and list of devices connected to it the reconfiguration module will proceed to scan the bus for changes in the configuration of the components, establishing a list of the devices found and their characteristics. The hardware already found previously anchored to the bus (42) will be ignored.
  • the reconfiguration module will load the drivers of each of them sequentially in memory (35) with in order to make them usable by the system. The possible dependence between drivers will be taken into account, establishing the appropriate load order. Redirection of the input and output flow: once the drivers have been loaded and the devices have been dynamically configured, it will be possible to access them.
  • the reconfiguration module will load the HID (Human Interface Device) drivers to control the keyboard (39) and the mouse (40).
  • HID Human Interface Device
  • the reconfiguration module will also be able to manage the disconnection of the mobile device (28) from the base (29) and to carry out the necessary operations to ensure its transition from operating mode coupled to autonomous mode transparently to the user. This process will follow the following steps:
  • Disconnection detection by interruption causes a change in voltage at the same contact, as in the case of connection, of the connector (41) that the device (28) recognizes as a change in the system configuration.
  • Bus scan and list of detected devices the reconfiguration module will proceed to scan the bus for changes in the configuration of the components connected to it, establishing a list of the devices found and their characteristics.
  • a mobile device (28) that offers all the functionalities of a last generation mobile terminal, provided with a processor (30) of 1.5 to 2 GHz, RAM memory (35) of 1 at 2 GB, high mass storage capacity and very tight energy consumption.
  • the high-performance GPU (36) and the peripheral support electronics (37) are integrated.
  • the base (29) to the internal architecture of the device (28) offering the characteristics of a mid-range personal computer with a 1.5 GB processor, 1-2 GB DDR2 of RAM, X GB hard drive and a GPU of capacities superior to a mid-range Matrox® and comparable to a low-medium Nvidia® or ATI®, capable of running everyday applications as well as engineering, multimedia development, rendering, etc.
  • GPGPU computing generic GPU computing
  • connection to the PCI-express bus implies a bandwidth of 250Mb / s for each bus connection line. It is also planned to connect to the DMI bus (direct media interface), which would mean an increase in working speed, since this bus works at speeds of few GT / s, depending on the processor.
  • DMI bus direct media interface
  • These lines of the communication bus (42) must be perfectly isolated, and with the shielding of the lines the problems of possible interference are solved.
  • having several bus lines produces an induction between them, known as "Crosstalk" which is the higher the higher the working frequency and the higher the impedances of the lines. It is planned to insert a mass track between the signals to solve this problem.
  • the placement of ground layers in the printed circuits (PCBs) is also planned to make multipoint ground connections, since at high frequencies, long cables in the internal electronics should be avoided.
  • the device (28) incorporates a rechargeable lithium battery, for example, which will give about 3.7 volts of power and will provide the mobile with approximately 240 hours of standby independence and about 10 hours in conversation .
  • This battery will have a maximum consumption of about 1100mA / h, about 4.3W / h.
  • the base (29) will have a small transformer incorporated in the socket that converts the 230V of the network into a voltage of approximately 5v depending on the components installed in the base (29).
  • the maximum output current will oscillate around 1A, so the maximum consumption in the coupling base (29) will be about 5 Watts.
  • Inside the base the necessary voltage regulators will be incorporated to give each internal element of the base a suitable tension. This low consumption is one of the advantages of the system, it performs the functions of a netbook but with much smaller size and much lower consumption, since the consumption of a conventional netbook exceeds 7Watios.
  • the built-in GSM module (not shown in the figures) is a UMTS / 3G, working at a frequency between 1850Mhz and 2170Mhz.
  • the system has been provided with protection mechanisms against hot connections and disconnections.
  • a device (28) When a device (28) is connected to the PCIe bus (42) a peak of current is produced towards the device (28) and with this there are voltage changes that have an impact on the rest of the system, compromising its stability, and the operating system may hang up.
  • some electronic components In the medium to long term, some electronic components may even be irreversibly damaged. This manifests the need to carry out a control of the energy that reaches the expansion slot, and must be able to control the power supply of the power lines at all times.
  • Some mechanism must be provided by which it is possible to notify the system at the time when a device is connected or disconnected to the expansion slot, in order to act accordingly and add it to the system.
  • FIG. 5 shows the electronics associated with the control of the supply voltage of the device (28) when it is coupled to the base (29).
  • the processor (30) is connected to the chipset (43), which opens the connection of the PCI Express x8 bus (42) directly from the northbridge (44) of the same to the lower connection slot (41) of the device (28).
  • the tracing of the data lines from the chipset (44) to the slot (41) is direct, however in the power lines a module (45) is inserted over which the control of the voltage that reaches the slot is delegated (41) of expansion, and therefore, to the device (28) connected to it.
  • the module (45) used controls the slot power supply at all times.
  • Said module (45) is connected to the processor (30) through two GPIO pins (general purpose I / O pins) implementing an I2C connection (46), through which it is possible to know at all times the intensity that circulates through the power lines independently, as well as setting limits, activating or completely deactivating the energy supply. This solves the problems arising from the hot plug.
  • a series of independent USB lines direct from the southbridge (47) of the module (45), are added to the connector, in order to make it possible to connect peripherals from the base (29).
  • a direct line (48) to a processor pin (30) acts as an interruption.
  • the base (29) has the high-performance GPU (36) connected to a battery of video outputs / inputs (48) and the expansion slot (41) is connected to the GPU (36) and the connectors of the peripherals enabled in the base itself (29).
  • the use of the present invention is provided: by means of a direct connection on the top of a television that would make it possible to display in it the high definition movies housed in the device; through a connection in the glove compartment of a vehicle that would allow the transfer of GPS or audio file updates to the radiocd of the vehicle; by means of a connection in a high-fidelity home audio equipment that would allow the reproduction of previously downloaded audio files through the terminal connected to the communications base after executing a file-sharing application.

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  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
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Abstract

The invention relates to a system and method for interconnecting a mobile device with a docking station, the docking station comprising a means for connecting to various peripherals. When the station and the device are connected, the combined internal electronics of the two provide the assembly with the computing power and applications of a conventional computer. The two elements are connected together by means of a high-speed communication bus which connects the high-speed serial port of the docking station with the high-speed serial port of the mobile device, which connects the internal electronics of the two.

Description

SISTEMA DE INTERCONEXION DE UN DISPOSITIVO MOVIL CON UNA BASE DE ACOPLAMIENTO CONECTARLE A PERIFÉRICOS  INTERCONNECTION SYSTEM OF A MOBILE DEVICE WITH A COUPLING BASE CONNECT TO PERIPHERALS
OBJETO DE LA INVENCION OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
La presente invención se refiere a un sistema y un método de interconexión de un dispositivo móvil con una base de acoplamiento, disponiendo la base de acoplamiento de medios de conexión a diversos periféricos . La invención además provee de una conexión de alta velocidad entre el dispositivo móvil, que preferentemente es un Smartphone, y la base de acoplamiento. Cuando se conectan, la electrónica interna combinada del dispositivo móvil y la base de acoplamiento provee al conjunto de una potencia de computación y de las aplicaciones de un ordenador convencional. El objeto de la presente invención es la de proveer a un usuario de un sistema capaz de sustituir a los ordenadores personales convencionales ya que la invención presenta la potencia de procesamiento y de tratamiento digital de datos comparable a ellos con las ventajas adicionales de compactación del dispositivo y un aumento de la movilidad del usuario que únicamente debe transportar el dispositivo móvil en cada momento disponiendo en su interior de toda su información personal.  The present invention relates to a system and an interconnection method of a mobile device with a coupling base, the coupling base being arranged for connection to various peripherals. The invention also provides a high-speed connection between the mobile device, which is preferably a Smartphone, and the docking station. When connected, the combined internal electronics of the mobile device and the docking station provide the assembly with computing power and the applications of a conventional computer. The object of the present invention is to provide a user with a system capable of replacing conventional personal computers since the invention has the power of processing and digital data processing comparable to them with the additional advantages of compacting the device. and an increase in the mobility of the user that only the mobile device must carry at any time by having all his personal information inside.
ANTECEDENTES DE LA INVENCIÓN BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Es bien sabido que los actuales terminales móviles inteligentes o Smartphones, presentan potencias de computación que si bien se parecen cada día más a las de los procesadores de ordenador convencionales siguen teniendo ciertas limitaciones frente a estos. Sin embargo, los dispositivos móviles actuales, debido a su reducido tamaño, presentan la problemática de no poder incluir conexiones a periféricos como son teclados, escáneres o impresoras. Las capacidades computacionales de los últimos procesadores en el campo de los Smartphone y dispositivos móviles en ocasiones superan con creces a las ofrecidas por los ordenadores personales de gama media-baja, encontrándose el cuello de botella y las consecuentes limitaciones en los periféricos adyacentes al mismo . It is well known that the current intelligent mobile terminals or Smartphones, have computing powers that although they are more and more similar to those of conventional computer processors, they still have certain limitations against them. However, current mobile devices, due to their small size, have the problem of not being able to include connections to peripherals such as keyboards, scanners or printers. The computational capabilities of the latest processors in the field of smartphones and mobile devices sometimes far exceed those offered by low-end personal computers, with the bottleneck and consequent limitations in the peripherals adjacent to it.
Esto ha llevado al sector de la telefonía a desarrollar soluciones que, a través de bases de acoplamiento, permitan conectar el dispositivo móvil a periféricos externos haciendo únicamente uso de la electrónica interna del terminal para la ejecución de tareas y recayendo en dicha electrónica la potencia computacional del sistema en conjunto. Así, estas bases de acoplamiento se comportan como un enlace físico del terminal a los periféricos que se limitan exclusivamente a trasmitir información desde el terminal al periférico y viceversa .  This has led the telephony sector to develop solutions that, through docking bases, allow the mobile device to be connected to external peripherals using only the terminal's internal electronics for the execution of tasks and the computing power falling on said electronics of the system as a whole. Thus, these coupling bases behave as a physical link from the terminal to the peripherals that are limited exclusively to transmitting information from the terminal to the peripheral and vice versa.
El documento US 2002/0119800 Al describe una base de acoplamiento para dispositivos de comunicaciones wireless. Dicha base ha sido provista de medios de detección del acoplamiento del dispositivo de comunicaciones y de medios de conexión a periféricos de manera que al conectarse el dispositivo a la base ésta actúa como un enlace entre los periféricos y el terminal. La base descrita en este documento comprende medios de alimentación y un módulo de control de entrada salida de los datos provenientes del terminal y periféricos . Además y de manera opcional ha previsto integrar un modem, conectores USB y una pantalla. Es evidente que no se ha previsto que la base comprenda ningún medio de computación ni gestión por lo que nuevamente la potencia de computación del conjunto recae en el terminal con sus correspondientes limitaciones .  US 2002/0119800 Al describes a docking station for wireless communication devices. Said base has been provided with means for detecting the coupling of the communication device and means for connecting to peripherals so that when the device is connected to the base it acts as a link between the peripherals and the terminal. The base described in this document comprises power supplies and an input control module output of the data coming from the terminal and peripherals. In addition and optionally, it has planned to integrate a modem, USB connectors and a screen. It is clear that the base is not expected to comprise any means of computing or management, so again the computing power of the set falls on the terminal with its corresponding limitations.
La empresa Motorola® ha desarrollado un terminal, el cual ha sido presentado bajo el nombre "Atrix®", que hace uso de la plataforma embebida Nvidia Tegra 2®, que integra todos los elementos de un sistema informático de relativamente reducidas prestaciones en un único encapsulado. Nvidia Tegra 2® se basa en un procesador ARM Cortex® a 1 GHz de velocidad, que junto a una GPU Nvidia GeForce® de bajo consumo y el chipset integrado, conforma un dispositivo informático completo en un solo chip (SoC, Sistem On a Chip) . Dicho terminal, con respecto al estado de la técnica anterior, ofrece la novedad de que incorpora una ranura de conexión constituida por un conector USB y otro HDMI, colindante con el primero, ambos conectados directamente al chipset que acompaña al procesador del teléfono. Junto con el teléfono se comercializa una gama de productos especialmente diseñados para trabajar junto a él, entre ellos una base de comunicaciones mediante la cual es posible ampliar el terminal con una pantalla de mayor resolución y dotarlo de ratón y teclado USB para utilizarlo de manera análoga a un ordenador de sobremesa. The Motorola® company has developed a terminal, which has been presented under the name "Atrix®", which makes use of the embedded Nvidia Tegra 2® platform, which integrates all the elements of a relatively reduced performance computer system into a single encapsulated Nvidia Tegra 2® is based on an ARM Cortex® processor at 1 GHz speed, which together with a low-power Nvidia GeForce® GPU and integrated chipset, forms a complete computing device on a single chip (SoC, Sistem On a Chip ). Said terminal, with respect to the prior art, offers the novelty that it incorporates a connection slot consisting of a USB connector and another HDMI, adjacent to the first, both connected directly to the chipset that accompanies the phone's processor. Along with the phone, a range of products specially designed to work with it are marketed, including a communications base through which it is possible to expand the terminal with a higher resolution screen and provide it with a mouse and USB keyboard to use it in an analogous way to a desktop computer.
La figura 1 muestra una vista general de la arquitectura interna del procesador Nvidia Tegra® en el que se basa el terminal "Atrix®". Dicho procesador es un sistema SoC que ofrece todas las funcionalidades ofrecidas por el procesador, la GPU y el chipset integrando éstos 3 componentes en un solo circuito integrado. El sistema SoC incorpora todas las partes funcionales del sistema ofreciendo un alto nivel de integración de cara al fabricante de dispositivos. EL chip aloja el procesador, la GPU, el northbridge y el southbridge con lo cual ofrece directamente salida a los buses de usuario finales asi como salida a los periféricos del terminal, pantalla, teclado, memorias flash, memoria RAM, etc. Del mismo modo, el mismo chipset integrado ofrece una salida de mayor calidad desde la gráfica interna para pantallas de mayor resolución. Esta salida es ofrecida por la mayoría de chipsets en los teléfonos móviles así como en los sistemas embebidos, sin embargo se suele dejar inutilizada. La novedad del Motorola Atrix® es que hace disponible esta salida a través del conector HDMI junto con la salida de audio .  Figure 1 shows an overview of the internal architecture of the Nvidia Tegra® processor on which the "Atrix®" terminal is based. This processor is a SoC system that offers all the functionalities offered by the processor, the GPU and the chipset integrating these 3 components in a single integrated circuit. The SoC system incorporates all the functional parts of the system offering a high level of integration for the device manufacturer. The chip houses the processor, the GPU, the northbridge and the southbridge with which it directly offers output to the end user buses as well as output to the peripherals of the terminal, screen, keyboard, flash memories, RAM, etc. Similarly, the same integrated chipset offers higher quality output from the internal graphics for higher resolution displays. This output is offered by most chipsets in mobile phones as well as in embedded systems, however it is usually left unusable. The novelty of the Motorola Atrix® is that it makes this output available through the HDMI connector along with the audio output.
La base a la cual se comunica el terminal Atrix® es una base "tonta", que no incorpora unidad de procesamiento de ningún tipo de manera que toda la potencia de computación cae nuevamente del lado del terminal. La base únicamente sujeta el terminal y redirecciona la salida hacia la pantalla conectada a ella a través del conector y de igual modo la entrada de datos desde el teclado hacia el terminal. Este producto presenta otros problemas como reinicios espontáneos, calidad del sonido muy reducida, errores en el funcionamiento del touchpad, o rendimiento escaso y pobre aprovechamiento de las posibilidades ofertadas por el procesador sobre el que se basa . The base to which the Atrix® terminal communicates is a "dumb" base, which does not incorporate a processing unit of any kind so that all computing power falls back on the side of the terminal. The base only holds the terminal and redirects the output to the screen connected to it through the connector and likewise the input of data from the keyboard to the terminal. This product presents other problems such as spontaneous reboots, very low sound quality, errors in the operation of the touchpad, or poor performance and poor use of the possibilities offered by the processor on which it is based.
La diferencia entre el dispositivo de Motorola® y la presente invención es que mientras el terminal y la base de comunicación Atrix® hace uso de una de las salidas del chipset interno preparadas para ello, el dispositivo móvil descrito en la presente invención abre al exterior todas las lineas del bus interno de la arquitectura que une los componentes (procesador, northbridge y southbridge) permitiendo la conexión directa de la GPU como si fuera parte del sistema, asi como cualquier otro periférico que se conecte en el conector habilitado para ello en el lateral del dispositivo ofreciendo una escalabilidad y una serie de posibilidades nunca vistas hasta ahora en un teléfono.  The difference between the Motorola® device and the present invention is that while the terminal and the Atrix® communication base makes use of one of the internal chipset outputs prepared for it, the mobile device described in the present invention opens all exterior the lines of the internal bus of the architecture that unites the components (processor, northbridge and southbridge) allowing the direct connection of the GPU as if it were part of the system, as well as any other peripheral that connects to the connector enabled for it on the side of the device offering a scalability and a series of possibilities never seen before in a phone.
Por tanto, la presente invención ha previsto la identificación y aislamiento conceptual de los elementos físicos comunes a un Smartphone y un PC de sobremesa creando un sistema modular y proveer al mismo de los mecanismos electrónicos y software necesarios para posibilitar la transformación automática entre ambos de forma transparente al usuario, permitiendo la reconfiguración física momentánea y cambiando de este modo la arquitectura electrónica interna automáticamente en los instantes de conexión y desconexión del dispositivo móvil con la base.  Therefore, the present invention has provided for the identification and conceptual isolation of the physical elements common to a Smartphone and a desktop PC creating a modular system and providing it with the electronic mechanisms and software necessary to enable the automatic transformation between the two in a way transparent to the user, allowing momentary physical reconfiguration and thus changing the internal electronic architecture automatically at the moments of connection and disconnection of the mobile device with the base.
El sistema y método de interconexión de un dispositivo móvil y una base de comunicaciones, a la que se a su vez se conectan periféricos, descrito en la presente invención pretende dar una respuesta novedosa a las limitaciones computacionales de los sistemas del estado de la técnica permitiendo utilizar el dispositivo móvil como un ordenador personal real al tiempo que aporta un altísimo grado de movilidad al usuario que transporta en cada momento únicamente el dispositivo donde almacena toda la información personal, dando como resultado una importante mejora de la experiencia de usuario . The system and method of interconnection of a mobile device and a communications base, to which peripherals are connected, described in the present invention aims to give a novel response to the computational limitations of the prior art systems allowing use the mobile device as a real personal computer while providing a high degree of mobility to the user who transports at any time only the device where it stores all personal information, resulting in a significant improvement of the user experience.
DESCRIPCION DE LA INVENCION DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
La presente invención se refiere en primer lugar a un sistema de interconexión de un dispositivo móvil con una base de acoplamiento, comprendiendo la base medios de conexión a periféricos. El conjunto consiste en dos elementos conectables entre si. Por una parte se ofrece un dispositivo móvil el cual contiene en su interior los elementos mínimos de un ordenador personal, necesarios para su funcionamiento autónomo capaz de ofrecer toda la funcionalidad de un Smartphone de última generación y con la particularidad de que éste habilita en un lateral un puerto de conexión directa al procesador y los buses más internos de su arquitectura electrónica. La finalidad de dicho puerto es posibilitar su conexión con una base de acoplamiento que aloja el dispositivo móvil y que contiene el resto de la electrónica necesaria para completar un ordenador personal. El soporte o base dispone de conexiones para los periféricos más habituales, de forma que cuando se conecta el Smartphone a la misma, los elementos de ambos quedan interconectados creando un ordenador de sobremesa y trabajando conjuntamente como un solo aparato capaz de ofrecer todas sus funcionalidades a través de los periféricos conectados a ella: pantalla, escáner, teclado, ratón, etc.  The present invention relates firstly to an interconnection system of a mobile device with a coupling base, the base comprising peripheral connection means. The set consists of two connectable elements. On the one hand, a mobile device is offered which contains in its interior the minimum elements of a personal computer, necessary for its autonomous operation capable of offering all the functionality of a last generation Smartphone and with the particularity that it enables on one side a direct connection port to the processor and the most internal buses of its electronic architecture. The purpose of this port is to enable its connection to a docking station that houses the mobile device and contains the rest of the electronics necessary to complete a personal computer. The support or base has connections for the most common peripherals, so that when the Smartphone is connected to it, the elements of both are interconnected creating a desktop computer and working together as a single device capable of offering all its functionalities to through the peripherals connected to it: screen, scanner, keyboard, mouse, etc.
Así pues la base de acoplamiento al menos comprende: una primera unidad de procesamiento gráfico, un módulo electrónico de gestión de periféricos, circuitos de expansión de bus para la conexión de periféricos a la base de acoplamiento y un puerto serie de alta velocidad para la conexión con el dispositivo portátil, estando conectado además el puerto serie a la primera unidad de procesamiento gráfico y a los circuitos de expansión mediante un primer bus de comunicaciones.  Thus, the coupling base at least comprises: a first graphic processing unit, an electronic peripheral management module, bus expansion circuits for connecting peripherals to the coupling base and a high-speed serial port for connection with the portable device, the serial port being also connected to the first graphic processing unit and to the expansion circuits by means of a first communications bus.
Por su parte el dispositivo móvil al menos comprende: un procesador, una segunda unidad de procesamiento gráfico, una memoria RAM, una memoria flash y un puerto serie de alta velocidad para conectarse a la base de acoplamiento, estando conectado el puerto serie al procesador, la segunda unidad de procesamiento gráfico y las memorias flash y RAM mediante un segundo bus de comunicaciones. For its part, the mobile device at least comprises: a processor, a second graphics processing unit, a RAM, a flash memory and a high-speed serial port to connect to the docking station, the serial port being connected to the processor, the second graphics processing unit and the flash and RAM memories via a second communications bus.
Además ambos elementos se conectan entre si mediante un bus de comunicaciones de alta velocidad que conecta el puerto serie de alta velocidad de la base de acoplamiento con el puerto serie de alta velocidad del dispositivo portátil cuando la base y el dispositivo están acoplados. Dicho bus tiene un canal independiente para la comunicación de los periféricos conectados a la base con el dispositivo móvil.  In addition, both elements are connected to each other by a high-speed communications bus that connects the high-speed serial port of the docking station with the high-speed serial port of the portable device when the base and the device are coupled. Said bus has a separate channel for communication of peripherals connected to the base with the mobile device.
La conjunción de ambos componentes iguala e incluso superan las prestaciones de cualquier estación de trabajo habitual. El dispositivo móvil posee una pantalla capacitiva que ocupa el 95% total de la superficie del dispositivo, lo que aporta una gran manejabilidad y usabilidad. En el dispositivo móvil tienen cabida cualquier tipo de aplicación, otorgando una gran movilidad al usuario, el cual puede tener todos sus documentos en la palma de la mano a la vez que está conectado a internet de en todo momento. Permite instalar aplicaciones de cualquier fabricante de software a través del servicio de venta de software.  The combination of both components equals and even exceeds the performance of any usual workstation. The mobile device has a capacitive screen that occupies 95% of the total surface of the device, which provides great manageability and usability. Any type of application can be accommodated on the mobile device, granting great mobility to the user, who can have all his documents in the palm of his hand while being connected to the Internet at all times. Allows you to install applications from any software manufacturer through the software sales service.
La base de acoplamiento proporciona ergonomia, comodidad y un aumento en las prestaciones a la hora de trabajar con aplicaciones de más alto rendimiento. Esta ventaja se hace posible al conectar la ranura lateral que posee el dispositivo móvil en la ranura existente en la base de acoplamiento, aportando al sistema un aumento de las prestaciones. Una vez conectados entre si, es posible conectar cualquier periférico en la base, desde una pantalla para facilitar la visualización del trabajo realizado o un teclado que facilite la escritura hasta un escáner y una impresora, completando asi una estación de trabajo común.  The coupling base provides ergonomics, comfort and an increase in performance when working with higher performance applications. This advantage is made possible by connecting the lateral slot that the mobile device has in the existing slot in the coupling base, providing the system with an increase in performance. Once connected to each other, it is possible to connect any peripheral in the base, from a screen to facilitate the visualization of the work done or a keyboard that facilitates the writing to a scanner and a printer, thus completing a common workstation.
Asi, la presente invención se trata de un dispositivo personal de uso cotidiano, que integra todas las aplicaciones para las que hasta ahora se dependía de un ordenador personal, como son: descarga de aplicaciones, multimedia, videoconferencia, e-mail, navegación web, juegos, etc. Thus, the present invention is a personal device for everyday use, which integrates all applications for those who until now depended on a personal computer, such as: downloading applications, multimedia, videoconferencing, e-mail, web browsing, games, etc.
Gracias al hecho de que toda la información del usuario y el software residen en el mismo dispositivo y a la naturaleza portable del mismo, se abre un amplio abanico de posibilidades no solo tecnológicas sino también en el ámbito social .  Thanks to the fact that all user information and software reside on the same device and the portable nature of it, a wide range of possibilities is opened not only in technology but also in the social field.
En una realización particular de la invención, la base de acoplamiento y el dispositivo móvil comprenden medios de conexión en caliente para la conexión del dispositivo a la base .  In a particular embodiment of the invention, the coupling base and the mobile device comprise hot-plug means for connecting the device to the base.
En otra realización particular de la invención los medios de conexión en caliente están seleccionados entre medios de conexión hot-plug y medios de conexión hot-swap.  In another particular embodiment of the invention the hot-plug means are selected between hot-plug and hot-swap connection means.
En otra realización particular de la invención, cuando los medios de conexión en caliente son hot-swap la base comprende un módulo de control de voltaje que alimenta de forma gradual al dispositivo cuando se conecta a la base hasta alcanzar unos niveles de tensión de funcionamiento del dispositivo normales . Cuando se conecta el dispositivo a la ranura de la base en un entorno de conexión/desconexión en caliente y sin protección de ningún tipo, se provoca un pico de corriente de entrada hacia el dispositivo que afecta a las corrientes y tensiones que llegan a los diferentes componentes del dispositivo. Para evitar daños en los componentes o el acortamiento de la vida del dispositivo se ha previsto la integración de este módulo de control de voltaje que regula la corriente y tensión. Este dispositivo es el encargado además de mantener sin alimentación al puerto de conexión de la base cuando no está conectado el dispositivo.  In another particular embodiment of the invention, when the hot-plug means are hot-swap the base comprises a voltage control module that gradually feeds the device when connected to the base until reaching operating voltage levels of the normal device. When the device is connected to the slot in the base in a hot-plug connection / disconnection environment without protection of any kind, an input current peak is caused to the device that affects the currents and voltages that reach the different device components. To prevent damage to the components or to shorten the life of the device, the integration of this voltage control module that regulates the current and voltage is planned. This device is also responsible for keeping the base connection port without power when the device is not connected.
En otra realización particular de la invención el bus de comunicaciones de alta velocidad es un bus PCI- Express .  In another particular embodiment of the invention the high-speed communications bus is a PCI-Express bus.
En otra realización particular de la invención, el bus de comunicaciones de alta velocidad comprende líneas de masa intercaladas con las lineas de comunicación del bus para evitar interferencias entre las lineas del bus . In another particular embodiment of the invention, the high-speed communications bus comprises ground lines. interspersed with bus communication lines to avoid interference between bus lines.
En otra realización particular de la invención, el bus de comunicaciones comprende tener planos de masa situados adyacentemente para aislar al bus de interferencias electromagnéticas externas .  In another particular embodiment of the invention, the communications bus comprises having adjacent mass planes to isolate the bus from external electromagnetic interference.
Un segundo objeto de la presente invención es un método de interconexión del dispositivo móvil con la base de acoplamiento comprendiendo esta base de acoplamiento de medios de conexión con periféricos. Este método se ha previsto para llevar a cabo la interconexión del sistema de interconexión descrito anteriormente. Dicho método comprende las siguientes fases :  A second object of the present invention is a method of interconnecting the mobile device with the coupling base, this coupling base comprising connection means with peripherals. This method is intended to carry out the interconnection of the interconnection system described above. Said method comprises the following phases:
- una fase de conexión del dispositivo móvil a la base de acoplamiento que tras el acoplamiento físico de los mismos comprende las siguientes etapas:  - a phase of connection of the mobile device to the coupling base which, after physical coupling thereof, comprises the following steps:
• detectar la conexión mediante la detección de un cambio de tensión en una de las líneas de interrupción del procesador del dispositivo móvil;  • detect the connection by detecting a voltage change in one of the interrupt lines of the processor of the mobile device;
• escanear por parte del dispositivo móvil el segundo bus de comunicaciones para detectar los periféricos conectados al mismo;  • scan the second communication bus by the mobile device to detect the peripherals connected to it;
• almacenar en la memoria RAM del dispositivo un listado de periféricos detectados y cargar en la memoria RAM unos drivers de cada uno de los periféricos detectados; • store a list of detected peripherals in the device's RAM and load drivers of each of the detected peripherals into RAM;
• direccionar el flujo de información de entrada/salida de los periféricos detectados hacia el procesador del dispositivo móvil a través del bus de alta velocidad;• direct the flow of input / output information from the detected peripherals to the processor of the mobile device through the high-speed bus;
- una fase de desconexión del dispositivo portátil de la base de acoplamiento que tras la desconexión física de los mismos comprende las siguientes etapas: - a phase of disconnection of the portable device from the coupling base which, after physical disconnection thereof, comprises the following steps:
• detectar la desconexión mediante la detección de un cambio de tensión en una de las líneas de interrupción del procesador del dispositivo portátil; • descargar de la memoria RAM los drivers de los periférico detectados; • detect the disconnection by detecting a voltage change in one of the interrupt lines of the processor of the portable device; • download peripheral drivers detected from RAM memory;
• direccionar el flujo de información de entrada/salida del dispositivo móvil hacia elementos del propio dispositivo móvil;  • direct the flow of input / output information from the mobile device to elements of the mobile device itself;
En una realización particular de la invención, la fase de conexión del dispositivo a la base comprende cargar en la memoria RAM del dispositivo de comunicaciones unas librerías gráficas de soporte GPGPU previamente almacenadas en la base de comunicaciones y la fase de desconexión comprende descargar de la memoria RAM del dispositivo de comunicaciones las librerías gráficas de soporte GPGPU previamente cargadas. Así se consigue que el dispositivo móvil pueda hacer uso de las librerías GPGPU por si alguna de las aplicaciones que estuvieran en él instaladas lo requiriera.  In a particular embodiment of the invention, the connection phase of the device to the base comprises loading GPGPU support graphic libraries previously stored in the communication base into the RAM memory and the disconnection phase comprises downloading from memory Communications device RAM the GPGPU support graphic libraries previously loaded. This ensures that the mobile device can make use of GPGPU libraries in case any of the applications that were installed on it require it.
En otra realización particular de la invención, la interconexión entre el dispositivo móvil y la base de acoplamiento se realiza bajo un entorno de conexión/desconexión en caliente. En una realización más particular, la interconexión entre el dispositivo portátil está seleccionada entre una conexión hot-plug y una conexión hot-swap .  In another particular embodiment of the invention, the interconnection between the mobile device and the coupling base is carried out under a hot-plug connection / disconnection environment. In a more particular embodiment, the interconnection between the portable device is selected between a hot-plug connection and a hot-swap connection.
En otra realización particular de la invención, cuando la conexión entre el dispositivo móvil y la base de acoplamiento es hot-swap, el módulo de control de voltaje alimenta gradualmente el dispositivo móvil al conectarse a la base hasta alcanzar un voltaje de funcionamiento del dispositivo. Dicha operación se lleva a cabo mediante una monitorización y gestión de unas líneas de alimentación del bus de comunicaciones que llegan desde la base hasta el dispositivo .  In another particular embodiment of the invention, when the connection between the mobile device and the docking station is hot-swap, the voltage control module gradually feeds the mobile device when connected to the base until a device operating voltage is reached. This operation is carried out by means of a monitoring and management of power lines of the communication bus that arrive from the base to the device.
Así pues, reduciendo el concepto a su mínima esencia, la base de acoplamiento consiste en un dispositivo electrónico que contiene una GPU y electrónica de apoyo al hardware del dispositivo móvil. En su construcción inicial está provista la implantación de un procesador gráfico integrado en la misma ofreciendo salida de video de alta calidad y alta resolución para todo tipo de pantallas, en diversos de los formatos existentes. Del mismo modo, la base incorpora circuitos de expansión de bus para la conexión de periféricos de usuario final (USB, Firewire, etc.) los cuales hacen posible la conexión de elementos como un ratón, teclado, pen USB, touchpad, impresora, escáner, etc. Por si sola la base de acoplamiento carece de funcionalidad propia, siendo únicamente un puente de conexión entre periféricos internos del dispositivo móvil inteligente conectados directamente a los buses mediante el conector habilitado para ello en uno de sus laterales y los periféricos adicionales que el usuario conecte. Tal y como se ha mencionado anteriormente, una de las tecnologías utilizadas en el proyecto es la utilización de la conexión hot-plug (o conexión en caliente) . Las conexiones USB o Firewire son unas de las tecnologías que poseen esta característica y se basa en la posibilidad de poder conectar o desconectar un dispositivo sin la necesidad de apagar la computadora principal. Una vez se conecta el dispositivo móvil a la base de acoplamiento, a través del bus de comunicaciones de alta velocidad que conecta la base y el dispositivo, pasa a ser la GPU de la base de comunicaciones como el principal procesador gráfico. Esto hace que mejore considerablemente el rendimiento al conectar el dispositivo móvil a la base de acoplamiento, ya que mediante la conexión en caliente se conectará la GPU de la base con los buses más internos del procesador del dispositivo móvil. Thus, reducing the concept to its minimum essence, the coupling base consists of an electronic device that contains a GPU and electronic support for the mobile device hardware. In its initial construction the implementation of a graphic processor integrated in it offering high quality and high resolution video output for all types of screens, in various existing formats. Similarly, the base incorporates bus expansion circuits for the connection of end-user peripherals (USB, Firewire, etc.) which make it possible to connect elements such as a mouse, keyboard, USB pen, touchpad, printer, scanner , etc. By itself, the docking station lacks its own functionality, being only a connection bridge between internal peripherals of the smart mobile device connected directly to the buses through the connector enabled for it on one of its sides and the additional peripherals that the user connects. As mentioned earlier, one of the technologies used in the project is the use of the hot-plug connection (or hot connection). USB or Firewire connections are one of the technologies that have this feature and is based on the possibility of connecting or disconnecting a device without the need to turn off the main computer. Once the mobile device is connected to the docking station, through the high-speed communications bus that connects the base and the device, it becomes the GPU of the communications base as the main graphics processor. This significantly improves performance when connecting the mobile device to the docking station, since by means of the hot connection the base GPU will be connected to the more internal buses of the mobile device processor.
Al mismo tiempo, al conectar el dispositivo, se realiza un escaneado para detectar el nuevo hardware (los periféricos), si lo hay, que esté conectado a la base de acoplamiento, ya sea una pantallas, un USB, etc. Al desconectarse el dispositivo de la base no hace falta apagarlo quedando guardado el trabajo realizado en la memoria del dispositivo móvil. Las principales ventajas que supone la presente invención con respecto al estado de la técnica son: At the same time, when connecting the device, a scan is performed to detect the new hardware (peripherals), if any, that is connected to the docking station, be it a screens, a USB, etc. When the device is disconnected from the base, it is not necessary to turn it off, keeping the work done in the memory of the mobile device. The main advantages of the present invention with respect to the prior art are:
• Permite utilizar el dispositivo portátil como un ordenador personal real: Al conectar el dispositivo portátil a la base de comunicaciones se obtienen unas prestaciones de potencia y rendimiento gráfico óptimas permitiendo utilizar las herramientas de software para ingeniería, diseño y ofimáticas más comunes del mercado. • Allows the use of the portable device as a real personal computer: By connecting the portable device to the communications base, optimal power and graphic performance benefits are obtained allowing the use of the most common engineering, design and office software tools on the market.
• Aporta un altísimo grado de movilidad al usuario ya que la información privada y herramientas de trabajo viajan con el usuario hasta encontrar la siguiente base donde se conecte el dispositivo portátil. • Provides a high degree of mobility to the user since private information and work tools travel with the user until they find the next base where the portable device is connected.
• Permite la Implantación de un nuevo modelo de trabajo.  • Allows the implementation of a new work model.
BREVE DESCRIPCION DE LAS FIGURAS BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
Figura 1.- Muestra un esquema de bloques de los elementos electrónicos mas relevantes del terminal Atrix® del estado de la técnica. Figure 1.- Shows a block diagram of the most relevant electronic elements of the state-of-the-art Atrix® terminal.
Figura 2.- Muestra una vista en perspectiva de un ejemplo de realización del sistema objeto de la presente invención .  Figure 2.- Shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the system object of the present invention.
Figura 3.- Muestra un diagrama de bloques de los elementos principales de la electrónica interna de un ordenador convencional y de un Smartphone, estando rodeados los elementos comunes de ambos .  Figure 3.- Shows a block diagram of the main elements of the internal electronics of a conventional computer and of a Smartphone, the common elements of both being surrounded.
Figura 4.- Muestra un esquema de bloques de un ejemplo de realización de de los elementos de la electrónica interna de la presente invención, estando mostrados a la izquierda los elementos y el flujo de datos del dispositivo móvil cuando está desacoplado y estando mostrados a la derecha los elementos y la electrónica interna del dispositivo móvil y de la base de acoplamiento cuando ambos están acoplados .  Figure 4.- It shows a block diagram of an example of embodiment of the elements of the internal electronics of the present invention, the elements and the data flow of the mobile device being shown on the left when uncoupled and being shown on the right the elements and the internal electronics of the mobile device and the docking station when both are coupled.
Figura 5.- Muestra un ejemplo de realización del sistema de la presente invención con el dispositivo móvil y la base de acoplamiento desacoplados en el que se muestra el módulo de control de voltaje que regula la alimentación del dispositivo cuando ambos se acoplan en un entorno de conexión/desconexión en caliente hot-swap. Figure 5.- Shows an embodiment of the system of the present invention with the mobile device and the base of decoupled coupling that shows the voltage control module that regulates the power of the device when both are coupled in a hot-swap hot-plug connection / disconnection environment.
DESCRIPCIÓN DE UN EJEMPLO DE REALIZACIÓN DE LA INVENCIÓN DESCRIPTION OF AN EXAMPLE OF EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
Seguidamente se realizan, con carácter ilustrativo y no limitativo, una descripción de varios ejemplos de realización de la invención, haciendo referencia a la numeración adoptada en las figuras .  Next, a description of several embodiments of the invention is made, by way of illustration and not limitation, with reference to the numbering adopted in the figures.
La figura 1 muestra un esquema de bloques del terminal Atrix® (1) de la empresa Motorola© perteneciente al estado de la técnica de la presente solicitud. Asi dicho terminal está gobernado por una CPU ARM Cortex® a lGhz (2) que a su vez comprende un procesador de video (3), un procesador de imagen Figure 1 shows a block diagram of the Atrix® terminal (1) of the Motorola © company belonging to the prior art of the present application. Thus said terminal is governed by an ARM Cortex® CPU at lGhz (2) which in turn comprises a video processor (3), an image processor
(4) y una GPU Envidia GeForce® (5) . Además el terminal dispone de un salida HDMI (6) y una salida USB (7), estando conectadas ambas a los respectivos conectores HDMI (8) y USB (9), una memoria RAM (10), una memoria flash (11), una interfaz de procesamiento móvil industrial (MIPI) (12), un receptor/transmisor universal (UART) (13), una pantalla (14), un interfaz de control de periféricos (SPI) (15), un módulo de seguridad de las comunicaciones (16) y un bus de comunicaciones (I2C) (17) para la comunicación entre los elementos del terminal (1) . (4) and an Envidia GeForce® GPU (5). In addition, the terminal has an HDMI output (6) and a USB output (7), both of which are connected to the respective HDMI (8) and USB (9) connectors, a RAM memory (10), a flash memory (11), an industrial mobile processing interface (MIPI) (12), a universal receiver / transmitter (UART) (13), a display (14), a peripheral control interface (SPI) (15), a security module for the communications (16) and a communications bus (I2C) (17) for communication between the terminal elements (1).
La figura 2 muestra una vista en perspectiva de una realización particular del sistema objeto de la presente invención en el que el dispositivo móvil (28) y la base de acoplamiento (30) están en posición de desacoplo. Nótese que el diseño tanto de la base como del dispositivo mostrado en esta figura es sólo una realización particular de la presente invención no siendo el objeto de la misma. El dispositivo (28) se introduce en una ranura (18) de la base (29) que comprende medios de sujeción del dispositivo (28) asi como un conector Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a particular embodiment of the system object of the present invention in which the mobile device (28) and the coupling base (30) are in the decoupling position. Note that the design of both the base and the device shown in this figure is only a particular embodiment of the present invention not being the object thereof. The device (28) is inserted into a slot (18) of the base (29) comprising means for holding the device (28) as well as a connector
(no mostrado) situado en correspondencia con el conector de la parte inferior (no mostrado) del dispositivo (28) . La base (29) a su vez, comprende cables (19) de conexión a periféricos(not shown) located in correspondence with the connector on the bottom (not shown) of the device (28). Base (29) in turn, comprises peripheral connection cables (19)
(no mostrados) . (not shown).
La figura 3 muestra una comparativa de la electrónica básica que comparten el dispositivo móvil inteligente objeto de la presente invención y un ordenador personal convencional. Se puede observar de esta figura que el máximo común divisor de ambos está formado por la CPU (20), la memoria RAM (21) y la memoria flash (22) . Por otro lado, quedan fuera de este grupo la GPU de altas prestaciones de los PCs frente a la GPU integrada (23) de los dispositivos móviles que son muy limitadas y el soporte hardware de los periféricos (25, 26) que difieren bastante por la naturaleza de los periféricos a los que se conectan. Además los ordenadores convencionales suelen incorporar memorias adicionales (27) que no incorporan los Smartphones .  Figure 3 shows a comparison of the basic electronics shared by the intelligent mobile device object of the present invention and a conventional personal computer. It can be seen from this figure that the greatest common factor of both is formed by the CPU (20), RAM (21) and flash memory (22). On the other hand, the high-performance GPU of the PCs versus the integrated GPU (23) of the mobile devices that are very limited and the hardware support of the peripherals (25, 26) that differ greatly by the nature of the peripherals to which they connect. In addition, conventional computers usually incorporate additional memories (27) that do not incorporate Smartphones.
La figura 4 muestra un esquema de bloques de una realización particular del funcionamiento y el flujo de datos del dispositivo cuando se encuentra en modo desacoplado de la base como cuando está acoplado a la base. El dispositivo móvil Figure 4 shows a block diagram of a particular embodiment of the operation and data flow of the device when it is in decoupled mode from the base as when it is coupled to the base. Mobile device
(28) descrito en la presente invención contiene un procesador(28) described in the present invention contains a processor
(CPU) de altas prestaciones (30) conectada a una memoria de estado sólido (memoria flash) (34) y una memoria RAM de alta capacidad (35), una GPU (33) conectada a la CPU (30) y a las memorias (34, 35) y una pantalla (32) conectada a la GPU (31) . La base de acoplamiento (29) contiene una potente GPU (36), análoga a la de un ordenador de sobremesa, asi como el soporte hardware (37) para conectar los periféricos habituales del mismo como son por ejemplo, una pantalla de alta definiciónHigh-performance (CPU) (30) connected to a solid-state memory (flash memory) (34) and a high-capacity RAM (35), a GPU (33) connected to the CPU (30) and memories ( 34, 35) and a screen (32) connected to the GPU (31). The coupling base (29) contains a powerful GPU (36), analogous to that of a desktop computer, as well as the hardware support (37) to connect the usual peripherals of the same as for example, a high-definition screen
(38), una teclado (39) y un ratón (40). Con la finalidad de hacer posible la conexión en caliente de la GPU al bus interno del dispositivo móvil se emplea un protocolo de conexión "PCI- Express" por ser la tecnología en vanguardia y ser capaz de proveer los anchos de banda necesarios para este cometido. Para ello se ha integrado un conversor a protocolo PCI-e en el interior del dispositivo (28) con el fin de hacer el bus del mismo accesible bajo este protocolo. Así una vez acoplados la base (29) y el dispositivo (28) a través de los respectivos conectores del expansión (41) del bus de comunicaciones (42) del dispositivo móvil, dicho bus (42) abre cada uno de los canales que lo integran de manera que la GPU (36) y el soporte hardware (37) de la base (29) pasan a formar parte de la electrónica conjunta del sistema. (38), a keyboard (39) and a mouse (40). In order to make the hot-plug connection of the GPU to the internal bus of the mobile device possible, a "PCI-Express" connection protocol is used because it is the cutting-edge technology and is capable of providing the necessary bandwidths for this purpose. To this end, a converter to the PCI-e protocol has been integrated inside the device (28) in order to make the bus accessible under this protocol. So once coupled the base (29) and the device (28) through the respective expansion connectors (41) of the communication bus (42) of the mobile device, said bus (42) opens each of the channels that integrate it so that the GPU (36) and the hardware support (37) of the base (29) become part of the joint electronics of the system.
Con un enlace PCI-e xl6 entre la base (29) y el dispositivo (28) se alcanzan los 4GB/s bidireccionales necesarios para suplir el flujo necesario de datos de/desde una tarjeta gráfica externa media. Además, se ha previsto al menos un canal independiente para la comunicación de los periféricos conectados a la base (29): (16 canales PCIe (gráfica) + 1 canal PCI-e (periféricos)) x 4 lineas/canal = 68 lineas de datos (mínimo) .  With a PCI-e xl6 link between the base (29) and the device (28), the bidirectional 4GB / s necessary to supply the necessary data flow from / from an average external graphics card are reached. In addition, at least one independent channel is provided for communication of peripherals connected to the base (29): (16 PCIe channels (graphic) + 1 PCI-e channel (peripherals)) x 4 lines / channel = 68 lines of data (minimum).
Debido a las velocidades de transferencia y al elevado número de líneas se ha previsto la protección frente a ruidos electromagnéticos interlineares mediante el uso de líneas de masa intercaladas entre pares de líneas del bus (42), así como planos de masa adyacentes al bus (42) con el fin de aislar el mismo de interferencias electromagnéticas externas. Asimismo se tomarán las precauciones típicas necesarias inherentes al diseño de buses de comunicación tales como el cálculo de líneas eléctricamente cortas con el fin de evitar la pérdida de señal por atenuamiento y el uso de terminadores adecuados para impedir rebotes que alteren la morfología eléctrica de la señal .  Due to the transfer speeds and the high number of lines, protection against interlinear electromagnetic noise has been provided through the use of interleaved mass lines between pairs of bus lines (42), as well as ground planes adjacent to the bus (42 ) in order to isolate it from external electromagnetic interference. Likewise, the necessary typical precautions inherent in the design of communication buses such as the calculation of electrically short lines will be taken in order to avoid loss of signal due to attenuation and the use of suitable terminators to prevent bounces that alter the electrical morphology of the signal. .
Con el fin de hacer del proceso de reconfiguración (pasar del funcionamiento del dispositivo (28) en modo autónomo a trabajar en modo acoplado a la base (29)) de la arquitectura electrónica del sistema un proceso transparente al usuario, las tareas de adaptación y reconfiguración en caliente se delegan en un módulo de reconfiguración cuya función es la monitorización constante del estado del conector de expansión de bus (41) y actuar en consecuencia en el momento en el cual se conecta o desconecta el dispositivo (28) de la base (29) . Cuando se produce una conexión o desconexión, el módulo de reconfiguración (no mostrado), que se integra en la CPU (30), se hace cargo de llevar a cabo los cambios pertinentes en el sistema de manera automática consiguiendo de este modo un efecto hot-plug totalmente funcional y transparente al usuario . Cuando se produce la conexión del dispositivo (28) a la base (29) se producen una serie de eventos dictaminados por la secuencia descrita a continuación:In order to make the reconfiguration process (move from the operation of the device (28) in autonomous mode to work in mode coupled to the base (29)) of the electronic architecture of the system a transparent process to the user, adaptation tasks and Hot reconfiguration is delegated to a reconfiguration module whose function is the constant monitoring of the state of the bus expansion connector (41) and act accordingly at the time when the device (28) is connected to or disconnected from the base ( 29). When a connection or disconnection occurs, The reconfiguration module (not shown), which is integrated into the CPU (30), is responsible for carrying out the relevant changes in the system automatically, thus achieving a fully functional and transparent hot-plug effect to the user. . When the connection of the device (28) to the base (29) occurs, a series of events are dictated by the sequence described below:
• Detección de conexión mediante interrupción: La detección del evento de conexión del dispositivo (28) se lleva a cabo mediante una de las lineas de interrupción de la CPU (30) . • Connection detection by interruption: The detection of the connection event of the device (28) is carried out by means of one of the interrupt lines of the CPU (30).
Una vez finalizada la atención del evento, la CPU (30) retoma la ejecución de la tarea interrumpida y continúa el proceso detenido con normalidad.  Once the attention of the event is finished, the CPU (30) returns to the execution of the interrupted task and continues the process stopped normally.
Cuando se lleva a cabo la conexión del dispositivo (28) sobre la base (29) de comunicaciones se produce un cambio de tensión en una de las lineas del conector (41), que provoca una interrupción de hardware externa indicándole al módulo de reconfiguración que se ha producido un cambio y ha de actuar en consecuencia.  When the connection of the device (28) is carried out on the communications base (29), a voltage change occurs in one of the connector lines (41), which causes an external hardware interruption indicating to the reconfiguration module that there has been a change and must act accordingly.
• Escaneado del bus (42) y listado de los dispositivos conectados al mismo: el módulo de reconfiguración procederá a un escaneado del bus en busca de cambios en la configuración de los componentes, estableciendo una lista de los dispositivos encontrados y de sus características . El hardware que ya se encontrara previamente anclado al bus (42) será ignorado.  • Bus scan (42) and list of devices connected to it: the reconfiguration module will proceed to scan the bus for changes in the configuration of the components, establishing a list of the devices found and their characteristics. The hardware already found previously anchored to the bus (42) will be ignored.
• Identificación de los dispositivos y carga dinámica de drivers : Una vez confeccionada la lista con los nuevos dispositivos hallados en el bus (42), el módulo de reconfiguración cargará en la memoria (35) de forma secuencial los drivers de cada uno de ellos con el fin de hacer utilizables los mismos por parte del sistema. Se tendrá en cuenta la posible dependencia entre drivers, estableciendo el orden de carga adecuado. Redireccionamiento del flujo de entrada y salida: una vez cargados los drivers y auto configurados los dispositivos dinámicamente ya será posible acceder a ellos . El módulo de reconfiguración cargará los drivers HID (Dispositivo de Interfaz Humana) para control del teclado (39) y el ratón (40). Asimismo redireccionará el flujo de información de entrada y salida hacia los dispositivos conectados a ella y los establecerá como dispositivos de entrada/salida predeterminada de forma que serán usables de forma inmediata durante todo el rato que el dispositivo (28) se encuentre enchufado a la base (29) (a menos que durante el uso del mismo el usuario especifique lo contrario a conveniencia) . • Device identification and dynamic driver load: Once the list has been prepared with the new devices found on the bus (42), the reconfiguration module will load the drivers of each of them sequentially in memory (35) with in order to make them usable by the system. The possible dependence between drivers will be taken into account, establishing the appropriate load order. Redirection of the input and output flow: once the drivers have been loaded and the devices have been dynamically configured, it will be possible to access them. The reconfiguration module will load the HID (Human Interface Device) drivers to control the keyboard (39) and the mouse (40). It will also redirect the flow of input and output information to the devices connected to it and establish them as predetermined input / output devices so that they will be immediately usable for as long as the device (28) is plugged into the base (29) (unless the user specifies otherwise for convenience during use).
Carga de librerías gráficas de soporte GPGPULoad GPGPU support graphic libraries
(computación de propósito general sobre unidades de procesamiento gráfico) en memoria: Cuando el dispositivo(general purpose computing on graphic processing units) in memory: When the device
(28) se encuentra desconectado hace uso de la GPU (31) integrada como parte de su arquitectura. En el momento en el que se conecta a la base (29) y las funciones gráficas se delegan en la GPU (36) de la base (29) por lo que las posibilidades de cómputo gráfico se ven notablemente mejoradas y debido a ello, será posible hacer uso de librerías gráficas que mejoren el rendimiento y permitan sacar todo el partido a la potente GPU (36) de la base (29) . Mientras el dispositivo (28) se encuentra en modo de funcionamiento autónomo dichas librerías se encuentran descargadas con el fin de economizar recursos en materia de memoria RAM(28) is disconnected makes use of the integrated GPU (31) as part of its architecture. At the moment it is connected to the base (29) and the graphic functions are delegated to the GPU (36) of the base (29) so the possibilities of graphic computation are markedly improved and due to this, it will be It is possible to make use of graphic libraries that improve performance and allow you to take full advantage of the powerful GPU (36) in the base (29). While the device (28) is in autonomous mode of operation, said libraries are downloaded in order to save resources on RAM
(34) por lo que el último paso lógico una vez colocado el dispositivo (28) sobre la base (29), será cargar en memoria y habilitar todas aquellas librerías y aplicaciones de usuario disponibles que se encuentren involucradas en mejorar la experiencia del usuario y sacar el máximo rendimiento al sistema, ya sea haciendo uso de las funciones de uso estándar de la tarjeta gráfica o de librerías de apoyo mediante funcionalidad basada en operaciones de servicios de computación GPGPU. El módulo de reconfiguración también será capaz de gestionar la desconexión del dispositivo móvil (28) de la base (29) y de llevar a cabo las operaciones necesarias para garantizar su transición de modo de funcionamiento acoplado a modo autónomo de forma transparente al usuario. Este proceso seguirá los siguientes pasos: (34) so that the last logical step once the device (28) is placed on the base (29), will be to load into memory and enable all available libraries and user applications that are involved in improving the user experience and get the most out of the system, either by using the standard card functions graphic or support libraries through functionality based on GPGPU computing services operations. The reconfiguration module will also be able to manage the disconnection of the mobile device (28) from the base (29) and to carry out the necessary operations to ensure its transition from operating mode coupled to autonomous mode transparently to the user. This process will follow the following steps:
• Detección de desconexión mediante interrupción: la desconexión provoca un cambio de tensión en el mismo contacto, que en el caso de la conexión, del conector (41) que el dispositivo (28) reconoce como un cambio en la configuración del sistema.  • Disconnection detection by interruption: disconnection causes a change in voltage at the same contact, as in the case of connection, of the connector (41) that the device (28) recognizes as a change in the system configuration.
• Escaneado del bus y listado de los dispositivos detectados : el módulo de reconfiguración procederá a un escaneado del bus en busca de cambios en la configuración de los componentes conectados a él, estableciendo una lista de los dispositivos encontrados y de sus características .  • Bus scan and list of detected devices: the reconfiguration module will proceed to scan the bus for changes in the configuration of the components connected to it, establishing a list of the devices found and their characteristics.
• Descarga dinámica de drivers huérfanos: Tomando la lista elaborada en el paso anterior, se procederá a la descarga de los módulos "huérfanos", esto es, aquellos en los que ha sido eliminado el dispositivo el cual están destinados a controlar. Para ello, y de forma análoga al proceso de carga, se tendrá en cuenta la posible dependencia entre módulos y se actuará en consecuencia descargando primero aquellos que no supongan la creación de conflictos con otros drivers . • Dynamic download of orphaned drivers: Taking the list elaborated in the previous step, the "orphaned" modules will be downloaded, that is, those in which the device which they are intended to control has been removed. To do this, and analogous to the loading process, the possible dependence between modules will be taken into account and will be acted upon accordingly by first downloading those that do not involve the creation of conflicts with other drivers.
• Redireccionamiento del tráfico de entrada y salida a los periféricos del dispositivo (28) : Debido a que ya no están disponibles los dispositivos hardware conectados a la base (29), se devolverá el sistema a su estado natural estableciendo como dispositivos de entrada / salida los dispositivos internos del dispositivo (28) . • Descarga de librerías gráficas y GPGPU previamente cargadas: Como último paso, descargarán todas aquellas librerías y aplicaciones cargadas durante el proceso de conexión volviendo de este modo al dispositivo (28) a su estado natural de funcionamiento autónomo y liberando al sistema del consumo innecesario de recursos de memoria. En una realización particular de la presente invención se ha previsto un dispositivo móvil (28) que ofrece todas las funcionalidades de un terminal móvil de última generación, provisto de un procesador (30) de 1.5 a 2 Ghz, memoria RAM (35) de 1 a 2 GB, elevada capacidad de almacenamiento masivo y un consumo energético muy ajustado. En la base (29), se integra la GPU de altas prestaciones (36) y la electrónica de soporte de periféricos (37) . En modo acoplado la base (29) a la arquitectura interna del dispositivo (28) ofreciendo las características de un ordenador personal de gama media con un procesador de 1.5 GB, 1-2 GB DDR2 de RAM, disco duro de X GB y una GPU de capacidades superior a una Matrox® de gama media y comparables a una Nvidia® o ATI® de gama baja-media, capaz de ejecutar aplicaciones de uso cotidiano así como de ingeniería, desarrollo multimedia, renderizado, etc. al mismo tiempo que provee de toda la potencia de la computación genérica GPU (GPGPU computing) para la ejecución de aplicaciones de alta carga computacional . • Redirection of incoming and outgoing traffic to the peripherals of the device (28): Because the hardware devices connected to the base (29) are no longer available, the system will be returned to its natural state by establishing as input / output devices the internal devices of the device (28). • Download of previously loaded graphic libraries and GPGPUs: As a last step, they will download all those libraries and applications loaded during the connection process, thus returning the device (28) to its natural state of autonomous operation and freeing the system from unnecessary consumption of memory resources In a particular embodiment of the present invention a mobile device (28) is provided that offers all the functionalities of a last generation mobile terminal, provided with a processor (30) of 1.5 to 2 GHz, RAM memory (35) of 1 at 2 GB, high mass storage capacity and very tight energy consumption. In the base (29), the high-performance GPU (36) and the peripheral support electronics (37) are integrated. In mode coupled the base (29) to the internal architecture of the device (28) offering the characteristics of a mid-range personal computer with a 1.5 GB processor, 1-2 GB DDR2 of RAM, X GB hard drive and a GPU of capacities superior to a mid-range Matrox® and comparable to a low-medium Nvidia® or ATI®, capable of running everyday applications as well as engineering, multimedia development, rendering, etc. At the same time it provides all the power of generic GPU computing (GPGPU computing) for the execution of high computational load applications.
Por su parte, la conexión anteriormente mencionada al bus PCI- express implica un ancho de banda de 250Mb/s por cada línea de conexión del bus. Se ha previsto también la conexión con el bus DMI (interfaz de medios directos), lo que supondría un aumento de la velocidad de trabajo, ya que este bus trabaja a unas velocidades de pocos GT/s, dependiendo del procesador. Estas líneas del bus de comunicaciones (42) deben de ir perfectamente aisladas, y con el apantallamiento de las líneas se solucionan los problemas de las posibles interferencias. En la presente invención al haber varias líneas de bus se produce una inducción entre ellas, conocida como "Crosstalk" que es mayor cuanto más alta es la frecuencia de trabajo y cuanto mayores son las impedancias de las lineas. Se ha previsto intercalar una pista de masa entre las señales para solucionar este problema. También se ha previsto la colocación de capas de masa en los circuitos impresos (PCB's) para realizar conexiones a masa multipuntos, ya que a altas frecuencias, se deben de evitar cables largos en la electrónica interna. For its part, the aforementioned connection to the PCI-express bus implies a bandwidth of 250Mb / s for each bus connection line. It is also planned to connect to the DMI bus (direct media interface), which would mean an increase in working speed, since this bus works at speeds of few GT / s, depending on the processor. These lines of the communication bus (42) must be perfectly isolated, and with the shielding of the lines the problems of possible interference are solved. In the present invention, having several bus lines produces an induction between them, known as "Crosstalk" which is the higher the higher the working frequency and the higher the impedances of the lines. It is planned to insert a mass track between the signals to solve this problem. The placement of ground layers in the printed circuits (PCBs) is also planned to make multipoint ground connections, since at high frequencies, long cables in the internal electronics should be avoided.
En una realización particular de la invención, para evitar la aparición de sobrecorrientes , sobretensiones y electrostática se ha previsto la utilización de diodos zener y/o transistores en cada linea de la conexión, ya que el tamaño de los optoaclopadores impide su uso. In a particular embodiment of the invention, in order to avoid the appearance of overcurrents, surges and electrostatics, the use of zener diodes and / or transistors in each line of the connection has been provided, since the size of the opto-clusters prevents their use.
Asi en otra realización particular de la invención el dispositivo (28) lleva incorporado una batería, por ejemplo de litio, recargable que dará unos 3.7 voltios de alimentación y que dotará al móvil de aproximadamente 240 horas de independencia en reposo y unas 10 horas en conversación. Esta batería tendrá un consumo máximo de unos 1100mA/h, aproximadamente unos 4.3W/h.  Thus, in another particular embodiment of the invention, the device (28) incorporates a rechargeable lithium battery, for example, which will give about 3.7 volts of power and will provide the mobile with approximately 240 hours of standby independence and about 10 hours in conversation . This battery will have a maximum consumption of about 1100mA / h, about 4.3W / h.
La base (29) llevará incorporado un pequeño transformador en el enchufe que convierta los 230V de la red en una tensión de aproximadamente 5v dependiendo de los componentes instalados en la base (29) . La máxima corriente de salida oscilará en torno a 1A, por lo que el máximo consumo en la base de acoplamiento (29) será de unos 5 Watios. En el interior de la base se incorporarán los reguladores de tensión necesarios para dar a cada elemento interno de la base una tensión adecuada. Este bajo consumo es una de las ventajas del sistema, realiza las funciones de un netbook pero con mucho menor tamaño y mucho menor consumo, ya que el consumo de un netbook convencional supera los 7Watios. El módulo GSM incorporado (no mostrado en las figuras) es un UMTS/3G, trabajando en una frecuencia entre 1850Mhz y 2170Mhz.  The base (29) will have a small transformer incorporated in the socket that converts the 230V of the network into a voltage of approximately 5v depending on the components installed in the base (29). The maximum output current will oscillate around 1A, so the maximum consumption in the coupling base (29) will be about 5 Watts. Inside the base the necessary voltage regulators will be incorporated to give each internal element of the base a suitable tension. This low consumption is one of the advantages of the system, it performs the functions of a netbook but with much smaller size and much lower consumption, since the consumption of a conventional netbook exceeds 7Watios. The built-in GSM module (not shown in the figures) is a UMTS / 3G, working at a frequency between 1850Mhz and 2170Mhz.
Desde el punto de vista hardware, se ha dotado al sistema de mecanismos de protección frente a conexiones y desconexiones en caliente. Cuando se conecta un dispositivo (28) al bus PCIe (42) se produce un pico de corriente hacia el dispositivo (28) y con ello se dan cambios de tensión que repercuten en el resto del sistema comprometiendo su estabilidad, pudiendo llegar a colgar el sistema operativo. A medio-largo plazo, incluso pueden dañarse algunos componentes electrónicos irreversiblemente. Ello manifiesta la necesidad de llevar a cabo un control de la energía que llega al slot de expansión, debiendo poder controlar el suministro energético de las líneas de alimentación en todo momento. Se debe proveer de algún mecanismo mediante el cual sea posible notificar al sistema en el momento en el cual se conecta o desconecta un dispositivo al slot de expansión, con el fin de actuar en consecuencia y añadirlo al sistema. De forma análoga, ha de notificarse de las desconexiones llevadas a cabo. Se han implementado los recursos necesarios para ofrecer conectividad hot-swap en un slot que no está preparado para ello controlado por chipset no preparado para ello- teniendo en cuenta que se conectara cualquier tipo de dispositivo que tampoco estará preparado para ello. Ello hace que tampoco sea posible reutilizar la infraestructura hot-plug de PCI Express. La figura 5 muestra la electrónica asociada al control del voltaje de alimentación del dispositivo (28) cuando éste se acopla a la base (29) . El procesador (30) se encuentra conectado al chipset (43), el cual abre la conexión del bus PCI Express x8 (42) directamente del northbridge (44) del mismo al slot de conexión (41) inferior del dispositivo (28). El trazado de las líneas de datos desde el chipset (44) hasta el slot (41) es directo, sin embargo en las líneas de alimentación se intercala un módulo (45) sobre el cual se delega el control de la tensión que llega al slot (41) de expansión, y por ende, al dispositivo (28) conectado al mismo. El módulo (45) utilizado controla en todo momento la alimentación del slot. Dicho módulo (45) se encuentra conectado al procesador (30) a través de dos pines GPIO (pines de propósito general I/O) implementando una conexión I2C (46), a través del cual es posible conocer en todo momento la intensidad que circula por las lineas de alimentación independientemente, asi como de establecer limites, activar o desactivar completamente el suministro energético. Con esto se solucionan los problemas derivados de la conexión en caliente. Paralelamente al bus PCIe, se añaden al conector una serie de lineas independientes USB, directas del southbridge (47) del módulo (45), con el fin de hacer posible la conexión de periféricos desde la base (29) . Una linea directa (48) a una patilla del procesador (30) actúa a modo de interrupción. A su vez la base (29) dispone de la GPU (36) de altas prestaciones conectada a una batería de salidas/entradas de video (48) y el slot (41) de expansión se conecta a la GPU (36) y a los conectores de los periféricos habilitados en la propia base (29) . From the hardware point of view, the system has been provided with protection mechanisms against hot connections and disconnections. When a device (28) is connected to the PCIe bus (42) a peak of current is produced towards the device (28) and with this there are voltage changes that have an impact on the rest of the system, compromising its stability, and the operating system may hang up. In the medium to long term, some electronic components may even be irreversibly damaged. This manifests the need to carry out a control of the energy that reaches the expansion slot, and must be able to control the power supply of the power lines at all times. Some mechanism must be provided by which it is possible to notify the system at the time when a device is connected or disconnected to the expansion slot, in order to act accordingly and add it to the system. Similarly, the disconnections carried out must be notified. The necessary resources have been implemented to offer hot-swap connectivity in a slot that is not prepared for it, controlled by chipset not prepared for it - taking into account that any type of device that will not be prepared for it will be connected. This also makes it impossible to reuse the PCI Express hot-plug infrastructure. Figure 5 shows the electronics associated with the control of the supply voltage of the device (28) when it is coupled to the base (29). The processor (30) is connected to the chipset (43), which opens the connection of the PCI Express x8 bus (42) directly from the northbridge (44) of the same to the lower connection slot (41) of the device (28). The tracing of the data lines from the chipset (44) to the slot (41) is direct, however in the power lines a module (45) is inserted over which the control of the voltage that reaches the slot is delegated (41) of expansion, and therefore, to the device (28) connected to it. The module (45) used controls the slot power supply at all times. Said module (45) is connected to the processor (30) through two GPIO pins (general purpose I / O pins) implementing an I2C connection (46), through which it is possible to know at all times the intensity that circulates through the power lines independently, as well as setting limits, activating or completely deactivating the energy supply. This solves the problems arising from the hot plug. Parallel to the PCIe bus, a series of independent USB lines, direct from the southbridge (47) of the module (45), are added to the connector, in order to make it possible to connect peripherals from the base (29). A direct line (48) to a processor pin (30) acts as an interruption. In turn, the base (29) has the high-performance GPU (36) connected to a battery of video outputs / inputs (48) and the expansion slot (41) is connected to the GPU (36) and the connectors of the peripherals enabled in the base itself (29).
En realizaciones particulares se ha previsto, por ejemplo, el uso de la presente invención: mediante una conexión directa en la parte superior de una televisión que haría posible visualizar en ella las películas en alta definición alojadas en el dispositivo; mediante una conexión en la guantera de un vehículo que permitiría traspasar actualizaciones de GPS o de archivos de audio al radiocd del mismo; mediante una conexión en un equipo de audio de alta fidelidad del hogar que permitiría la reproducción de archivos de audio previamente descargados por medio del terminal conectado a la base de comunicaciones después de ejecutar una aplicación de intercambio de archivos.  In particular embodiments, for example, the use of the present invention is provided: by means of a direct connection on the top of a television that would make it possible to display in it the high definition movies housed in the device; through a connection in the glove compartment of a vehicle that would allow the transfer of GPS or audio file updates to the radiocd of the vehicle; by means of a connection in a high-fidelity home audio equipment that would allow the reproduction of previously downloaded audio files through the terminal connected to the communications base after executing a file-sharing application.

Claims

REIVI DICACIONES REIVI DICATIONS
1.- Sistema de interconexión de un dispositivo móvil con una base de acoplamiento conectable a periféricos, caracterizado porque el dispositivo comprende: 1.- Interconnection system of a mobile device with a coupling base that can be connected to peripherals, characterized in that the device comprises:
- la base de acoplamiento que al menos comprende:  - the coupling base that at least comprises:
• una primera unidad de procesamiento gráfico; • a first graphic processing unit;
• un módulo electrónico de gestión de periféricos;• an electronic peripheral management module;
• circuitos de expansión de bus para la conexión de periféricos a la base de acoplamiento; • bus expansion circuits for connecting peripherals to the docking station;
• un puerto serie de alta velocidad para la conexión con el dispositivo portátil, estando conectado además el puerto serie a la primera unidad de procesamiento gráfico y a los circuitos de expansión mediante un primer bus de comunicaciones; el dispositivo móvil que al menos comprende:  • a high-speed serial port for connection to the portable device, the serial port also being connected to the first graphic processing unit and to the expansion circuits via a first communications bus; the mobile device that at least comprises:
• un procesador;  • a processor;
• una segunda unidad de procesamiento gráfico; • a second graphic processing unit;
• una memoria RAM; • a RAM memory;
• una memoria flash;  • a flash memory;
• un puerto serie de alta velocidad para conectarse a la base de acoplamiento, estando conectado el puerto serie al procesador, la segunda unidad de procesamiento gráfico y las memorias flash y RAM mediante un segundo bus de comunicaciones; un bus de comunicaciones de alta velocidad que conecta el puerto serie de alta velocidad de la base de acoplamiento con el puerto serie de alta velocidad del dispositivo portátil cuando la base y el dispositivo están acoplados, que comprende tener un canal independiente para la comunicación de los periféricos conectados a la base con el dispositivo portátil . • a high-speed serial port to connect to the docking station, the serial port being connected to the processor, the second graphics processing unit and the flash and RAM memories via a second communications bus; a high-speed communications bus that connects the high-speed serial port of the docking station with the high-speed serial port of the portable device when the base and the device are coupled, comprising having a separate channel for communication of the peripherals connected to the base with the portable device.
2.- Sistema de interconexión, según la reivindicación 1, caracterizado porque la base de acoplamiento y el dispositivo móvil comprenden medios de conexión en caliente para la conexión del dispositivo a la base. 2. Interconnection system according to claim 1, characterized in that the coupling base and the mobile device comprise hot-plug means for connecting the device to the base.
3.- Sistema de interconexión, según la reivindicación 2, caracterizada porque los medios de conexión en caliente están seleccionados entre medios de conexión hot-plug y medios de conexión hot-swap. 3. Interconnection system according to claim 2, characterized in that the hot-plug means are selected between hot-plug connection means and hot-swap connection means.
4.- Sistema de interconexión, según la reivindicación 3, caracterizado porque cuando los medios de conexión en caliente son hot-swap la base comprende un módulo de control de voltaje que alimenta de forma gradual al dispositivo cuando se conecta a la base hasta alcanzar unos niveles de tensión de funcionamiento del dispositivo normales. 4. Interconnection system according to claim 3, characterized in that when the hot-plug means are hot-swap the base comprises a voltage control module that gradually feeds the device when connected to the base until reaching about Normal operating voltage levels of the device.
5. - Sistema de interconexión, según una cualquiera de las reivindicaciones anteriores, caracterizado porque el bus de comunicaciones de alta velocidad es un bus PCI- Express. 5. - Interconnection system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the high-speed communication bus is a PCI-Express bus.
6.- Sistema de interconexión, según una cualquiera de las reivindicaciones anteriores, caracterizado porque el bus de comunicaciones de alta velocidad comprende lineas de masa intercaladas con las lineas de comunicación del bus para evitar interferencias entre las lineas del bus . 6. Interconnection system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the high-speed communications bus comprises ground lines interspersed with the bus communication lines to avoid interference between the bus lines.
7. - Sistema de interconexión, según cualquiera de las reivindicaciones anteriores, caracterizado porque el bus de comunicaciones comprende tener planos de masa situados adyacentemente para aislar al bus de interferencias electromagnéticas externas . 7. - Interconnection system, according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the communication bus comprises having adjacent mass planes to isolate the bus from external electromagnetic interference.
8.- Método de interconexión de un dispositivo móvil con una base de acoplamiento conectable a periféricos, para llevar a cabo la interconexión del sistema descrito en una cualquiera de las reivindicaciones anteriores, caracterizado porque comprende las siguientes fases : 8.- Method of interconnection of a mobile device with a coupling base connectable to peripherals, to carry out the interconnection of the system described in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises the following phases:
- una fase de conexión del dispositivo móvil a la base de acoplamiento que tras el acoplamiento físico de los mismos comprende las siguientes etapas:  - a phase of connection of the mobile device to the coupling base which, after physical coupling thereof, comprises the following steps:
• detectar la conexión mediante la detección de un cambio de tensión en una de las líneas de interrupción del procesador del dispositivo móvil; • detect the connection by detecting a voltage change in one of the interrupt lines of the processor of the mobile device;
• escanear por parte del dispositivo móvil el segundo bus de comunicaciones para detectar los periféricos conectados al mismo; • scan the second communication bus by the mobile device to detect the peripherals connected to it;
• almacenar en la memoria RAM del dispositivo un listado de periféricos detectados y cargar en la memoria RAM unos drivers de cada uno de los periféricos detectados;  • store a list of detected peripherals in the device's RAM and load drivers of each of the detected peripherals into RAM;
• direccionar el flujo de información de entrada/salida de los periféricos detectados hacia el procesador del dispositivo móvil a través del bus de alta velocidad;  • direct the flow of input / output information from the detected peripherals to the processor of the mobile device through the high-speed bus;
- una fase de desconexión del dispositivo portátil de la base de acoplamiento que tras la desconexión física de los mismos comprende las siguientes etapas:  - a phase of disconnection of the portable device from the coupling base which, after physical disconnection thereof, comprises the following steps:
• detectar la desconexión mediante la detección de un cambio de tensión en una de las líneas de interrupción del procesador del dispositivo portátil ;  • detect disconnection by detecting a voltage change in one of the interrupt lines of the processor of the portable device;
• descargar de la memoria RAM los drivers de los periférico detectados;  • download peripheral drivers detected from RAM memory;
• direccionar el flujo de información de entrada/salida del dispositivo móvil hacia elementos del propio dispositivo móvil;  • direct the flow of input / output information from the mobile device to elements of the mobile device itself;
9.- Método de interconexión, según la reivindicación 8, caracterizado porque la fase de conexión del dispositivo a la base comprende cargar en la memoria RAM del dispositivo de comunicaciones unas librerías gráficas de soporte GPGPU previamente almacenadas en la base de comunicaciones y la fase de desconexión comprende descargar de la memoria RAM del dispositivo de comunicaciones las librerías gráficas de soporte GPGPU previamente cargadas . 9. Interconnection method according to claim 8, characterized in that the phase of connection of the device to the base comprises loading into the RAM of the device of communications a GPGPU support graphic libraries previously stored in the communications base and the disconnection phase comprises downloading the previously loaded GPGPU support graphic libraries from the RAM of the communications device.
10.- Método de interconexión, según una cualquiera las reivindicaciones 8 y 9 caracterizado porque interconexión entre el dispositivo portátil y la base comunicaciones se realiza bajo un entorno conexión/desconexión en caliente. 10. Interconnection method, according to any one of claims 8 and 9, characterized in that interconnection between the portable device and the communications base is carried out under a hot-plug / disconnect environment.
11.- Método de interconexión, según la reivindicación 10, caracterizado porque la interconexión entre el dispositivo portátil está seleccionada entre una conexión hot-plug y una conexión hot-swap. 11. Interconnection method according to claim 10, characterized in that the interconnection between the portable device is selected between a hot-plug connection and a hot-swap connection.
12.- Método de interconexión, según la reivindicación 11, caracterizado porque cuando la conexión entre el dispositivo móvil y la base de acoplamiento es hot-swap, el módulo de control de voltaje alimenta gradualmente el dispositivo móvil al conectarse a la base hasta alcanzar un voltaje de funcionamiento del dispositivo mediante una monitorización y gestión de unas líneas de alimentación del bus de comunicaciones que llegan desde la base hasta el dispositivo . 12. Interconnection method, according to claim 11, characterized in that when the connection between the mobile device and the coupling base is hot-swap, the voltage control module gradually feeds the mobile device when connected to the base until reaching a operating voltage of the device through monitoring and management of communication bus power lines that arrive from the base to the device.
PCT/ES2012/070313 2012-05-04 2012-05-04 System for interconnecting a mobile device with a docking station which can be connected to peripherals WO2013164497A1 (en)

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