Optical cables for consumer electronics

• US 20060067690A1
• Filed: 08/05/2005
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: II-VI Delaware, Inc. (Coherent Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Finisar Corporation (II-VI Incorporated)
• Inventors: Guenter, James K., Tatum, Jimmy A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,548,675 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/66
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4246 Bidirectionally operating package structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/22 Adaptations for optical transmission

Abstract

Digital optical cables for communication between digital consumer electronic devices. The digital optical cable can include an optical fiber, a first interface configured to couple a digital source device to a first end of the optical fiber, the first interface can comprise an optical transmitter for receiving an electronic video signal from the digital source device, converting the electronic video signal to an optical signal, and for transmitting the optical signal onto the first end of the optical fiber. A second interface can be configured to couple a digital sink device to a second end of the optical fiber, the second interface comprising an optical receiver for receiving the optical signal transmitted by the optical transmitter from the second end of the optical fiber, converting the optical signal to an electronic video signal, and transmitting the electronic signal to the digital sink device.

Claims

1. A digital optical cable for coupling a digital source device with a digital sink device, the digital optical cable comprising:

an optical fiber having a first end and a second end;

a first interface configured to couple the digital source device to the first end of the optical fiber, the first interface comprising an optical transmitter for receiving an electronic signal from the digital source device, converting the electronic signal to an optical signal, and for transmitting the optical signal onto the first end of the optical fiber; and

a second interface configured to couple the digital sink device to the second end of the optical fiber, the second interface comprising an optical receiver for receiving the optical signal transmitted by the optical transmitter from the second end of the optical fiber, converting the optical signal to an electronic signal, and transmitting the electronic signal to the digital sink device.

2. A digital optical cable according to claim 1, wherein the first interface is configured to connect to a digital video interface (DVI) receptacle of the digital source device or a high definition multimedia (HDMI) receptacle of the digital source device, and wherein the second interface is configured to connect to a digital video interface (DVI) receptacle of the digital sink device or a high definition multimedia (HDMI) receptacle of the digital sink device.

3. A digital optical cable according to claim 1, wherein the electronic signal received from the digital source device is a transition minimized differential signaling (TMDS) signal.

4. A digital optical cable according to claim 3, wherein the TMDS signal is a TMDS video signal, and where a second TMDS signal is transmitted by the digital optical cable in the same fashion, but the second TMDS signal is an audio TMDS signal.

5. A digital optical cable according to claim 1, wherein the first interface comprises:

a plurality of optical transmitters configured to convert electrical TMDS signals to a plurality of optical signals of different wavelengths; and

a wavelength division multiplexer (WDM) configured to receive the optical signals of different wavelengths, multiplex the optical signals into a multiplexed optical signal, and couple the multiplexed optical signal onto to the first end of the optical fiber.

6. A digital optical cable according to claim 1, wherein the first interface includes a time division multiplexer (TDM) configured to multiplex signals received from the digital source device in time prior to transmission of the signals by the optical transmitter, and wherein the second interface includes a time division demultiplexer (TDD) configured to demultiplex the signals received by the optical receiver in time.

7. A digital optical cable according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter is a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) for transmitting the optical signal onto the first end of the optical fiber in a first direction;

wherein the second interface includes a light emitting diode (LED) for transmitting a second optical signal onto the second end of the optical fiber in a second direction, the second direction being opposite to the first direction; and

wherein the first interface further includes a receiver for receiving the second optical signal transmitted in the second direction by the LED.

8. A digital optical cable according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first interface and/or the second interface comprises:

a VCSEL;

a monitor optical receiver for monitoring the output of the VCSEL;

a modulation laser driver configured to modulate a bias drive current supplied to the VCSEL; and

a TO-Can package encasing the VCSEL, the monitor optical receiver, and the modulation laser driver.

9. A digital optical cable according to claim 1, wherein the electrical signal is one of a plurality of TMDS signals, and wherein the first interface further comprises:

circuitry configured to serialize the electrical TMDS signals received from the digital source device into an electrical serialized signal, wherein the optical transmitter converts the electrical serialized TDMS signal into the optical signal, and transmits the optical signal onto the first end of the optical fiber; and

wherein the optical receiver of the second interface receives the optical signal and converts the optical signal to an electrical serialized signal, the second interface further comprising;

a deserializer including circuitry configured to deserialize the electrical serialized data signal back into the TMDS signals.

10. A digital optical cable according to claim 1, further comprising:

an electrical cable having a first end and a second end;

the first interface coupled to both the first end of the optical fiber and the first end of the electrical cable, the first interface configured to couple the optical fiber and the electrical cable for communication to the digital source device; and

a second interface coupled to both the second end of the optical fiber and the second end of the electrical cable, the second interface configured to couple the optical fiber and the electrical cable for communication with the digital sink device.

11. A digital optical cable according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second optical fiber having a first end and a second end;

the first interface coupled to the first ends of both optical fibers, the first interface configured to couple the optical fibers for communication with the digital source device; and

a second interface coupled to both second ends of the optical fibers, the second interface configured to couple the optical fibers for communication with the digital sink device.

12. A digital optical cable according to claim 1, wherein the optical fiber transmits signals in both a first direction and a second direction, the second direction being opposite to the first direction;

wherein the first interface is configured to couple the optical fiber for bidirectional communication to the digital source device; and

wherein the second interface is configured to couple the optical fiber for bidirectional communication to the digital sink device.

13. A digital optical cable according to claim 12, wherein the first interface and/or the second interface comprises means for transmitting and receiving optical signals.

14. A digital optical cable according to claim 12, wherein the first interface further comprises:

a serializer including circuitry configured to serialize a plurality of TMDS signals into an electrical serialized signal;

a first transmit optical subassembly (“

TOSA”

) configured to convert the electrical serialized signal into an optical serialized signal, and transmit the optical serialized signal onto the first end of the optical fiber;

a first receive optical subassembly (“

ROSA”

) configured to receive a return optical signal from the optical fiber; and

wherein the second interface further comprises;

a second ROSA configured to receive the optical serialized signal, and convert the optical serialized signal into an electrical serialized signal;

a second deserializer including circuitry configured to deserialize the electrical serialized signal into TDMS signals; and

a second TOSA configured to transmit the return optical signal to the optical fiber.

15. A digital optical cable according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the first interface and/or the second interface comprises an optoelectronic device for detecting an incoming light beam along a light beam axis and for transmitting an outgoing light beam along the light beam axis, the optoelectronic device comprising:

an optical detector positioned along the light beam axis for receiving the incoming light beam and for detecting a first wavelength and/or range of wavelengths; and

the optical transmitter positioned along the light beam axis for transmitting the outgoing light beam, wherein the outgoing light beam includes a second wavelength and/or range of wavelengths.

16. A digital optical cable according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the first interface and/or the second interface comprises an optoelectronic device comprising:

a transmitter diode comprising a first PN junction with a first p layer and a first n layer;

a first tunnel junction coupled monolithically to the transmitter diode, the tunnel junction comprising a heavily doped n+ layer and a heavily doped p+ layer; and

a first photodiode coupled monolithically to the first tunnel junction, the first tunnel junction comprising a second PN junction.

17. A digital optical cable according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the first interface and/or the second interface comprises a bidirectional optical device comprising:

an optical port;

a wavelength splitter proximate to the optical port;

a light source proximate to the wavelength splitter; and

a detector proximate to the wavelength splitter; and

wherein;

the wavelength splitter passes light having a first wavelength from the light source to the optical port; and

the wavelength splitter reflects light having a second wavelength from the optical port to the detector.

18. A cable for bidirectional communication between a first digital consumer electronic device and a second digital consumer electronic device, the cable comprising:

an optical fiber having a first end and a second end;

a first interface coupled to the first end of the optical fiber, the first interface comprising;

first electrical connections configured to receive electrical TMDS signals from a receptacle of the first digital consumer electronic device; and

means for converting at least one of the TMDS signals to an outgoing optical signal and for transmitting the outgoing optical signal onto the first end of the optical fiber; and

a second interface comprising;

means for receiving the outgoing optical signal and for converting the outgoing optical signal back into the at least one of the TMDS signals; and

second electrical connections configured to transmit the electrical TMDS signals to a receptacle of the second digital electronic consumer device.

19. A method for communication across a digital optical cable, the digital optical cable including an optical fiber, a first interface coupled to a first end of the optical fiber, and a second interface coupled to a second end of the optical fiber, the method comprising the following acts:

receiving electrical transition minimized differential signaling (“

TMDS”

) signals from a digital source device;

converting the TMDS signals into optical serialized signals;

transmitting the optical serialized signal to the first end of the optical fiber;

receiving the optical serialized signals from the second end of the optical fiber;

converting the optical signals into electrical TMDS signals; and

transmitting the electrical TDMS signals to a digital sink device.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising the following acts:

serializing the electrical TMDS signals into an electrical serialized signal; and

deserializing the electrical serialized signal into electrical TDMS signals.

21. The method according to claim 19, further comprising the following act:

transmitting a return optical signal in a second direction across the optical fiber, the second direction being opposite to the first direction.

22. The method according to claim 19, further comprising the following act:

transmitting a return electrical signal in a second direction across an electrical link, wherein a first end of the electrical link is coupled to the first interface and a second end of the electrical link is coupled to the second interface, the second direction being opposite to the first direction.

23. The method according to claim 19, further comprising the following act:

transmitting a return optical signal in a second direction across a second optical fiber, wherein a first end of the second optical fiber is coupled to the first interface and a second end of the second optical fiber is coupled to the second interface, the second direction being opposite to the first direction.