Digital data interface device

• US 20060288133A1
• Filed: 11/23/2005
• Published: 12/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Steele, Brian, Wiley, George A., Katibian, Behnam
• Granted Patent: US 8,873,584 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/48
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

The present invention is directed a digital data interface device for transferring digital presentation data at a high rate over a communication link. The digital data interface device includes a message interpreter, content module and a control module. The digital data interface device may include an MDDI link controller. The digital data interface device can be used to control a peripheral device, such as a camera, bar code reader, image scanner, audio device or other sensor. In one example, a cellular telephone having a camera with an MDDI link and a digital data device interface is provided.

Claims

1. A digital data interface device for transferring digital presentation data at a high rate over a communication link, comprising:

a message interpreter module that receives commands from and generates response messages through the communication link to a system controller, interprets the messages, and routes the information content of the commands to an appropriate module within the digital data interface device;

a content module that receives data from a peripheral device, stores the data and transfers the data to the system controller through the communication link; and

a control module that receives information from the message interpreter, and routes information to a control block of the peripheral device.

2. A digital data interface device according to claim 1, wherein the control module receives information from the control block of the peripheral device and routes the information to the message interpreter module.

3. A digital data interface device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one communication link controller.

4. The digital data interface device according to claim 3, wherein said at least one communication link controller comprises an MDDI link controller.

5. The digital data interface device according to claim 3, wherein said at least one communications link controller comprises an MDDI link controller and a USB link controller.

6. The digital data interface device according to claim 3, wherein said at least one communications link controller comprises an MDDI link controller and a single link for exchanging acknowledgment messages.

7. The digital data interface device according to claim 3, wherein said at least one communications link controller comprises an MDDI link controller and at least one other link controller.

8. The digital data interface device according to claim 1, wherein said peripheral device is a camera.

9. The digital data interface device according to claim 8, wherein said control block of the peripheral device comprises at least one of camera lens control, flash control, white LED control, exposure control, and shutter control.

10. The digital data interface device according to claim 1, wherein said peripheral device is at least one of a bar code reader, an image scanner, an audio device, and a sensor.

11. The digital data interface device according to claim 1, wherein said message interpreter module comprises:

a message interpreter controller that interprets and generates messages;

a response buffer coupled to said message interpreter controller that buffers response messages; and

a command buffer coupled to said message interpreter controller that buffers incoming command messages.

12. A digital data interface device according to claim 11, wherein said message interpreter module further comprises:

a command buffer controller coupled between said command buffer and the communication link that regulates the flow of incoming command messages from the communications link, identifies a valid command message and detects a new transaction within the valid command message; and

a response buffer controller coupled between said response buffer and the communication link that regulates the flow of outgoing response messages to the communications link.

13. A digital data interface device according to claim 12, wherein the command buffer controller further comprises an error detection mechanism that examines a predefined unique identifier associated with a command message to identify one or more missing parts of that command message.

14. A digital data interface device according to claim 12, wherein the command buffer controller further comprises an error detection mechanism that examines a predefined unique identifier associated with a command message to detect one or more missing parts within a set of command messages.

15. A digital data interface device according to claim 14, wherein said unique identifier comprises a single bit at the start of a command message.

16. A digital data interface device according to claim 1, wherein said content module comprises:

a content buffer that stores data;

a read control module that transfers data from the content buffer to the link controller;

a write and sync control module that manages the flow of data from the peripheral device to the content buffer; and

a register block that stores operational parameters that affect the behavior of at least one of the content buffer, the read control module and the write and sync control module.

17. A digital data interface device according to claim 16, wherein the write and sync control module further comprises:

means for selectively writing some or all of the data received from the peripheral device to the content buffer.

18. A digital data interface device according to claim 16, wherein the write and sync control module further comprises:

means for examining sync pulses contained within the data to determine one or more data boundaries.

19. A digital data interface device according to claim 16, wherein the write and sync control module further comprises:

means for examining at least one of hsync and vsync pulses to determine one or more data boundaries.

20. A digital data interface device according to claim 19, wherein the write and sync control module further comprises:

means for inserting timing information into the data.

21. A digital data interface device according to claim 16, wherein the register block is coupled to the message interpreter module to receive the operational parameters.

22. The digital data interface device according to claim 1, wherein said control module, comprises:

a peripheral control block coupled to the control block of the peripheral device that provides access to and control of the control block of the peripheral device; and

a control register block coupled to said peripheral control block that contains the registers for said peripheral control block.

23. A Mobile Display Digital Interface (MDDI) Camera Interface Device, comprising:

a camera message interpreter (CMI) for receiving commands from and generating response messages through an MDDI Host to a master controller, interpreting the messages, and routing the information content to the appropriate block within the camera interface device;

a camera video interface block (VFE) receiving image data from the camera, storing the image data and transferring the image data to the MDDI Host through an image data interface; and

a camera control block (CCB) for receiving information from the CMI, and routing the information to various control blocks of the camera and camera peripherals.

24. A mobile communications device, comprising:

a system controller;

an interface system;

a Mobile Display Digital Interface (MDDI) communications link that couples the system controller and the interface system; and

a peripheral device coupled to the interface system.

25. A mobile communications device according to claim 24, wherein the interface system further comprises:

a message interpreter module that receives commands from and generates response messages through the communication link to a system controller, interprets the messages, and routes the information content of the commands to an appropriate module within the digital data interface device;

a content module that receives data from a peripheral device, stores the data and transfers the data to the system controller through the communication link; and

a control module that receives information from the message interpreter, and routes the information to a control block of the peripheral device.

26. A mobile communications device according to claim 24, wherein

the peripheral device comprises a camera;

and

the interface system further comprises;

a camera message interpreter (CMI) for receiving commands from and generating response messages through an MDDI Host to a master controller, interpreting the messages, and routing the information content to the appropriate block within the camera interface device;

a camera video interface block (VFE) that receives image data from the camera, stores the image data and transfers the image data to the MDDI Host through an image data interface, and

a camera control block (CCB) that receives information from the peripheral device message interpreter, and routes the information to various control blocks of the camera and camera peripherals.

27. A mobile communications device according to claim 24, further comprising:

a first casing;

a second casing; and

a flexible coupling that couples the first and second casings;

wherein

one of the system controller and interface system is contained in the first casing and the other of the system controller and interface system is contained in the second casing, and

the MDDI communications link extends across the flexible coupling.