System and Method for Peripheral Communication with an Information Handling System

• US 20080052426A1
• Filed: 07/18/2006
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Montag, Bruce
• Granted Patent: US 7,694,027 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

Videoconferencing through an information handling system is supported with a display, camera and microphone that communicate with the information handling system through a single cable, such as a DisplayPort cable. Visual information is communicated from the information handling system to the display through a unidirectional main link and display control information is communicated between the information handling system and the display through a bidirectional auxiliary link. Peripheral information, such as digitized audio signals captured by the microphone and packetized video information capture by the camera, are communicated to the information handling system through the auxiliary link. Peripheral commands generated at the information handling system, such as camera control commands, are communicated from the information handling system to the peripheral through the auxiliary link.

Claims

1. An information handling system comprising:

a central processing unit operable to process information;

memory interfaced with the central processing unit and operable to store the information;

a graphics subsystem interfaced with the central processing unit and the memory, the graphics subsystem operable to process the information into visual information for presentation at a display;

a graphics cable interfaced with the graphics subsystem, the graphics cable having a main link operable to communicate the visual information to a display and an auxiliary link operable to communicate control information from the graphics subsystem to the display and from the display to the graphics subsystem; and

a peripheral module associated with the graphics subsystem and interfaced with the graphics cable auxiliary link, the peripheral module operable to send and receive peripheral information through the auxiliary link for communication between a display peripheral device and the graphics subsystem.

2. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the display peripheral device comprises a camera and the peripheral information comprises packetized visual information captured by the camera.

3. The information handling system of claim 2 wherein the peripheral information comprises camera control commands sent from the central processing unit to the camera.

4. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the display peripheral device comprises a microphone and the peripheral information comprises packetized audio information captured by the microphone.

5. The information handling system of claim 1 further comprising a display interfaced with the graphics cable and operable to present the visual information, the display having an integrated display peripheral operable to send and receive peripheral information with the peripheral module through the auxiliary link.

6. The information handling system of claim 5 wherein the display peripheral comprises a camera operable to capture visual information, the camera having a packetizer operable to packetize the visual information for communication as packets to the peripheral module through the auxiliary link.

7. The information handling system of claim 6 wherein the display further has an integrated microphone operable to capture audio information, the microphone having an analog to digital converter operable to convert the audio information into a digital format for communication to the peripheral module through the auxiliary link.

8. The information handling system of claim 7 further comprising a videoconferencing application running on the central processing unit and operable to apply the visual and audio information from the peripheral module to support a videoconference.

9. A method for interfacing a peripheral and an information handling system, the method comprising:

interfacing the information handling system and a display with a cable;

communicating visual information from the information handling system to the display through a main link of the cable;

communicating control information between the information handling system and the display through an auxiliary link of the cable;

interfacing a peripheral device with the display; and

communicating peripheral information from the peripheral device to the information handling system through the auxiliary link.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the cable comprises a DisplayPort cable.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the peripheral device comprises a microphone and communicating peripheral information further comprises communicating audio information captured by the microphone to the information handling system.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein communicating audio information further comprises:

converting the audio information from an analog signal to digital samples;

sending the digital samples through the auxiliary link as packets.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the peripheral device comprises a camera and communicating peripheral information further comprises communicating video information captured by the camera to the information handling system.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein communicating video information further comprises:

packetizing the video information into packets; and

sending the packets through the auxiliary link.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

generating camera control information at the information handling system;

sending the camera control information to the camera through the auxiliary link.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the camera control information comprises zooming the camera.

17. A system for communicating peripheral information between a display peripheral and an information handling system, the system comprising:

a display peripheral interfaced with a display and operable to generate the peripheral information;

a sink device associated with the display and interfaced with the display peripheral, the sink device operable to receive visual information from an information handling system through a cable main link and to send control information through a cable auxiliary link, the sink device further operable to send the peripheral information to the information handling system through the auxiliary link; and

a source device associated with the information handling system, the source device operable to send visual information to the sink device through the cable main link and to receive the control information through the cable auxiliary link, the source device further operable to receive the peripheral information through the auxiliary link.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the display peripheral comprises a microphone and the peripheral information comprises digitized audio signals captured from the microphone.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the display peripheral comprises a camera and the peripheral information comprises packetized visual information captured by the camera.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the peripheral information comprises camera control commands communicated by the source device to the camera through the auxiliary cable link and sink device.