INTERFACE CIRCUIT

• US 20080215904A1
• Filed: 01/30/2008
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Tsuji, Takahiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,930,461 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/340
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips

Abstract

An interface circuit is disclosed.

When a USB-BUS power source voltage VBUS is not normally supplied to the substrate gates of PMOS transistors of switches of a first switching circuit which controls connecting a terminal D+/RXD to a terminal D−/TXD in an HS driver circuit, and to the substrate gates of PMOS transistors of switches of a second switching circuit which controls connecting the terminal D+/RXD to the terminal D−/TXD in an FS driver circuit 6; an amplified core circuit power source voltage DVDD is supplied to the substrate gates of the PMOS transistors. When the USB-BUS power source voltage VBUS is normally supplied to the substrate gates of the PMOS transistors, a USB stabilized power source voltage VUSB is supplied to the substrate gates of the PMOS transistors.

Claims

1. An interface circuit for data communications, comprising:

a USB interface circuit which interfaces with an external device via a communication cable by using a pair of terminals connected to the communication cable during USB communications;

a UART interface circuit which interfaces with another external device via the communication cable by using the pair of terminals connected to the communication cable during UART communications in common with the USB communications; and

a power source switching circuit which detects a power source voltage supplied from an external unit during the USB communications, and outputs either a USB power source voltage generated from the power source voltage or a voltage proportional to a core circuit power source voltage which is used during the UART communications to the USB interface circuit based on the detected result;

wherein

the USB interface circuit includes first and second switching circuits which connect the terminals during the USB communications, and a voltage from the power source switching circuit is input to the first and second switching circuits.

2. The interface circuit for data communications as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

each of the first and second switching circuits includes switches in each of which switch a PMOS transistor and an NMOS transistor are connected in parallel for connecting the terminals during the USB communications, and the voltage from the power source switching circuit is input to substrate gates of the PMOS transistors in the switches.

3. The interface circuit for data communications as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the power source switching circuit includes

a voltage detecting circuit which detects the voltage supplied from the external unit during the USB communications and outputs the detected result; and

a third switching circuit which outputs either the USB power source voltage or the voltage proportional to the core circuit power source voltage based on the detected result;

4. The interface circuit for data communications as claimed in claim 3, wherein:

when a signal signifying that the value of the voltage supplied from the external unit is less than a predetermined value is output from the voltage detecting circuit as the detected result, the third switching circuit outputs the voltage proportional to the core circuit power source voltage to the USB interface circuit; and

when a signal signifying that the value of the voltage supplied from the external unit is the predetermined value or more is output from the voltage detecting circuit as the detected result, the third switching circuit outputs the USB power source voltage to the USB interface circuit.

5. The interface circuit for data communications as claimed in claim 3, wherein:

the USB interface circuit includes an HS driver circuit for high speed operations and an FS driver circuit for full speed operations;

the HS driver circuit includes

the first switching circuit as an HS switching circuit; and

an HS control circuit which controls switching of the HS switching circuit based on a predetermined control signal for driving the HS driver circuit during the USB communications and the signal signifying the result detected by the voltage detecting circuit, and which is operated by a voltage input from the third switching circuit; and

the FS driver circuit includes

the second switching circuit as an FS switching circuit; and

an FS control circuit, which controls switching of the FS switching circuit based on a predetermined control signal for driving the FS driver circuit during the USB communications and the signal signifying the result detected by the voltage detecting circuit, and which is operated by the voltage input from the third switching circuit;

6. The interface circuit for data communications as claimed in claim 3, wherein:

the third switching circuit outputs either the USB power source voltage or a voltage in which the core circuit power source voltage is amplified to the USB interface circuit based on the result detected by the voltage detecting circuit.