SIGNAL TRANSMISSION SYSTEM, CONNECTOR APPARATUS, ELECTRONIC DEVICE, AND SIGNAL TRANSMISSION METHOD

• US 20130109317A1
• Filed: 05/11/2011
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kikuchi, Hidekazu, Mogi, Takayuki, Akiyama, Yoshiyuki, Kawamura, Hirofumi
• Granted Patent: US 9,337,919 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/208 Cascaded cavities; Cascaded resonators inside a hollow waveguide structure H01P1/205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/12 Hollow waveguides H01P3/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/121 integrated in a substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/165 Non-radiating dielectric waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/02 with invariable factor of coupling H01P5/12 takes precedence choke joints H01P1/04, H01P1/06
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/024 between hollow waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/082 Transitions between hollow waveguides of different shape, e.g. between a rectangular and a circular waveguide
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/087 Transitions to a dielectric waveguide
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/1022 Transitions to dielectric waveguide
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/107 Hollow-waveguide/strip-line transitions
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/18 consisting of two coupled guides, e.g. directional couplers
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/182 the waveguides being arranged in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/188 the guides being dielectric waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6461 Means for preventing cross-talk
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/665 with built-in electronic circuit H01R13/70, H01R13/719 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2103/00 Two poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/28 Coupling parts carrying pins, blades or analogous contacts and secured only to wire or cable
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/76 with sockets, clips or analogous contacts and secured to apparatus or structure, e.g. to a wall
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/56 Circuits for coupling, blocking, or by-passing of signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/24 for communication between two or more posts wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0225 : Single or multiple openings in a shielding, ground or power plane H05K1/0227 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0239 : Signal transmission by AC coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/093 : Layout of power planes, ground planes or power supply conductors, e.g. having special clearance holes therein
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09672 : Superposed layout, i.e. in different planes
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0969 : Apertured conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09754 : Connector integrally incorporated in the printed circuit board [PCB] or in housing

Abstract

A signal transmission system including: a first connector apparatus, and a second connector apparatus that is coupled with the first connector apparatus. The first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus are coupled together to form an electromagnetic field coupling unit, and a transmission object signal is converted into a radio signal, which is then transmitted through the electromagnetic field coupling unit, between the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus.

Claims

1. A signal transmission system comprising:

a first connector apparatus; and

a second connector apparatus that is coupled with the first connector apparatus,

wherein the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus are coupled together to form an electromagnetic field coupling unit, and

a transmission object signal is converted into a radio signal, which is then transmitted through the electromagnetic field coupling unit, between the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus.

2. The signal transmission system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first signal converting unit that executes modulation processing on the basis of the transmission object signal and converts the signal into a high-frequency signal; and

a second signal converting unit that executes demodulation processing on the basis of a received radio signal and converts the signal into a baseband signal,

wherein the first connector apparatus has a first radio coupling unit that is electrically connected to the first signal converting unit,

the second connector apparatus has a second radio coupling unit that is electrically connected to the second signal converting unit, and

the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus are coupled together to form the electromagnetic field coupling unit to transmit the radio signal between the first radio coupling unit and the second radio coupling unit, the transmission object signal is converted into the high-frequency signal by the first signal converting unit, and a radio signal based on the high-frequency signal is transmitted to the second signal converting unit through the electromagnetic field coupling unit.

3. The signal transmission system according to claim 2,

wherein the first radio coupling unit has a first transmission path coupling unit connected to the first signal converting unit through a first high-frequency transmission path,

the second radio coupling unit has a second transmission path coupling unit connected to the second signal converting unit through a second high-frequency transmission path, and

radio transmission is performed in a space between the first transmission path coupling unit and the second transmission path coupling unit that is formed when the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus are coupled together.

4. The signal transmission system according to claim 2,

wherein the first radio coupling unit has a first waveguide coupling unit connected to the first signal converting unit through a first high-frequency transmission path,

the second radio coupling unit has a waveguide and a second waveguide coupling unit connected to the second signal converting unit through a second high-frequency transmission path, and

when the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus are coupled together, the first waveguide coupling unit and the second waveguide coupling unit are electromagnetically coupled through the waveguide and radio transmission is performed.

5. The signal transmission system according to claim 2,

wherein the first radio coupling unit has a first waveguide and a first waveguide coupling unit connected to the first signal converting unit through a first high-frequency transmission path,

the second radio coupling unit has a second waveguide and a second waveguide coupling unit connected to the second signal converting unit through a second high-frequency transmission path, and

when the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus are coupled together, a cross-section of the first waveguide in a longitudinal direction and a cross-section of the second waveguide in a longitudinal direction face to form a waveguide joining unit and radio transmission is performed through the waveguide joining unit.

6. The signal transmission system according to claim 1,

wherein a signal system that performs signal transmission by an electrical contact between the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus, when the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus are coupled together, is provided.

7. The signal transmission system according to claim 1,

wherein any one of the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus is provided in an electronic device, and

a power supply system that supplies power when the first connector apparatus is coupled with the second connector apparatus is provided.

8. The signal transmission system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an electronic device; and

a connection cable that performs signal transmission between the electronic device and the connection cable,

wherein the electronic device has one of the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus,

the connection cable has the other of the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus, and

the connector apparatus that is provided in the connection cable has a wired communication unit that performs a conversion of a radio signal and a wired signal transmitted through the connection cable.

9. The signal transmission system according to claim 8,

wherein the connection cable has a conducting wire that transmits an electrical signal corresponding to the radio signal;

and

the wired communication unit generates the electrical signal corresponding to the radio signal, as the wired signal.

10. The signal transmission system according to claim 8,

wherein the wired communication unit executes signal processing for decreasing a transmission speed per signal line by parallelization of signals.

11. The signal transmission system according to claim 8,

wherein any one of the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus is provided in each of a plurality of electronic devices, and

the other of the first connector apparatus and the second connector apparatus is provided in both ends of the connection cable.

12. The signal transmission system according to claim 1,

wherein the signal transmission system corresponds to bidirectional communication, and

one set of electromagnetic field coupling units are shared in each direction of the bidirectional communication.

13. The signal transmission system according to claim 12, further comprising:

a direction managing unit that separates a radio signal to be transmitted to the electromagnetic field coupling unit and a radio signal transmitted from the electromagnetic field coupling unit.

14. The signal transmission system according to claim 12,

wherein the bidirectional communication is performed using each different carrier frequency, and

a frequency selection functional unit corresponding to each different carrier frequency is provided in each reception system of each direction.

15. A connector apparatus,

wherein the connector apparatus has a coupling structure that is coupled with the other connector apparatus,

the connector apparatus has a radio coupling unit that is connected to a signal converting unit to execute modulation processing on the basis of a transmission object signal and convert the signal into a high-frequency signal and execute demodulation processing on the basis of a received radio signal and convert the signal into a baseband signal and transmits the radio signal, and

the connector apparatus is coupled with the other connector apparatus to form an electromagnetic field coupling unit between the radio coupling unit and the radio coupling unit of the other connector apparatus.

16. The connector apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

the signal converting unit.

17. The connector apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

a connection cable that performs signal transmission; and

a wired communication unit that performs communication using a wired signal through the connection cable and performs a conversion of the wired signal transmitted through the connection cable and a high-frequency signal corresponding to the radio signal.

18. An electronic device comprising:

a connector unit that has a coupling structure coupled with the other connector apparatus; and

a signal converting unit that executes modulation processing on the basis of a transmission object signal and converts the signal into a high-frequency signal and executes demodulation processing on the basis of a received radio signal and converts the signal into a baseband signal,

wherein the connector unit has a radio coupling unit that is connected to the signal converting unit and transmits the radio signal, and

the connector unit is coupled with the other connector apparatus to form an electromagnetic field coupling unit between the radio coupling unit and the radio coupling unit of the other connector apparatus.

19. The electronic device according to claim 18, further comprising:

a connection cable that performs signal transmission between the other connector apparatus and the connection cable; and

a wired communication unit that performs communication using a wired signal through the connection cable and performs a conversion of the wired signal transmitted through the connection cable and a high-frequency signal corresponding to the radio signal.

20. A signal transmission method comprising:

using a first connector apparatus and a second connector apparatus, the first connector apparatus having a first radio coupling unit electrically connected to a first signal converting unit executing modulation processing on the basis of the transmission object signal and converting the signal into a high-frequency signal, the second connector apparatus having a second radio coupling unit electrically connected to a second signal converting unit executing demodulation processing on the basis of a received radio signal and converting the signal into a baseband signal;

coupling the first connector apparatus with the second connector apparatus to form an electromagnetic field coupling unit between the first radio coupling unit and the second radio coupling unit;

converting the transmission object signal into a high-frequency signal by the first signal converting unit; and

transmitting a radio signal based on the high-frequency signal to the second signal converting unit through the electromagnetic field coupling unit.