System for sending data from-and-to a computer monitor using a high speed serial line

• US 6,061,747 A
• Filed: 10/16/1997
• Issued: 05/09/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: LSI Logic Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ducaroir, Francois, Jenkins, Michael O., Nakamura, Karl S.
• Primary Examiner(s): THAI, XUAN MARIAN
• Application Number:
  US08/951,530
• Time in Patent Office: 936 Days
• Field of Search: 710/1, 710/61, 710/62, 710/129, 710/7, 710/20, 710/21, 345/526, 345/204, 345/520, 345/1-3
• US Class Current: 710/21
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/04 Exchange of auxiliary data, i.e. other than image data, between monitor and graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/008 Clock recovery

Abstract

An improved transceiver pair that are tightly integrated into a computer system. The transceiver pair include a base transceiver and a remote transceiver, with a high speed serial connection between them. The base transceiver has a base transmitter with a parallel input port for accepting parallel, encoded data and a serial output port for transmitting a serial, encoded data stream. The remote transceiver has a receiver with a serial input port for receiving the serial, encoded data stream and an audio/video output port for passing deserialized data to an audio and video control unit after decoding. The high speed serial connection links the base serial output port to the remote serial input port. The remote receiver further includes a feedback input port adapted for receiving feedback data forwarded from a sensor. The sensor may respond to palpable, optical or sonic input or to physical contact. The computer system may include the remote transceiver for transmitting a return serial data stream, a transmitter operably coupled between the feedback input port and the remote serial output port, and a timing generator coupled to recover a clock signal from the serial data stream and to synchronize the deserialized data. The base transceiver may also include a serial input port for receiving the return serial data stream, a receiver operably coupled to the serial input port, and a return high speed serial connection between the remote serial output port and the base serial input port. The return serial data stream is received concurrent with the serial data stream being received.

Claims

1. A computer system, comprising:

a base transceiver having a base transmitter including;

a base parallel input port for receiving parallel data;

a base serial output port for transmitting solely a serial data stream consisting of digital data; and

a base serial input port for receiving a return serial data stream;

a remote transceiver having a remote receiver including;

a remote serial input port for receiving the serial data stream;

a remote audio/video output port for transmitting deserialized data to an audio and video control unit; and

a remote serial output port for transmitting a return serial data stream; and

a return high speed serial connection between said remote serial output port of said remote transceiver and said base serial input port of said base transceiver, wherein said return serial data stream is received by said base serial input port concurrent with said serial data stream being received by said remote serial input port; and

a high speed serial connection between said base serial output port of said base transceiver and said remote serial input port of said remote transceiver.

2. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein said remote transceiver further includes a feedback input port adapted for receiving feedback data forwarded from a sensor to the audio and video control unit.

3. The computer system as recited in claim 2, wherein said sensor dispatches said feedback data in response to palpable input.

4. The computer system as recited in claim 2, wherein said sensor dispatches said feedback data in response to optical input.

5. The computer system as recited in claim 2, wherein said sensor dispatches said feedback data in response to sonic input.

6. The computer system as recited in claim 2, wherein said sensor dispatches said feedback data in response to physical contact thereon.

7. The computer system as recited in claim 2, wherein said remote transceiver further comprises:

said remote serial output port for transmitting solely said return serial data stream consisting of digital data;

a remote transmitter operably coupled between said feedback input port and said remote serial output port; and

a timing generator coupled to recover a clock signal from said serial data stream and to synchronize said deserialized data using the clock signal.

8. The computer system as recited in claim 7, wherein said base transceiver further comprises:

a base receiver operably coupled to said base serial input port.

9. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein said serial data stream is selected from the group comprising video, audio and control data.

10. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein said base transceiver further comprises a serializer coupled to convert said parallel data into said serial data stream.

11. The computer system as recited in claim 10, wherein said remote transceiver further comprises a deserializer coupled to convert said serial data stream into said deserialized data.

12. A computer system, comprising:

a computer for processing data, including;

a central processing unit (CPU),

main memory operably coupled to the CPU, wherein the main memory stores data accessible by the CPU; and

an audio/video interface operably coupled to the CPU and the main memory, wherein the audio/video interface is configurable to provide audio and video output to a computer monitor, said audio/video interface including;

a graphics display processor coupled to accept commands from the CPU and to accept data from the main memory, wherein the graphics display processor is operable to process graphics and video data;

video RAM coupled to accept and store processed graphics and video data output by the graphics display processor;

an improved graphics interface unit coupled to accept processed graphics and video data stored by the video RAM, wherein the improved graphics interface unit is further coupled to accept input from the graphics display processor, wherein said improved graphics interface unit includes;

a base timing generator for generating a base clock signal for synchronized timing in the improved graphics interface unit;

a base transceiver for transmitting and receiving serialized data selected from the group comprising video, audio and control data, wherein said base transceiver includes;

a base receiver having a receive buffer for receiving said data, wherein said receiver further includes;

a base deserializer for converting said serialized data into an input data format recognizable by the computer;

a base recovery and alignment logic coupled to said base deserializer for recovering said input data and synchronizing the input data;

a base receive clock generator which uses said base clock signal to recover a base data clock from said serialized data;

a base transmitter for receiving an output data format recognizable by the computer monitor, wherein said base transmitter includes a base transmit buffer for transmitting said output data, and wherein said base transmitter further includes;

a base serializer coupled to said base transmit buffer for converting said output data into a serial data stream;

a base transmit clock generator which uses said base clock signal to synchronize transmission by the base transmit buffer and conversion by the base serializer of said serial data stream; and

the computer monitor, comprising;

a remote communications module adapted for use in the computer monitor, said remote communications module including;

a remote timing generator for generating a remote clock signal for synchronized timing in the remote communications module;

a remote transceiver for transmitting and receiving serialized data selected from the group comprising video, audio and control data, wherein said remote transceiver includes;

a remote receiver having a remote receive buffer for receiving said data, wherein said remote receiver includes;

a remote deserializer for converting said serialized data into an input data format recognizable by the computer monitor;

a remote recovery and alignment logic coupled to said remote deserializer for recovering said input data and synchronizing the input data; and

a remote receive clock generator which uses said remote clock signal to recover a remote data clock from said serialized data; and

a remote transmitter for receiving an output data format recognizable by the computer, wherein said remote transmitter includes a remote transmit buffer for transmitting said output data, and wherein said remote transmitter further includes;

a remote serializer coupled to said remote transmit buffer for converting said output data into a serial data stream; and

a remote transmit clock generator which uses said remote clock signal to synchronize transmission by the remote transmit buffer and conversion by the remote serializer of said serial data stream;

an audio and video control unit coupled to receive said input data and dispatch said output data;

a display unit for displaying the video input or output data;

a high speed serial connection operably coupled between said base transmitter and said remote receiver; and

a return high speed serial connection operably coupled between said remote transmitter and said base receiver wherein a return serial data stream is received by said base receiver concurrent with said serial data stream being received by said remote receiver.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein said communications module is a monolithic integrated circuit;

and wherein said improved graphics interface unit is a second monolithic integrated circuit.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein said monolithic integrated circuit is a CMOS integrated circuit;

and wherein said second monolithic integrated circuit is a second CMOS integrated circuit.

15. The computer system of claim 12, further comprising:

one or more additional computer monitors, each including;

an instance of said remote communications module;

one or more additional high speed serial connections between the computer and the instance of said remote communications module of one of the one or more additional computer monitors; and

one or more additional return high speed serial connections between the computer and the instance of said remote communications module of one of the one or more additional computer monitors;

wherein the computer further comprises;

at least an additional one or more additional improved graphics interface units for each of the one or more additional computer monitors in the computer system.

16. A computer system, comprising:

an audio/video interface is configurable to provide audio and video output to a computer monitor, said audio/video interface comprising;

a graphics display processor coupled to receive commands and data, wherein the graphics display processor is configured to process and output graphics and video data;

video RAM coupled to receive and store processed graphics and video data output by the graphics display processor;

an improved graphics interface unit coupled to receive processed graphics and video data stored by the video RAM, wherein the improved graphics interface unit is further coupled to accept input from the graphics display processor, wherein said improved graphics interface unit includes;

a base timing generator for generating a base clock signal for synchronized timing in the improved graphics interface unit;

a base transceiver for transmitting and receiving serialized data selected from the group comprising video, audio and control data, wherein said base transceiver includes;

a base receiver having a receive buffer for receiving said data, wherein said base receiver further includes;

a base deserializer for converting said serialized data into an input data format recognizable by the computer system;

a base recovery and alignment logic coupled to said base deserializer for recovering said input data and synchronizing the input data;

a base receive clock generator which uses said base clock signal to recover a base data clock from said serialized data; and

a base transmitter for receiving an output data format recognizable by the computer monitor, wherein said base transmitter includes a base transmit buffer for transmitting said output data, and wherein said base transmitter further includes;

a base serializer coupled to said base transmit buffer for converting said output data into a serial data stream; and

a base transmit clock generator which uses said base clock signal to synchronize transmission by the base transmit buffer and conversion by the base serializer of said serial data stream; and

the computer monitor, comprising;

a remote transceiver for transmitting and receiving serialized data selected from the group comprising video, audio and control data, wherein said remote transceiver includes;

a remote receiver having a remote receive buffer for receiving data;

a remote transmitter for receiving an output recognizable by the computer,

wherein said remote transmitter includes a remote transmit buffer for transmitting said output data, wherein said remote transmitter further includes;

a remote serializer coupled to said remote transmit buffer for converting said output data into a serial data stream; and

a high speed serial connection coupled between said base transmitter and said remote receiver; and

a return high speed serial connection coupled between said remote transmitter and said base receiver, wherein a return serial data stream is received by said base receiver concurrent with said serial data stream being received by said remote receiver.

17. The computer system of claim 16, further comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU);

main memory operably coupled to the CPU, wherein the main memory stores data accessible by the CPU; and

an instance of the audio/video interface operably coupled to the CPU and the main memory, wherein the audio/video interface is configured to provide audio and video output to the computer monitor.

18. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the audio/video interface is configured as an add-in card.