Method and apparatus for connecting a device to a bus carrying power and a signal
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for interfacing a bus to a device, the bus including a power line carrying power and a signal line carrying a signal, the device including a power input and a signal input, the interface apparatus including:
- a. a power output connected to the device power input;
b. a power input connected to the bus power line;
c. a signal input connected to the bus signal line;
d. a signal output connected to the device signal input;
e. an energy storage device having an input and an output, the energy storage device output connected to the interface apparatus power output;
f. a power converter having a power input connected to the interface apparatus power input and a power output connected to the energy storage device input, whereby the power converter receives power from the bus power line and converts it to a form suitable for charging the energy storage device, the power converter further including;
a current sensor being connected in series with the power converter power input and output and having an output carrying a signal representative of the current flowing through the current sensor; and
a current limiter having a predetermined current limit, being operably connected to the power converter power input and power output, and having an input connected to the current sensor output for receiving the current sensor signal representative of the current flowing through the current sensor, whereby the current limiter limits the current drawn by the device and the interface apparatus to the predetermined current limit; and
g. a signal conditioner having a first input connected to the energy storage device output, a second input connected to the interface apparatus signal input, the signal conditioner including a transfer function that produces a signal conditioner output signal at the signal conditioner output that is a function of the level of energy in the energy storage device and the level of energy of the bus signal or the signal conditioner output signal.
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Abstract
The object of the invention is to interface a device to a bus carrying power and a signal while simultaneously complying with bus-standard current draw limits, storing power for the device in an energy storage device located in the interface apparatus, and conditioning the bus signal as a function of the energy level of the signal received by the interface device from the bus and the level of energy measured in the energy storage device in the interface apparatus. As shown in FIG. 29, according to one aspect of the invention the interface apparatus (472) includes an input filter (480), a current limiter (482), a power converter (483), an energy storage device (484), a signal decoder/controller (486) and a signal conditioner (488). In operation, power flows from the bus through input filter (480) through the current limiter (482) to the power converter (483), which converts the power to a form suitable for charging the energy storage device (484). The output of the energy storage device provides power to the device. The bus signal is received by the signal decoder/controller (486), which performs any necessary decoding before sending the signal onto the signal conditioner (488). Signal decoder/controller (486) also is connected to and controls power converter 483. Signal conditioner (488) measures the level of energy stored in energy storage device (484) then generates and conveys to the signal input of the device an output signal that is a function of the energy level of the bus signal and the measured level of energy in the energy storage device (484).
340 Citations
23 Claims
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1. An apparatus for interfacing a bus to a device, the bus including a power line carrying power and a signal line carrying a signal, the device including a power input and a signal input, the interface apparatus including:
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a. a power output connected to the device power input;
b. a power input connected to the bus power line;
c. a signal input connected to the bus signal line;
d. a signal output connected to the device signal input;
e. an energy storage device having an input and an output, the energy storage device output connected to the interface apparatus power output;
f. a power converter having a power input connected to the interface apparatus power input and a power output connected to the energy storage device input, whereby the power converter receives power from the bus power line and converts it to a form suitable for charging the energy storage device, the power converter further including;
a current sensor being connected in series with the power converter power input and output and having an output carrying a signal representative of the current flowing through the current sensor; and
a current limiter having a predetermined current limit, being operably connected to the power converter power input and power output, and having an input connected to the current sensor output for receiving the current sensor signal representative of the current flowing through the current sensor, whereby the current limiter limits the current drawn by the device and the interface apparatus to the predetermined current limit; and
g. a signal conditioner having a first input connected to the energy storage device output, a second input connected to the interface apparatus signal input, the signal conditioner including a transfer function that produces a signal conditioner output signal at the signal conditioner output that is a function of the level of energy in the energy storage device and the level of energy of the bus signal or the signal conditioner output signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
a first capacitor;
a second capacitor;
a first switch having an open and a closed position; and
an energy storage device controller; and
the energy storage device input further includes a first line and a second line, the first and second lines capable of being at different voltage potentials with respect to each other;
wherein;
the first capacitor is connected across the first and second energy storage device lines;
the second capacitor is connected in series with the first switch, and the series combination of the first switch and the second capacitor is connected across the first and second energy storage lines and in parallel with the first capacitor;
whereby when the first switch is closed the first and second capacitors are connected in parallel across the energy storage device input and when the first switch is open only the first capacitor is connected across the energy storage device input.
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8. The interface apparatus of claim 1, wherein the energy storage device has a predetermined maximum energy storage level and the signal conditioner further includes:
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a voltage controlled amplifier having a signal input connected to the interface apparatus signal input, a signal output connected to the signal conditioner signal output, and a control input, whereby the voltage control amplifier amplifies the interface apparatus signal input to produce the signal conditioner signal output by an amount of amplification controlled by the voltage controlled amplifier control input;
a first low pass filter network having a predetermined filter characteristic, a signal input, and a signal output connected to the voltage controlled amplifier control input; and
a clip and detect limiter including;
a voltage scaler having a predetermined scaling factor and having an input and an output, the voltage scaler input being connected to the energy storage device output for receiving a signal representative of the level of energy stored in the energy storage device and the voltage scaler output conveying a signal proportional to the voltage scaler input by the predetermined scaling factor; and
a comparator having a first input connected to the voltage scaler output that receives the voltage scaler output signal, a second input connected to the voltage controlled amplifier signal output for receiving the voltage controlled amplifier output signal, an output connected to the input of the first filter network that conveys to the first filter network input a comparator output signal, and a predetermined comparator threshold level against which the signal received from the voltage scaler is compared, whereby when the voltage scaler output signal is above the predetermined comparator threshold the comparator produces a comparator output signal that is substantially equivalent to the voltage controlled amplifier output signal received at the comparator second input, and when the voltage scaler output signal is below the predetermined comparator threshold level the comparator produces a comparator output signal that is the voltage controlled amplifier output signal reduced in magnitude by an amount proportional to the amount by which the voltage scaler output signal is below the predetermined comparator threshold level;
whereby the voltage controlled amplifier control input reduces the amplification of the voltage controlled amplifier when the voltage scaler output signal is below the predetermined comparator threshold level.
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9. The interface apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first low pass filter network includes predetermined attack and decay profiles.
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10. The interface apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first low pass filter network is a resistor-capacitor network.
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11. The interface apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bus signal has a predetermined frequency range and the signal conditioner includes:
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a summing amplifier having a plurality of inputs and an output, the output connected to the signal conditioner signal output;
a plurality of frequency band filters, each frequency band filter of predetermined bandwidth and occupying a predetermined portion of the bus signal frequency range, each frequency band filter having an output and an input, each input connected to the signal conditioner signal input;
a frequency band variable amplifier associated with each frequency band filter, each frequency band variable amplifier having a control input to control its degree of amplification, a signal input connected to the output of its associated frequency band filter and having a signal input connected to one of the summing amplifier inputs;
a signal conditioner controller having a signal input connected to the signal conditioner signal input, an energy storage device energy level control input connected to the output of the energy storage device, and a plurality of control outputs, one connected to each of the frequency band variable amplifier control inputs, the signal conditioner controller further including a transfer function for each frequency band variable amplifier that produces control signal to control the degree of amplification that is a function of the level of energy in the energy storage device, the level of energy in the signal received at the signal conditioner signal input, and the particular frequency band filter associated with the particular frequency band variable amplifier.
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12. The interface apparatus of claim 11, wherein at least one frequency band variable amplifier is a voltage controlled amplifier.
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13. The interface apparatus of claim 11, wherein the signaler includes a low pass filter positioned between the plurality of frequency band filters and the signal conditioner signal input.
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14. An apparatus for interfacing a bus powered amplifier to a universal serial bus, the bus power amplifier including a power input that receives power to power the amplifier, a signal input that receives a signal to be amplified, and a signal output that outputs the amplified signal, the universal serial bus including a power line and a signal line, the signal line including a data signal representative of an analog signal to be amplified by the bus powered amplifier, the apparatus including:
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a. a universal serial bus decoder having a signal input operably connected to the universal serial bus signal line and having a signal output, whereby the universal serial bus decoder decodes the data signal from the universal serial bus signal line into an equivalent first analog signal and makes the first analog signal available at its signal output;
b. a current sensor connected in series with the universal serial bus power line, whereby the current sensor senses the amount current drawn by the interface apparatus;
c. a current limiter connected in series with the universal serial bus power line and operably connected to the current sensor, whereby the current limiter limits the current drawn by the apparatus from the bus power line in response to the amount of current sensed by the current sensor;
d. an energy storage device having a power input and a power output, its power output being connected to the power input of the bus powered amplifier;
e. a power converter, operably connected to the current sensor, connected to the power input of the energy storage device and to the bus power line, whereby the power converter converts power from the universal serial bus power line into a form suitable for storage by the energy storage device;
f. an energy storage device energy sensor connected to the power output of the energy storage device, whereby the energy storage device energy sensor measures the amount of energy stored in the energy storage device; and
g. a signal conditioner, having an input operably connected to the energy storage device energy sensor and an input operably connected to the universal serial bus decoder signal output, and having a transfer function that creates a signal conditioner output signal that is a function of its input signals, whereby the signal conditioner receives the first analog signal and generates signal conditioner output signal that is a function of the energy level stored in the energy storage device and the level of the first analog signal. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method for interfacing a bus to a device, the bus including a power line carrying power and a signal line carrying a bus signal, the device including a power input and a signal input for receiving a device input signal, comprising the steps of
a. drawing power from the bus power line and storing the drawn power in an energy storage device; -
b. simultaneously with the drawing and storing power step (a), creating a device input signal that the bus signal amplified by a constant, predetermined factor when the level of energy in the energy storage device is greater than a predetermined threshold, and otherwise creating a device input signal that is the bus input signal amplified by a factor determined by reducing the predetermined factor by an amount that is a function of the degree to which the energy storage device is less than the predetermined factor; and
c. simultaneously with the drawing and storing power step (a) and the creating a device input signal step (b), limiting to a predetermined current threshold the current drawn from the bus power line by the device power input.
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23. An method for interfacing a host computer containing a digitized sound signal that represents a substantially equivalent analog signal via a peripheral bus to a bus powered speaker to play the digitized sound signal, the bus including a power line carrying power and a signal line carrying a bus signal, the bus powered speaker including a power input, a signal input for receiving a speaker input signal, an amplifier for amplifying the speaker input signal and a speaker for converting the amplified speaker input signal to sound, comprising the steps of:
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a. reading the digitized sound signal and determining an equivalent analog signal level for the substantially equivalent analog signal of one or more of the digitized sound samples contained in the digitized sound signal;
b. for each equivalent analog signal level determined in reading and determining step (a), creating a digitized representation for the equivalent analog signal level;
c. for each digitized representation for the equivalent analog signal level created in step (b), embedding the digitized representation for the equivalent analog signal level in a digital data stream that includes the digitized sound signal from which the equivalent analog signal level was determined in step (b);
d. sending the digital data stream created in step (c) to the bus powered speaker signal input via the peripheral bus signal line;
e. drawing power from the bus power line and storing the drawn power in an energy storage device in the bus powered speaker;
f. simultaneously with drawing and storing power step (e), limiting the current drawn from the bus power line by the bus powered speaker to a predetermined threshold;
g. during the drawing and storing power step (e) and the current limiting step (f), decoding the digital data stream created in step (d) and received at the speaker signal input to recover the substantially equivalent analog signal and to recover the equivalent analog signal level; and
h. during the drawing and storing power step (e) and the current limiting step (f), amplifying the equivalent analog speaker signal by a factor that is a function of the equivalent analog signal level and the level of energy stored in the energy storage device.
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Specification
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Current AssigneeHarman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
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Original AssigneeHarman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
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InventorsWood, Bradley C.
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Primary Examiner(s)Etienne, Ario
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Application NumberUS09/127,642Time in Patent Office907 DaysField of Search713/300, 713/320, 713/340, 713/310, 713/330, 713/322-24, 710/126, 710/129US Class Current713/300CPC Class CodesG06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply powe...
