Circuit arrangement for signal coupling between circuit parts having supply lines isolated from one another

• US 6,304,043 B1
• Filed: 06/29/2000
• Issued: 10/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mannesmann VDO AG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Mannesmann VDO AG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Klostermeier, Dieter
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, JIMMY T
• Application Number:
  US09/608,327
• Time in Patent Office: 474 Days
• Field of Search: 315/365, 315/399, 315/360, 307/10.R, 307/140, 307/141
• US Class Current: 315/360
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/06 using capacity coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/547 via DC power distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5483 using coupling circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/548 the power on the line being DC arrangements for feeding power H04L12/10; extracting feeding power from signals H04L25/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/22 Capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0266 Arrangements for providing Galvanic isolation, e.g. by means of magnetic or capacitive coupling

Abstract

A circuit arrangement for signal coupling between circuit parts having supply lines isolated from one another wherein

a) the circuit arrangement comprises a first circuit part (1) and at least one further circuit part (2), the first circuit part (1) being connected to a first supply line (3) having a first ground potential (GND1), and the other circuit part(s) (2) being connected to a supply line (4) which is different than the first supply line (3) and has an associated second ground potential (GND2), the supply line (4) or the associated line for the ground potential (GND2) being able to be connected and disconnected at least in one of these further circuit parts (2),

b) there are one or more signal paths (6, 7, 8, 9) between the first circuit part and the other circuit part(s), each of these signal paths (6, 7, 8, 9) containing a coupling capacitor (11, 12, 13, 14) for capacitively transmitting useful signals (N1, N2, N3, N4) between the first circuit part and the other circuit part(s),

c) each circuit part (1, 2) contains, on both sides of the coupling capacitors (11, 12, 13, 14), logic units (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23) for transmitting and receiving the useful signals (N1, N2, N3, N4) which are to be transmitted via the signal paths (6, 7, 8, 9),

d) at least one of the circuit parts (1 or 2) contains a clock generator (15) which outputs a clock signal (TS) to the logic units (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23),

e) a useful signal (N1, N2, N3, N4) to be transmitted is logically combined with the clock signal (TS) in the logic units (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23) both at the transmitter end and at the receiver end using an EXCLUSIVE OR function in each case.

Claims

1. A circuit arrangement for signal coupling between circuit parts having supply lines isolated from one another, wherein

a) the circuit arrangement comprises a first circuit part (1) and at least one further circuit part (2), the first circuit part (1) being connected to a first supply line (3) having a first ground potential (GND1), and the other further circuit part(s) (2) being connected to a supply line (4) which is different than the first supply line (3) and has an associated second ground potential (GND2), the supply line (4) or the associated line for the ground potential (GND2) being connectable and disconnectable at least in one of said further circuit parts (2),

b) there are one or more signal paths (6, 7, 8, 9) between the first circuit part (1) and the other further circuit part(s) (2), each of said signal paths (6, 7, 8, 9) containing a coupling capacitor (11, 12, 13, 14) for capacitively transmitting useful signals (N1, N2, N3, N4) between the first circuit part and the other circuit part(s),

c) each said circuit part (1, 2) contains, on both sides of the coupling capacitors (11, 12, 13, 14), logic units (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23) for transmitting and receiving the useful signals (N1, N2, N3, N4) which are to be transmitted via the signal paths (6, 7, 8, 9),

d) at least one of the circuit parts (1 or 2) contains a clock generator (15) which outputs a clock signal (TS) to the logic units (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23), and

e) a useful signal (N1, N2, N3, N4) to be transmitted being logically combined with the clock signal (TS) in the logic units (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23) both at transmitter end and at receiver end using an EXCLUSIVE OR function in each case.

2. The circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein only one of the circuit parts (1 or 2) contains a clock generator (15), wherein the clock signal (TS) is transmitted from one further circuit part (2) to the first circuit part (1) via a dedicated path (5) and a coupling capacitor (10) situated therein.

3. The circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least phase angle, frequency or pulse width of the clock signal (TS) is different than that of the useful signals (N1, N2, N3, N4) to be transmitted.

4. The circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the clock signal (TS) is in form of a square wave signal.

5. The circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the clock generator (15) and the receiver-end logic units (17, 19, 21, 23) are connected to one another by a matching device (24 and 25, respectively) in order to match timing of the clock signal (TS) supplied to the receiver-end logic units (17, 19, 21, 23) to the extent by which mixed signals (M1, M2, M3, M4) which comprise the useful signal (N1, N2, N3, N4) and the clock signal (TS) and are transmitted via the signal paths (6, 7, 8, 9) are delayed in the transmitter-end logic units (16, 18, 20, 22).

6. The circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 5, wherein clock cycle of the clock signal (TS) is shorter in duration than time constant for those currents flowing via the coupling capacitors (10, 11, 12, 13, 14) into signal inputs of the receiver-end logic units (17, 19, 21, 23) and into signal input of the matching device (25), or flowing out thereof.

7. The circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the signal paths (6, 7, 8, 9) or a path (5) for the clock signal (TS) contain(s) a current-limiting resistor (26, 27, 28, 29, 30) or a further capacitor (40) or both in series with the respective coupling capacitor (10, 11, 12, 13, 14).

8. The circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein output signal from a receiver-end logic unit (17, 19, 21, 23) is supplied to an RC filter (31, 32, 33, 34).

9. The circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said circuit part (1) which is continuously supplied with current contains, for the receiver-end logic units (17, 19) and a matching device (25), which is providable there, a respective resistor (35, 36, 37) or a Schmitt trigger which fixes the voltage level at that input of the logic unit (17, 19) and of the matching device (25) which is connected to the coupling capacitor (10, 11, 12).

10. The circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 5, wherein connected to input of the receiver-end logic units (17, 19, 21, 23) and to input of the matching device (25), there is either a diode network (38, 39) connected upstream of the respective input or a diode network which is integrated in the relevant logic unit and in the matching device (25), said diode network ensuring that the potentials of the mixed signals (M1, M2, M3, M4) transmitted via a coupling capacitor (11, 12, 13, 14) or the potential of the clock signal (TS) transmitted via the coupling capacitor (10) do not exceed or fall below input voltage range in which the receiver-end logic units (17, 19, 21, 23) or the matching device (25) are able to evaluate a signal.