Signal transmission apparatus using an isolator, modem, and information processor

• US 6,389,063 B1
• Filed: 10/30/1998
• Issued: 05/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kato, Kazuo, Yukitake, Seigoh, Kanekawa, Nobuyasu, Kojima, Yasuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Khai
• Application Number:
  US09/182,219
• Time in Patent Office: 1,292 Days
• Field of Search: 375/222, 375/220, 375/257, 375/244, 375/288, 375/377, 330/10, 330/251, 330/129, 333/24.R, 333/160, 379/93.01, 379/27
• US Class Current: 375/222
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0041 Arrangements at the transmitter end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0045 Arrangements at the receiver end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0266 Arrangements for providing Galvanic isolation, e.g. by means of magnetic or capacitive coupling

Abstract

The signal x to be transmitted is converted to the redundant code f(x) by the redundancy coder 6 and transmitted via the isolating capacitor 2 of the isolator 50. When the signal f(x) redundancy-coded and transmitted is the coded word f(xi), the decoder 7 outputs xi which is inferred as an equivalent original signal and when an error occurs and the signal f(x) does not match the coded word f(xi), the decoder 7 corrects the error and outputs xi which is inferred as an original signal.

Claims

1. A signal transmission apparatus comprising:

a redundancy coder for redundancy-coding an input signal, said redundancy coder adding error detection and correction code to the input signal;

a decoder for decoding a signal redundancy-coded by said redundancy coder; and

an isolator for electrically insulating said redundancy coder and said decoder and also transmitting information from said redundancy coder to said decoder.

2. A signal transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said isolator has a capacitor for capacitively coupling said redundancy coder and said decoder.

3. A signal transmission apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said capacitor has a first electrode and a second electrode on a semiconductor wafer which are isolated by an insulating band formed by a silicon oxide film.

4. A signal transmission apparatus comprising:

a redundancy coder for redundancy-coding an input signal;

a decoder for decoding a signal redundancy-coded by said redundancy coder; and

an isolator for electrically insulating said redundancy coder and said decoder and also transmitting information from said redundancy coder to said decoder,

wherein said isolator has a differential amplifier for outputting a signal from said redundancy coder as a complementary signal, a differentiating circuit comprising a capacitor and a resistor for generating a differential signal for each output signal of said differential amplifier, and a regenerative circuit for generating said input signal from each said differential signal generated by said differentiating circuit.

5. A signal transmission apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said capacitor has a first electrode and a second electrode on a semiconductor wafer which are isolated by an insulating band formed by a silicon oxide film.

6. A signal transmission apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said regenerative circuit is an RS flip-flop.

7. A signal transmission apparatus comprising:

a redundancy coder for redundancy-coding an input signal, said redundancy coder adding error detection and correction code to the input signal;

a decoder for decoding a signal redundancy-coded by said redundancy coder; and

an isolator for electrically insulating said redundancy coder and said decoder and also transmitting information from said redundancy coder to said decoder,

wherein when said inputted signal is a non-coded word, said decoder outputs an already decoded signal.

8. A signal transmission apparatus comprising:

a redundancy coder for redundancy-coding an input signal, said redundancy coder adding error detection and correction code to the input signal;

a decoder for decoding a signal redundancy-coded by said redundancy coder; and

an isolator for electrically insulating said redundancy coder and said decoder and also transmitting information from said redundancy coder to said decoder,

wherein said redundancy coder, said decoder, and said isolator are formed on the same semiconductor substrate.

9. A signal transmission apparatus comprising

a redundancy coder for redundancy-coding a digital signal, said redundancy coder adding error detection and correction code to the input signal;

a decoder for decoding a signal redundancy-coded by said redundancy coder,

a converter for converting an output of said decoder to an analog signal, and

an isolator for electrically insulating said redundancy coder and said decoder and also transmitting information from said redundancy coder to said decoder, wherein at least said redundancy coder, said decoder, and said isolator are formed on the same semiconductor substrate.