Wired exchange of control information in wireless system

• US 8,045,552 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2008
• Issued: 10/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Unger, Robert Allan
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah; Chirag
• Assistant Examiner(s): REDDIVALAM, SRINIVASA R
• Application Number:
  US12/048,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20090178086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,320 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/389
• 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: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/18 using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215

Abstract

Pairing information is automatically exchanged over a temporary cable in a wireless high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) system. Subsequently, the cable is disconnected and a source of HDMI (such as a disk player) wirelessly sends HDMI A/V to a sink (such as a HDTV).

Claims

1. A method comprising:

connecting a cable to a wireless transmitter assembly, the wireless transmitter assembly for wirelessly transmitting audio/video (A/V) information from a source of data;

connecting the cable to a wireless receiver assembly sought to be used to provide A/V information to a sink device, the sink device for displaying information from the source;

in response to energizing the assemblies, automatically causing the transmitter assembly and receiver assembly to exchange pairing information over the cable; and

using the pairing information to establish a connection for sending information from the transmitter assembly to the receiver assembly over a wireless communication path, wherein a wired output of a first one of the assemblies is looped back to a wired input of the second one of the assemblies, or a wired input of the wireless transmitter assembly is connected to a wired connection on the sink device that is otherwise used as an alternative input for the sink device, wherein the act of automatically causing includes;

upon energization of the assemblies, causing the transmitter assembly to load, into a memory associated with the transmitter assembly, extended display identification data (EDID) indicating a wireless HDMI repeater;

causing the transmitter assembly to monitor for consumer electronics control (CEC) commands;

causing the receiver assembly to monitor for EDID indicating a wireless HDMI repeater and when the receiver detects such an EDID, causing the receiver to send, over a CEC bus of the cable, a signal indicating control signal connection; and

in response to receiving from the receiver assembly the signal indicating control signal connection, causing the transmitter assembly to send the pairing information to the receiver assembly over the cable.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the acts of connecting establish a temporary repurposing of wired interfaces of wireless communication components to exchange pairing information and related shared secrets.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising disconnecting the cable after exchanging pairing information and subsequently causing the assemblies to communicate with each other solely over the wireless communication path.

4. The method of claim 2, comprising detecting that at least one wired interface is not connected in accordance with industry standard protocol and thus that the interface is usable for exchanging pairing information.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the wired interface is high definition multimedia interface (HDMI).

6. The method of claim 5, wherein at least some pairing information is exchanged over at least one of:

a consumer electronics control (CEC) bus of the cable, an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) bus of the cable.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising providing audible and/or visual indication on at least one of the assemblies indicating successful exchange of the pairing information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the pairing information exchanged includes unique IDs of valid partners for wireless operation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the pairing information exchanged includes a public key or other shared secret of partner device used for secure wireless exchange of data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the pairing information is preserved in non-volatile memory.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the non-volatile memory can contain pairing information for more than one valid partner.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the non-volatile memory is purged in response to user input.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the pairing information includes at least one high definition content protection (HDCP) key selection vector (KSV).

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the pairing information further includes at least one public key associated with a radio transmitter of the transmitter assembly.

15. An audio/video (A/V) receiver assembly configured for receiving wireless signals representing A/V for display thereof on a display, comprising:

an A/V output device configured for outputting A/V signals in a predetermined A/V format useful by the display;

a receiver controller sending A/V signals to the A/V output device; and

a wireless receiver configured for receiving wireless signals from a transmitter assembly,

pairing information necessary for wireless communication of A/V from a source to a sink being exchanged by the receiver controller and transmitter assembly automatically over a cable, wherein the predetermined format is high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), and wherein;

upon energization of the assemblies with the cable connected, the receiver assembly monitors for extended display identification data (EDID) from the transmitter assembly indicating a wireless HDMI repeater;

when the receiver controller detects such an EDID, the receiver assembly sends, over a CEC bus of the cable, a signal indicating control signal connection; and

the receiver assembly receives from the transmitter assembly pairing information over the cable.

16. The A/V receiver assembly of claim 15, wherein the pairing information is received upon connecting the cable to the assemblies and energizing the assemblies.

17. An audio/video (A/V) transmitter assembly configured for transmitting wireless signals representing A/V from a source of A/V, comprising:

a receiver configured for receiving from the source A/V signals in a predetermined A/V format;

a transmitter controller receiving A/V signals from the receiver; and

a wireless transmitter configured for wirelessly transmitting signals from the transmitter controller to a receiver assembly associated with a sink, wherein pairing information necessary for wireless communication of A/V from the source to the sink is received by the transmitter controller automatically over a cable from the receiver assembly, wherein responsive to detection of an invalid wired topology involving the transmitter controller and/or receiver assembly, the pairing information is exchanged over the cable, and responsive to a determination that an invalid wired topology does not exist, wireless communication between the transmitter and receiver is undertaken using the pairing information to establish a wireless connection; and

includes;

wherein upon energization of the assemblies, the transmitter assembly loads into a memory associated with the transmitter assembly, extended display identification data (EDID) indicating a wireless HDMI repeater;

the transmitter assembly monitors for consumer electronics control (CEC) commands;

the receiver assembly monitors for EDID indicating a wireless HDMI repeater and when it detects such an EDID, the receiver assembly sends over a CEC bus of the cable, a signal indicating control signal connection; and

in response to receiving from the receiver assembly the signal indicating control signal connection, the transmitter assembly sends the pairing information to the receiver assembly over the cable.