Composite functional transmission line

• US 8,601,180 B1
• Filed: 07/03/2012
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fluiditech IP Limited
• Original Assignee: Fluiditech IP Limited
• Inventors: Chu, Yung-Chiang
• Primary Examiner(s): TSENG, CHENG YUAN
• Application Number:
  US13/541,152
• Time in Patent Office: 518 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 710/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4282 on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247

Abstract

A composite functional transmission line is used as a medium for transmitting data between a plurality of electronic devices, and the composite functional transmission line is capable of performing bi-directional data transmissions with the electronic devices directly, and the composite functional transmission line includes a substrate, a plurality of transmission units and an extension unit. Each of the transmission units has two electrical connection terminals, and one of the two electrical connection terminals is provided for connecting the electronic devices, and the other one of the two electrical connection terminals is connected to the substrate, and the extension unit is installed onto the substrate and coupled to the transmission units through the substrate, so that bi-directional data transmissions can be performed between the extension unit and the transmission units.

Claims

1. A composite functional transmission line, used as a medium for transmitting data between a plurality of electronic devices, and coupled to the electronic devices directly for transmitting the data bi-directionally, and the composite functional transmission line comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of transmission units, each having two electrical connection terminals, and electrically coupled to the substrate through one of the two electrical connection terminals, and the transmission unit being coupled to one of the electronic devices through the other one of the two electrical connection terminals, and the transmission units being provided for extending one of a plurality of transmission ports to the exterior of the substrate;

an extension unit, installed onto the substrate, and coupled to the transmission unit through the substrate, and provided for performing a bi-directional data transmission with at least one of the transmission units;

a switching unit, installed onto the substrate and coupled to the transmission units and the extension unit, and the switching unit comprises a plurality of transmission ports and a connecting path formed between the transmission ports, such that the data can be transmitted between the transmission ports bi-directionally according to the connecting path;

a control unit, coupled to the switching unit and provided for generating a control signal to determine the connecting path between the transmission ports of the switching unit, wherein the control unit generates the control signal automatically according to a connecting status of the transmission units with the extension unit to control the switching unit to switch the connecting path between the transmission ports; and

a route switching table, stored in the control unit, and when the connecting statuses of the transmission units and the extension unit occur simultaneously, the control unit switches the connecting path between the transmission ports according to the route switching table.

2. The composite functional transmission line of claim 1, further comprising a trigger unit coupled to the control unit, and the trigger unit generating a trigger signal to drive the control unit to switch the connecting path between the transmission ports by the switching unit.

3. The composite functional transmission line of claim 2, wherein the trigger unit is one selected from the collection of a press button, a switch knob and a touch switch.

4. The composite functional transmission line of claim 2, further comprising an indicating unit coupled to the control unit for indicating an action executed between the extension unit, the switching unit and the transmission units according to the connecting path.

5. The composite functional transmission line of claim 4, wherein the indicating unit is installed at at least one of the substrate and the transmission units.

6. The composite functional transmission line of claim 1, wherein the extension unit is one selected from the collection of an external port, a built-in memory and a memory card accessor.

7. The composite functional transmission line of claim 1, wherein the transmission unit complies with a communication port specification selected from the collection of FireWire (IEEE 1394), universal serial bus (Universal Serial Bus), micro universal serial bus (Micro USB), mini universal serial bus (Mini USB), and Apple 30-pin specifications.

8. The composite functional transmission line of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of combining units installed at the transmission units respectively and provided for combining the electrical connection terminal coupled to the electronic device to form a ring-shaped body.

9. The composite functional transmission line of claim 8, wherein the combining unit is one selected from the collection of a magnet, a buckle and a slot.