Extremely high frequency converter

• US 9,407,731 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2014
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Molex LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Keyssa, Inc.
• Inventors: McCormack, Gary D., Isaac, Roger, Almgren, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Brian D
• Application Number:
  US14/280,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20140341232A1
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0096 where a full band is frequency converted into another full band
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

An extremely high frequency (EHF) protocol converter may include a transducer, an EHF communication circuit, a protocol conversion circuit, and a circuit port. The transducer may be configured to convert between an electromagnetic EHF data signal and an electrical EHF signal. The EHF communication circuit may be configured to convert between a baseband data signal and the electrical EHF signal. The protocol conversion circuit may be adapted to convert between the baseband data signal having data formatted according to a first data protocol associated with a first external device and a second baseband data signal having data formatted according to a second data protocol associated with a second external device. The second data protocol may be different from the first data protocol. The circuit port may conduct the second baseband data signal to the second external device.

Claims

1. A first extremely high frequency (EHF) protocol converter comprising:

a first dielectric channel portion comprising a first end configured as a first electromagnetic signal port located on a first external surface of the first EHF protocol converter, the first dielectric channel portion configured to convey an electromagnetic EHF data signal between the first dielectric channel portion and an external electromagnetic EHF channel coupled with the first electromagnetic signal port;

at least a first transducer coupled to receive the electromagnetic EHF data signal at a second end of the first dielectric portion and generate a first electrical EHF signal from the electromagnetic EHF data signal;

at least a first EHF communication circuit having an input coupled to receive the first electrical EHF signal from the first transducer, the at least first EHF communication circuit configured to generate a first baseband data signal based on the first electrical EHF signal;

a protocol conversion circuit having an input coupled to receive the first baseband data signal from the first EHF communication circuit and adapted to convert the first baseband data signal into a second baseband data signal when the first baseband data signal has data formatted according to a first data protocol associated with a first external device, the second baseband data signal having data formatted according to a second data protocol different than the first data protocol; and

a circuit port coupled to receive the output of the protocol conversion circuit, and coupled to conduct the second baseband data signal to a second external device configured to operate with the second baseband data signal.

2. The first EHF protocol converter of claim 1, further comprising a second dielectric channel portion having a first end electromagnetically coupled to the transducer to receive the electromagnetic EHF data signal and a second end configured as a second electromagnetic signal port located on a second external surface of the first EHF protocol converter, the first external surface being spaced from the second external surface and having a first surface configuration and the second external surface having a second surface configuration configured to matingly receive an external surface of a communication device having the first surface configuration.

3. The first EHF protocol converter of claim 2, further comprising at least a first dielectric channel, the first dielectric channel including the first and second dielectric channel portions, at least the first dielectric channel extending continuously through the first EHF protocol converter between the first electromagnetic signal port and the second electromagnetic signal port.

4. The first EHF protocol converter of claim 3, further comprising a plurality of dielectric channels extending through the first EHF protocol converter including the first dielectric channel, with each dielectric channel including a first end associated with the first external surface and a second end associated with the second external surface.

5. The first EHF protocol converter of claim 2, further comprising:

a second transducer electromagnetically coupled with the second dielectric channel portion and configured to convert between a second electromagnetic EHF signal and a second electrical EHF signal;

a second EHF communication circuit configured to convert between the first baseband data signal and the second electrical EHF signal; and

a signal router circuit operatively coupled to the first and second EHF communication circuits and the protocol conversion circuit for routing the first baseband data signal between the first and second EHF communication circuits and the protocol conversion circuit.

6. A EHF protocol converter assembly comprising a plurality of EHF protocol converters including the first EHF protocol converter of claim 2, with each EHF converter including at least one respective transducer, at least the first and second dielectric channel portions with each dielectric channel portion electromagnetically coupled with one of the at least one respective transducer, an EHF communication circuit, a protocol conversion circuit, and a circuit port, the protocol conversion circuit of each EHF protocol converter being adapted to convert between a respective first baseband data signal when the respective first baseband data signal has data formatted according to the first data protocol and a respective other baseband data signal having data formatted according to a respective other data protocol different than the first data protocol, with each EHF protocol converter being mechanically attached to another one of the plurality of EHF protocol converters with the first external surface of one of the plurality of EHF protocol converters matingly received by the second external surface of another one of the plurality of EHF protocol converters.

7. The EHF protocol converter assembly of claim 6, wherein the respective other data protocols of at least two of the plurality of EHF protocol converters are different data protocols.

8. The EHF protocol converter assembly of claim 6, wherein the respective other data protocols of at least two of the plurality of EHF protocol converters are the same data protocols.

9. The EHF protocol converter assembly of claim 6, further comprising an electromagnetic EHF conduit providing at least a dielectric first conduit channel configured to convey electromagnetic EHF signals, the electromagnetic EHF conduit including a terminal end configured as a first conduit signal port associated with a first conduit surface of the electromagnetic EHF conduit for conveying the electromagnetic EHF signals between the first conduit channel and the first channel portion of the first EHF protocol converter, the terminal end of the electromagnetic EHF conduit having a conduit surface associated with the first conduit signal port, the conduit surface at least partially having the second surface configuration and being matingly received by the first external surface of one of the plurality of EHF protocol converters with the conduit signal port in alignment with the first electromagnetic signal port of the one of the plurality of EHF devices.

10. The EHF protocol converter assembly of claim 6, wherein the first, second, and other data protocols are selected from the group consisting of VGA, DVI, HDMI, Display Port, USB, Firewire, Thunderbolt, SATA, PCle, and Ethernet protocols.

11. A EHF protocol converter assembly comprising a plurality of EHF protocol converters including the first EHF protocol converter of claim 1, with each EHF converter including a respective transducer, an EHF communication circuit, a protocol conversion circuit, and a circuit port, the protocol conversion circuit of each EHF protocol converter being adapted to convert between a respective first baseband data signal when the respective first baseband data signal has data formatted according to the first data protocol and a respective other baseband data signal having data formatted according to a respective other data protocol different than the first data protocol.

12. The EHF protocol converter assembly of claim 11, wherein the respective other data protocols of at least two of the plurality of EHF protocol converters are different data protocols.

13. The EHF protocol converter assembly of claim 11, wherein the respective other data protocols of at least two of the plurality of EHF protocol converters are the same data protocols.

14. The EHF protocol converter assembly of claim 11, further comprising an electromagnetic EHF conduit providing at least a dielectric first conduit channel configured to convey electromagnetic EHF signals, the electromagnetic EHF conduit including a terminal end configured as a first conduit signal port associated with a first conduit surface of the electromagnetic EHF conduit for conveying the electromagnetic EHF signals between the first conduit channel and the at least a first transducer of the first EHF protocol converter.

15. A first extremely high frequency (EHF) device comprising:

at least a first transducer configured to convert between a first electromagnetic EHF data signal and a first electrical EHF signal;

at least a first EHF communication circuit configured to convert between a first baseband data signal and the first electrical EHF signal;

a first dielectric channel portion electromagnetically coupled with the first transducer and having a first end configured as a first electromagnetic signal port associated with a first external surface of the first EHF device for conveying the electromagnetic EHF data signal between the first dielectric channel portion and an external electromagnetic EHF channel when the external electromagnetic EHF channel is coupled with the first electromagnetic signal port; and

a second dielectric channel portion electromagnetically coupled with one of the at least a first transducer and having a second end configured as a second electromagnetic signal port associated with a second external surface of the first EHF device, the first external surface being spaced from the second external surface and having a first surface configuration and the second external surface having a second surface configuration configured to matingly receive an external surface of a communication device having the first surface configuration.

16. The first EHF device of claim 15, further comprising at least a first dielectric channel, the first dielectric channel including the first and second dielectric channel portions, at least the first dielectric channel extending continuously through the first EHF device between the first electromagnetic signal port and the second electromagnetic signal port.

17. The first EHF device of claim 16, further comprising a plurality of dielectric channels extending through the EHF device including the first dielectric channel, with each dielectric channel including a first end associated with the first external surface and a second end associated with the second external surface.

18. The first EHF device of claim 15, further comprising:

a second transducer electromagnetically coupled with the second dielectric channel portion and configured to convert between a second electromagnetic EHF signal and a second electrical EHF signal;

a second EHF communication circuit configured to convert between the first baseband data signal and the second electrical EHF signal; and

a signal processing circuit operatively coupled to the first and second EHF communication circuits for communicating the first baseband data signal between the first and second EHF communication circuits.

19. A EHF device assembly comprising a plurality of EHF devices including the first EHF device of claim 15, with each EHF device including at least one respective transducer, at least the first and second dielectric channel portions with each dielectric channel portion electromagnetically coupled with one of the at least one respective transducer, and an EHF communication circuit, with each EHF device being mechanically coupled to another one of the plurality of EHF devices with the first external surface of one of the plurality of EHF devices matingly received by the second external surface of another one of the plurality of EHF devices.

20. The EHF device assembly of claim 19, further comprising an electromagnetic EHF conduit providing at least a dielectric first conduit channel configured to convey electromagnetic EHF signals, the electromagnetic EHF conduit including a terminal end configured as a first conduit signal port associated with a first conduit surface of the electromagnetic EHF conduit for conveying the electromagnetic EHF signals between the first conduit channel and the first channel portion of the first EHF device, the terminal end of the electromagnetic EHF conduit having a conduit surface associated with the first conduit signal port, the conduit surface at least partially having the second surface configuration and being matingly received by the first external surface of one of the plurality of EHF devices with the conduit signal port in alignment with the first electromagnetic signal port of the one of the plurality of EHF devices.

21. The first EHF device of claim 15, wherein the first and second external surfaces are disposed on opposite faces of the first EHF device.