EHF data transmission among enclosures in hinged systems

• US 9,529,737 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2013
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Molex LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Keyssa, Inc.
• Inventors: McCormack, Gary D., Isaac, Roger
• Primary Examiner(s): Lubit, Ryan A
• Application Number:
  US13/963,888
• Publication Number:
  US 20140043745A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1681 Details related solely to hinges hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/00 Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units interface circuits for specific input/output devices G06F3/00 ; multiprogram control therefor G06F9/46; multiprocessor systems G06F15/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/42 Bus transfer protocol, e.g. handshake; Synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• 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: H01P 3/127 with a circular, elliptic, or parabolic cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices

Abstract

Display systems that use contactless connectors for transmitting data are provided. The contactless connectors are electromagnetic connectors that form an electromagnetic communications link. The electromagnetic communications link can be established within different locations of the same device, or between two different devices. The communications link can be established using at least two transceivers. The transceivers can be incorporated in different enclosures that are hinged together, or the transceivers can be incorporated within a hinge that enables two enclosures to move with respect to each other. A transceiver can be incorporated into a display device that can receive data from an active surface that has a transceiver. When the display device is placed on the active surface, the display device may serve as an access point to content contained within the active surface.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first enclosure comprising a display and a first plurality of extremely high frequency (EHF) transceivers;

a second enclosure comprising a second plurality of EHF transceivers, wherein coupled pairs of EHF transceivers exist among respective ones of the first and second plurality of EHF transceivers; and

at least one hinge for movably coupling the first and second enclosures together, wherein the first enclosure moves with respect to the second enclosure according to a predetermined range of motion, and wherein the first and second enclosures are physically coupled together via the at least one hinge, wherein the at least one hinge comprises a dielectric material, and wherein data is contactlessly transferred between coupled pairs of EHF transceivers via the dielectric material of the at least one hinge independent of a position of the first enclosure with respect to the second enclosure anywhere within the predetermined range of motion,

wherein the dielectric material is selected to prevent interference when a distance between adjacent ones of the first plurality of EHF transceivers or adjacent ones of the second plurality of EHF transceivers is less than a distance between the coupled pairs of EHF transceivers.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one hinge comprises:

a first enclosure portion coupled to the first enclosure; and

a second enclosure portion coupled to the second enclosure.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first transceiver is mounted to the first enclosure portion, and wherein the second transceiver is mounted to the second enclosure portion.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined range of motion is selected from the group consisting of pivot, rotation, and a combination of pivot and rotation.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each one of the first plurality of EHF transceivers is close proximity coupled with a respective one of the second plurality of EHF transceivers.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second plurality of EHF transceivers are not physically connected to each other.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second transceivers are operative to contactlessly transmit data according to a Standards-based protocol designed for communicating electrical signals over a physical link.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the Standards-based protocol is selected from the group consisting of USB, DisplayPort, PCIe, SATA, SAS, MHL, HDMI, Ethernet, Thunderbolt, Quickpath, D-PHY, M-PHY, DVI, and Hypertransport.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the second enclosure comprises a graphics processor that provides video data to the second transceiver, which transmits the video data to the first transceiver, and wherein the first enclosure comprises display circuitry that processes the received video data for presentation on the display.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the first enclosure comprises user interface circuitry that processes user interface events and provides user interface event data to the first transceiver, which transmits the user interface data to the second transceiver.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the user interface data is selected from the group consisting of audio data, video data, touch event data, and combination thereof.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the second enclosure comprises a processor, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, a keyboard, and a power source.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the second enclosure comprises a power source, the system further comprising:

at least one power transfer medium that enables physical transfer of power from the power source to the first enclosure.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the first enclosure comprises a power source.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one hinge selectively couples the first and second enclosures together such that in a first configuration, the first and second enclosures are movably coupled together, and in a second configuration, the first and second enclosures are not coupled together.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the dielectric material is flexible or rigid.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second plurality of EHF transceivers each comprise respective authentication circuitry for authenticating data transfer between the first and second enclosures.