Information processing apparatus and signal transmission method

• US 8,625,639 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2009
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Fukuda, Kunio
• Primary Examiner(s): Thier, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOUIS, VINNCELAS
• Application Number:
  US12/551,927
• Publication Number:
  US 20100085988A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,589 Days
• Field of Search: 370/366, 370/480, 455/575.1, 455/575.3, 455/550.1, 345/102, 345/98, 375/286, 375/337, 341/98
• US Class Current: 370/480
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/02 Details ; arrangements for supplying electrical power along data transmission lines systems for transmitting signals via power distribution lines H04B3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/06 the signals being represented by different frequencies combined with time-division multiplexing H04L5/26

Abstract

An information processing apparatus is provided which includes a signal multiplexing unit for multiplexing a plurality of transmission signals, each in a different frequency band and not containing a DC component, and a power signal supplied from a DC power supply and generating a multiplexed signal, a single signal cable through which the multiplexed signal generated by the signal multiplexing unit is transmitted, and a signal separating unit for separating the multiplexed signal transmitted through the signal cable into signals, each in a frequency band of one of the plurality of transmission signals, and a signal in a frequency band of the power signal.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

circuitry configured to multiplex a plurality of transmission signals, each in a different frequency band and not containing a DC component, and a power signal supplied from a DC power supply, and generating a multiplexed signal; and

a signal cable through which the multiplexed signal, which includes the plurality of transmission signals and the power supply signal as a single, complex signal, is transmitted, wherein the circuitry is further configured to;

separate the multiplexed signal transmitted through the signal cable into signals, each in a frequency band of one of the plurality of transmission signals, and a signal in a frequency band of the power signal;

multiplex the plurality of transmission signals with the power signal, the plurality of transmission signals obtained by encoding input data that includes mutually different first and second bit values by expressing the first bit value in a form of a plurality of first amplitude values and the second bit value in a form of second amplitude values different from the first amplitude values such that a same amplitude value does not occur consecutively and a polarity of the amplitude value is inverted with each cycle, wherein the first bit value has a data value of one that is expressed by at least three different values of the plurality of first amplitude values and the second bit value has a data value of zero that is expressed by two different values of the second amplitude values; and

compare amplitude values of the multiplexed signal with a plurality of threshold values to determine whether the plurality of first amplitude values correspond to the data value of one or the second amplitude values correspond to the data value of zero.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the circuitry includes first and second information processing modules connected to each other by the signal cable;

the first information processing module has the DC power supply, signal multiplexing circuitry, and a signal processor for performing a predetermined processing on the transmission signal;

the second information processing module has a display screen for outputting an image signal, a radio antenna, and signal separating circuitry;

the signal multiplexing circuitry is configured to multiplex, with the power signal, the image signal to be output on the display screen and a radio signal transmitted from the radio antenna as the transmission signals, and generates a multiplexed signal; and

the signal separating circuitry is configured to separate the image signal, the radio signal and the power signal in the multiplexed signal.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the circuitry includes:

a first filter having a frequency band near a frequency 0 as a passband, and

a plurality of second filters each having the frequency band of one of the plurality of transmission signals as a passband; and

the power signal is extracted from the multiplexed signal by the first filter; and

each of the plurality of transmission signals is extracted from the multiplexed signal from which the power signal is removed, by each of the plurality of second filters.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the information processing apparatus is a laptop personal computer or a mobile phone.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is further configured to multiplex, with the power signal, at least a transmission/reception signal in a wireless local area network (LAN) or a reception signal of a broadcast wave as the transmission signal.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the single, complex signal, includes the transmission/reception signal in the wireless local area network (LAN) or the reception signal of the broadcast wave.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the circuitry includes first and second information processing modules connected to each other only by the signal cable.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry includes first and second information processing modules connected to each other only by the signal cable.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an operation circuit including signal multiplexing circuitry; and

a display circuit including signal separating circuitry, wherein the operation circuit and the display circuit are connected to each other only by the signal cable.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an operation circuit including signal multiplexing circuitry; and

a display circuit including signal separating circuitry, wherein the operation circuit and the display circuit are electrically connected to each other only by the signal cable.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to regenerate an original clock by detecting a clock component based upon the polarity inversion.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the circuitry is further configured to not use a PLL circuit when detecting the clock component.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the data value of one is represented by 4 different non-zero values.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the data value of one is represented by values 1, −

1, 3, and −

3; and

the data value of zero is represented by values 2, and −

2.

15. A signal transmission method comprising the steps of:

multiplexing a plurality of transmission signals, each in a different frequency band and not containing a DC component, and a power signal supplied from a DC power supply, and generating a multiplexed signal, wherein multiplexing the plurality of transmission signals includes multiplexing the plurality of transmission signals with the power signal, the plurality of transmission signals obtained by encoding input data that includes mutually different first and second bit values by expressing the first bit value in a form of a plurality of first amplitude values and the second bit value in a form of second amplitude values different from the first amplitude values such that a same amplitude value does not occur, and a polarity of the amplitude value is inverted with each cycle, wherein the first bit value has a data value of one that is expressed by at least three different values of the plurality of first amplitude values and the second bit value has a data value of zero that is expressed by two different values of the second amplitude values;

transmitting the multiplexed signal, which includes the plurality of transmission signals and the power supply signal as a single, complex signal, generated in the step of multiplexing a plurality of transmission signals through a signal cable;

separating the multiplexed signal transmitted through the signal cable into signals, each in a frequency band of one of the plurality of transmission signals, and a signal in a frequency band of the power signal; and

comparing amplitude values of the multiplexed signal with a plurality of threshold values to determine whether the plurality of first amplitude values correspond to the data value of one or the second amplitude values correspond to the data value of zero.

16. A non-transitory medium storing instructions which when executed cause a computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

multiplexing a plurality of transmission signals, each in a different frequency band and not containing a DC component, and a power signal supplied from a DC power supply, and generating a multiplexed signal, wherein multiplexing the plurality of transmission signals includes multiplexing the plurality of transmission signals with the power signal, the plurality of transmission signals obtained by encoding input data that includes mutually different first and second bit values by expressing the first bit value in a form of a plurality of first amplitude values and the second bit value in a form of second amplitude values different from the first amplitude values such that a same amplitude value does not occur, and a polarity of the amplitude value is inverted with each cycle, wherein the first bit value has a data value of one that is expressed by at least three different values of the plurality of first amplitude values and the second bit value has a data value of zero that is expressed by two different values of the second amplitude values;

transmitting the multiplexed signal, which includes the plurality of transmission signals and the power supply signal as a single, complex signal, generated in the step of multiplexing a plurality of transmission signals through a signal cable;

separating the multiplexed signal transmitted through the signal cable into signals, each in a frequency band of one of the plurality of transmission signals, and a signal in a frequency band of the power signal; and

comparing amplitude values of the multiplexed signal with a plurality of threshold values to determine whether the plurality of first amplitude values correspond to the data value of one or the second amplitude values correspond to the data value of zero.