Apparatus for enabling simultaneous content streaming and power charging of handheld devices

• US 9,197,023 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2011
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Original Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Inventors: Bar-Niv, Amir, Kabiry, Ziv, Slezak, Yaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Mamo, Elias
• Application Number:
  US13/312,457
• Publication Number:
  US 20120077384A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,449 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/10 Use of a protocol of communication by packets in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/12 Use of DVI or HDMI protocol in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• 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: H01R 27/00 Coupling parts adapted for co-operation with two or more dissimilar counterparts for dissimilar contact members H01R13/35; supported only by co-operation with a counterpart H01R31/00; with a holder adapted for supporting apparatus to which its counterpart is attached H01R33/90
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 27/02 for simultaneous co-operation with two or more dissimilar counterparts

Abstract

An apparatus for enabling simultaneous multimedia content streaming and power charging of handheld devices, comprises a universal connector installed in a first device and enables connectivity of at least one multimedia display interface and at least one data interface with a second device, the first device is connected to the second device using a charging-streaming cable having, at one end, a first connector compliant with the universal connector, and at the other end, a second connector compliant with a multimedia display interface and a third connector compliant with a data interface of the second device, wherein streaming of the multimedia content is from the universal connector in the first device to the second connector in the second device and power charging of the first device is through the third connector of the second device; and a detector for determining a type of the multimedia display interface of the second device.

Claims

1. An apparatus for enabling simultaneous multimedia content streaming and power charging of handheld devices, comprising:

a universal connector installed in a first device and configured to enable connectivity of at least one multimedia display interface and at least one data interface with a second device, wherein the universal connector includes a plurality of contact pins and wherein the same plurality of contact pins serve different connectivity functions depending on a multimedia display interface type of the second device,

the first device is connected to the second device using a charging-streaming cable having, at one end, a first connector compliant with the universal connector, and at the other end, a second connector compliant with a multimedia display interface and a third connector compliant with a data interface of the second device, wherein the second connector is any one of;

a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) connector, a DisplayPort connector, and a digital interactive interface for video and audio (DiiVA) connector, and the third connector is at least a USB connector, and the third connector is at least a USB connector,

wherein streaming of the multimedia content is from the universal connector in the first device to the second connector in the second device and power charging of the first device is through the third connector of the second device; and

a detector for determining a type of the multimedia display interface of the second device from different types of a multimedia display interface, and setting the apparatus to process signals according to the determined multimedia display interface type, wherein the detector is further configured to sense an auxiliary channel of the multimedia display interface using a logic circuit for determining the type of the multimedia display interface, and upon determination of the type of the multimedia display interface, the detector is further configured to set a circuitry of the universal connector to a mode of operation being compliant with the first device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the USB interface is at least any one of:

a USB 2.0 type interface and a USB 1.0 type interface.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first device is a handheld device and the second device is a host device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the universal connector includes at least:

a housing and a plurality of contact pins arranged in the housing, wherein a first group of contact pins of the plurality of contact pins serves different connectivity functions depending on the multimedia display interface type of the second connector and a second group pins of the plurality of contact pins allows the power charging of the first device.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the plurality of contact pins includes any arrangement of 19 pins and 16 pins.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein different connectivity functions of the first group of the plurality of contact pins are of at least:

a DisplayPort source, a DisplayPort sink, an HDMI interface, and a DiiVA interface.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second connector is a DisplayPort connector, and the third connector is a USB connector of at least a USB 3.0 type interface.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, is further configured to allow data content streaming between the universal connector in the first device and the third connector in the second device.

9. An apparatus for enabling simultaneous multimedia content streaming and power charging of handheld devices, comprising:

a universal connector installed in a first device and configured for enabling connectivity of a multimedia display interface with a second device, wherein the universal connector includes a plurality of contact pins and wherein the same plurality of pins serve different connectivity functions depending on a multimedia display interface type of the second device,

the first device is connected to the second device using a cable having, at one end, a first connector compliant with a universal connector and, at the other end, a second connector compliant with the multimedia display interface, wherein the second connector is any one of;

a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) connector, a DisplayPort connector, and a digital interactive interface for video and audio (DiiVA) connector,

wherein streaming of a multimedia content is from the universal connector in the first device to the second connector in the second device and power charging is from the second device to the first device through the cable,

the universal connector includes a detector for determining a type of the multimedia display interface of the second device from different types of a multimedia display interface, and setting the apparatus to process signals according to the determined multimedia display interface type, the detector is further configured to sense an auxiliary channel of the multimedia display interface using a logic circuit for determining the type of the multimedia display interface and upon determination of the type of the multimedia display interface, the detector is further configured to set a circuitry of the universal connector to a mode of operation being compliant with the first device.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the second connector is a DiiVA connector.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first device is a handheld device and the second device is a host device.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the universal connector includes at least:

a housing and a plurality of contact pins arranged in the housing, wherein the plurality of contact pins include any arrangement of 19 pins and 16 pins.

13. An apparatus for enabling simultaneous data content streaming and power charging of handheld devices, comprising:

a universal connector installed in a first device and configured to enable connectivity of at least one data interface with a second device,

wherein the universal connector includes a plurality of contact pins and wherein the same plurality of contact pins serve different connectivity functions depending on a multimedia display interface type of the second device and comprises a detector configured to determine a type of the multimedia display interface of the second device from different types of a multimedia display interface, and setting the apparatus to process signals according to determined multimedia display interface type, the detector is further configured to sense an auxiliary channel of the multimedia display interface using a logic circuit for determining the type of multimedia display interface, and upon determination of the type of the multimedia display interface, the detector is further configured to set a circuitry of the universal connector to a mode of operation being compliant with the first device, the first device is connected to the second device using a cable having, at one end, a first connector compliant with the universal connector and, at the other end, a second connector compliant with a data interface type, wherein streaming of the data content is from the universal connector in the first device to the second connector in the second device and from the second connector in the second device to the universal connector in the first device and power charging is from the second device to the first device through the cable.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the second connector is at least a USB connector.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the USB connector is of at least a USB interface including any one of:

a USB 3.0 type interface, a USB 2.0 type interface, and a USB 1.0 type interface.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first device is a handheld device and the second device is a host device.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the universal connector includes at least:

a housing and a plurality of contact pins arranged in the housing, wherein the plurality of contact pins includes any arrangement of 19 pins and 16 pins.

18. A charging-streaming cable for enabling simultaneous multimedia content streaming and power charging of handheld devices, comprising:

a universal connector including a plurality of contact pins for providing connectivity for multimedia display interface signals and data interface signals, wherein the universal connector includes a plurality of pins and wherein the same plurality of pins serve different connectivity functions depending on a multimedia display interface type of the second connector and comprises a detector configured to determine a type of the multimedia display interface of the second device from different types of a multimedia display interface, and setting the apparatus to process signals according to the determined multimedia display interface type, the detector is further configured to sense an auxiliary channel of the multimedia display interface using a logic circuit for determining the type of the multimedia display interface, and upon determination of the type of the multimedia display interface, the detector is further configured to set a circuitry of the universal connector to a mode of operation being compliant with the first device;

a first multimedia connector including a plurality of contact pins providing connectivity for multimedia display interface signals for streaming of the multimedia content;

a second connector compliant with a data interface and including a plurality of contact pins providing connectivity power charging signals, wherein the universal connector is installed at one end of the cable, and the first and second connectors are installed at the other end of the cable, wherein the first connector is any one of;

a HDMI connector, a DisplayPort connector, and a digital interactive interface for video &

audio DiiVA connector, and the second connector is at least a USB connector; and

a plurality of conducting wires for coupling a first group of the plurality of contact pins of the universal connector to the plurality of contact pins of the first connector to enable streaming of the multimedia content, and for coupling a second group of the plurality of contact pins of the universal connector to the plurality of contact pins of the second connector to enable power charging of a handheld device connected at the other end of the second connector.

19. The cable of claim 18, wherein the first connector and second connector are coupled to a host device.

20. The cable of claim 18, wherein the second connector is a USB connector of at least a USB 3.0 type interface.

21. The cable of claim 20, wherein the data content is streamed from the handheld device through the universal connector to the second connector.

22. The cable of claim 18, wherein the plurality of contact pins includes any arrangement of 19 pins and 16 pins.