High efficiency low-power active cable architecture

Abstract

A high efficiency low-power active cable architecture is disclosed. The high efficiency low-power active cable architecture can connect between a first and a second electronic device, comprising first and second connection ports, a power line, a transmission line, a diode, a switch module, a first and a second control circuits. The power line and transmission line can connect to the first or second electronic device to receive a power signal and a transmitted signal. The diode, the switch module, and the control circuit are mounted within the first connection port. The second control circuit is mounted within the second connection port. When the power is only supplied from the first electronic device, the second control circuit detects that the second electronic device doesn’t supply power, and notifies the first control circuit to control the switch module's conductivity, thereby removing the power consumption of the diode.

Description

High-efficiency, low-power active transmission cable architecture This invention relates to a high-efficiency, low-power active transmission cable architecture, particularly an active transmission cable architecture that can effectively reduce power consumption and improve performance when powered from a single end. With the advancement of technology, the data transmission rates of communication cables are increasing, such as USB4 V2, DP80, TBT5, and PCIe Gen6 / 7 cables. Considering the compatibility of active transmission cables, it is desirable that they be usable for both single-ended and double-ended power supply applications. However, the two devices connected to the two ends of an active transmission cable may have different power supply voltage levels, resulting in a potential difference. When an active transmission cable is directly electrically connected to two devices, it may cause a short circuit, potentially burning out the devices. Therefore, diodes were incorporated into the internal circuitry of previous active transmission cables. Please refer to Figure 1 for a schematic diagram of the transmission cable architecture of the prior art. In the prior art, the transmission cable architecture 90 connects different electronic devices using a first connection port 91, a second connection port 92, and a power conductor 94. The first connection port 91 contains a first diode 931, and the second connection port 92 contains a second diode 932. The first diode 931 and the second diode 932 are located on the power signal transmission path. These first diodes 931 and 932 are designed to prevent direct power connection between the power supplies of the remote and near-end devices connected to the transmission cable architecture 90, thus avoiding short circuits. However, in the prior art active transmission cable 90, under single-end power supply conditions, when the near-end device connected to the first connection port 91 is powered, the first diode 931 of the first connection port 91 will always have a forward bias voltage. If this forward bias voltage is not eliminated, it will cause virtual power consumption. This virtual power consumption generated by the first diode 931 can even lead to heat generation. If the power supply is changed from a single-ended power supply to a remote device connected to the second connection port 92, the second diode 932 will also have the same virtual power consumption. As a result, the active transmission cable 90 will consume a lot of virtual power consumption under single-ended power supply, resulting in energy waste. Therefore, it is necessary to invent a new high-efficiency active transmission cable architecture that can reduce power consumption in order to address the shortcomings of previous technologies. The main objective of this invention is to provide a high-efficiency, low-power active transmission cable architecture that can effectively reduce virtual power consumption and improve performance when powered from one end. To achieve the above objectives, the high-efficiency, low-power active transmission cable architecture of the present invention can be connected between a first electronic device and a second electronic device, wherein both the first and second electronic devices can input power signals. The high-efficiency, low-power active transmission cable architecture includes a first connection port, a second connection port, a power conductor and a transmission conductor, a first diode, a first switch module, a first control circuit, and a second control circuit. The first connection port or the second connection port can be connected to the first electronic device or the second electronic device, respectively. The power conductor and the transmission conductor are connected between the first connection port and the second connection port, and can be connected to the first electronic device or the second electronic device to receive power signals and transmit signals. The first diode is disposed within the first connection port and electrically connected to the power conductor. The first switch module is disposed within the first connection port and bridging the first diode. The first control circuit is disposed within the first connection port and electrically connected to the first switch module; the second control circuit is disposed within the second connection port and electrically connected to the first control circuit via the transmission conductor. When the first electronic device is powered from a single end, the second control circuit detects that the second electronic device has no input power signal and notifies the first control circuit to generate a first control signal via a transmission line to control the conduction of the first switching module; thereby, the power consumption of the first diode can be eliminated. In one embodiment of the high-efficiency, low-power active transmission cable architecture of the present invention, a second diode and a second switching module are further included. The second diode is disposed within a second connection port and electrically connected to a power supply wire. The second switching module is disposed within the second connection port and bridging the second diode. When the second electronic device is powered from a single end, the first control circuit detects that the first electronic device has no input power signal and notifies the second control circuit via the transmission wire to generate a second control signal to control the conduction of the second switching module; thereby, the power consumption of the second diode can be eliminated. In one embodiment of the high-efficiency, low-power active transmission cable architecture of the present invention, the first switch module and the second switch module are metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors. In one embodiment of the high-efficiency, low-power active transmission cable architecture of the present invention, the power conductor and the transmission conductor are covered within the same insulating outer sheath. To enable your review committee to better understand the technical content of this invention, preferred embodiments are described below. Please refer to Figure 2 below, which is a schematic diagram of the high-efficiency, low-power active transmission cable architecture of the present invention. In one embodiment of the present invention, a high-efficiency, low-power active transmission cable architecture 1 is connected between a first electronic device 2 and a second electronic device 3 via a first connection port 11 and a second connection port 12. The high-efficiency, low-power active transmission cable architecture 1 can be applied to both end-to-end and end-to-end transmission. The first electronic device 2 and the second electronic device 3 can be desktop computer systems, laptops, smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, or display screens, etc. The first electronic device 2 can be configured as the host for main control and signal output, while the second electronic device 3 can be configured as the device to connect to and receive signals; however, the present invention is not limited to these. In an embodiment of the present invention, signal transmission from the first connection port 11 to the second connection port 12 is defined as forward transmission, and signal transmission from the second connection port 12 to the first connection port 11 is defined as reverse transmission. The first connection port 11 can be configured as a near-end connection port, and the second connection port 12 can be configured as a far-end connection port. However, forward or reverse transmission, and near-end or far-end connection ports are only defined in the specification, and the present invention is not limited to these names. Since the wiring method of the high-efficiency, low-power active transmission cable architecture 1 is already familiar to those skilled in the art, it will not be described in detail here. In one embodiment of the present invention, the high-efficiency, low-power active transmission cable architecture 1 includes a first connection port 11, a second connection port 12, a power conductor 13, a transmission conductor 14, a first diode 21, a first switch module 31, a first control circuit 41, and a second control circuit 42. The first connection port 11 and the second connection port 12 are connected by the power conductor 13, and are connected to the first electronic device 2 and the second electronic device 3 via the power conductor 13. The power conductor 13 can use the first diode 21 and the second diode 22 to isolate the power signals provided by the first electronic device 2 or the second electronic device 3. The first connection port 11 and the second connection port 12 also have a transmission conductor 14 and a ground conductor G or other conductors for data transmission (not shown). The present invention does not limit the number of conductors inside the high-efficiency, low-power active transmission cable architecture 1 to the number shown in FIG. 2, nor does it limit the purpose of the conductors. The aforementioned power conductor 13, transmission conductor 14, and ground conductor G can be covered in the same insulating jacket, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The first diode 21, the first switch module 31, and the first control circuit 41 are all disposed on a circuit board (not shown) inside the first connection port 11. The first diode 21 is connected to the first electronic device 2 via a power supply wire 13. The first switch module 31 is connected across the first diode 21 and is also connected to the power supply wire 13. The first control circuit 41 is electrically connected to the first switch module 31. Both the first control circuit 41 and the second control circuit 42 have the function of detecting whether a power signal is input, for example by measuring the voltage change of an internal resistive element (not shown). However, the present invention is not limited to this detection method. When the first electronic device 2 is powered from a single end, the power supply wire 13 transmits the power signal input from the first electronic device 2 to the first and second control circuits 41 and 42 via the internal circuit. At this time, the second control circuit 42 can detect that the second electronic device 3 has no power input signal, so it will notify the first control circuit 41 via the transmission wire 14 to generate a first control signal to control the conduction of the first switching module 31. In this way, the power signal will be conducted to the second connection port 12 through the path of the first switching module 31, which can reduce the virtual power consumption of the first diode 21 caused by forward bias, improve electrical efficiency, and at the same time reduce the heat generated by the first diode 21, preventing the temperature of the first diode 21 from rising excessively. In one embodiment of the present invention, the high-efficiency, low-power active transmission cable architecture 1 further includes a second diode 22 and a second switch module 32. The second diode 22, the second switch module 32, and the second control circuit 42 are all disposed on a circuit board (not shown) inside the second connection port 12. The second diode 22 is also connected to the second electronic device 3 via a power supply wire 13. The second switch module 32 is connected across the second diode 22 and is also connected to the power supply wire 13. The second control circuit 42 is electrically connected to the second switch module 32. When the second electronic device 3 is powered from one end, the power supply wire 13 transmits the power signal input from the second electronic device 3 to the first and second control circuits 41 and 42 via internal circuitry. The first control circuit 41 can detect that the first electronic device 2 has no input power signal, and therefore notifies the second control circuit 42 via the transmission wire 14 to generate a second control signal to control the conduction of the second switch module 32. In this way, the power signal will be conducted to the second connection port 12 through the path of the second switching module 32, which can eliminate the virtual power consumption caused by the forward bias of the second diode 22, improve the power efficiency, and at the same time reduce the heat generated by the second diode 22, and prevent the temperature of the second diode 22 from rising excessively. In one embodiment of the present invention, the first switching module 31 and the second switching module 32 have essentially the same function and can both be metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs). Therefore, the first control circuit 41 and the second control circuit 42 are electrically connected to the gates of the first switching module 31 and the second switching module 32, respectively, to control the conduction of the first switching module 31 and the second switching module 32. Under this condition, taking the first switching module 31 as an example, if the current flowing through the first diode 21 is originally 0.5A and the forward bias voltage of the first diode 21 is 0.3V, the power consumption of the first diode 21 is 0.15W. Conversely, the resistance of the first switching module 31 when it is turned on is 0.06 Ohm, and the power consumption of the first switching module 31 under the same current is 0.015W. Therefore, the power consumption of the first switching module 31 is much smaller than the power consumption of the first diode 21 due to the forward bias voltage. Similarly, the power consumption of the second switching module 32 will be much less than the power consumption of the original second diode 22 due to forward bias. As can be seen from the above description, the configuration of the first switch module 31 or the second switch module 32 of the high-efficiency, low-power active transmission cable architecture 1 of the present invention can effectively solve the problem of virtual power consumption caused by forward bias of the first diode 21 or the second diode 22, and ultimately avoid the overheating of the transmission cable architecture 1. It should be noted that the above are merely embodiments and not limitations thereof. Any actions that do not depart from the basic framework of this invention should be considered within the scope of the claims of this patent, and the scope of the patent application shall prevail. Prior Art 90: Transmission Cable Architecture 91: First Connecting Port 92: Second Connecting Port 931: First Diode 932: Second Diode 94: Transmission Wire Invention 1: High-Efficiency, Low-Power Active Transmission Cable Architecture 2: First Electronic Device 3: Second Electronic Device 11: First Connecting Port 12: Second Connecting Port 13: Power Wire 14: Transmission Wire 21: First Diode 22: Second Diode 31: First Switching Module 32: Second Switching Module 41: First Control Circuit 42: Second Control Circuit G: Grounding Wire Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the prior art transmission cable architecture. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the high-efficiency, low-power active transmission cable architecture of the present invention. 1: High-efficiency, low-power active transmission cable architecture 2: First electronic device 3: Second electronic device 11: First connection port 12: Second connection port 13: Power supply wire 14: Transmission wire 21: First Dipolar Body 22: Second Dipolar Body 31: First switch module 32: Second switch module 41: First control circuit 42: Second control circuit G: Grounding wire

Claims

1. A high-efficiency, low-power active transmission cable architecture is provided for connection between a first electronic device and a second electronic device, wherein both the first electronic device and the second electronic device can input a power signal. This high-efficiency, low-power active transmission cable architecture includes: First connection port; A second connection port, wherein the first connection port or the second connection port can be respectively connected to the first electronic device or the second electronic device; a power supply wire, connected between the first connection port and the second connection port, and connected to the first electronic device or the second electronic device to receive the power signal; a transmission wire, connected between the first connection port control circuit and the second connection port control circuit; a first diode, disposed in the first connection port and electrically connected to the power supply wire; a first switch module, disposed in the first connection port and bridging the first diode; and a first control circuit, disposed in the first connection port and electrically connected to the first switch module; A second control circuit is disposed in the second connection port and electrically connected to the first control circuit via the transmission line; wherein when the first electronic device is powered from one end, the second control circuit detects that the second electronic device has no power input signal, and notifies the first control circuit via the transmission line to generate a first control signal to control the conduction of the first switching module; thereby, the power consumption of the first diode can be eliminated. The high-efficiency, low-power active transmission cable architecture described in claim 1 further includes: A second diode is disposed in the second connection port and electrically connected to the power supply wire; A second switch module is disposed in the second connection port and connected across the second diode; wherein when the second electronic device is powered from one end, the first control circuit detects that the first electronic device has no input power signal, and notifies the second control circuit to generate a second control signal via the transmission line to control the conduction of the second switch module; thereby, the power consumption of the second diode can be eliminated. The high-efficiency, low-power active transmission cable architecture as described in claim 2, wherein the first switch module and the second switch module are metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors. The high-efficiency, low-power active transmission cable architecture as described in claim 2, wherein the power conductor and the transmission conductor are encased in the same insulating jacket.

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