Receiving device and communication system

Abstract

To provide a technique that can improve the characteristics of a reception signal received on a receiving device side.SOLUTION: A receiving device 200 has a plurality of receiving electrodes 210 arranged at a position opposite one transmitting transmission line 130 of a transmitting device 100, and a connection path 240 connecting between the receiving electrodes in the plurality of receiving electrodes 210, and the connection path 240 includes at least one passive element 241 in series between the receiving electrodes in the plurality of receiving electrodes 210.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a receiving device and a communication system. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, devices that communicate large amounts of data, such as cameras, have been attached to production systems, robotic devices, etc., and communication systems that transmit data at high speed between mechanical moving parts and fixed parts are on the rise. Patent Document 1 describes a wireless communication system that transmits data contactlessly by using an electromagnetic near field between a ring-shaped differential transmission line, which is a transmission transmission line on the transmitting device side, and a near-field probe on the receiving device side. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6304906 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the technique described in Patent Document 1 is insufficient in improving the characteristics of the signal received by the receiving device.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of such problems, and has an object to provide a technique capable of improving the characteristics of a signal received at a receiving device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The receiving device of the present disclosure has a plurality of receiving electrodes arranged in a position opposite to one transmitting transmission line of the transmitting device, and a connection path connecting the receiving electrodes in the plurality of receiving electrodes, the connection path having at least one passive element in series between the receiving electrodes. The present disclosure also includes a communication system having the above-mentioned receiving device and transmitting device. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the characteristics of a signal received at a receiving device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a schematic configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 2 is a timing chart of each signal in each component of the communication system shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a communication system according to a comparative example. [Figure 4] 4 is a diagram qualitatively illustrating the relationship between the length of the receiving electrode and the performance of the receiving device in the communication system according to the comparative example shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] 1 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a schematic configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 6 is a diagram qualitatively showing the relationship between the total length of the receiving electrodes and the performance of the receiving device in the communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure shown in FIG. 5. FIG. [Figure 7] 4 is a diagram showing a result of analyzing the performance of a receiving device of the communication system according to the comparative example shown in FIG. 3 by an electromagnetic field simulator. FIG. [Figure 8] 6 is a diagram showing a result of analyzing the performance of the receiving device of the communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure shown in FIG. 5 using an electromagnetic field simulator. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a second example of a schematic configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, modes (embodiments) for carrying out the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] 1 is a diagram for explaining a schematic configuration of a communication system 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication system 10 is a wireless communication system in which a transmitting device 100 and a receiving device 200 communicate with each other wirelessly.

[0011] The transmitting device 100 includes a signal source 110, a transmitting circuit 120, a transmitting transmission line 130, a termination resistor 140, and a reference potential plane (ground plane) 150.

[0012] The signal source 110 outputs a data signal. That is, the signal source 110 is an input signal source of the transmission circuit 120. The transmission circuit 120 amplifies the data signal from the signal source 110 and outputs it to the transmission transmission line 130. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the transmission transmission line 130 is configured as a differential transmission line that is a differential microstrip line formed on the upper surface of the reference potential plane 150. Note that in the present disclosure, the transmission transmission line 130 is not limited to a differential transmission line, and may be another transmission transmission line (for example, one transmission transmission line). The termination resistor 140 is disposed at the end of the transmission transmission line 130, and is a resistance that is approximately equal to the characteristic impedance of the transmission transmission line 130 (differential transmission line). The reference potential plane 150 is a ground plane that serves as a reference potential for the transmission transmission line 130, and is generally formed on the opposite surface of a substrate (not shown) on which the transmission transmission line 130 is formed.

[0013] The receiving device 200 has a receiving electrode 210, a substrate 220, and a receiving circuit 230. The receiving device 200 moves relatively along the transmission transmission line 130 while maintaining a constant distance on the transmission transmission line 130. The movement is realized by a movement control means (not shown) such as a motor (for example, a movement control means for moving the receiving device 200 relative to the transmission transmission line 130).

[0014] The receiving electrode 210 is an electrode on the receiving device 200 side that is disposed at a position facing the transmission transmission line 130 of the transmitting device 100. The receiving electrode 210 is formed on a substrate 220, and moves along the transmission transmission line 130 in the space above the transmission transmission line 130 while maintaining a constant distance. Note that the example shown in FIG. 1 does not show the detailed configuration of the receiving electrode 210. In addition, in the present disclosure, the receiving electrode 210 may be referred to as a receiving coupler. The substrate 220 is a dielectric substrate on which the receiving electrode 210 is provided. The receiving circuit 230 processes a signal detected by the receiving electrode 210 to generate an output signal.

[0015] The receiving electrode 210 of the receiving device 200 performs wireless communication by coupling with the transmission transmission line 130 of the transmitting device 100 by an electric field, a magnetic field, or both (electromagnetic field coupling), and detects a signal transmitted through the transmission transmission line 130. The signal detected by the receiving electrode 210 is waveform-shaped by the receiving circuit 230 and then generated as a received signal.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a timing chart of each signal in each component of the communication system 10 shown in FIG. 1. Specifically, FIG. 2(a) shows an example of an output signal to the signal source 110. FIG. 2(b) shows an example of a signal near the receiving electrode 210 of the transmission transmission line 130. FIG. 2(c) shows an example of an output signal from the receiving electrode 210 when the input impedance of the receiving circuit 230 is low. FIG. 2(d) shows an example of an output signal from the receiving electrode 210 when the input impedance of the receiving circuit 230 is high. FIG. 2(e) shows an example of an output signal from the receiving circuit 230.

[0017] When the input impedance of the receiving circuit 230 is low, the output of the receiving electrode 210 becomes an edge signal as shown in Fig. 2(c), and is shaped and demodulated as shown in Fig. 2(e) by a waveform shaping circuit such as a comparator having a hysteresis voltage of ±Vth. On the other hand, when the input impedance of the receiving circuit 230 is high, the output of the receiving electrode 210 becomes a waveform with a small amplitude similar to the input waveform as shown in Fig. 2(d). For this reason, the receiving circuit 230 may be, for example, an amplifier, which amplifies the signal to a level that allows digital signal processing.

[0018] Here, when the receiving electrode 210 moves (at a distance) on the transmission transmission line 130, the impedance of the transmission transmission line 130 is disturbed by the influence of the receiving electrode 210. In order to increase the strength of the signal transmitted from the transmission transmission line 130 to the receiving electrode 210, it is necessary to bring the transmission transmission line 130 and the receiving electrode 210 closer to each other, but the closer they are, the greater the impedance disturbance described above. When the impedance disturbance becomes large, the input characteristics of the transmission transmission line 130 deteriorates, and even if a normal signal is to be input from the transmission circuit 120, it becomes difficult to input a frequency component with a large reflection, and the waveform of the input signal is distorted. The principle of the disturbance of the signal transmitted to the transmission transmission line 130 by the receiving electrode 210 will be described using FIG. 1(b).

[0019] In the transmission transmission line 130 shown in FIG. 1(b), the upper part of the transmission transmission line 130 is free space in the part where the receiving electrode 210 is not present. At the A end of the receiving electrode 210, the upper part of the transmission transmission line 130 is blocked by the electrode of the receiving electrode 210 or the dielectric constituting the substrate 220, so that the transmission mode of the signal input from the input end of the transmission transmission line 130 changes and reflection occurs. At the B end of the receiving electrode 210, the upper part of the transmission transmission line 130 changes from a blocked state to a free space, so that the transmission mode changes and reflection occurs in the same way as at the A end. In FIG. 1(b), the reflected wave 131A indicates a reflected wave of the signal transmitted through the transmission transmission line 130 reflected at the A end of the receiving electrode 210, and the reflected wave 131B indicates a reflected wave of the signal transmitted through the transmission transmission line 130 reflected at the B end of the receiving electrode 210. In this way, if there is a large reflection of the signal transmitted through the transmission line 130, it appears in the input characteristics, and the gain of the output characteristics of the receiving electrode 210 also decreases in the frequency band where the reflection is large in the input characteristics, which may cause a reception error because the correct signal cannot be received. The intensity of the reflection described above tends to increase with an increase in the length and area of ​​the receiving electrode 210. In order to increase the intensity of the signal received by the receiving electrode 210, it is necessary to increase the length and area of ​​the receiving electrode 210, but there is a trade-off with the increase in the reflection described above.

[0020] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a communication system 1010 according to a comparative example. A transmitting device 1100 shown in FIG. 3 has a transmitting transmission line 1130 corresponding to the transmitting transmission line 130 shown in FIG. 1, but may also include components corresponding to the signal source 110, the transmitting circuit 120, the termination resistor 140, and the reference potential surface 150 shown in FIG. 1. A receiving device 1200 shown in FIG. 3 has receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212 corresponding to the receiving electrode 210 shown in FIG. 1, a substrate 1220 corresponding to the substrate 220 shown in FIG. 1, and a receiving circuit 1230 corresponding to the receiving circuit 230 shown in FIG. 1. A position 1201 shown in FIG. 3 is an approximate center position of the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212, and is the position of the connection point with the receiving circuit 1230. The receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212 are arranged to face the corresponding transmitting transmission line 1130.

[0021] The differential transmission line used as the transmission transmission line 1130 transmits a high-frequency differential signal. The receiving circuit 1230 generates a receiving signal in the form of a potential difference excited between the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212 by the high-frequency differential signal transmitted through the transmission transmission line 1130. FIG. 3 illustrates the length L of the long sides of the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212. This length L is a major parameter that determines the performance of the receiving device. The performance of the receiving device will be described in detail below. The performance of the receiving device can be roughly divided into the following three items. [1] Impact on transmission lines [2] High frequency band received signal strength [3] Low-frequency band received signal strength

[0022] First, regarding "[1] Degree of influence on the transmitting transmission line," this can be rephrased as the degree to which the presence of the receiving electrode causes disturbance in the high-frequency signal transmitting through the transmitting transmission line. In other words, the smaller the degree of influence on the transmitting transmission line, the more likely it is that the performance of the receiving electrode is excellent. As the length L increases, the length over which the transmitting transmission line and the receiving electrode are parallel increases, so the degree of influence on the transmitting transmission line tends to increase.

[0023] Next, regarding "[2] High-frequency band reception signal strength", an increase in the high-frequency band reception signal strength means that a signal with a higher data rate can be transmitted. In other words, the higher the high-frequency band reception signal strength, the better the performance of the receiving electrodes. When the length L increases, the self-resonant frequency of the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212 decreases accordingly. At frequencies equal to or higher than the self-resonant frequency, the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212 behave inductively (behave as inductors). In other words, the higher the frequency, the higher the impedance of the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212 increases, resulting in a decrease in the reception signal strength. Therefore, the length L of the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212 is limited to a length at which the self-resonant frequency of the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212 can transmit a desired data rate.

[0024] For example, if the desired data rate is 10 Gbps, it is desirable that the self-resonant frequency of the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212 is sufficiently higher than 5 GHz, which is the dominant frequency of the signal. A specific length is calculated assuming that the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212 are formed on an FR4 substrate (relative dielectric constant 4.3). As a condition for self-resonance to occur, a state in which a standing wave is generated with the end portion as the antinode of the voltage in the long side direction of the receiving electrode 1211 or the receiving electrode 1212 at the target frequency is assumed. In this case, the length L at which self-resonance occurs for 5 GHz is approximately 14.5 mm. Therefore, in order to enable the receiving device 1200 shown in FIG. 3 to transmit a data rate of 10 Gbps, it is desirable that the length L of the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212 is 14.5 mm or less.

[0025] Next, regarding "[3] Received signal strength in the low frequency band", an increase in the received signal strength in the low frequency band means that a signal closer to DC (0 Hz) can be transmitted. In other words, since it becomes possible to accurately wirelessly transmit the average voltage (DC component) of the received signal, it is expected to have the effect of reducing jitter (fluctuation) that occurs near the zero crossing of the signal. Therefore, the higher the received signal strength in the low frequency band, the better the performance of the receiving electrode. Here, we consider the conditions for increasing the received signal strength in the low frequency band. In accordance with the above example, the frequency band called the low frequency band is set to a frequency band of 500 MHz or less for transmission of a data rate of 10 Gbps. In other words, it is a frequency band that is one-tenth of 5 GHz, which is the dominant frequency of the signal. The electrical length in free space at 500 MHz is about 600 mm. Therefore, if the length L of the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212 is sufficiently short (small) compared to 600 mm, the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212 can be treated as lumped constants. That is, the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212 can be treated as capacitors that are electrostatically coupled with the transmission line 1130. When considering increasing the received signal strength in the low frequency band under these conditions, it is obvious from the general properties of a capacitor that the area of ​​the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212 should be increased. That is, the length L of the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212 should be increased.

[0026] Fig. 4 is a diagram qualitatively showing a relationship between the length L of the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212 and the performance of the receiving device 1200 in the communication system 1010 according to the comparative example shown in Fig. 3. Specifically, in Fig. 4, the horizontal direction indicates the length L of the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212, and the vertical direction indicates the performance of the receiving device 1200.

[0027] As can be seen from FIG. 4, there is a trade-off between the length L of the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212 and the performance of the receiving device 1200. When the increase in the "receiving signal strength in the [2] high frequency band" is prioritized, the performance of the "receiving signal strength in the [3] low frequency band" needs to be sacrificed. The data rate of the communication system is increasing year by year, and the need for wireless transmission of data rates of 10 Gbps or more is increasing. When the data rate increases, as described above, it becomes necessary to shorten the length L of the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212. This satisfies the need to increase the "receiving signal strength in the [2] high frequency band". On the other hand, the "receiving signal strength in the [3] low frequency band" decreases. In order to improve communication quality, it is ideal to increase both the "receiving signal strength in the [2] high frequency band" and the "receiving signal strength in the [3] low frequency band", but it is difficult to achieve this in the receiving device 1200 according to the comparative example shown in FIG. 3.

[0028] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a first example of a schematic configuration of a communication system 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In Fig. 5, the same components as those shown in Fig. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0029] The transmitting device 100 shown in FIG. 5 includes a transmitting transmission line 130, but also includes the signal source 110, the transmitting circuit 120, the termination resistor 140, and the reference potential plane 150 shown in FIG.

[0030] 5 includes a plurality of receiving electrodes 210-1 to 210-10 corresponding to the receiving electrode 210 shown in FIG. 1, a substrate 220, a receiving circuit 230, and a connection path 240. In the receiving device 200 shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of receiving electrodes 210-1, 210-3, 210-5, 210-7, and 210-9 are arranged at positions facing one (first transmission transmission line) of the two differential transmission lines constituting the transmission transmission line 130. In the receiving device 200 shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of receiving electrodes 210-2, 210-4, 210-6, 210-8, and 210-10 are arranged at positions facing the other (second transmission transmission line) of the two differential transmission lines constituting the transmission transmission line 130.

[0031] In the receiving device 200 shown in Fig. 5, the receiving electrodes 210-1 and 210-2 have a length L in the long side direction and correspond to, for example, the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212 shown in Fig. 3. In the receiving device 200 shown in Fig. 5, in addition to the receiving electrodes 210-1 and 210-2, a plurality of receiving electrodes 210-3 to 210-10 are further formed on the substrate 220, which is a dielectric substrate.

[0032] Furthermore, in the receiving device 200 shown in Fig. 5, a connection path 240 is provided that electrically connects the receiving electrodes of the adjacent receiving electrodes 210. Specifically, in Fig. 5, a connection path 240-1 is provided that connects the receiving electrodes of the adjacent receiving electrodes 210-2 and 210-4, and a connection path 240-2 is provided that connects the receiving electrodes of the adjacent receiving electrodes 210-4 and 210-6. Also, in Fig. 5, a connection path 240-3 is provided that connects the receiving electrodes of the adjacent receiving electrodes 210-2 and 210-8, and a connection path 240-4 is provided that connects the receiving electrodes of the adjacent receiving electrodes 210-8 and 210-10. Although not indicated by reference numerals in FIG. 5, the connection paths 240 are also provided between adjacent receiving electrodes 210-1 and 210-3, between receiving electrodes 210-3 and 210-5, between receiving electrodes 210-1 and 210-7, and between receiving electrodes 210-7 and 210-9. The connection paths 240 are provided at a different height from the receiving electrodes 210 with respect to the substrate 220, which is a dielectric substrate. Specifically, the connection paths 240 are provided above the receiving electrodes 210. More specifically, in this embodiment, a through-hole via 221 is formed in the substrate 220 as shown in FIG. 5, and the connection paths 240 connect the receiving electrodes of the adjacent receiving electrodes 210 via the through-hole via 221 formed in the substrate 220.

[0033] Also, each connection path 240 includes at least one passive element 241 in series between the receiving electrodes of the adjacent receiving electrodes. Specifically, the connection path 240 is made of a conductor, but a slit area exists in a part of the connection path 240, and the above-mentioned at least one passive element 241 is arranged in the slit area to electrically connect the slits. The reason for the slit area in the connection path 240 is, for example, that it is assumed that a commercially available passive element 241 can be mounted. In this embodiment, it is also possible to realize the passive element 241 by a board pattern (conductor shape). Here, the at least one passive element 241 arranged in the connection path 240 includes at least one of a resistor, an inductor, and a ferrite bead (may include a plurality of these). Of the resistors, inductors, and ferrite beads that may be included as the passive element 241, it is preferable to use a resistor in consideration of the phase characteristics of the received signal in the receiving device 200. When resistors are used as passive elements 241, the resistance values ​​of the resistors mounted on the respective connection paths 240 may be different or may all be the same.

[0034] Next, the reason why the receiver 200 shown in Fig. 5 solves the trade-off problem between the length L of the receiver electrode and the performance of the receiver described with reference to Fig. 4 will be described below. Here, in accordance with the above-mentioned example, it is considered that communication at a data rate of 10 Gbps is performed using the receiver 200 shown in Fig. 5.

[0035] In FIG. 5, the length L of the receiving electrodes 210-1 and 210-2 corresponds to the length L of the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212 shown in FIG. 3. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, the length L1 is the length of the receiving electrodes 210-3 and 210-4, and the length L2 is the length of the receiving electrodes 210-5 and 210-6. Here, attention is paid to the receiving electrodes 210-1, 210-3, and 210-5. In the previous explanation, it was stated that the length of the receiving electrodes is desirably 14.5 mm or less in order to enable transmission of a data rate of 10 Gbps. Therefore, here, it is assumed that the length L, the length L1, and the length L2 are all 14.5 mm or less. That is, the self-resonant frequency of each of the receiving electrodes 210-1, 210-3, and 210-5 is sufficiently higher than 5 GHz, which is the dominant frequency of the signal. In the case where a resistor of 0Ω is implemented on the connection path 240 connecting the adjacent receiving electrodes in the receiving electrodes 210-1, 210-3, and 210-5, the receiving electrodes 210-1, 210-3, and 210-5 are considered to operate electrically equivalent to one electrode. That is, they operate as receiving electrodes with a maximum length of 14.5 (mm)×3=43.5 (mm). With this length of 43.5 (mm), it is not possible to satisfy the condition that the self-resonant frequency of the receiving electrode must be sufficiently higher than 5 GHz, which is the dominant frequency of the signal, and it is highly likely that data transmission of 10 Gbps cannot be realized. On the other hand, when a resistor of 1 MΩ is implemented on the connection path 240 connecting the adjacent receiving electrodes, the receiving electrodes 210-1, 210-3, and 210-5 are considered to operate electrically as independent electrodes. Considering this as the operation of the entire receiving device 200 of this embodiment, this is approximately equivalent to the operation in a configuration in which only the receiving electrodes 210-1 and 210-2 are connected to the receiving circuit 230 (although the degree of influence on the transmission transmission line 130 is different).

[0036] Here, it is assumed that resistors of several tens of ohms to several thousand ohms are mounted as passive elements 241-1, 241-2, 241-3, and 241-4 on connection paths 240-1, 240-2, 240-3, and 240-4. The receiving electrodes 210-1, 210-3, and 210-5 are electrically connected to each other with a loss according to the resistance value of the resistor mounted as the passive element 241. Even if self-resonance occurs corresponding to the resonance frequency of a receiving electrode having a length of 14.5 (mm) × 2 = 29.0 (mm), the electric energy related to the resonance is quickly converted to heat energy and disappears due to the loss of the resistor mounted on the connection path 240. This phenomenon has a similar effect on the self-resonance phenomenon corresponding to the resonance frequency of a receiving electrode having a length of 14.5 (mm) × 3 = 43.5 (mm). A larger effect can be expected as the number of resistors mounted on the connection path 240 increases. Similarly, a similar effect can be expected for a receiving device 200 in which n receiving electrodes 210 are connected to (n-1) connection paths 240 via resistors of appropriate resistance. If this effect is explained from the viewpoint of electrical circuits, it can be said that the resistors mounted on the connection paths 240 reduce the Q factor (Quality Factor) of self-resonance occurring according to the length of the receiving electrodes 210. Due to the above-mentioned effect, the receiving device 200 of this embodiment can extend the physical length of the receiving electrodes 210 in principle without limit while keeping the self-resonant frequency of the receiving electrodes 210 sufficiently higher than 5 GHz, which is the dominant frequency of the signal. This suggests that the coupling capacitance of the receiving electrodes 210, which can be treated as a capacitor that is electrostatically coupled with the transmission transmission line 130, can be increased without limit in a low-frequency band of 500 MHz or less. That is, the receiving device 200 of this embodiment can increase the received signal strength in both the high frequency band and the low frequency band, thereby improving communication quality.

[0037] Fig. 6 is a diagram qualitatively illustrating a relationship between the total length of the receiving electrodes 210 and the performance of the receiving device 200 in the communication system 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure illustrated in Fig. 5. Specifically, in Fig. 6, the horizontal direction indicates the total length of the receiving electrodes 210, and the vertical direction indicates the performance of the receiving device 200.

[0038] 6, there is a relationship between the total length of the receiving electrodes 210 and the performance of the receiving device 200, in which the performance of the receiving device 200 improves with an increase in the total length of the receiving electrodes 210. That is, with an increase in the total length of the receiving electrodes 210, it is possible to increase the "[3] low-frequency band receiving signal strength" while keeping the "[2] high-frequency band receiving signal strength" high and the "[1] degree of influence on the transmission transmission line" low.

[0039] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the results of analyzing the performance of the receiving device 1200 of the communication system 1010 according to the comparative example shown in Fig. 3 using an electromagnetic field simulator. Here, the length L of the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212 is set to 14 mm. The length of the transmission transmission line 1130 is set to 100 mm. The input impedance of the receiving circuit 1230 is set to 10 kΩ.

[0040] FIG. 7(a) is a diagram showing the insertion loss (Sdd21) from the power feed section to the terminal section in a state where the receiving device 1200 according to the comparative example shown in FIG. 3 is arranged close to the transmission transmission line 1130. The propagation loss of the transmission transmission line 1130 is within −1.5 dB in a band of 20 GHz or less when the receiving device 1200 is not arranged close to the transmission transmission line 1130. In FIG. 7(a), the deterioration of the insertion loss shown in the region 711 indicates that the transmission transmission line 1130 is affected by the first-order self-resonance of the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212 with L=14 mm. Furthermore, in FIG. 7(a), the deterioration of the insertion loss shown in the region 712 indicates that the transmission transmission line 1130 is affected by the second-order self-resonance of the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212. When the length L of the receiving electrodes 1211 and 1212 is increased from 14 mm, the frequency bands in which the transmitting transmission line 1130 is affected by the receiving device 1200, indicated by the regions 711 and 712, both shift to the lower frequency band side.

[0041] FIG. 7(b) is a diagram showing the insertion loss (Sdd21) from the power supply of the transmission line 1130 according to the comparative example shown in FIG. 3 to the input of the receiving circuit 1230. In FIG. 7(b), attention is paid to the received signal strength in the low frequency band shown in the region 721. The received signal strength in the low frequency band shown in the region 721 starts to gradually decrease from around 50 MHz compared to the received signal strength (approximate average value of the received signal strength) around 1 GHz, and decreases by about -5 dB at 10 MHz. In FIG. 7(b), the region 722 shows the received signal strength (received signal strength in the high frequency band) around the dominant frequency of 5 GHz when a data rate of 10 Gbps is assumed. The received signal strength around the region 722 shows almost no change compared to the received signal strength around 1 GHz.

[0042] Fig. 7(c) is a diagram showing an eye pattern of a signal observed at an input section of the receiving circuit 1230 according to the comparative example shown in Fig. 3. The data rate of the signal transmitted through the transmission line 1130 was set to 10 Gbps. In this case, the eye aperture ratio was 83.2%.

[0043] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the results of analyzing the performance of the receiving device 200 of the communication system 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure shown in FIG. 5 by an electromagnetic field simulator. Here, the length of the receiving electrodes 210-1 to 210-10 is set to 7 mm. In addition, a 10Ω resistor is mounted as the passive element 241 on the connection paths 240-1, 240-3 and the connection path 240 facing them (differential pair). In addition, a 100Ω resistor is mounted as the passive element 241 on the connection paths 240-2, 240-4 and the connection path 240 facing them (differential pair). In addition, the length of the transmission transmission line 130 is set to 100 mm. The input impedance of the receiving circuit 230 is set to 10 kΩ.

[0044] 8(a) is a diagram showing an insertion loss (Sdd21) from a power supply unit to a termination unit in a state in which the receiving device 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure shown in FIG. 5 is disposed close to the transmission transmission line 130. In FIG. 8(a), the self-resonance of the receiving electrode 210 does not affect the transmission transmission line 130 in the regions 711 and 712 shown in FIG. 7(a). On the other hand, the first-order self-resonance of the receiving electrodes 210-1 and 210-2 affects the transmission transmission line 130 in the region 811. Even if a data rate transmission of 10 Gbps is assumed, 16 GHz is about three times the dominant frequency of 5 GHz, and the effect on communication quality is considered to be very minor.

[0045] FIG. 8(b) is a diagram showing an insertion loss (Sdd21) from the power supply of the transmission line 130 to the input of the receiving circuit 230 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure shown in FIG. 5. In FIG. 8(b), attention is paid to the received signal strength in the low frequency band shown in the region 821. The received signal strength in the low frequency band shown in the region 821 starts to gradually decrease from around 20 MHz with respect to the received signal strength (approximate average value of the received signal strength) around 1 GHz, and decreases by about -1.5 dB at 10 MHz. In FIG. 8(b), the region 822 is the received signal strength (received signal strength in the high frequency band) around the dominant frequency of 5 GHz when a data rate of 10 Gbps is assumed. The received signal strength around the region 822 shows almost no change with respect to the received signal strength around 1 GHz.

[0046] Fig. 8(c) is a diagram showing an eye pattern of a signal observed at an input section of the receiving circuit 230 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure shown in Fig. 5. The data rate of the signal transmitted through the transmission line 130 was set to 10 Gbps. In this case, the eye aperture ratio was 90.2%.

[0047] Below, the results of electromagnetic field simulation of the performance of the receiving device 1200 according to the comparative example shown in FIG. 7 and the results of electromagnetic field simulation of the performance of the receiving device 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure shown in FIG. 8 will be considered. From the results shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, it was confirmed that the receiving device 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure has an effect of increasing "received signal strength in the low frequency band [3]" by 3.5 dB by extending the total length of the physical receiving electrode 210 to about 7 (mm) × 5 = about 35 (mm). Furthermore, from the results shown in FIG. 8, it was also confirmed that the receiving device 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure does not affect the transmission transmission line 130 in the dominant frequency band of 5 GHz or less when a data rate of 10 Gbps is assumed. Furthermore, from the results shown in FIG. 8, the receiving device 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure did not show any decrease in the received signal strength (received signal strength in the high frequency band) near the dominant frequency of 5 GHz. As a result of the performance improvement of the receiving device 200 according to the present embodiment described above, it has been confirmed that when the data rate of the signal transmitted through the transmission line 130 is set to 10 Gbps, the aperture ratio of the eye pattern of the signal observed at the input section of the receiving circuit 230 can be improved by approximately 7.0%.

[0048] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a second example of a schematic configuration of a communication system 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In Fig. 9, the same components as those shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0049] In the first example communication system 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure shown in FIG. 5, the receiving electrodes 210-1 to 210-10 of the receiving device 200 have a rectangular electrode shape. In this regard, the effect of the receiving device 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is not impaired by the shape of the receiving electrodes 210. Specifically, in the second example communication system 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of irregularly shaped receiving electrodes 210-11 to 210-26 are provided. In the second example communication system 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure shown in FIG. 9, the receiving electrodes of adjacent irregularly shaped receiving electrodes 210 are connected via a connection path 240 including at least one passive element 241.

[0050] The effect of the receiving device 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure can be achieved regardless of the form of the opposing transmission transmission line 130. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, two differential transmission lines are assumed as the transmission transmission line 130 of the receiving device 200, but in the present disclosure, one transmission transmission line may be applied. In addition, in the present disclosure, the transmission transmission line 130 of the transmitting device 100 also includes a group of electrodes excited by a data signal.

[0051] The receiving device 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure described above includes a plurality of receiving electrodes 210 arranged at a position facing one transmission transmission line 130 of the transmitting device 100, and a connection path 240 connecting between the receiving electrodes of the plurality of receiving electrodes 210. In the receiving device 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the connection path 240 includes at least one passive element 241 arranged in series between the receiving electrodes of the plurality of receiving electrodes 210. According to this configuration, at least one passive element 241 is provided in the connection path 240 that connects the receiving electrodes in the multiple receiving electrodes 210, so that each of the multiple receiving electrodes 210 can be operated as an electrically independent receiving electrode 210. This makes it possible to improve the characteristics of the receiving signal received on the receiving device 200 side, compared to a case where the passive element 241 is not provided in the connection path 240.

[0052] 5 and 9, the multiple receiving electrodes 210 and the connection paths 240 are arranged at positions facing each of the two differential transmission lines applied as the transmission transmission line 130, but the present disclosure is not limited to this form. The present disclosure also includes a form in which the multiple receiving electrodes 210 and the connection paths 240 are arranged at positions facing at least one of the two differential transmission lines applied as the transmission transmission line 130.

[0053] In addition, in the receiving device 200 of the first example according to the embodiment of the present disclosure shown in Fig. 5, five receiving electrodes 210 are arranged as the multiple receiving electrodes 210 arranged at positions facing one transmission transmission line 130. In the receiving device 200 of the second example according to the embodiment of the present disclosure shown in Fig. 9, eight receiving electrodes 210 are arranged as the multiple receiving electrodes 210 arranged at positions facing one transmission transmission line 130. In this regard, in consideration of the effect of increasing the overall length of the physical receiving electrodes 210 described with reference to Fig. 8, it is preferable to arrange a large number of receiving electrodes 210, that is, three or more, as the multiple receiving electrodes 210 arranged at positions facing one transmission transmission line 130.

[0054] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure are merely illustrative examples of the implementation of the present disclosure, and the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited by these. In other words, the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms without departing from its technical concept or main features.

[0055] Embodiments of the present disclosure include the following configurations. [Configuration 1] A plurality of receiving electrodes arranged at positions facing one transmitting transmission line of a transmitting device; a connection path connecting the receiving electrodes among the plurality of receiving electrodes; having The connection path includes at least one passive element in series between the receiving electrodes. A receiving device comprising: [Configuration 2] the transmitting device includes a plurality of the transmitting transmission lines, The plurality of receiving electrodes and the connection path are disposed at a position facing at least one of the plurality of transmitting transmission lines. 2. The receiving device according to configuration 1, [Configuration 3] The plurality of receiving electrodes and the connection paths are disposed at positions facing the respective transmission transmission lines of the plurality of transmission transmission lines. 3. The receiving device according to configuration 2. [Configuration 4] The plurality of receiving electrodes arranged at a position facing the one transmitting transmission line are three or more receiving electrodes. 4. The receiving device according to any one of configurations 1 to 3. [Configuration 5] The plurality of receiving electrodes are provided on a dielectric substrate. 5. The receiving device according to any one of configurations 1 to 4. [Configuration 6] The connection path connects the receiving electrodes among the plurality of receiving electrodes via through-hole vias formed in the dielectric substrate. 6. The receiving device according to configuration 5. [Configuration 7] The at least one passive element includes a resistor. 7. The receiving device according to any one of configurations 1 to 6. [Configuration 8] The at least one passive element includes an inductor. 7. The receiving device according to any one of configurations 1 to 6. [Configuration 9] The at least one passive element includes a ferrite bead. 7. The receiving device according to any one of configurations 1 to 6. [Configuration 10] A receiving device according to any one of configurations 1 to 9, The transmitting device; A communication system comprising: [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 10: communication system, 100: transmitter, 110: signal source, 120: transmitter circuit, 130: transmission transmission line, 140: termination resistor, 150: reference potential surface, 200: receiver, 210: receiver electrode, 220: substrate, 230: receiver circuit, 240: connection path, 241: passive element

Claims

1. A plurality of receiving electrodes arranged at positions facing one transmitting transmission line of a transmitting device; a connection path connecting the receiving electrodes among the plurality of receiving electrodes; having The connection path includes at least one passive element in series between the receiving electrodes. A receiving device comprising:

2. the transmitting device includes a plurality of the transmitting transmission lines, The plurality of receiving electrodes and the connection path are disposed at a position facing at least one of the plurality of transmitting transmission lines.

2. The receiving device according to claim 1 .

3. The plurality of receiving electrodes and the connection paths are disposed at positions facing the respective transmission transmission lines of the plurality of transmission transmission lines.

3. The receiving device according to claim 2.

4. The plurality of receiving electrodes arranged at a position facing the one transmitting transmission line are three or more receiving electrodes.

2. The receiving device according to claim 1 .

5. The plurality of receiving electrodes are provided on a dielectric substrate.

2. The receiving device according to claim 1 .

6. The connection path connects the receiving electrodes among the plurality of receiving electrodes via through-hole vias formed in the dielectric substrate.

6. The receiving device according to claim 5.

7. The at least one passive element includes a resistor.

2. The receiving device according to claim 1 .

8. The at least one passive element includes an inductor.

2. The receiving device according to claim 1 .

9. The at least one passive element includes a ferrite bead.

2. The receiving device according to claim 1 .

10. A receiving device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, The transmitting device; A communication system comprising:

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