Digital isolator and application circuit therefor, and isolated communication method

Abstract

Provided in the present invention are a digital isolator and an application circuit therefor, and an isolated communication method. The digital isolator comprises a first millimeter-wave circuit and a second millimeter-wave circuit, wherein the first millimeter-wave circuit comprises a first millimeter-wave antenna, a first millimeter-wave transmitter and a power measurer; the second millimeter-wave circuit comprises a second millimeter-wave antenna, a second millimeter-wave receiver, a second millimeter-wave transmitter and a changeover switch; the first millimeter-wave transmitter and the power measurer are both connected to the first millimeter-wave antenna; the second millimeter-wave antenna is connected to both the second millimeter-wave transmitter and the second millimeter-wave receiver via the changeover switch; and the changeover switch is further connected to a second isolated circuit corresponding to the second millimeter-wave circuit. In the present invention, bidirectional communication between two isolated ends can be realized by using only a single channel formed by one group of millimeter-wave antennas, so that the requirements for the design complexity and the area can both be reduced.

Description

Digital isolator and its application circuit, isolated communication method Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of isolated communication, and in particular to a digital isolator and an application circuit thereof, and an isolated communication method. Background Art

[0002] Existing digital isolators and their application circuits (such as half-bridge drivers, DC / DC inverters, ADCs, or DACs) require at least two sets of TX-RX and two sets of coupling devices to achieve signal feedback.

[0003] Figures 1(a) and 1(b) illustrate the typical structure of a digital isolator applied to a half-bridge driver; Figure 2 illustrates the structure of a new millimeter-wave isolator applied to a half-bridge driver. The operating principles of both isolators can be summarized as follows: During normal operation, the left-side low-voltage circuit transmits a control signal to the right-side high-voltage circuit. The right-side high-voltage circuit detects voltage or timing conditions and, when an anomaly is detected, sends a pulse signal back to the left-side low-voltage circuit to indicate the anomaly. Based on this pulse signal, the left-side low-voltage circuit adjusts the signal transmitted to the right-side high-voltage circuit or shuts down transmission. Therefore, both traditional and new digital isolators require two channels for signal feedback.

[0004] The two-channel configuration of the digital isolator not only requires a large area but also has the problem of complex design. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention aims to address, at least to some extent, one of the technical problems encountered in the aforementioned technologies. To this end, the present invention provides a digital isolator, its application circuit, and an isolated communication method that, while enabling bidirectional communication between the isolated ends, reduces design complexity and the required area of ​​the isolation device.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, a first embodiment of the present invention provides a digital isolator, comprising a first millimeter wave circuit and a second millimeter wave circuit; the first millimeter wave circuit comprises a first millimeter wave antenna, a first millimeter wave transmitter, and a power detector; the second millimeter wave circuit comprises a second millimeter wave antenna, a second millimeter wave receiver, a second millimeter wave transmitter, and a switch;

[0007] The first millimeter wave transmitter and the power detector are respectively connected to the first millimeter wave antenna; the second millimeter wave antenna is respectively connected to the second millimeter wave transmitter and the second millimeter wave receiver via the switching switch; the switching switch is also connected to the second isolated circuit corresponding to the second millimeter wave circuit;

[0008] The switch is configured to switch from being connected to the second millimeter wave receiver to being connected to the second millimeter wave transmitter when the second millimeter wave circuit sends the second signal to the first millimeter wave circuit;

[0009] The power detector is configured to detect whether the power transmitted from the first millimeter wave circuit to the second millimeter wave circuit becomes low due to a near-field pulling effect between the first millimeter wave antenna and the second millimeter wave antenna.

[0010] The digital isolator according to an embodiment of the present invention utilizes the near-field pulling effect of millimeter-wave antennas and a switch to switch connectivity between the receiver and transmitter. This enables bidirectional communication between the two isolated ends using a single channel consisting of a single set of millimeter-wave antennas. Compared to existing digital isolators that require two sets of antennas to form a dual channel for bidirectional communication, this invention not only reduces design complexity but also saves space.

[0011] In addition, the digital isolator proposed in the above embodiment of the present invention may also have the following additional technical features:

[0012] Optionally, the distance between the first millimeter wave antenna and the second millimeter wave antenna is between 2-3 mm.

[0013] Optionally, the switching switch includes a switch a and a switch b; the second millimeter wave antenna is connected to the second millimeter wave transmitter via the switch a; the second millimeter wave antenna is connected to the second millimeter wave receiver via the switch b;

[0014] The switch a is configured to be turned on when the first millimeter wave circuit sends a first signal to the second millimeter wave circuit, and to be turned off when the second millimeter wave circuit sends a second signal to the first millimeter wave circuit;

[0015] The switch b is configured to be turned on when the second millimeter wave circuit sends the second signal to the first millimeter wave circuit, and to be turned off when the first millimeter wave circuit sends the first signal to the second millimeter wave circuit.

[0016] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, an embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention proposes an application circuit of a digital isolator, including the above-mentioned digital isolator; also including a first isolated circuit and a second isolated circuit; the first millimeter wave transmitter and the power detector are respectively connected to the first isolated circuit; the second millimeter wave receiver and the second millimeter wave transmitter are respectively connected to the second isolated circuit.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a digital isolator application circuit utilizes the near-field pulling effect of millimeter-wave antennas and a switch to switch connectivity between a receiver and a transmitter. This allows the isolator to achieve bidirectional communication between a first isolated circuit and a second isolated circuit using only a single channel formed by a set of millimeter-wave antennas. Compared to existing digital isolators that require two sets of antennas to form a dual channel for bidirectional communication, this invention not only reduces design complexity but also saves space.

[0018] In addition, the application circuit of the digital isolator proposed in the above embodiment of the present invention may also have the following additional technical features:

[0019] Optionally, the first isolated circuit is a low-voltage circuit; and the second isolated circuit is a high-voltage circuit.

[0020] Optionally, the first isolated circuit is a low-voltage half-bridge circuit; the second isolated circuit is a high-voltage half-bridge circuit;

[0021] The low-voltage half-bridge circuit includes a low-voltage half-bridge controller; the high-voltage half-bridge circuit includes a high-voltage half-bridge controller;

[0022] The first millimeter wave transmitter and the power detector are respectively connected to the low-voltage half-bridge controller; the second millimeter wave receiver, the second millimeter wave transmitter, and the switch are respectively connected to the high-voltage half-bridge controller.

[0023] To achieve the above objectives, a second embodiment of the present invention provides an isolated communication method based on the above digital isolator, comprising:

[0024] When the first millimeter wave circuit sends the first signal to the second millimeter wave circuit, the first millimeter wave transmitter of the first millimeter wave circuit sends the first signal to the second millimeter wave circuit via the first millimeter wave antenna; after the second millimeter wave antenna of the second millimeter wave circuit receives the first signal, the first information is transmitted to the second millimeter wave receiver via the switching switch;

[0025] When the second millimeter wave circuit sends a second signal to the first millimeter wave circuit, the switch is switched from being connected to the second millimeter wave receiver to being connected to the second millimeter wave transmitter; the second millimeter wave transmitter transmits the second signal to the second millimeter wave antenna; the power emitted by the first millimeter wave transmitter becomes lower due to the near-field pulling effect between the first millimeter wave antenna and the second millimeter wave antenna; after the power detector of the first millimeter wave circuit detects that the power emitted by the first millimeter wave transmitter becomes lower, it prompts the first isolated circuit corresponding to the first millimeter wave circuit.

[0026] An isolated communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention utilizes a digital isolator implemented using the near-field pulling effect of millimeter-wave antennas. This method enables bidirectional communication between a first isolated circuit and a second isolated circuit using a single channel formed by a single set of millimeter-wave antennas. Compared to existing isolated communication methods that require two sets of antennas to form a dual channel, the present invention achieves bidirectional communication between two isolated terminals using a single channel.

[0027] In addition, the application circuit of the digital isolator proposed in the above embodiment of the present invention may also have the following additional technical features:

[0028] Optionally, the first isolated circuit is a low-voltage circuit; and the second isolated circuit is a high-voltage circuit.

[0029] Optionally, the first isolated circuit is a low-voltage half-bridge circuit; the second isolated circuit is a high-voltage half-bridge circuit; the low-voltage half-bridge circuit includes a low-voltage half-bridge controller; the high-voltage half-bridge circuit includes a high-voltage half-bridge controller; and the switching switch is controlled by the high-voltage half-bridge controller.

[0030] Optionally, the prompting of the first isolated circuit corresponding to the first millimeter wave circuit includes:

[0031] The power detector indicates that the high-voltage half-bridge circuit of the low-voltage half-bridge controller is abnormal;

[0032] The low-voltage half-bridge controller controls to shut down the first millimeter wave transmitter or adjust the transmission power of the first millimeter wave transmitter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Figures 1(a) and 1(b) are schematic diagrams showing the structures of two typical digital isolators used in half-bridge drivers in the prior art;

[0034] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a novel millimeter wave isolator in the prior art applied to a half-bridge driver;

[0035] FIG3 is a structural diagram of a digital isolator provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] FIG4 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of a first millimeter wave antenna and a second millimeter wave antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of an S-parameter curve between the first millimeter-wave antenna and the second millimeter-wave antenna in the configuration example of FIG4 ;

[0038] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a power curve transmitted by the first millimeter wave transmitter when the second millimeter wave antenna is used as a transmitting antenna in the configuration example of FIG4 ;

[0039] FIG7 is a second structural diagram of a digital isolator provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of an application circuit of a digital isolator provided in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The following describes embodiments of the present invention in detail, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to be used to explain the present invention, and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0042] By leveraging the near-field pulling effect of millimeter-wave antennas, this invention enables bidirectional communication between the two isolated ends while requiring only a single channel. Compared to existing technologies that require two channels for bidirectional communication, this significantly reduces the isolator's design complexity and area requirements.

[0043] To better understand the above technical solutions, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present invention can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments described herein. Instead, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of the present invention and to fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

[0044] In order to better understand the above technical solution, the above technical solution will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0045] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a digital isolator provided by an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 3, the embodiment of the present invention provides a digital isolator, which includes a first millimeter wave circuit 10 and a second millimeter wave circuit 20; the first millimeter wave circuit 10 includes a first millimeter wave antenna 11, a first millimeter wave transmitter TX12, and a power detector 13; the second millimeter wave circuit 20 includes a second millimeter wave antenna 21, a second millimeter wave receiver RX22, a second millimeter wave transmitter TX23, and a switch 24;

[0046] The first millimeter wave transmitter TX12 and the power detector 13 are respectively connected to the first millimeter wave antenna 11 and are also respectively connected to the first isolated circuit 101 .

[0047] The second millimeter wave antenna 21 is connected to the second millimeter wave transmitter TX23 and the second millimeter wave receiver RX22 via the switching switch 24; the switching switch 24 is also connected to the second isolated circuit 201 corresponding to the second millimeter wave circuit 20;

[0048] The switch is configured to switch from being connected to the second millimeter wave receiver to being connected to the second millimeter wave transmitter when the second millimeter wave circuit sends the second signal to the first millimeter wave circuit;

[0049] The power detector is configured to detect whether the power transmitted from the first millimeter wave circuit to the second millimeter wave circuit becomes low due to a near-field pulling effect between the first millimeter wave antenna and the second millimeter wave antenna.

[0050] The working principle of the digital isolator described in this embodiment is:

[0051] In the normal transmission state, the second isolated circuit corresponding to the second millimeter wave circuit controls the second millimeter wave antenna to connect to the second millimeter wave receiver via the switching switch, so that the second millimeter wave antenna serves as a receiving antenna; the input end of the first isolated circuit corresponding to the first millimeter wave circuit transmits the first signal (pulse modulated signal, such as Pulse Width Modulation, PWM) to the first millimeter wave transmitter of the first millimeter wave circuit; the carrier of the first millimeter wave transmitter is modulated to a high frequency for transmission using the first millimeter wave antenna; the second millimeter wave antenna serves as a receiving antenna, receives the first signal transmitted from the first millimeter wave antenna, and then guides it to the second millimeter wave receiver connected to it.

[0052] When the second millimeter-wave circuit needs to transmit a signal back to the first millimeter-wave circuit, the second millimeter-wave circuit controls the switching switch to switch from the original connection with the second millimeter-wave receiver to the connection with the second millimeter-wave transmitter, so that the first millimeter-wave antenna is changed from a receiving antenna to a transmitting antenna; the simple pulse signal emitted by the second millimeter-wave transmitter will be transmitted to the second millimeter-wave antenna via the switching switch for transmission; because the second millimeter-wave antenna and the first millimeter-wave antenna are both acting as transmitting antennas and are both transmitting signals, and the distance between the two is relatively close, a strong near-field pulling effect between the first millimeter-wave antenna and the second millimeter-wave antenna will occur, so that the transmission power of the first millimeter-wave circuit is lower than that in the normal transmission state; after the power detector of the first millimeter-wave circuit detects this change, it will prompt the first isolated circuit corresponding to the first millimeter-wave circuit, thereby achieving the purpose of the second millimeter-wave circuit transmitting the signal back to the first millimeter-wave circuit.

[0053] Here, the need for the second millimeter-wave circuit to transmit a signal back to the first millimeter-wave circuit typically occurs when the second isolated circuit is abnormal and the signal is transmitted back to indicate an abnormality. Examples include overheating of the second isolated circuit, loss of received signals from the second millimeter-wave circuit, abnormal output signals from the first millimeter-wave circuit, and abnormal operation of high-voltage components. In the scenario where the second isolated circuit transmits a signal back to the first isolated circuit due to an abnormality to provide a notification, the first isolated circuit, upon receiving the notification, will control the shutdown of the first millimeter-wave transmitter or adjust the transmission power of the first millimeter-wave transmitter.

[0054] This embodiment is based on the fact that the distance configuration requirements between millimeter-wave antennas are different from the distance configuration requirements of other antennas (the distance between millimeter-wave antennas usually needs to be between 2-3mm, while the distance between other antennas is very far), and it just meets the distance requirements for the pulling effect of the near field between antennas. Therefore, by making full use of the pulling effect of the antenna near field and the switching coordination of the switching switch, it is possible to achieve two-way communication between the isolated two ends by using only a single channel composed of a group of millimeter-wave antennas (i.e., the first millimeter-wave antenna and the second millimeter-wave antenna); at the same time, the configuration of the first millimeter-wave receiver and its control circuit can be omitted. In other words, the digital isolator described in this embodiment can simultaneously eliminate the configuration of a group of millimeter-wave antennas and a receiver and its control circuit, thereby reducing the design complexity and area requirements, and thus has good application prospects.

[0055] In some specific implementations of this embodiment, the first isolated circuit and the second isolated circuit can be any circuit requiring communication isolation. The most common implementation is communication isolation between high- and low-voltage circuits. The first isolated circuit is a low-voltage circuit, and the second isolated circuit is a high-voltage circuit. Specifically, this can be applied to devices such as half-bridge drivers, DC / DC inverters, ADCs, or DACs, providing safe and reliable communication isolation between high and low voltages.

[0056] The following will describe in detail the application of the near-field pulling effect between the first millimeter-wave antenna and the second millimeter-wave antenna in this embodiment based on the inter-antenna near-field pulling effect in combination with specific experimental data.

[0057] As shown in Figure 4, which is an example diagram of the configuration of the first millimeter wave antenna and the second millimeter wave antenna in this embodiment, the example distance between the first millimeter wave antenna and the second millimeter wave antenna in the figure is 3 mm.

[0058] Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of the S-parameter curve between the first and second millimeter-wave antennas in the configuration example of Figure 4. S11 represents the reflection coefficient of the first millimeter-wave antenna in the low-voltage region, and S22 represents the reflection coefficient of the second millimeter-wave antenna in the high-voltage region when it serves as a receiving antenna. Figure 5 shows that near 62.8 GHz, both the first and second millimeter-wave antennas are well matched (<-10 dB, meaning over 90% of the energy can be transmitted). S21 represents the transmission coefficient between the first and second millimeter-wave antennas when the second millimeter-wave antenna serves as a transmitting antenna in the high-voltage region. This is the ratio of the energy received by the second millimeter-wave antenna to the energy transmitted by the first millimeter-wave antenna. Therefore, a larger S21 indicates that the second millimeter-wave antenna receives more energy transmitted by the first millimeter-wave antenna, and vice versa. S21 can also represent the mutual coupling between the first and second millimeter-wave antennas; that is, a larger S21 indicates a stronger coupling between the two antennas, and vice versa. As can be seen from the figure, the antenna group of the configuration example in FIG4 has an S21 of approximately -19.6 dB near 62.8 GHz.

[0059] It should be noted that the S21 / S12 of the far-field antenna group (the existing non-millimeter wave antenna group is very far apart) is less than -40dB, that is, S21 <-40dB and S12 <-40dB, where S21 and S12 correspond to the same antenna, the second millimeter wave antenna, so there is no mutual coupling between the antenna groups; however, in this embodiment, the first millimeter wave antenna and the second millimeter wave antenna are used as a near-field antenna group, and their S21 / S12 = ~-20dB, that is, S21 = ~-20dB and S12 = ~-20dB, so there is mutual coupling. Moreover, in this embodiment, the antenna group consisting of the first millimeter wave antenna and the second millimeter wave antenna is usually one receiving and one transmitting (TX and RX). In this case, the mutual coupling of the near-field antennas (i.e., the near-field pulling effect) has no effect on the normal transmission of the antenna group; however, when the antenna group is composed of transmitting antennas, the mutual coupling of the near-field antennas will affect this antenna group. The embodiment of the present invention utilizes the “near-field antenna coupling effect” to realize signal return between isolated two ends.

[0060] As shown in Figure 6, it is a schematic diagram of the power curve of the first millimeter wave transmitter when the second millimeter wave antenna is used as the transmitting antenna in the configuration example of Figure 4. As can be seen from Figure 6, in normal transmission mode, that is, when the second millimeter wave antenna is used as the receiving antenna, the first millimeter wave transmitter transmits -3dBm of power at 62.8GHz (corresponding to the solid line in the figure); when in backhaul mode, that is, when the second millimeter wave antenna is used as the transmitting antenna, the first millimeter wave transmitter transmits -3.14dBm of power at 62.8GHz (corresponding to the dotted line in the figure). It can be seen that the first millimeter wave transmitter has a transmission power difference of 0.14dBm in the two modes, and by detecting this 0.14dBm difference through the power detector in the low-voltage area, it can be determined whether the high-voltage area is normal (the backhaul is considered abnormal).

[0061] It should also be noted that the power detector in conventional isolators is used to detect the specific power value transmitted by the transmitter. In the embodiment of the present invention, however, the power detector is used to detect whether the power transmitted by the transmitter has decreased. Specifically, it detects the difference in power between the two modes and, based on this, determines whether to send a prompt message to the control circuit. Therefore, the power detector in the embodiment of the present invention and the conventional power detector have different functions.

[0062] In some specific implementations of this embodiment, as shown in FIG7 , the switch 24 specifically includes a switch a and a switch b; the second millimeter wave antenna is connected to the second millimeter wave transmitter via the switch a; and the second millimeter wave antenna is connected to the second millimeter wave receiver via the switch b;

[0063] The switch a is configured to be turned on when the first millimeter wave circuit sends a first signal to the second millimeter wave circuit, and to be turned off when the second millimeter wave circuit sends a second signal to the first millimeter wave circuit;

[0064] The switch b is configured to be turned on when the second millimeter wave circuit sends the second signal to the first millimeter wave circuit, and to be turned off when the first millimeter wave circuit sends the first signal to the second millimeter wave circuit.

[0065] Here, the switching switch is embodied as two independent switches Switch a and Switch b to achieve precise control of the switching connection between the second millimeter wave receiver and the second millimeter wave transmitter.

[0066] The working principle of the above specific implementation is:

[0067] In a normal transmission state, the second isolated circuit controls switch a to be turned on and switch b to be turned off; the first millimeter wave transmitter of the first millimeter wave circuit sends a first signal to the second millimeter wave circuit via the first millimeter wave antenna; the second millimeter wave antenna of the second millimeter wave circuit receives the first signal and transmits it to the second millimeter wave receiver;

[0068] When the second millimeter-wave circuit needs to transmit a signal back to the first millimeter-wave circuit, the second isolated circuit controls switch b to be turned on and switch a to be turned off, and the second millimeter-wave transmitter of the second millimeter-wave circuit transmits the second signal to the second millimeter-wave antenna for transmission; at the same time, the first millimeter-wave antenna still transmits the first signal normally; therefore, a near-field pulling effect will occur between the first millimeter-wave antenna and the second millimeter-wave antenna, causing the power emitted by the first millimeter-wave transmitter to decrease; after the power detector of the first millimeter-wave circuit detects that the power emitted by the first millimeter-wave transmitter has decreased, it notifies the first isolated circuit corresponding to the first millimeter-wave circuit, thereby achieving the purpose of the second millimeter-wave circuit transmitting a signal back to the first millimeter-wave circuit.

[0069] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an application circuit of a digital isolator provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Based on the above embodiment, the present invention further provides an application circuit of a digital isolator, comprising the digital isolator described in the above embodiment, and comprising a first isolated circuit and a second isolated circuit; the first millimeter-wave transmitter and the power detector are respectively connected to the first isolated circuit; and the second millimeter-wave receiver and the second millimeter-wave transmitter are respectively connected to the second isolated circuit.

[0070] This embodiment can achieve two-terminal isolated communication between the first isolated circuit and the second isolated circuit based on the digital isolator described in the previous embodiment, and can also reduce the design complexity and the occupied area in the structure of the digital isolator; it helps to reduce the overall design complexity and area of ​​the application circuit.

[0071] In some specific implementations of this embodiment, when the digital isolator described in the previous embodiment is applied to a half-bridge drive design, the first isolated circuit is a low-voltage half-bridge circuit; the second isolated circuit is a high-voltage half-bridge circuit; the low-voltage half-bridge circuit includes a low-voltage half-bridge controller; and the high-voltage half-bridge circuit includes a high-voltage half-bridge controller. As shown in FIG8 , the millimeter-wave transmitter TX in the low-voltage region L The power detector is connected to the low voltage half-bridge controller respectively; the high voltage area millimeter wave receiver RX H , high voltage area millimeter wave transmitter TX H , and the switching switch Switch are respectively connected to the high-voltage half-bridge controller.

[0072] The half-bridge driver design using a millimeter-wave digital isolator, as provided in the aforementioned embodiments, requires only a single isolator channel, eliminating the need for a low-voltage receiver and its control circuitry, while still enabling high-voltage region anomaly feedback. Compared to existing half-bridge drivers that require dual channels for high-voltage region anomaly feedback, this significantly reduces the overall design complexity and area required for the half-bridge driver circuit.

[0073] An embodiment of the present invention further provides an isolated communication method, which is based on the digital isolator described in the previous embodiment and includes:

[0074] When the first millimeter wave circuit sends the first signal to the second millimeter wave circuit, the first millimeter wave transmitter of the first millimeter wave circuit sends the first signal to the second millimeter wave circuit via the first millimeter wave antenna; after the second millimeter wave antenna of the second millimeter wave circuit receives the first signal, the first information is transmitted to the second millimeter wave receiver via the switching switch;

[0075] When the second millimeter wave circuit sends a second signal to the first millimeter wave circuit, the switch is switched from being connected to the second millimeter wave receiver to being connected to the second millimeter wave transmitter; the second millimeter wave transmitter transmits the second signal to the second millimeter wave antenna; the power emitted by the first millimeter wave transmitter becomes lower due to the near-field pulling effect between the first millimeter wave antenna and the second millimeter wave antenna; after the power detector of the first millimeter wave circuit detects that the power emitted by the first millimeter wave transmitter becomes lower, it prompts the first isolated circuit corresponding to the first millimeter wave circuit.

[0076] In this embodiment, the first isolated circuit is usually a low-voltage circuit; the second isolated circuit is usually a high-voltage circuit.

[0077] In some specific implementations of this embodiment, the first isolated circuit is a low-voltage half-bridge circuit; the second isolated circuit is a high-voltage half-bridge circuit; the low-voltage half-bridge circuit includes a low-voltage half-bridge controller; the high-voltage half-bridge circuit includes a high-voltage half-bridge controller; and the switching switch is controlled by the high-voltage half-bridge controller.

[0078] In some specific implementations of this embodiment, the prompting of the first isolated circuit corresponding to the first millimeter wave circuit specifically includes:

[0079] The power detector indicates that the high-voltage half-bridge circuit of the low-voltage half-bridge controller is abnormal;

[0080] The low-voltage half-bridge controller controls to shut down the first millimeter wave transmitter or adjust the transmission power of the first millimeter wave transmitter.

[0081] The isolated communication method described in this embodiment, based on the digital isolator provided in the previous embodiment, achieves bidirectional communication between a first isolated circuit and a second isolated circuit using only a single channel formed by a set of millimeter-wave antennas. Compared to existing isolated communication methods that require two antennas to form two channels for bidirectional communication, the present invention achieves bidirectional communication between two isolated terminals using a single channel. The specific structure and connection relationship of the digital isolator will not be repeated here; please refer to the description of the previous embodiment for details.

[0082] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Thus, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0083] The present invention is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that each process and / or box in the flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of processes and / or boxes in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce a device for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0084] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce a product including an instruction device that implements the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0085] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0086] It should be noted that in the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claims. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of components or steps not listed in the claim. The word "a" or "an" preceding a component does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such components. The invention can be implemented by means of hardware comprising several different components and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In a unit claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The use of the words first, second, third etc. does not indicate any order. These words may be interpreted as names.

[0087] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, those skilled in the art may make additional changes and modifications to these embodiments once they have learned the basic creative concept. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including the preferred embodiments and all changes and modifications that fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0088] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, if such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the claims and their equivalents, the present invention is intended to include such changes and modifications.

[0089] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or implicitly specify the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature specified as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, "plurality" means two or more, unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0090] In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," "connect," "fixed," etc. should be understood broadly. For example, they may refer to fixed connection, detachable connection, or integration; mechanical connection or electrical connection; direct connection or indirect connection through an intermediate medium; internal communication between two components or interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on specific circumstances.

[0091] In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, when a first feature is "above" or "below" a second feature, it may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediary. Furthermore, when a first feature is "above," "above," or "above" a second feature, it may mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. When a first feature is "below," "below," or "below" a second feature, it may mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is at a lower level than the second feature.

[0092] In the description of this specification, the reference terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" mean that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic expressions of the above terms should not be understood as necessarily referring to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art can combine and combine different embodiments or examples described in this specification and features of different embodiments or examples without contradiction.

[0093] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it will be understood that the above embodiments are illustrative and are not to be construed as limitations on the present invention. A person skilled in the art may change, modify, replace and modify the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A digital isolator, characterized in that: The invention comprises a first millimeter wave circuit and a second millimeter wave circuit; the first millimeter wave circuit comprises a first millimeter wave antenna, a first millimeter wave transmitter and a power detector; the second millimeter wave circuit comprises a second millimeter wave antenna, a second millimeter wave receiver, a second millimeter wave transmitter and a switching switch; The first millimeter wave transmitter and the power detector are respectively connected to the first millimeter wave antenna; the second millimeter wave antenna is respectively connected to the second millimeter wave transmitter and the second millimeter wave receiver via the switching switch; the switching switch is also connected to the second isolated circuit corresponding to the second millimeter wave circuit; The switch is configured to switch from being connected with the second millimeter wave receiver to being connected with the second millimeter wave transmitter when the second millimeter wave circuit sends the second signal to the first millimeter wave circuit; The power detector is configured to detect whether the power sent from the first millimeter wave circuit to the second millimeter wave circuit becomes low due to a near-field pulling effect between the first millimeter wave antenna and the second millimeter wave antenna.

2. The digital isolator according to claim 1, wherein: The distance between the first millimeter wave antenna and the second millimeter wave antenna is between 2-3 mm.

3. The digital isolator according to claim 1, wherein: The switching switch includes a switch a and a switch b; the second millimeter wave antenna is connected to the second millimeter wave transmitter via the switch a; the second millimeter wave antenna is connected to the second millimeter wave receiver via the switch b; The switch a is configured to be turned on when the first millimeter wave circuit sends a first signal to the second millimeter wave circuit, and to be turned off when the second millimeter wave circuit sends a second signal to the first millimeter wave circuit; The switch b is configured to be turned on when the second millimeter wave circuit sends a second signal to the first millimeter wave circuit, and to be turned off when the first millimeter wave circuit sends a first signal to the second millimeter wave circuit.

4. An application circuit of a digital isolator, characterized in that: The digital isolator comprises the digital isolator as described in any one of claims 1 to 3; further comprises a first isolated circuit and a second isolated circuit; the first millimeter wave transmitter and the power detector are respectively connected to the first isolated circuit; the second millimeter wave receiver and the second millimeter wave transmitter are respectively connected to the second isolated circuit.

5. The application circuit of the digital isolator as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that: The first isolated circuit is a low-voltage circuit; the second isolated circuit is a high-voltage circuit.

6. The application circuit of the digital isolator as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that: The first isolated circuit is a low-voltage half-bridge circuit; the second isolated circuit is a high-voltage half-bridge circuit; The low voltage half-bridge circuit includes a low voltage half-bridge controller; the high voltage half-bridge circuit includes a high voltage half-bridge controller; The first millimeter wave transmitter and the power detector are respectively connected to the low-voltage half-bridge controller; the second millimeter wave receiver, the second millimeter wave transmitter, and the switching switch are respectively connected to the high-voltage half-bridge controller.

7. An isolated communication method, characterized in that: The digital isolator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: When the first millimeter wave circuit sends the first signal to the second millimeter wave circuit, the first millimeter wave transmitter of the first millimeter wave circuit sends the first signal to the second millimeter wave circuit via the first millimeter wave antenna; after the second millimeter wave antenna of the second millimeter wave circuit receives the first signal, the first information is transmitted to the second millimeter wave receiver via the switching switch; When the second millimeter wave circuit sends a second signal to the first millimeter wave circuit, the switching switch is switched from being connected to the second millimeter wave receiver to being connected to the second millimeter wave transmitter; the second millimeter wave transmitter transmits the second signal to the second millimeter wave antenna; the power emitted by the first millimeter wave transmitter becomes lower due to the near-field pulling effect between the first millimeter wave antenna and the second millimeter wave antenna; after the power detector of the first millimeter wave circuit detects that the power emitted by the first millimeter wave transmitter becomes lower, it prompts the first isolated circuit corresponding to the first millimeter wave circuit.

8. The isolated communication method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first isolated circuit is a low-voltage circuit; the second isolated circuit is a high-voltage circuit.

9. The isolated communication method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first isolated circuit is a low-voltage half-bridge circuit; the second isolated circuit is a high-voltage half-bridge circuit; the low-voltage half-bridge circuit includes a low-voltage half-bridge controller; the high-voltage half-bridge circuit includes a high-voltage half-bridge controller; the switching switch is controlled by the high-voltage half-bridge controller.

10. The isolated communication method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The first isolated circuit corresponding to the first millimeter wave circuit includes: The power detector indicates that the high-voltage half-bridge circuit of the low-voltage half-bridge controller is abnormal; The low voltage half-bridge controller controls to shut down the first millimeter wave transmitter or adjust the transmission power of the first millimeter wave transmitter.

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