Extender Combining Clock and Data Signals for Single Cable Transmission
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional extender configurations require two Cat.5 transmission cables to transmit Transition Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) signals and other signals, leading to complex circuit layouts and high costs due to the need for additional signal processing units.
Innovation Solution
An extender system that combines positive and negative clock signals with differential data signals to form composite signals, allowing for simultaneous transmission of TMDS and other signals over a single Cat.5 cable, using impedance units and a recovery unit to extract and combine clock signals without requiring adder units or complex decoding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If two Cat.5 transmission cables are used to transmit TMDS signals and other signals, then all signals can be transmitted without distortion, but the circuit layout becomes complex and costs increase due to additional signal processing units
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple signals (TMDS data signals and other signals such as USB, audio, video, keyboard, and mouse signals) into a single composite signal for transmission over one Cat.5 cable. The transmitter merges these separate signal streams into a unified transmission format, eliminating the need for multiple cables and reducing circuit complexity at both transmitter and receiver ends.
Solution Approach 2:
The extender device is designed to handle multiple types of signals through a single transmission channel. The system can simultaneously transmit TMDS high-definition video signals along with other digital signals (USB data, audio, control signals) over the same Cat.5 cable, making the transmission system universal and multi-functional without requiring separate processing paths for each signal type.
2Reliability
If clock signals are separated and combined with data signals using adder units and operational amplifiers, then signal transmission is achieved, but the circuit layout becomes complex and costs increase due to additional signal compensation and decoding units
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the clock signal from the composite transmission signal at the receiver end and separates it from the data signal. By using impedance units to extract the clock component and then separating the data component, the system avoids the need for complex adder units and operational amplifiers that would be required to combine and process these signals in traditional architectures.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of combining clock and data signals at the transmitter using complex circuitry and then requiring complex decomposition at the receiver, the patent inverts the approach by transmitting the composite signal and performing extraction and separation at the receiver end. This reversal simplifies the overall system architecture by eliminating the need for complex signal compensation and decoding units.
3Productivity
If one Cat.5 transmission cable is used to transmit only TMDS signals, then the cable capacity is fully utilized, but other signals such as USB, audio, and control signals cannot be transmitted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple signal types (TMDS video/audio signals and other digital signals including USB, audio, and control signals) into a single composite signal that occupies the available bandwidth of one Cat.5 cable. This merging allows full utilization of the cable's transmission capacity while accommodating diverse signal types simultaneously through time-division or frequency-division multiplexing techniques.
Solution Approach 2:
The transmission system achieves multi-functionality by designing a universal interface that can handle various signal types over the same physical medium. The extender can simultaneously process and transmit high-definition video signals, USB data, audio signals, and control signals through a single Cat.5 cable, making the system adaptable to multiple applications without requiring separate dedicated channels for each signal type.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2H
Figure 3
AI summary
An extender includes a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting a first and a second differential data signals and a differential clock signal. The transmitter combines a positive clock signal of a differential clock signal with a first differential data signal and combines a negative clock signal of the differential clock signal with a second differential data signal, thereby respectively forming a first and a second composite differential signals. The receiver includes a first impedance unit extracting the positive clock signal from the first composite differential signal, a second impedance unit extracting the negative clock signal from the second composite differential signal, and a recovery unit receiving the positive and negative clock signals and forming the differential clock signal. The frequency of the extracted first and second differential data signals are ten times or more of the frequency of the differential clock signal.