Contact-less communication system

Abstract

Apparatus for providing a contact-less, bi-directional communication link between a power supplying module (PS) and a power consuming module (PC) having two links, one (L1) used for power, clock, and upstream data transfer, the other (L2) used as downstream data link. PS contains a power supply circuit and PC contains a simple rectifier. The non-rectified output of L1 is used to provide the clock to PC. Amplitude variations of the signal driving L1 are detected and used in PC (upstream data link). Data is transmitted from PC to PS by tapping the non-rectified signal from the output of L1, passing it through a switch, which alternates its polarity before being fed into L2. The phase relationship between signals at the input of L1 and the output of L2 provides the means for the downstream data transfer.

Description

IN THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a semi-schematic diagram of hardware for practicing the teachings of this invention in configuration 1 (second inductive link for the downstream data link using phase modulation).

FIG. 2 is a semi-schematic diagram of hardware for practicing the teachings of this invention in configuration 4 (second inductive link for the downstream data link using phase modulation with a crossbar switch and a phase comparator).

FIG. 3 is a semi-schematic diagram of hardware for practicing the teachings of this invention in configuration 5 (optical link for the downstream data link).

Claims

1. Apparatus for contact-less communications system comprising: a separable transformer means including a primary upstream transformer half and a secondary upstream transformer half adapted for magnetic coupling, at least one of said halves having a core of ferrite material for operating at the maximum upstream bit rate;a voltage rectifying means with input connected to the said secondary upstream transformer half for creating a constant DC voltage from the alternating voltage induced in the secondary upstream transformer half by the primary upstream transformer half and driving the power supply output;a clock recovery circuit connected to the said secondary upstream transformer half;a clock generation means;an amplitude modulation means, which inputs are connected to the outputs of the clock generator and a n upstream data input, used to induce an amplitude modulated upstream data in the primary upstream transformer half, said data being sent through an inductive link set up by the primary and secondary upstream transformer halves;a data recovery circuit connected to the said secondary upstream transformer half; including an amplitude detector means for receiving the upstream data sent via the inductive link set up by the primary and secondary upstream transformer halves and driving an upstream data out;a second contact-less communications means to provide a downstream data link;a downstream phase modulation means with input connected to a downstream data in and controlled by the output of the clock recovery circuit, with its output connected to a primary downstream transformer half;a downstream data recovery circuit including a downstream phase detector means connected to a secondary downstream transformer half and driving a downstream data out.

2. Apparatus for contact-less communications system as per claim 1, where a downstream phase modulation means implemented as a crossbar switch controlled by a downstream data in with its input connected to the said secondary upstream transformer half and with its output connected to the said primary downstream transformer half;

3. Apparatus for contact-less communications system as per claim 1, where a downstream phase modulation means implemented as a crossbar switch controlled by the downstream data in with its input connected to the said secondary upstream transformer half, and with its output connected to the said primary downstream transformer half;a downstream data recovery circuit including a phase comparator means which input is connected to the secondary downstream transformer half, controlled by the output of the amplitude modulator and driving a downstream data out.

4. Apparatus for contact-less communications system as per claim 1 where a downstream data recovery circuit including a phase comparator means which input is connected to the secondary downstream transformer half, controlled by the output of the amplitude modulator and driving a downstream data out.

5. Apparatus for contact-less communications system as per claim 1, where the downstream data link is implemented as an optical link; an amplitude modulation means including an infrared diode to transmit the downstream data;a downstream data recovery circuit including an infrared photo diode to receive the downstream data;

6. Apparatus for contact-less communications system as per claim 1, where the downstream data link is implemented as an optical link; an amplitude modulation means including a light emitting diode to transmit the downstream data;a downstream data recovery circuit including a light emitting photo diode to receive the downstream data.

7. Apparatus for contact-less communications system as per claim 3, where the phase comparator is controlled by the output of the clock generator.

8. Apparatus for contact-less communications system as per claim 4, where the phase comparator is controlled by the output of the clock generator.