The present invention relates to an apparatus for transmitting/receiving signals between appliances or chips, and more specifically the present invention is suitable for a signal transmitting/receiving apparatus which requires a stable data transmission/reception using cables and flexible substrates even if supply voltages and ground voltages are different between a transmitting apparatus and a receiving apparatus such as in the case where signals are transmitted/received between devices (e.g., LSI or IC) mounted on a board, between different boards in an appliance, or between different appliances.
In conventional signal transmission/reception, e.g., differential transmission, waveform irregularities such as reflection is prevented by impedance match between transmission paths, as in a signal transmitting/receiving apparatus 1000 shown in
The amplitude potential of the pair of differential lines 103A and 103C is determined by a value of a current flowing through the differential lines 103A and 103C, and by a value of the terminating resistor 105. Since the impedance of the differential lines 103A and 103C is usually 110 Ω, the value of the terminating resistor 105 is also set to 110 Ω for impedance matching. Thus, when a driver circuit 101 of the transmitting device 120 applies a 2 mA current to the transmission path 110, the amplitude voltage of the differential lines 103A and 103C will be 220 mV. If the bias potential is 2.0 V, the higher potential of the differential lines 103A and 103C will be 2.11 V (2.0 V+220 mV/2), and the lower potential of the differential lines 103A and 103C will be 1.89 V (2.0 V−220 mV/2).
Therefore, if the driver circuit 101 of the transmitting device 120 applies a stable 2 mA current to the higher output terminal (2.11 V) of output terminals A and C, data can be transmitted efficiently at a high-speed of 400 MHz or greater in the form of a small amplitude transmission of 220 mV. If the supply potential VCC1 of the driver circuit 101 is sufficiently higher than the potential of the higher output terminal (the potential corresponding to Vd of the driver circuit 101 in
However, in the case where the difference between the supply voltage VCC1 of the transmitting device 120 and the supply voltage VCC2 of the receiving device 130, and the difference between the ground voltage GND1 of the transmitting device 120 and the ground voltage GND2 of the receiving device 130 are relatively large, the potentials of the output terminals A and C of the driver circuit 101 of the transmitting device 120 (i.e., the potential of the transmission paths 110) may become infinitely close to the supply voltage VCC1 of the driver circuit 101, or even higher than the supply voltage VCC1 of the driver circuit 101, thereby making it difficult or impossible to apply a current from the driver circuit 101 to the transmission path 110. In other words, such a state causes a problem of not being able to transmit data.
In this case, the intermediate potential Vcm generated by the receiving device 130 appears higher (e.g., 0.5 V to 1.0 V) than the ground potential GND1 of the transmitting device 120, with a general tendency as shown in
In a transmitting/receiving apparatus used for a digital video disc apparatus and the like (where a signal processing LSI corresponds to the transmitting device 220 and a servomotor controlling IC corresponds to the receiving device 230), this difference between the supply voltages (VCC2−VCC1) is inevitable from the system designing point of view. The most crucial reason for this is as follows: with a view to reducing the cost and the mounting area, there is a trend for developing highly integrated single-chip transmitting devices for utilizing the most recent device technologies. This, in turn, is because a signal processing LSI in a transmitting device can be implemented as digital circuits, so that the signal processing LSI can be mounted on a single chip together with a variety of other digital processing LSIs. Therefore, as shown in
On the other hand, as to ICs for controlling a servomotor associated with a receiving device, their supply voltage has not been changed over generations, but rather has remained constant at 5.0 V. This is because such an IC is usually a bipolar device, which is an analog circuit formed of semiconductors for driving mechanical systems such as a servomotor. Moreover, since such an IC is seldom required to incorporate a new function in each product generation, its design is usually not changed for five years or so, once designed. Therefore, it is impractical to change the circuits in the receiving device. In view of such a trend,
If the receiving device 230 is designed so that the intermediate potential Vcm is ½ of the supply voltage, then Vcm will be 2.5 V=(5 V×½). Therefore, with reference to
In one aspect of the invention, signal transmitting/receiving apparatus includes: a transmitting device for transmitting data; a receiving device for receiving the data; a data line for transmitting the data; and a supply line for transmitting a bias voltage for determining a voltage of the data line, wherein the transmitting device and the receiving device are connected to each other through the data line and the supply line, the transmitting device including: a driver circuit for outputting the data to the data line; and a bias generating means for generating the bias voltage and outputting the bias voltage to the supply line, the receiving device including: a terminating resistor connected to the data line; and a receiver circuit for detecting the data from the data line, wherein the data line is connected to the supply line via the terminating resistor.
In another embodiment of the invention, the bias generating means includes a bias generating circuit and a reference voltage generating circuit.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the data line includes a pair of differential lines.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the terminating resistor is connected so as to short circuit between the pair of differential lines, and the supply lines are connected at substantially a midpoint of the terminating resistor.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the transmitting device has a first ground potential; and the receiving device has a second ground potential, the second ground potential being higher than the first ground potential.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the transmitting device has a first supply potential; and the receiving device has a second supply potential, the second supply potential being higher than the first supply potential.
In still another embodiment of the invention, a signal transmitting/receiving apparatus further includes a ground interconnect line for connecting a ground of the transmitting device and a ground of the receiving device.
In still another embodiment of the invention, at least one of the data line and the supply line has flexibility.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the ground interconnect line has flexibility.
In one aspect of the invention, a transmitting device is connected to a data line which transmits data and a supply line which transmits a bias voltage for determining a voltage of the data line, the transmitting device transmitting the data to a receiving device wherein: the receiving device includes a terminating resistor connected to the data line and a receiver circuit for detecting the data from the data line; and the data line is connected to the supply line through the terminating resistor, the transmitting device including: a driver circuit for outputting the data to the data line; and bias generating means for generating the bias voltage and outputting the bias voltage to the supply line.
In one embodiment of the invention, the bias generating means includes a bias generating circuit and a reference voltage generating circuit.
In another embodiment of the invention, a transmitting device is further connected to a ground interconnect line for transmitting a ground potential of the transmitting device to the receiving device.
In one aspect the invention, a receiving device is connected to a data line which transmits data and a supply line which transmits a bias voltage for determining a voltage of the data line, the receiving device receiving the data from a transmitting device wherein: the transmitting device includes a driver circuit for outputting the data to the data line and bias generating means for generating the bias voltage and outputting the bias voltage to the supply line, the receiving device including: a terminating resistor connected to the data line; and a receiver circuit for detecting the data from the data line, the terminating resistor connecting the data line and the supply line.
In one embodiment of the invention, the bias generating means includes a bias generating circuit and a reference voltage generating circuit.
In another embodiment of the invention, the data line includes a pair of differential lines; the terminating resistor short circuits between the pair of differential lines; and the bias voltage is applied at substantially a midpoint of the terminating resistor.
In still another embodiment of the invention, a receiving device is further connected to a ground interconnect line which transmits a ground potential of the transmitting device.
In one aspect of the invention, a signal transmitting/receiving apparatus includes: a transmitting device for transmitting a first data and a second data; a receiving device for receiving the first data and the second data; a data line for transmitting the first data and the second data; wherein the transmitting device and the receiving device are connected to each other through the data line, the transmitting device including: a driver circuit for outputting the first data to the data line; and a circuit for outputting the second data to the data line, the receiving device including: a terminating resistor connected to the data line; a receiver circuit for detecting the first data from the data line; and a bias generating means for generating a bias voltage applied to the terminating resistor, the bias generating means setting the bias voltage based on the second data from the data line.
In one embodiment of the invention, the bias generating means includes a bias generating circuit and a reference voltage generating circuit.
In another embodiment of the invention, the data line for transmitting the first data and the data line for transmitting the second data are different.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the data line includes a pair of differential lines.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the data line for transmitting the first data includes a pair of differential lines.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the terminating resistor is connected so as to short circuit between the pair of differential lines, and the bias voltage is applied at substantially a midpoint of the terminating resistor.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the terminating resistor is connected so as to short circuit between the pair of differential lines, and the bias voltage is applied at substantially a midpoint of the terminating resistor.
In still another embodiment of the invention, a signal transmitting/receiving apparatus further includes a ground interconnect line for connecting a ground of the transmitting device and a ground of the receiving device.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the data line has flexibility.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the ground interconnect line has flexibility.
In one aspect of the invention, a transmitting device is connected to a data line which transmits the first data and the second data to a receiving device, wherein, the receiving device includes: a terminating resistor connected to the data line; a receiver circuit for detecting the first data from the data line; and a bias generating means for generating a bias voltage to be applied to the terminating resistor based on the second data from the data line, the transmitting device including: a driver circuit for outputting the first data to the data line; and a circuit for outputting the second data to the data line.
In one embodiment of the invention, the bias generating means includes a bias generating circuit and a reference voltage generating circuit.
In another embodiment of the invention, the data line for transmitting the first data and the data line for transmitting the second data are different.
In still another embodiment of the invention, a transmitting device is further connected to a ground interconnect line for transmitting a ground potential of the transmitting device to the receiving device.
In another embodiment of the invention, the data line includes a pair of differential lines, and the terminating resistor is connected so as to short circuit between the pair of differential lines, whereby the bias voltage is applied at substantially a midpoint of the terminating resistor.
In one aspect of the invention, a receiving device is connected to a data line which transmits first data and second data for receiving the first data and the second data from a transmitting device, the transmitting device including: a driver circuit for outputting the first data to the data line; and a circuit for outputting the second data to the data line, the receiving device including: a terminating resistor connected to the data line; a receiver circuit for detecting the data from the data line; and a bias generating means for generating a bias voltage and outputting the bias voltage to the terminating resistor, wherein the bias generating means sets the bias voltage based on the second data from the data line.
In one embodiment of the invention, the bias generating means includes a bias generating circuit and a reference voltage generating circuit.
In another embodiment of the invention, the data line for transmitting the first data and the data line for transmitting the second data are different.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the data line includes a pair of differential lines; the terminating resistor short circuits between the pair of differential lines; and the bias voltage is applied at substantially a midpoint of the terminating resistor.
In still another embodiment of the invention, a receiving device is further connected to a ground interconnect line which transmits a ground voltage of the transmitting device.
In one aspect of the invention, a signal transmitting/receiving apparatus includes: a transmitting device for transmitting data; a receiving device for receiving the data; and a data line for transmitting the data, wherein the transmitting device and the receiving device are connected to each other through the data line, the transmitting device including a driver circuit for outputting the data to the data line, the receiving device including: a terminating resistor connected to the data line; a receiver circuit for detecting the data from the data line; and a bias generating means for generating a bias voltage to be applied to the terminating resistor, the bias generating means setting the bias voltage based on the potential of the data line.
In one embodiment of the invention, the bias generating means includes a bias generating circuit and a reference voltage generating circuit.
In another embodiment of the invention, the data line includes a pair of differential lines.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the terminating resistor is connected so as to short circuit between the pair of differential lines, whereby the bias voltage is applied to substantially a midpoint of the terminating resistor.
In still another embodiment of the invention, a signal transmitting/receiving apparatus further includes a ground interconnect line for connecting a ground of the transmitting device and a ground of the receiving device.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the data line has flexibility.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the ground interconnect line has flexibility.
In one aspect of the invention, a receiving device is connected to a data line which transmits data, so as to receive the data from a transmitting device, the transmitting device including a driver circuit for outputting the data to the data line, the receiving device including: a terminating resistor connected to the data line; a receiver circuit for detecting the data from the data line; and a bias generating means for generating the bias voltage and outputting the bias voltage to the terminating resistor, the bias generating means setting the bias voltage based on a potential of the data line.
In one embodiment of the invention, the bias generating means includes a bias generating circuit and a reference voltage generating circuit.
In another embodiment of the invention, the data line includes a pair of differential lines; the terminating resistor short circuits between the pair of differential lines; and the bias voltage is applied at substantially a midpoint of the terminating resistor.
In still another embodiment of the invention, a receiving device is further connected to a ground interconnect line which transmits a ground potential of the transmitting device.
In one aspect of the invention, a signal transmitting/receiving apparatus includes a transmitting device for transmitting a plurality of data; a receiving device for receiving the plurality of data: a plurality of data lines for transmitting the plurality of data; and at least one supply line for transmitting a bias voltage for determining a voltage of the plurality of data lines, wherein the transmitting device and the receiving device are connected to each other through the plurality of data lines and the at least one supply line, the transmitting device including: a plurality of driver circuits for outputting the plurality of data to the plurality of corresponding data lines, respectively; and at least one bias generating means for generating the bias voltage and outputting the bias voltage to the at least one supply line, the receiving device including: a plurality of terminating resistors connected to the plurality of corresponding data lines, respectively; and a plurality of receiver circuits for detecting the plurality of data from the plurality of data lines, respectively, the plurality of data lines are connected to the at least one of corresponding supply line through the plurality of terminating resistors.
In one embodiment of the invention, at least one of the plurality of terminating resistors and the at least one supply line are connected through an electric resistance.
In another embodiment of the invention, at least one of the plurality of terminating resistors and the at least one supply line are connected through an amplifier.
In one aspect of the invention, a signal transmitting/receiving apparatus includes a transmitting device for transmitting a plurality of first data and at least one second data; a receiving device for receiving the plurality of first data and the at least one second data; and a plurality of data lines for transmitting the plurality of first data and the at least one second data, wherein the transmitting device and the receiving device are connected to each other through the plurality of data lines, the transmitting device including: a plurality of driver circuits for outputting the plurality of first data to the plurality of corresponding data lines, respectively; and at least one circuit for transmitting the at least one second data to the plurality of data lines, the receiving device including: a plurality of terminating resistors connected to the plurality of corresponding data lines, respectively; and a plurality of receiver circuits for detecting the plurality of first data from the plurality of data lines, respectively, at least one bias generating means for generating a bias voltage to be applied to the plurality of terminating resistors, the at least one bias generating means setting the bias voltage based on the at least one second data from the plurality of data lines.
In one embodiment of the invention, at least one of the plurality of terminating resistors and the at least one bias generating means are connected through an electric resistance.
In another embodiment of the invention, at least one of the plurality of terminating resistors and the at least one bias generating means are connected through an amplifier.
In one aspect of the invention, a signal transmitting/receiving apparatus includes: a transmitting device for transmitting a plurality of data; a receiving device for receiving the plurality of data; and a plurality of data lines for transmitting the plurality of data, wherein the transmitting device and the receiving device are connected to each other through the plurality of data lines, the transmitting device including a plurality of driver circuits for outputting the plurality of data to the plurality of corresponding data lines, respectively, the receiving device including: a plurality of terminating resistors connected to the plurality of corresponding data lines, respectively; a plurality of receiver circuits for detecting the plurality of data from the plurality of data lines, respectively; and at least one bias generating means for generating a bias voltage to be applied to the plurality of terminating resistors, the at least one bias generating means sets the bias voltage based on at least one potential among those of the plurality of data lines.
In one embodiment of the invention, at least one of the plurality of terminating resistors and the at least one bias generating means are connected through an electric resistance.
In another embodiment of the invention, at least one of the plurality of terminating resistors and the at least one bias generation means are connected through an amplifier.
In one aspect of the invention, a method for signal transmitting/receiving uses: a transmitting device for transmitting data; a receiving device for receiving the data; a data line for transmitting the data; and a supply line for transmitting a bias voltage which determines a voltage of the data line, the method including the steps of: generating the bias voltage at the transmitting device for outputting the bias voltage to the supply line; outputting the data through a terminating resistor in the receiving device, to the data line connected to the supply line; and detecting the data from the data line at the receiving device.
Thus, the invention described herein makes possible the advantages of providing a signal transmitting/receiving apparatus which achieves a stable data transmission even in the case where the ground potential of the transmitting device and the ground potential of the receiving device in the signal transmitting/receiving device are different or in the case where the signal transmitting/receiving device is operated under a supply voltage in the receiving device higher than that in the transmitting device.
These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying figures.
A first embodiment and a second embodiment of a signal transmitting/receiving apparatus according to the present invention will be explained first in reference to
The fundamental features of the first and second embodiments of a transmitting/receiving apparatus according to the present invention are summarized in paragraphs 1) and 2) below. Otherwise the first and second embodiments of the transmitting/receiving apparatus according to the present invention basically have the same structure as the conventional apparatuses.
1) Transmission paths in accordance with a transmitting/receiving apparatus of the first and second embodiments of the present invention include a data line and a supply line for transmitting a bias voltage for the data line. In the case where a pair of differential lines are used for the data line, there are at least three transmission paths connecting a transmitting device and a receiving device. If a single line is used for the data line, there are at least two transmission paths connecting the transmitting device and the receiving device. A control line may be used in conjunction with the transmission paths (a pair of differential lines or a single line) as necessary.
2) The transmitting device includes a bias generating circuit 2, which applies a bias voltage to the receiving terminal. The bias voltage is transmitted via the supply line running parallel to the data line.
(Embodiment 1)
A signal transmitting/receiving apparatus 100 of
The function/effects according to the configuration of the present embodiment will be now explained in reference to the conventional problems.
The difference between the present invention and a conventional apparatus will be readily understood by comparing
It is also possible, within the scope of the examples of the present invention to set the intermediate potential Vcm slightly higher so as to address a slight current which flows due to the imbalance of the capacitance and the resistance of the differential lines 17 or the imbalance of the differential driver circuit 11, thereby setting the midpoint potential of the pair of differential lines 13A and 13C of the transmitting device 18 at a desirable optimum level.
Accordingly, if the intermediate potential Vcm is set at 2.0 V in the transmitting device 18, the midpoint potential of the pair of differential lines 13A and 13C at the transmitting device 18 will be 2.0 V, which is almost the same as the intermediate potential Vcm. Therefore, unlike in the conventional apparatuses, Vcm does not exceed the supply voltage VCC1=2.5 V, thereby making it possible to apply a stable current to the output terminals A and C.
As described above, according to the present embodiment, signal transmissions/receptions can be carried out efficiently, even in the case where the transmitting device 18 is a floor model VCR whose power is supplied from an outlet and the corresponding receiving device 19 is a video camera operating by a battery (in which the power is supplied from the internal battery, and the ground of the video camera is only connected to the housing of the video camera, and thus the ground of the camera will be a ground potential GND2, which may inevitably be different from the ground potential of the outlet), or in the case where the power is supplied from the above floor model VCR to the above video camera through a cable (which is particularly represented by IEEE 1394 and the like), where the ground potential GND2 of the video camera may range about 0.5 V to 1.0 V higher (GND2=GND1+0.5 V to 1.0 V) than the ground potential GND1 of the floor model VCR.
(Embodiment 2)
The difference between the present invention and a conventional apparatus is apparent by comparing
On the other hand, according to the present embodiment shown in
In the first and second embodiments of the present invention, a ground interconnect line 20 can be provided so as to connect a ground GND1 of the transmitting device and a ground GND2 of the receiving device, as shown in
(Embodiment 3)
In the third embodiment of the present invention, when the power to a signal transmitting/receiving apparatus 300 is turned on, a signal for setting the bias voltage is transmitted from the transmitting device 38 to the reference voltage generating circuit 311 in the receiving device 39, thereby setting an appropriate bias voltage used for transmitting data from the transmitting device 38 to the receiving device 39. The appropriate bias voltage, thus set, makes it possible to stably transmit data from the transmitting device 38 to the receiving device 39.
The method in which the transmitting device 38 transmits the signal for setting the bias voltage and the method in which the reference voltage generating circuit 311 sets the bias voltage based on the signal, may be any such methods as known to those skilled in the art. For example, the signal transmissions/receptions may be carried out between an encoder 301 provided in the transmitting device 38 and a decoder 302 provided in the reference voltage generating circuit 311 (
The reference voltage generating circuit 311 shown in
When the signal transmitted from the transmitting device 38 is input to the decoder 302 in the reference voltage generating circuit 311, the decoder 302 determines, based on the signal, which transistors among Tr1, Tr2 . . . TrN are to be in the ON state and which are to be in the OFF state. By setting the ON/OFF combination of each of the transistors Tr1, Tr2 . . . TrN in various patterns, the bias voltage can be set at an appropriate value. The resultant appropriate bias voltage makes it possible to stably transmit data from the transmitting device 38 to the receiving device 39.
Alternatively, a signal line 34B as shown in
(Embodiment 4)
The method in which the reference voltage generating circuit 511 detects the potential of the pair of differential lines 53A and 53C and the method for setting the bias voltage may be any method known to those skilled in the art. The remaining configuration is basically the same as in the first and second embodiments of the signal transmitting/receiving apparatus according to the present invention.
In the fourth embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable to first set a certain bias voltage in the reference voltage generating circuit 511, in order to detect the potential of the pair of differential lines 53A and 53C. The potential of the data transmitted from the transmitting device 58 is then detected so as to set an appropriate bias voltage based on the program 512. The resultant appropriate bias voltage makes it possible to stably transmit the data from the transmitting device 58 to the receiving device 59.
In the third embodiment and fourth embodiment of the present invention, ground interconnect lines 30 and 50 can be respectively provided so as to connect the ground GND1 of the transmitting device and the ground GND2 of the receiving device, as shown in
As described in the BACKGROUND OF INVENTION, the above difference in the supply voltages (VCC2−VCC1) is derived from an inevitable requirement of the system (in the embodiment of signal transmitting/receiving apparatuses incorporated in digital video disc apparatuses and the like) as described below. This means the present embodiment of the invention can solve a very significant problem.
As shown in
On the other hand, in the case of the IC 68 which controls the servomotor of the receiving device, the supply voltage has not been changed with successive generations, being constant at 5.0 V. This is because the IC 68 is a bipolar device, which is an analog circuit formed of semiconductors driving mechanical systems such as a servomotor. Moreover, since the IC 68 is seldom required to incorporate added a new function in each product generation, its design is unchanged for five years or so, once designed. Thus, it is not very practical to change the circuits in the receiving device. Therefore, the unavoidable problem arises when the supply voltage VCC2 of the receiving device is higher than the supply voltage VCC1 of the transmitting device in a signal transmitting/receiving apparatus used in a high-speed servomotor-controlled IC which is necessary in a optical disc driving apparatus and the like (as represented by a digital video disc apparatus, etc.). The present invention provides a low-cost, high-performance signal transmitting/receiving apparatus, which solves such a problem.
(Embodiment 5)
Similarly in the case of the third embodiment of the present invention where the reference voltage generating circuit sets the bias voltage based on the signal from the transmitting device, a single reference voltage generating circuit 820 and a single bias generating circuit 822 may be provided in a receiving device 870 as shown in
Furthermore, as shown in
Also in the embodiment illustrated in
Furthermore in the present embodiment, a ground interconnect line may be provided, as necessary, for connecting GND1 of the transmitting device and GND2 of the receiving device.
It should be noted that the signal transmitting/receiving apparatuses 700, 800 or 900 shown in
As described above, by commonly setting the respective bias voltage for a plurality of differential lines, the configuration of the entire signal transmitting/receiving apparatus becomes simple, and therefore the cost of the apparatus is maintained low.
While cables are illustrated for transmission paths in the embodiments of the signal transmitting/receiving apparatus according to the present invention, any lines can also be used (e.g., transmission paths may be provided on the substrate). In this case, the substrate including the lines is preferably flexible as the cables.
The present invention makes it possible to transmit data stably even in the case where the signal transmitting/receiving device is operated under a supply voltage of the receiving device higher than the supply voltage of the transmitting device, or in the case where the ground potential of the transmitting device and the ground potential of the receiving device in the signal transmitting/receiving device are different, whereby a low-cost, high-performance signal transmitting/receiving apparatus is provided.
Various other modifications will be apparent to and can be readily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the scope of the claims appended hereto be limited to the description as set forth herein, but rather that the claims be broadly construed.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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11-113265 | Apr 1999 | JP | national |
This application is a divisional of and claims benefit priority to U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 09/553,308, filed on Apr. 20, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,768,334 and also entitled “Signal Transmitting/Receiving Apparatus”, which application is hereby incorporated by reference.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20040161042 A1 | Aug 2004 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 09553308 | Apr 2000 | US |
Child | 10708235 | US |