Physical interface module
An embodiment of the present invention relates to physical interfaces, especially those used on consumer electronics devices. A processor, in which an embodiment of the disclosed invention is deployed, includes a physical interface for connecting to and communicating with a peripheral device, the peripheral device being configured to operate according to a standard communications protocol or to a different protocol which is adapted to have a more bandwidth-efficient performance. The processor detects which of the two protocols the attached peripheral device uses and configures the physical interface to operate according to the detected protocol. An embodiment of the invention allows for new, bandwidth-efficient communications protocols to be executed across existing standardized physical interface hardware, thereby allowing for easier acceptance of the new protocols within the consumer electronics industry. Bandwidth-efficient communications protocols advantageously allow for more convenient transfer of media content or for big-data applications to be more conveniently handled.
1. An apparatus, comprising:
a communications module including at least a processor configured to select, based at least on a protocol selection signal, between a first communications protocol and a second communications protocol for communicating with a peripheral module of an external device, the first communications protocol being a standard protocol and the second communications protocol being a non-standard protocol, wherein the second communications protocol provides faster communication in a communication bus linking the processor of the communications module and the peripheral module than the first communications protocol;
a physical layer having a plurality of electrical connections configured to connect the communications module and the peripheral module of the external device, wherein at least part of the plurality of electrical connections are re-assignable based on the protocol selection signal to selectively operate according to the first communications protocol and the second communications protocol; and
a detector configured to monitor, based on a connection of the peripheral module of the external device to the physical layer, the plurality of electrical connections to detect one or more use cases of the plurality of electrical connections and to provide the protocol selection signal based on at least one parameter associated with detecting the one or more use cases involving the plurality of electrical connections.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first communications protocol is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2 protocol, a USB 3 protocol, an Ethernet protocol, a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) protocol, or an external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (eSATA) protocol.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the detector is configured to determine the at least one parameter by measuring an electrical characteristic of at least one of the plurality of electrical connections and to provide the protocol selection signal based on the measured electrical characteristic.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the protocol selection signal is based on a comparison of the measured electrical characteristic with a reference electrical characteristic.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the electrical characteristic includes at least one of a current, a voltage, an impedance, a frequency, or a logical level, and wherein the reference electrical characteristic includes at least one of a threshold current, a threshold voltage, a threshold impedance, a reference frequency, or a reference logical level.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the detector is an open circuit detector configured to detect at least one electrical connection from the plurality of electrical connections as being open-circuited, the protocol selection signal depending on whether or not an open circuit is detected.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the detector comprises a register for receiving a sequence of one or more bits via at least one electrical connection from the plurality of electrical connections, the protocol selection signal being based on a match between a sequence of one or more bits and the received sequence of one or more bits.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is a system-on-chip.
9. A method for managing communication in a computing device, the method comprising:
selecting, based at least on a protocol selection signal, between a first communications protocol and a second communications protocol for communicating with a peripheral module of an external device, the first communications protocol being a standard protocol and the second communications protocol being a non-standard protocol, wherein the second communications protocol provides faster communication in a communication bus linking a processor of a communications module and the peripheral module than the first communications protocol;
connecting, via a physical layer having a plurality of electrical connections, the communications module and the peripheral module of the external device, wherein at least part of the plurality of electrical connections are re-assignable based on the protocol selection signal to selectively operate according to the first communications protocol and the second communications protocol; and
monitoring, based on a connection of the peripheral module of the external device to the physical layer, the plurality of electrical connections to detect one or more use cases of the plurality of electrical connections and to provide the protocol selection signal based on at least one parameter associated with detecting the one or more use cases involving the plurality of electrical connections.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first communications protocol is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2 protocol, a USB 3 protocol, an Ethernet protocol, a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) protocol, or an external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (eSATA) protocol.
11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising determining the at least one parameter by measuring an electrical characteristic of at least one of the plurality of electrical connections and to provide the protocol selection signal based on the measured electrical characteristic.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the protocol selection signal is based on a comparison of the measured electrical characteristic with a reference electrical characteristic.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the electrical characteristic includes at least one of a current, a voltage, an impedance, a frequency, or a logical level, and wherein the reference electrical characteristic includes at least one of a threshold current, a threshold voltage, a threshold impedance, a reference frequency, or a reference logical level.
14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising detecting at least one electrical connection from the plurality of electrical connections as being open- circuited, the protocol selection signal depending on whether or not an open circuit is detected.
15. The method of claim 9 , further comprising receiving, via a register, a sequence of one or more bits via at least one electrical connection from the plurality of electrical connections, the protocol selection signal being based on a match between a sequence of one or more bits and the received sequence of one or more bits.
16. The method of claim 9 , wherein the computing device is a system-on-chip.