Date: 20/08/2010

Sony introduces the 'single wire interface technology' for mobile devices

Sony has introduced the 'single wire interface technology', a hybrid transmission technology which facilitates both data and power transmissions through a single cable. This technology replaces the internal wiring of a mobile device with a single cable thus making it to be streamlined. Sony plans to implement this design in mobile devices with movable mechanisms to improve their design flexibility, reliability and durability. Conventionally, the video, audio and control signals as well as the power transmission were spread out over several dozen cables within the movable mechanisms of mobile devices, such as hinges or rotating parts.

The advancement in mobile devices have resulted in advanced functionallities and high resolution display mechanisms in a mobile system. As a result, more wiring connections have been used to accommodate the increasing volume of data being transmitted within devices. Accordingly, new problems began to emerge as connectors in devices became larger and the conecting cables had become more difficult to bend. Sony's 'single wire interface technology' has achieved bi-directional transmission of several kinds of signals, including video, audio and control signals, by using time division duplex and multiplex. In addition, the DC power is supplied on the same signal cable. Sony's unique encoding technology with DC balance enables both DC power supply and high speed data to be transmitted within a limited frequency bandwidth.

In order to swiftly begin practical implementation of this technology, Sony has teamed up with ROHM Co., Ltd. ('ROHM'), which has a track record in peripheral technologies, for the joint development and technical validation for the analog portion of the test chip. Hereafter, Sony will grant ROHM a license for the IP of the digital portion of this newly-developed technology in order to advance the development of a single chip which includes both the analog and digital portions.

The development process will focus on the following points:

1. Time division duplex and multiplex have enabled bi-directional transmission of multiple types of data over a single transmission cable