Patent ID: 8534931
Filing Date: 2013-09-17
Classification: G02B,G06F

Abstract:
1. An active optical cable (AOC) comprising: an optical fiber cable having a proximal end, a distal end, at least a first transmit optical fiber having proximal and distal ends, and at least a first receive optical fiber having proximal and distal ends; a first plug secured to the proximal end of the optical fiber cable, the first plug having a first plug housing configured to mate with a Universal Serial Bus (USB) socket, a first optical-to-electrical and electrical-to-optical (OE/EO) conversion module disposed in the first plug housing, first electrical power and signal (EPS) detection circuitry disposed in the first plug housing, and a first controller disposed in the first plug housing and electrically coupled to the EPS detection circuitry, wherein the OE/EO conversion module is optically coupled to the proximal ends of the first transmit and receive optical fibers and is electrically coupled to the EPS detection circuitry, and wherein the first EPS circuitry is electrically coupled to the first controller for outputting output signals to the first controller, the first OE/EO conversion module comprising at least a first OE conversion element for converting optical signals into electrical signals and a first EO conversion element for converting electrical signals into optical signals, and wherein the first controller is configured to perform a power management algorithm that processes the output signals from the EPS circuitry to determine which of a plurality of different predetermined signal types is currently being detected by the EPS detection circuitry, and wherein the first controller causes the first plug to be placed in a selected power state of a first set of predetermined power states based on which of the predetermined signal types is currently being detected; and a second plug secured to the distal end of the optical fiber cable, the second plug having a second plug housing configured to mate with a USB socket, a second OE/EO conversion module disposed in the second plug housing, second detection circuitry disposed in the second plug housing, and a second controller disposed in the second module housing and electrically coupled to the second EPS detection circuitry, the second OE/EO conversion module being optically coupled to the distal ends of the first transmit and receive optical fibers and being electrically coupled to the second EPS detection circuitry, and wherein the second EPS circuitry is electrically coupled to the second controller for outputting output signals to the second controller, the second OE/EO conversion module comprising at least a second OE conversion element for converting optical signals into electrical signals and a second EO conversion element for converting electrical signals into optical signals, and wherein the second controller is configured to perform a second power management algorithm that processes the output signals from the second EPS circuitry to determined which of the different predetermined signal types is currently being detected by the second EPS detection circuitry, and wherein the second controller causes the second plug to be placed in a selected power state of a second set of predetermined power states based on which of the predetermined signal types is currently being detected by the second EPS circuitry.