Patent ID: 8599872

Claim:
A device for transmitting signals through a plurality transmission channels, in a known frequency band, comprising: m signal terminals, a common terminal and a reference terminal, the signal terminals being intended to be connected to an interconnection having at least m transmission conductors, m being an integer greater than or equal to 2; a receiving circuit delivering, when the receiving circuit is in an activated state, p output signals of the receiving circuit corresponding each to a transmission channel, p being an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to m, the input of the receiving circuit being coupled to at least p of the signal terminals and to the common terminal, each of the output signals of the receiving circuit being mainly determined by one or more of the voltages between one of the signal terminals and the common terminal; a transmitting circuit receiving q input signals of the transmitting circuit corresponding each to a transmission channel, q being an integer greater than or equal to 2 and less than or equal to m, the output of the transmitting circuit being coupled to each of the signal terminals, the output of the transmitting circuit delivering, when the transmitting circuit is in the activated state, m transmission variables, each of the transmission variables being either a voltage between one of the signal terminals and the reference terminal or a current flowing out of one of the signal terminals, each of the transmission variables being determined based on at least one of the input signals of the transmitting circuit, wherein at least one of the transmission variables is determined based on at least two of the input signals of the transmitting circuit; and a common terminal switching circuit having an open state and a closed state, the common terminal switching circuit having a return current terminal connected to the common terminal, wherein the common terminal switching circuit is in the closed state when the transmitting circuit is in the activated state, and wherein the common terminal switching circuit is in the open state when the receiving circuit is in the activated state, wherein, when the common terminal switching circuit is in the closed state, the common terminal switching circuit provides, between the common terminal and the reference terminal, a voltage that is approximately equal to the sum of a constant voltage and a voltage that is determined using the active sign convention and would appear across a first passive two-terminal circuit element subject to the current flowing from the return current terminal to the common terminal.