Patent ID: 7508881

Claim:
A current mode differential transmission method for differentially transmitting three units of data using four signal lines, in which predetermined data is differentially transmitted to signal lines, the method comprising: dividing the four signal lines 1 a, 1 b , 2 a and 2 b into two pairs of signal lines 1 a / 1 b and 2 a / 2 b , and differentially transmitting respective data (first data and second data) via the two pairs of signal lines 1 a / 1 b and 2 a / 2 b ; and transmitting the other data (third data) by differentially changing common mode currents of the two pairs of signal lines 1 a / 1 b and 2 a / 2 b , wherein, when the third data is 1, the pair of signal lines 1 a and 1 b of the first data have a changing range of 0˜I where I is a predetermined amount of current, and the pair of signal lines 2 a and 2 b of the second data have a changing range of −I˜0, and when the third data is 0, the pair of signal lines 1 a and 1 b of the first data have a changing range of −I˜0, and the pair of signal lines 2 a and 2 b of the second data have a changing range of 0˜I.