DATA COMMUNICATION USING CONSTANT TOTAL CURRENT

摘要

A data communication system, comprising at least three signal conductors and a first and a second power supply terminal, for supplying currents of mutually opposite direction to the signal conductors respectively. A driver circuit establishes respective combinations of currents through the signal conductors from a selectable set of combinations, which includes combinations with currents from the first supply terminal and to the second supply terminal, so that a sum of the currents through the signal conductors substantially has a same value for each combination and at least one of the conductors in operation does not merely function in a differential-pair relation with another one of the conductors, the driver circuit determining which of the combinations from the set are established depending on information to be transmitted.