System and method for accelerated data uploading
Granted: March 20, 2012
Patent Number:
8140647
A method and system are provided for accelerated data uploading to a remote service device destination. An on-line (third party) storage device receives an upload request message from a network-connected client device. A unique first descriptor in a descriptor field of the upload request message is accessed and compared to a list of descriptors maintained by the on-line storage device. If the accessed first descriptor is on the list, a first file is read that is stored in the on-line…
Frequency crossing detection using opposing pattern detectors
Granted: March 20, 2012
Patent Number:
8138801
A system and method are provided for matching a signal (compClk) to a particular frequency band in a multiband communications device. The method accepts a compClk signal, a frequency source is selected from sources collectively covering a range of frequency bands, and a reference clock is supplied from the selected source. If the frequency of the compClk is greater than the reference clock frequency, a high frequency window sampler supplies a first frequency pattern detector output…
Free space optical connector
Granted: March 13, 2012
Patent Number:
8135281
A Free Space Optics (FSO) connector is provided with a method for interfacing to an electronic circuit card electrical connector via the FSO connector. The method transceives electrical signals via an electronic circuit card electrical connector. Using an FSO connector, the method converts between electrical signals and optical signals, and transceives optical signals via free space. In one aspect, the optical signals are initially received via free space along a first axis, and…
Multi-channel optical transport network training signal wrapper
Granted: February 28, 2012
Patent Number:
8125979
Systems and methods are provided for multi-channel ITU G.709 optical transport network (OTN) transmission and receiving. The transmission method accepts a canonical ITU G.709 OTN frame including an OTU overhead (OH) section, an ODU section, and a forward error correction (FEC) parity section. A training signal wrapper is added to the ITU G.709 OTN frame, and at least a portion of a training-enhanced (TE) OTN frame is buffered in a tangible memory medium in preparation for striping. The…
Signal level detection method
Granted: February 28, 2012
Patent Number:
8126663
An electronic signal level detection system and method are provided. The method receives an analog input signal having a variable voltage and compares the input signal voltage to a threshold. A detection signal is generated for input signal voltages exceeding the threshold in a periodic first time frame. In a second periodic time frame (following the first time frame), a count is updated in response to the generated detection signals. The count is used to create a metric representative…
Frequency lock stability in device using overlapping VCO bands
Granted: February 21, 2012
Patent Number:
8121242
A system and method are provided for frequency lock stability in a receiver using overlapping voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) bands. An input communication signal is accepted and an initial VCO is selected. Using a phase-locked loop (PLL) and the initial VCO, the frequency of the input communication signal is acquired and the acquired signal tuning voltage of the initial VCO is measured. Then, the initial VCO is disengaged and a plurality of adjacent band VCOs is sequentially…
Off-axis misalignment compensating fiber optic cable interface
Granted: February 14, 2012
Patent Number:
8113721
An off-axis misalignment compensating fiber optic cable plug is provided. The plug has a cable interface to engage a fiber optic core end, where the fiber optic core has a cross-sectional area. The plug also includes a lens having a first surface to transceive an optical signal with a jack. The first surface has a cross-sectional area at least 30 times as large as the core cross-sectional area. The lens has a second surface to transceive optical signals with the fiber optic line core…
Punch-down fiber optic cable termination
Granted: February 7, 2012
Patent Number:
8109678
An optic connector jack is provided with a punch-down fiber optic cable termination. The jack is made up of a housing with a connector mating interface, for connection to a plug connector, and a cradle for receiving a fiber optic cable. The cradle has at least one U-shaped punch-down blade for securing each fiber optic cable with respect to the housing. A crimping plate overlies the cradle and mates to the housing for securing each fiber optic cable in the cradle. The U-shaped punch-down…
Frequency ratio detection
Granted: February 7, 2012
Patent Number:
8111800
A system and method are provided for determining a frequency ratio in a phase-locked loop (PLL) circuit feedback path. The method accepts a reference signal having a predetermined first frequency and a PLL output signal having a non-predetermined second frequency. The reference signal cycles are counted, creating a first binary count. Likewise, the PLL output signal cycles are counted, creating a second binary count. The second binary count is sampled at an interval responsive to the…
Auto frequency acquisition maintenance in a clock and data recovery device
Granted: February 7, 2012
Patent Number:
8111785
A system and method are provided for automatic frequency acquisition maintenance in a clock and data recovery (CDR) device. In an automatic frequency acquisition (AFA) mode, the method uses a phase detector (PHD) to acquire the phase of a non-synchronous input communication signal having an initial first frequency. In the event of a loss of lock/loss of signal (LOL/LOS) signal being asserted, a frequency ratio value is retrieved from memory. Using a phase-frequency detector (PFD), the…
Flexible tributary interface
Granted: February 7, 2012
Patent Number:
8111717
A system and method are provided for transporting Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy (PDH) tributaries. The method accepts a plurality of PDH tributaries; generates a serial data stream of interleaved PDH tributaries; generates a serial control stream of signals for recovering the PDH tributaries; and, generates a clock signal for timing the data and control streams. The serial data stream of interleaved PDH tributaries is loaded into the payload of a data frame structure. Likewise, the…
Fiber optic cable connector
Granted: February 7, 2012
Patent Number:
8109677
Fiber optic cable jacks and plugs are provided. In one aspect, a cable is made from at least one length of fiber optic line having a first end and a second end. A first plug includes a one-piece mechanical body with a cable interface to engage the fiber optic line first end, and a microlens to transceive light with the cable interface. The first plug is shaped to engage a first jack housing. A second plug includes a one-piece mechanical body with a cable interface to engage the fiber…
Fiber optic cable with high interface mismatch tolerance
Granted: February 7, 2012
Patent Number:
8109676
A fiber optic cable is provided with a cable section including at least one length of fiber optic line having a first end and a second end. A first and second plug each have a mechanical body shaped to selectively engage and disengage a jack housing. Each plug has a microlens with a planar surface to engage the fiber optic line end and a convex surface to transceive light in a first collimated beam with a jack optical interface. The fiber optic cable ends are formed in a focal plane of a…
Connector jack processing backcap
Granted: February 7, 2012
Patent Number:
8109675
An optical-electrical processing jack is provided. The optical processing jack includes an optical jack with a jack housing having walls and an orifice for mechanically and optically engaging an optical plug housing. A signal bridge, with a bridge element, transceives optical signals between the optical plug and a backcap processing module. The backcap processing module includes a backcap housing with walls, attached to the jack housing and an optical element. The optical element has an…
Optical-magnetic Kerr effect waveform testing
Granted: January 31, 2012
Patent Number:
8106653
System and methods are provided for optical-magnetic Kerr effect signal analysis. In one aspect, a test fixture is supplied having parallel conductive lines, with an input of a first line adjacent a resistively loaded output of a second line and a resistively loaded output of the first line adjacent an input of the second line. An optically transparent test region is interposed between the conductive lines, and a metallic reflector underlies the test region. A signal reference is…
3-D mapping focused beam failure analysis
Granted: January 31, 2012
Patent Number:
8106665
A reflector tool and a method are provided for three-dimensional integrated circuit (IC) failure analysis. An IC (die) has top and bottom surfaces, a perimeter, and a first side. The IC is electrically connected to a current sensing amplifier. The first side of the IC is scanned in the X plane with an infrared laser beam while changes in IC current flow are sensed. The sensed current changes are cross-referenced to the location of the infrared laser beam in the X plane. In one aspect, a…
Socketless integrated circuit contact connector
Granted: January 31, 2012
Patent Number:
8106671
A socketless integrated circuit (IC) contact connector is provided with an electrically conductive support post. An electrically conductive spring has a first end connected to the post, and a second end. An electrically conductive first wire has a first end connected to the spring second end, and a second end. An electrically conductive loop with a loop neck is connected to the first wire second end. Typically, the loop is formed in the first wire second end. The spring and loop work in…
Successive time-to-digital converter for a digital phase-locked loop
Granted: January 31, 2012
Patent Number:
8106808
A successive time-to-digital converter (STDC) method is provided for supplying a digital word representing the ratio between a phase-locked loop PLL frequency synthesizer signal and a reference clock. The number of frequency synthesizer clock cycles per reference clock cycle is counted. A first difference is measured between a reference clock period and a corresponding frequency synthesizer clock period. In response to the first measurement, a second difference is measured between a…
System and method for filter response switching
Granted: January 31, 2012
Patent Number:
8108453
A system and method are provided for efficiently switching a loop bandwidth using stored values in a digital filter of a phase-locked loop system. In a first timeslice, an input signal is digitally filtered using base coefficients multiplied by stored filter output and input values from previous timeslices. The filter output value is used to acquire the input signal frequency in a first bandwidth. In response to changes in the input signal frequency, the input signal is digitally…
Multithreaded DMA controller
Granted: January 31, 2012
Patent Number:
8108571
A channel-less system and method are provided for multithreaded communications with a direct memory access (DMA) controller. The method accepts a plurality of DMA command messages directed to a fixed port address. The DMA command messages are arranged in a first-in first-out (FIFO) queue, in the order in which they are received. The DMA command messages are supplied to a DMA controller from the FIFO queue, and in response to the DMA command message, data transfer operation are managed by…
