Technique for determining performance characteristics of electronic devices and systems
Granted: June 22, 2006
Application Number:
20060136153
A technique for determining performance characteristics of electronic devices and systems is disclosed. In one embodiment, the technique is realized by measuring a first response on a first transmission line from a single pulse transmitted on the first transmission line, and then measuring a second response on the first transmission line from a single pulse transmitted on at least one second transmission line, wherein the at least one second transmission line is substantially adjacent to…
Technique for emulating differential signaling
Granted: June 1, 2006
Application Number:
20060115004
A technique for emulating differential signaling is disclosed. In one exemplary embodiment, the technique is realized by encoding a plurality of input signals so as to generate a plurality of encoded signals having a spatial run length of N, wherein N is an integer having a value of at least two. Each of the plurality of encoded signals is then transmitted over a transmission medium so as to provide a respective plurality of transmitted encoded signals. Each of the plurality of…
Single-clock, strobeless signaling system
Granted: May 18, 2006
Application Number:
20060104151
A signaling system includes a signaling path, a master device coupled to the signaling path, a slave device coupled to the signaling path, and a clock generator. The slave device includes timing circuitry to generate an internal clock signal having a phase offset relative to a clock signal supplied by the clock generator, the phase offset being determined at least in part by a signal propagation time on the signal path.
Combined phase comparator and charge pump circuit
Granted: April 20, 2006
Application Number:
20060082399
A phase comparison of timing signals is made by combinational circuitry which receives the timing signals and a window signal, the window signal identifying edges of the timing signals to be compared. The comparison may result in a charge pumped output which can be fed back to control the phase of one of the timing signals. The phase comparator and charge pump circuit can be included in a multiplier circuitry in which the phase of an input signal is directly compared to the phase of an…
Method and apparatus for simultaneous bidirectional signaling in a bus topology
Granted: April 13, 2006
Application Number:
20060080472
A method and apparatus for providing bidirectional signaling in a bus topology is provided. The bus topology allows more than two electrical circuits or devices to be coupled together along one or more common electrical conductors. For each device on the bus, a transmit buffer is preferably provided for every other device on the bus with which it will communicate. One or more logic circuits, for example, a scheduler, is provided to coordinate exchange transactions between pairs of…
Method and apparatus for data recovery
Granted: March 23, 2006
Application Number:
20060062327
A method for recovering data includes oversampling an input data signal to provide sample sets, and storing a plurality of sample sets in addressable memory. The sample sets are processed, using sequential logic to make determinations of respective samples suitable for use in data recovery from corresponding sample sets. One function applied for the determination, includes taking a first mean transition position in a first group of sample sets, taking a second mean transition position in…
Dual loop clock recovery circuit
Granted: February 16, 2006
Application Number:
20060034395
A clock recovery circuit for digital data transmission includes a delay lock loop having a first loop which generates a phase difference signal which is indicative of a quantized phase difference between a data signal and a clock signal; and a second loop which generates a phase difference signal which is a smooth, continuous function of the phase difference between the data signal and the clock signal, such as a phase difference signal which is proportional to the phase difference. The…
Drift tracking feedback for communication channels
Granted: February 9, 2006
Application Number:
20060031698
A communication channel includes a first component having a transmitter coupled to a normal signal source, and a second component having a receiver coupled to a normal signal destination. A communication link couples the first and second components. Calibration logic provides for setting an operation value for a parameter of the communication channel, such as by executing an exhaustive calibration sequence at initialization of the link. A tracking circuit, including a monitoring…
Bus line current calibration
Granted: January 19, 2006
Application Number:
20060015275
Disclosed herein is a method and system for calibrating line drive currents in systems that generate data signals by varying line drive currents and that interpret the data signals by comparing them to one or more reference voltages. The calibration includes varying the line drive current at a transmitting component. At different line drive currents, a receiver reference voltage is varied while the transmitting component transmits data to a receiving component. At each line drive…
Hybrid wired and wireless chip-to-chip communications
Granted: December 15, 2005
Application Number:
20050276322
A hybrid wireless and wired system distributes precise timing and synchronization information among the nodes over a wired interconnect structure while data is transmitted wirelessly using ultra-wideband radio over short distances. The timing information communicated over the wired interconnect structure is used to establish a baseline timing reference for the wireless transmitters, receivers and transceivers on the nodes of the communication network. Using a common timing reference, a…
Communication channel calibration using feedback
Granted: December 15, 2005
Application Number:
20050276261
A method for calibrating a communication channel coupling first and second components includes transmitting a data signal from the first component to the second component on the communication channel, and sensing a characteristic, such as phase, of the data signal on the second component. Information about the sensed characteristic is fed back to the first component using an auxiliary channel. An adjustable parameter, such as phase, for the transmitter is adjusted on the first component…
Communication channel calibration with nonvolatile parameter store for recovery
Granted: December 1, 2005
Application Number:
20050265437
A communication channel is operated by storing a calibrated parameter value in nonvolatile memory during manufacturing, testing, or during a first operation of the device. Upon starting operation of the communication channel in the field, the calibrated parameter value is obtained from the nonvolatile memory, and used in applying an operating parameter of the communication channel. After applying the operating parameter, communication is initiated on a communication channel. The…
Dynamic gain compensation and calibration
Granted: November 10, 2005
Application Number:
20050248389
Described are methods and circuits that reduce or eliminate the impact of power-supply fluctuations on circuit performance. IC dies include compensation circuitry that compares local power-supply voltages to relatively stable reference voltages, such as unloaded distributed supply voltages, to sense local supply-voltage fluctuations. Based upon this comparison, the compensation circuitry adjusts circuit characteristics that might otherwise suffer performance degradation. Receivers in…
Phase controlled oscillator circuit with input signal coupler
Granted: October 20, 2005
Application Number:
20050231291
An oscillating signal in an oscillator is caused to phase shift toward the phase of an input signal coupled to the oscillating signal. The resonant frequency of the oscillator is about equal to an integer multiple of the frequency of the input signal. The input signal may be generated in a pulse generator to have an input pulse duration less than or equal to that of the oscillating signal. The oscillator circuit may be used as a filter to filter pulse width variations or to filter jitter…
Method and apparatus for selectably providing single-ended and differential signaling with controllable impedence and transition time
Granted: September 29, 2005
Application Number:
20050212553
A method and apparatus for selectably providing single-ended and differential signaling with controllable impedance and transition time is provided. According to the method and apparatus, a differential signal can be transmitted over two wires or two single-ended signals can be transmitted over the two wires. According to the method and apparatus, termination may be selected among a single-reference termination, a center termination, or a high-impedance termination. Regardless of the…
Method and apparatus for distributed voltage compensation with a voltage driver that is responsive to feedback
Granted: September 22, 2005
Application Number:
20050206445
An integrated circuit has one or more components that operate with reference to a distributed reference voltage. A reference voltage driver produces a compensated reference voltage, and the compensated reference voltage is distributed to form the distributed reference voltage at the components. Due to factors such as trace resistance and gate leakage, the distributed reference voltage is degraded relative to the compensated reference voltage. The reference voltage driver is responsive to…
DRIFT TRACKING FEEDBACK FOR COMMUNICATION CHANNELS
Granted: September 22, 2005
Application Number:
20050210308
A communication channel includes a first component having a transmitter coupled to a normal signal source, and a second component having a receiver coupled to a normal signal destination. A communication link couples the first and second components. Calibration logic provides for setting an operation value for a parameter of the communication channel, such as by executing an exhaustive calibration sequence at initialization of the link. A tracking circuit, including a monitoring…
Techniques for increasing bandwidth in port-per-module memory systems having mismatched memory modules
Granted: August 11, 2005
Application Number:
20050174825
Techniques for increasing bandwidth in port-per-module memory systems having mismatched memory modules are disclosed. In one exemplary embodiment, the techniques are realized through a memory controller for controlling access to a memory module, wherein the memory module has a memory component with a memory core for storing data therein. The memory controller comprises a first set of interface connections for providing access to the memory module, and a second set of interface…
Method and apparatus for providing an integrated circuit cover
Granted: August 4, 2005
Application Number:
20050167806
An integrated circuit cover incorporating a spring portion is described. The spring portion may include any structure that allows displacement between a plate portion of the integrated circuit cover and an attachment portion of the integrated circuit cover and that provides a substantially equalizing effect of pressure on the plate portion. The spring portion is preferably more flexible than the plate portion. The integrated circuit cover accommodates variations in the mounted height of…
Leakage compensation for capacitors in loop filters
Granted: August 4, 2005
Application Number:
20050168292
A loop filter of a compensating phase-locked loop contains capacitors formed from transistors with thin gate oxide dielectric layers. Leakage current leaks through the capacitors. To avoid jitter in the output signal of the phase-locked loop that would otherwise be caused by the leakage current, a leakage compensation circuit is provided. The leakage compensation circuit of a first embodiment replicates the leakage current using a replication capacitor and a current mirror. The voltage…
