Patent application number | Description | Published |
20140254711 | EFFICIENT N-FACTORIAL DIFFERENTIAL SIGNALING TERMINATION NETWORK - A termination network circuit for a differential signal transmitter comprises a plurality of n resistance elements and a plurality of differential signal drivers. A first end of each of the resistance elements is coupled at a common node, where n is an integer value and is the number of conductors used to transmit a plurality of differential signals. Each differential signal driver may include a positive terminal driver and a negative terminal driver. The positive terminal driver is coupled to a second end of a first resistance element while the negative terminal driver is coupled to a second end of a second resistance element. The positive terminal driver and the negative terminal driver are separately and independently switchable to provide a current having a magnitude and direction. During a transmission cycle each of the resistance elements has a current of a different magnitude and/or direction than the other resistance elements. | 09-11-2014 |
20140254712 | VOLTAGE MODE DRIVER CIRCUIT FOR N-PHASE SYSTEMS - System, methods and apparatus are described that facilitate transmission of data, particularly between two devices within electronic equipment. Transmission lines are selectively terminated in an N-phase polarity encoded transmitter when the transmission lines would otherwise be undriven. Data is mapped to a sequence of symbols to be transmitted on a plurality of wires. The sequence of symbols is encoded in three signals. Each of the three terminals may be driven such that transistors are activated to couple a terminal to first and second voltage levels through a pair of impedances when the terminal would otherwise be undriven. The terminal is then pulled toward an intermediate voltage level while the terminal presents a desired impedance level to a transmission line. | 09-11-2014 |
20140254732 | TRANSCODING METHOD FOR MULTI-WIRE SIGNALING THAT EMBEDS CLOCK INFORMATION IN TRANSITION OF SIGNAL STATE - A method for performing multi-wire signaling encoding is provided in which a clock signal is encoded within symbol transitions. A sequence of data bits is converted into a plurality of m transition numbers. Each transition number is converted into a sequential symbol number from a set of sequential symbol numbers. The sequential symbol number is converted into a raw symbol that can be transmitted over a plurality of differential drivers. The raw symbol is transmitted spread over a plurality of n wires, wherein the clock signal is effectively embedded in the transmission of raw symbols since the conversion from transition number into a sequential symbol number guarantees that no two consecutive raw symbols are the same. The raw symbol is guaranteed to have a non-zero differential voltage across all pairs of the plurality of n wires. | 09-11-2014 |
20140254733 | CIRCUIT TO RECOVER A CLOCK SIGNAL FROM MULTIPLE WIRE DATA SIGNALS THAT CHANGES STATE EVERY STATE CYCLE AND IS IMMUNE TO DATA INTER-LANE SKEW AS WELL AS DATA STATE TRANSITION GLITCHES - A clock recovery circuit is provided comprising a receiver circuit and a clock extraction circuit. The receiver circuit may be adapted to decode a differentially encoded signal on a plurality of data lines, where at least one data symbol is differentially encoded in state transitions of the differentially encoded signal. The clock extraction circuit may be adapted to obtain a clock signal from state transition signals derived from the state transitions while compensating for skew in the different data lines, and masking data state transition glitches. | 09-11-2014 |
20140270005 | SHARING HARDWARE RESOURCES BETWEEN D-PHY AND N-FACTORIAL TERMINATION NETWORKS - A termination network for a receiver device is provided to support both D-PHY signaling and N-factorial signaling. The first end of each of a plurality dynamically configurable switches is coupled to a common node. A first end of each of a plurality of resistances is coupled to a second end of a corresponding switch. A plurality of terminals receive differential signals and each terminal is coupled to a corresponding second end of a resistance. Each of a plurality differential receivers is coupled between two terminals of the termination network, wherein a first differential receiver and a second differential receiver are coupled to the same two terminals, the first differential receiver is used when the differential signals use a first type of differential signal encoding, the second differential receiver is used when the differential signals use a second type of differential signal encoding. | 09-18-2014 |
20140270026 | MULTI-WIRE SINGLE-ENDED PUSH-PULL LINK WITH DATA SYMBOL TRANSITION BASED CLOCKING - System, methods and apparatus are described that facilitate transmission of data over a multi-wire data communications link, particularly between two devices within an electronic apparatus. A sequence of data bits is converted into M transition numbers, which are then converted into a sequence of symbols. The sequence of symbols is transmitted received over N wires. A clock signal may be effectively embedded in the transmission of the sequence of symbols. Each of the sequence of symbols may be selected based on a corresponding one of the M transition numbers and a value of a preceding one of the sequence of symbols. | 09-18-2014 |
20140286466 | MULTI-WIRE OPEN-DRAIN LINK WITH DATA SYMBOL TRANSITION BASED CLOCKING - A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product are described. The apparatus generates a receive clock signal for receiving data from a multi-wire open-drain link by determining a transition in a signal received from the multi-wire open-drain link, generating a clock pulse responsive to the transition, delaying the clock pulse by a preconfigured first interval if the transition is in a first direction, and delaying the clock by a preconfigured second interval if the transition is in a second direction. The preconfigured first and/or second intervals are configured based on a rise time and/or a fall time associated with the communication interface and may be calibrated by measuring respective delays associated with clock pulses generated for first and second calibration transitions. | 09-25-2014 |
20140348214 | COMPACT AND FAST N-FACTORIAL SINGLE DATA RATE CLOCK AND DATA RECOVERY CIRCUITS - A plurality of line interfaces is configured to receive a spread signal over the plurality of line interface. The spread signal carrying symbols with guaranteed symbol-to-symbol state transitions between consecutive symbols. The spread signal is defined by a plurality of transition signals including a first signal over a first line interface. A clock signal is extracted based on a comparison between a first instance of the first signal and a delayed second instance of the first signal. The delayed second instance of the first signal is sampled based on the clock signal to provide a symbol output. The clock extraction circuit is further adapted to generate the clock signal based on additional comparisons between a first instance of a second signal, within the plurality of transition signals, and a delayed second instance of the second signal, where the first and second signals are concurrent signals received over different line interfaces. | 11-27-2014 |
20140372642 | CAMERA CONTROL INTERFACE EXTENSION BUS - System, methods and apparatus are described that offer improved performance of a serial bus used for Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C) and/or camera control interface (CCI) operations. CCI extension (CCIe) devices are described. CCIe devices may be configured as a bus master or as a slave. In one method, a CCIe transmitter may generate a transition number from a set of bits, convert the transition number into a sequence of symbols, and transmit the sequence of symbols in the signaling state of a two-wire serial bus. Timing information may be encoded in the transitions between symbols of consecutive pairs of symbols in the sequence of symbols. For example, each transition may cause a change in the signaling state of at least one wire of the two-wire serial bus. A CCIe receiver may derive a receive clock from the transitions in order to receive and decode the sequence of symbols. | 12-18-2014 |
20140372643 | CAMERA CONTROL INTERFACE EXTENSION BUS - System, methods and apparatus are described that offer improved performance of a serial bus used for Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C) and/or camera control interface (CCI) operations. CCI extension (CCIe) devices are described. CCIe devices may be configured as a bus master or as a slave. In one method, a CCIe transmitter may generate a transition number from a set of bits, convert the transition number into a sequence of symbols, and transmit the sequence of symbols in the signaling state of a two-wire serial bus. Timing information may be encoded in the transitions between symbols of consecutive pairs of symbols in the sequence of symbols. For example, each transition may cause a change in the signaling state of at least one wire of the two-wire serial bus. A CCIe receiver may derive a receive clock from the transitions in order to receive and decode the sequence of symbols. | 12-18-2014 |
20140372644 | CAMERA CONTROL INTERFACE EXTENSION BUS - System, methods and apparatus are described that include a serial bus, including a serial bus used for Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C) and/or camera control interface (CCI) operations. The bus has a first line and a second line, a first set of devices coupled to the bus and a second set of devices coupled to the bus. A method of operating the bus includes configuring the first set of devices to use the first line for data transmissions and use the second line for a first clock signal in a first mode of operation, and configuring the second set of devices to use both the first line and the second line for data transmissions while embedding a second clock signal within symbol transitions of the data transmissions in a second mode of operation. | 12-18-2014 |
20150058507 | METHOD TO MINIMIZE THE NUMBER OF IRQ LINES FROM PERIPHERALS TO ONE WIRE - A master device is provided which is coupled to a shared single line interrupt request (IRQ) bus and a control data bus. The master device group slave devices coupled to the shared single line IRQ bus into one or more groups, where each group is associated with a different IRQ signal. The master device then monitors the IRQ bus to ascertain when an IRQ signal is asserted by at least one slave device. The master device then identifies a group to with which the IRQ signal is associated. The slave devices for the identified group are then scanned or queried by the master device to ascertain which slave device asserted the IRQ signal on the IRQ bus. Each group uses a distinguishable IRQ signal to allow the master device to ascertain which group to query or scan. | 02-26-2015 |
20150074305 | METHOD AND APPARATUS TO ENABLE MULTIPLE MASTERS TO OPERATE IN A SINGLE MASTER BUS ARCHITECTURE - To accommodate multiple masters over bus architectures supporting a single master device, a mechanism is provided for an inactive master device to trigger an IRQ signal over a shared, single line IRQ bus. A current master then polls the other inactive master devices over a shared data bus to ascertain which inactive master device is asserting the IRQ signal. Upon identifying the asserting inactive master device, the current master device grants control of the data bus to the new master device, thereby making the inactive master the new active master device. | 03-12-2015 |