Apparatuses and methods involving a segmented source-series terminated line driver
AssigneeNXP B.V.
InventorsGerrit Willem den Besten, Niraj Kumar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An example apparatus includes a line driver and an interface circuit. The line driver has a plurality of source-series terminated (SST) driver segments including switching circuitry to selectively switch among at least three voltage-reference levels to drive an output node, common to each of the SST driver segments, in response to received digital signals by switching at a rate that is faster than a baud rate characterizing the received digital signals. The interface circuit drives a transmission link, in response to a drive signal at the output node, with an analog signal representing an oversampling of the received digital signals.
Claims20
An apparatus comprising:
- a line driver having a plurality of source-series terminated (SST) driver segments including switching circuitry to selectively switch among at least three voltage-reference levels to drive an output node, common to each of the SST driver segments, in response to received digital signals by switching at a rate that is faster than a baud rate characterizing the received digital signals;
- and
- an interface circuit to drive a transmission link, in response to a drive signal at the output node, with an analog signal representing an oversampling of the received digital signals.
A method comprising:
- selectively switching, via switching circuitry of a line driver having a plurality of source-series terminated (SST) driver segments, among at least three voltage-reference levels to drive an output node, that is common to each of the plurality of SST driver segments, in response to received digital signals by switching at a rate that is faster than a baud rate characterizing the received digital signals;
- and
- driving a transmission link, via an interface circuit and in response to a drive signal at the output node, with an analog signal representing an oversampling of the received digital signals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.