# US 12,015,481 B1 · Q margin > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,015,481 B1 - Document ID: US12015481B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 17/866,825 - Filed: 2022-07-18 - Granted: 2024-06-18 - Earliest claimed: 2019-12-20 - Assignees: Acacia Technology, Inc. - Applicants: Acacia Communications, Inc. - Inventors: Yue Pan; Jonas Geyer - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12015481B1 ## CPC - H03M 13/015: {Simulation or testing of codes, e.g. bit error rate [BER] measurements} - H04L 1/0057: {Block codes (H04L1/0061, H04L1/0064 take precedence)} - H03M 13/03: Error detection or forward error correction by redundancy in data representation, i.e. code words containing more digits than the source words - H03M 13/3738: {with judging correct decoding} - H03M 13/43: Majority logic or threshold decoding - H04L 1/0026: {Transmission of channel quality indication} - H04L 1/0041: {Arrangements at the transmitter end} - H04L 1/0045: {Arrangements at the receiver end} - H04L 1/0618: {Space-time coding} - H04L 1/203: {Details of error rate determination, e.g. BER, FER or WER} - H03M: CODING; DECODING; CODE CONVERSION IN GENERAL (using fluidic means F15C4/00; optical analogue/digital converters G02F7/00; coding, decoding or code conversion, specially adapted for particular applications, see the relevant subclasses, e.g. G01D, G01R, G06F, G06T, G09G, G10L, G11B, G11C, H04B, H04L, H04M, H04N; ciphering or deciphering for cryptography or other purposes involving the need for secrecy G09C) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A method, system, and ASIC chip for comparing a bit error rate (BER) to a forward error correction (FEC) threshold to determine a Q margin for a codeblock; wherein the BER corresponds to the number of errors in a given amount of data; where a codeblock of a FEC corresponds to the given amount of data; wherein the FEC threshold corresponds to the maximum amount of errors per codeblock that the FEC is able to remove per given amount of data; wherein the Q margin corresponds to a difference between the BER and the FEC threshold. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: receiving at least one of a plurality of forward error correction (FEC) codeblocks transmitted across an optical link, wherein each of the plurality of FEC codeblocks corresponds to a portion of data bits provided to a FEC in a given time interval; measuring a bit error rate (BER) for each of the plurality of FEC codeblocks, wherein the BER for each of the plurality of FEC codeblocks corresponds to an amount of errors in the corresponding portion of data bits; and determining a maximum BER of the measured BERs; determining a Q margin for an FEC codeblock of the plurality of FEC codeblocks corresponding to the maximum BER by comparing the maximum BER with a FEC threshold, wherein the FEC threshold corresponds to a maximum amount of errors per FEC codeblock of the plurality of FEC codeblocks that the FEC is able to correct; and reporting each of the plurality of FEC codeblocks and the measured BER for each of the plurality of FEC codeblocks based on the Q margin exceeding the FEC threshold, and wherein each of the plurality of FEC codeblocks is discarded based on the Q margin exceeding the FEC threshold. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the measured BER for each of the plurality of FEC codeblocks is a function of a signal-to-noise ratio. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the FEC further comprises an interleaver to redistribute data of an original time interval to at least one different time interval; and a deinterleaver to redistribute data of the at least one different time interval to the original time interval. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the data bits are data converted from an optical signal. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4 wherein the errors comprise errors introduced during transmission of the optical signal. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the FEC comprises a first transceiver and a second transceiver, wherein the first transceiver comprises an encoder to encode a signal, and wherein the second transceiver comprises a decoder to decode the encoded signal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6 wherein the encoded signal is transmitted from the encoder of the first transceiver to the decoder of the second transceiver. ### Claim 8 An application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip comprising: Forward Error Correction (FEC); and logic enabling: receiving at least one of a plurality of FEC codeblocks transmitted across an optical link; wherein each of the plurality of FEC codeblocks correspond to a portion of data bits provided to the FEC in a given time interval; measuring a bit error rate (BER) for each of the plurality of FEC codeblocks, wherein the BER for each of the plurality of FEC codeblocks corresponds to an amount of errors in the corresponding portion of data bits; and determining a maximum BER of the measured BERs; determining a Q margin for an FEC codeblock of the plurality of FEC codeblocks corresponding to the maximum BER by comparing the maximum BER with a FEC threshold, wherein the FEC threshold corresponds to a maximum amount of errors per FEC codeblock of the plurality of FEC codeblocks that the FEC is able to correct; and reporting each of the plurality of FEC codeblocks and the measured BER for each of the plurality of FEC codeblocks based on the Q margin exceeding the FEC threshold, and wherein each of the plurality of FEC codeblocks are discarded based on the Q margin exceeding the FEC threshold. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The ASIC chip of claim 8 wherein the measured BER for each of the plurality of FEC codeblocks is a function of a signal-to-noise ratio. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The ASIC chip of claim 8 wherein the FEC further comprises an interleaver to redistribute data of an original time interval to at least one different time interval; and a deinterleaver to redistribute data of the at least one different time interval to the original time interval. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The ASIC chip of claim 8, wherein the data bits are data converted from an optical signal. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The ASIC chip of claim 11, wherein the errors comprise errors introduced during transmission of the optical signal. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The ASIC chip of claim 8, wherein the FEC comprises a first transceiver and a second transceiver, wherein the first transceiver comprises an encoder, wherein the second transceiver comprises a decoder, and wherein the logic further enables: encoding, by the encoder of the first transceiver, a signal; and decoding, by the decoder of the second transceiver, the encoded signal. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The ASIC chip of claim 13 wherein the encoded signal is transmitted from the encoder of the first transceiver to the decoder of the second transceiver. ### Claim 15 A system comprising: a first transceiver comprising a first application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip; wherein the first transceiver further comprises a first forward error correction (FEC) element of a FEC; a second transceiver comprising a second ASIC chip; wherein the second transceiver further comprises a second FEC element of the FEC; and logic enabling: receiving at least one of a plurality of FEC codeblocks transmitted across an optical link; wherein each of the plurality of FEC codeblocks correspond to a portion of data bits provided to the FEC in a given time interval; measuring a bit error rate (BER) for each of the plurality of FEC codeblocks, wherein the BER for each of the plurality of FEC codeblocks corresponds to an amount of errors in the corresponding portion of data bits; and determining a maximum BER of the measured BERs; determining a Q margin for an FEC codeblock of the plurality of FEC codeblocks corresponding to the maximum BER by comparing the maximum BER with a FEC threshold, wherein the FEC threshold corresponds to a maximum amount of errors per FEC codeblock of the plurality of FEC codeblocks that the FEC is able to correct; and reporting each of the plurality of FEC codeblocks and the measured BER for each of the plurality of FEC codeblocks based on the Q margin exceeding the FEC threshold, and wherein each of the plurality of FEC codeblocks are discarded based on the Q margin exceeding the FEC threshold. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the measured BER for each of the plurality of FEC codeblocks is a function of a signal-to-noise ratio. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the FEC further comprises an interleaver to redistribute data of an original time interval to at least one different time interval; and a deinterleaver to redistribute data of the at least one different time interval to the original time interval. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the data bits are data converted from an optical signal. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18, wherein the optical signal is transmitted from the first transceiver to the second transceiver. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the first FEC element of the FEC is an encoder, and wherein the second FEC element of the FEC is a decoder.