# US 12,191,876 B2 · Gain calibration with quantizer offset settings

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- Number: US 12,191,876 B2
- Document ID: US12191876B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/088,982
- Filed: 2022-12-27
- Published: 2024-06-27
- Granted: 2025-01-07
- Earliest claimed: 2022-12-27
- Assignees: Xilinx, Inc.
- Applicants: Xilinx, Inc.
- Inventors: Bob Verbruggen; Christophe Erdmann
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12191876B2

## CPC

- H03M 1/1014: {at one point of the transfer characteristic, i.e. by adjusting a single reference value, e.g. bias or gain error (gain setting for range control H03M1/18)}
- 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)

## Abstract

Methods and apparatus for calibrating a gain for a circuit block are disclosed. An example method includes receiving a plurality of quantizer offsets, where the plurality of quantizer offsets represent calibration data for a quantizer configured to quantize an output of the circuit block, determining one or more differences based on one or more first quantizer offsets of the plurality of quantizer offsets and on one or more second quantizer offsets of the plurality of quantizer offsets, and determining an incremental change in a gain associated with the circuit block based on the one or more differences.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for calibrating a gain for a circuit block, comprising:
receiving a plurality of quantizer offsets, the plurality of quantizer offsets representing calibration data for a quantizer configured to quantize an output of the circuit block;
determining one or more differences based on one or more first quantizer offsets of the plurality of quantizer offsets and on one or more second quantizer offsets of the plurality of quantizer offsets;
determining an incremental change in the gain based at least in part on the one or more differences.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more differences comprise a first difference based at least in part on a first quantizer offset corresponding to one of N most positive quantized values of the circuit block output and a second quantizer offset corresponding to one of N most negative quantized values of the circuit block output.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the first quantizer offset comprises a maximum offset corresponding to one of the N most positive quantized values and wherein the second quantizer offset comprises a minimum offset corresponding to one of the N most negative quantized values.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein determining the incremental change in the gain comprises decrementing the gain in response to the first difference exceeding a threshold difference.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more differences further comprise a second difference based at least in part on a third quantizer offset corresponding to one of the N most positive quantized values and a fourth quantizer offset corresponding to one of the N most negative quantized values.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein determining the incremental change in the gain comprises incrementing the gain in response to the second difference exceeding a threshold difference.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, further comprising making no change in the gain in response to the first difference exceeding a threshold difference and the second difference exceeding the threshold difference.

### Claim 8 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the first quantizer offset comprises a first average of quantizer offsets corresponding to the N most positive quantized values and wherein the second quantizer offset comprises a second average of quantizer offsets corresponding to the N most negative quantized values.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein determining the incremental change in the gain comprises decrementing the gain in response to the first average exceeding the second average by at least a threshold difference.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein determining the incremental change in the gain comprises incrementing the gain in response to the second average exceeding the first average by at least a threshold difference.

### Claim 11

A gain calibration apparatus for a circuit block, comprising:
a first plurality of terminals to receive a plurality of quantizer offsets, the plurality of quantizer offsets representing calibration data for a quantizer configured to quantize an output of the circuit block;
difference calculation logic configured to determine one or more differences based on one or more first quantizer offsets of the plurality of quantizer offsets and on one or more second quantizer offsets of the plurality of quantizer offsets; and
gain calibration logic configured to determine an incremental change in a gain of the circuit block based at least in part on the one or more differences.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The gain calibration apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more differences comprise a first difference based at least in part on a first quantizer offset corresponding to one of N most positive quantized values of the circuit block output and a second quantizer offset corresponding to one of N most negative quantized values of the circuit block output.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The gain calibration apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first quantizer offset comprises a maximum offset corresponding to one of the N most positive quantized values and wherein the second quantizer offset comprises a minimum offset corresponding to one of the N most negative quantized values.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The gain calibration apparatus of claim 13, wherein the gain calibration logic is configured to decrement the gain in response to the first difference exceeding a threshold difference.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The gain calibration apparatus of claim 13, wherein the one or more differences further comprise a second difference based at least in part on a third quantizer offset corresponding to one of the N most positive quantized values and a fourth quantizer offset corresponding to one of the N most negative quantized values.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The gain calibration apparatus of claim 15, wherein the gain calibration logic is configured to increment the gain in response to the second difference exceeding a threshold difference.

### Claim 17 (depends on 12)

The gain calibration apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first quantizer offset comprises a first average of quantizer offsets corresponding to the N most positive quantized values and wherein the second quantizer offset comprises a second average of quantizer offsets corresponding to the N most negative quantized values.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The gain calibration apparatus of claim 17, wherein the gain calibration logic is configured to decrement the gain in response to the first average exceeding the second average by at least a threshold difference.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The gain calibration apparatus of claim 17, wherein the gain calibration logic is configured to increment the gain in response to the second average exceeding the first average by at least a threshold difference.

### Claim 20

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a gain calibration apparatus, cause the gain calibration apparatus to perform operations comprising:
receiving a plurality of quantizer offsets, the plurality of quantizer offsets representing calibration data for a quantizer configured to quantize a circuit block output;
determining one or more differences based on one or more first quantizer offsets of the plurality of quantizer offsets and on one or more second quantizer offsets of the plurality of quantizer offsets;
determining an incremental change in a gain of the circuit block based at least in part on the one or more differences.
