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US 12,393,547 B2Granted
Interface with variable data rate
AssigneeRambus Inc.
InventorsYohan U. Frans, Hae-Chang Lee, Brian S. Leibowitz, Simon Li, Nhat M. Nguyen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A device includes a transmitter coupled to a node, where the node is to couple to a wired link. The transmitter has a plurality of modes of operation including a calibration mode in which a range of communication data rates over the wired link is determined in accordance with a voltage margin corresponding to the wired link at a predetermined error rate. The range of communication data rates includes a maximum data rate, which can be a non-integer multiple of an initial data rate.
Claims20
A device, comprising:
- a transmit circuit to couple to a wired link and to transmit data from the device to a second device;
- a receive circuit to couple to the wired link and to receive data transmitted by the second device;
- and
- a command buffer coupled to the transmit circuit and receive circuit, to provide control signals to configure bi-directional communication of information over the wired link with the second device at various data rates, where a maximum data rate of the various data rates is a non-integer multiple of an initial data rate of the various data rates and is determined based on a metric for communication of information over the wired link determined for each of two or more of the various data rates, wherein the control signals are to:
- increase a voltage swing of the transmit circuit if the maximum data rate is less than a target data rate;
- decrease a supply voltage of the transmit circuit if the maximum data rate is greater than the target data rate;
- and
- decrease the voltage swing of the transmit circuit if the maximum data rate is greater than the target data rate.
5 more elements
A system, comprising a first device and a second device,
- the first device comprising:
- a transmit circuit to couple to a wired link and to transmit data from the first device to the second device;
- a receive circuit to couple to the wired link and to receive data transmitted by the second device;
- and
- a command buffer coupled to the transmit circuit and receive circuit, to provide control signals to configure bi-directional communication of information over the wired link with the second device at various data rates, where a maximum data rate of the various data rates is a non-integer multiple of an initial data rate of the various data rates and is determined based on a metric for communication of information over the wired link determined for each of two or more of the various data rates, wherein the control signals are to:
- increase a voltage swing of the transmit circuit if the maximum data rate is less than a target data rate;
- decrease a supply voltage of the transmit circuit if the maximum data rate is greater than the target data rate;
- and
- decrease the voltage swing of the transmit circuit if the maximum data rate is greater than the target data rate;
- and
- the second device comprising control logic to provide command instructions to the command buffer of the first device.
8 more elements
A method of operating a device configured to be coupled to and transmit and receive data via a wired link, wherein the device includes:
- a transmit circuit to couple with the wired link and to transmit data from the device to a second device,
- a receive circuit to couple to the wired link and to receive data transmitted by the second device, and
- a command buffer coupled to the transmit circuit and receive circuit, to provide control signals to configure bi-directional communication of information over the wired link with the second device at various data rates,
- wherein the transmit circuit and receive circuit of the device are configurable for bi-directional communication of information over the wired link with the second device at various data rates, where a maximum data rate of the various data rates is a non-integer multiple of an initial data rate of the various data rates;
- the method comprising, providing control signals from the command buffer to:
- increase a voltage swing of the transmit circuit if a determined maximum data rate is less than a target data rate;
- decrease a supply voltage of the transmit circuit if the determined maximum data rate is greater than the target data rate;
- and
- decrease the voltage swing of the transmit circuit if the determined maximum data rate is greater than the target data rate.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.