Three phase and polarity encoded serial interface

An apparatus for decoding data, comprising:

• means for receiving a three-phase signal from each of three conductors of a communication link, wherein the three-phase signal must be transmitted on each of the three conductors in different phases;
• means for deriving a receive clock from transitions between encoding states of the three conductors;
• and
• means for decoding data from a sequence of encoding states of the three conductors using the receive clock,
• wherein during a first time interval of a first pair of sequential time intervals, no current flows in a first conductor of the three conductors while a current flows between a second conductor of the three conductors and a third conductor of the three conductors,
• wherein during a second time interval of the first pair of sequential time intervals:
• no current flows in the second conductor while a current flows between the first conductor and the third conductor when data to be encoded at a transition between the first pair of sequential time intervals has a first value, and
• no current flows in the third conductor while a current flows between the first conductor and the second conductor when the data to be encoded at the transition between the first pair of sequential time intervals has a second value,
• wherein N encoding states are defined for the communications link, including at least three encoding states defined by flow of current in the three conductors,
• wherein a change of encoding state to one of N−1 available encoding states occurs at each transition between sequential time intervals, and
• wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to six.

An apparatus that decodes data from multiple connectors of a communication interface, comprising:

• a processing circuit configured to:
• receive a three-phase signal from each of three conductors of a communication link, wherein the three-phase signal must be transmitted on each of the three conductors in different phases;
• derive a receive clock from transitions between encoding states of the three conductors;
• and
• decode data from a sequence of encoding states of the three conductors using the receive clock,
• wherein during a first time interval of a first pair of sequential time intervals, no current flows in a first conductor of the three conductors while a current flows between a second conductor of the three conductors and a third conductor of the three conductors,
• wherein during a second time interval of the first pair of sequential time intervals:
• no current flows in the second conductor while a current flows between the first conductor and the third conductor when data to be encoded at a transition between the first pair of sequential time intervals has a first value, and
• no current flows in the third conductor while a current flows between the first conductor and the second conductor when the data to be encoded at the transition between the first pair of sequential time intervals has a second value,
• wherein N encoding states are defined for the communications link, including at least three encoding states defined by flow of current in the three conductors,
• wherein a change of encoding state to one of N−1 available encoding states occurs at each transition between sequential time intervals, and
• wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to six.

A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon for encoding data, which when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to:

• receive a three-phase signal from each of three conductors of a communication link, wherein the three-phase signal must be transmitted on each of the three conductors in different phases;
• derive a receive clock from transitions between encoding states of the three conductors;
• and
• decode data from a sequence of encoding states of the three conductors using the receive clock,
• wherein during a first time interval of a first pair of sequential time intervals, no current flows in a first conductor of the three conductors while a current flows between a second conductor of the three conductors and a third conductor of the three conductors,
• wherein during a second time interval of the first pair of sequential time intervals:
• no current flows in the second conductor while a current flows between the first conductor and the third conductor when data to be encoded at a transition between the first pair of sequential time intervals has a first value, and
• no current flows in the third conductor while a current flows between the first conductor and the second conductor when the data to be encoded at the transition between the first pair of sequential time intervals has a second value,
• wherein N encoding states are defined for the communications link, including at least three encoding states defined by flow of current in the three conductors,
• wherein a change of encoding state to one of N−1 available encoding states occurs at each transition between sequential time intervals, and
• wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to six.