Packet format and coding method for serial data transmission

An apparatus adapted to be coupled to a communication link, comprising:

• a first encoder configured to encode data in frames;
• a second encoder configured to generate a synchronization symbol for each frame, the synchronization symbol providing an identification a type of the frame in accordance with an encoding scheme;
• and
• a transmitter configured to transmit the frames to a receiver, each frame being preceded by its corresponding synchronization symbol,
• wherein the synchronization symbol is encoded using a redundant coding scheme to support error correction for the identification of the type of the frame, and
• wherein the frame has a predefined fixed length.

A method performed at a physical layer of a communication interface in a receiving device, comprising:

• receiving a frame of encoded data from a communication link, wherein the frame has a predefined fixed length;
• receiving a synchronization symbol associated with the frame of encoded data;
• and
• identifying a type of the frame based on the synchronization symbol,
• wherein the synchronization symbol is encoded using a redundant coding scheme that supports error correction for information in the symbol identifying the type of the frame.

An apparatus adapted to be coupled to a communication link, comprising:

• a receiver configured to receive one or more frames from a transmitter using the communication link, each frame being preceded by a corresponding synchronization symbol;
• a first decoder configured to decode synchronization symbols that precede the frames, each synchronization symbol providing an identification a type of its corresponding frame in accordance with an encoding scheme;
• and
• a second decoder configured to decode data from each frame based on information provided by a corresponding synchronization symbol,
• wherein the synchronization symbol is encoded using a redundant coding scheme to support error correction for the identification of the type of the frame, and
• wherein the frame has a predefined fixed length.