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US 5,656,948 AGranted
Null convention threshold gate
AssigneeTheseus Research, Inc.
InventorsGerald E. Sobelman, Karl M. Fant
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A NULL convention threshold gate receives a plurality of inputs, each having an asserted state and a NULL state. The threshold gate switches its output to an asserted state when the number of asserted inputs exceeds a threshold number. The threshold gate switches its output to the NULL state only after all inputs have returned to NULL. Signal states may be implemented as distinct current levels.
Claims33
An m-of-n NULL convention threshold gate comprising:
- a plurality of n input signal lines, each line having an asserted state and a NULL state;
- an output signal line having an asserted state and a NULL state;
- a hysteresis circuit switching the output signal line from the NULL state to the asserted state when a number m of input signal lines change from the NULL state to the asserted state, m being less than n, and holding output signal line in an asserted state until all input signal lines return to NULL.
An m-of-n NULL convention threshold gate comprising:
- a plurality of M input signal lines, each line having an asserted state and a NULL state;
- an output signal line having an asserted state and a NULL state;
- switching means having an asserted state placing the output signal line in an asserted state and having a NULL state placing the output signal line in a NULL state;
- counting means for counting a number of asserted input signal lines;
- assertion triggering means responsive to the counting means for placing the switching means into the asserted state when a number of asserted input signal lines exceeds a threshold number m, said threshold value m less than n;
- hysteresis means responsive to the counting means for holding the switching means in the asserted state when the number of asserted inputs signal lines falls to below the threshold number m while remaining greater than zero;
- and
- NULL triggering means responsive to the counting means for placing the switching means into the NULL state when all input signal lines are NULL.
5 more elements
An m-of-n NULL convention threshold gate comprising:
- threshold means having a plurality of n inputs, said plurality of inputs including at least one feedback input and a plurality of external inputs, said threshold means for generating an asserted output when m-of-n inputs are asserted and for generating a NULL output when less than m inputs are asserted;
- and
- feedback means connecting the output to at least one feedback input, thereby providing hysteresis such that the threshold means output remains asserted when the number of asserted independent inputs is less than m.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.