Method for transmitting a data flow over an optical bus, corresponding system and computer program product

A system for transmitting on an optical connection a sequence of data having first and second logic states, the system comprising:

• an optical source for generating an optical signal to be transmitted on said optical connection, said optical source being configured to generate optical pulses at the occurrence of said first logic states;
• an encoding module for encoding said sequence of input data in an encoded sequence of data prior to transmission on said optical connection, said encoding module being configured for minimizing the first logic states in said encoded sequence of data, said encoding module being configured for:
• arranging said sequence of input data in parallel format on a number of bus lines;
• counting said first logic states in said sequence of input data set on the number of bus lines;
• comparing a result of said counting with a value that is half of the number of said bus lines;
• logically inverting said sequence of input data set on the number of bus lines if the result of said counting is greater than the value representing half of the lines of the sequence of input data;
• ordering the values that are assumed on the lines by said sequence of input data;
• identifying, among said ordered values, a first value which assumes the first logic state;
• and
• applying said encoding operation just to the ordered values subsequent to said first value which assumes the first logic state.

A computer-readable medium having contents that cause a computing device to produce an output data set from an input set of data bits, by performing a method comprising:

• searching the input set for a marker bit that is the first data bit of the input set having a first logic level;
• outputting, in unencoded form, any data bits of the input set previous to the marker bit;
• inverting any data bits of the input set subsequent to the marker bit if inverting the subsequent data bits of the input set would produce more data bits of a second logic level than data bits of the first logic level;
• and
• outputting the subsequent data bits in unencoded form if inverting the subsequent data bits would produce more bits of the first logic level than bits of the second logic level.

A method of producing an output data set from an input set of data bits, the method comprising:

• searching the input set for a marker bit that is the first data bit of the input set having a first logic level;
• outputting, in unencoded form, any data bits of the input set previous to the marker bit;
• inverting any data bits of the input set subsequent to the marker bit if inverting the subsequent data bits of the input set would produce more data bits of a second logic level than data bits of the first logic level;
• and
• outputting the subsequent data bits in unencoded form if inverting the subsequent data bits would produce more bits of the first logic level than bits of the second logic level.

A method of producing a decoded data set from an encoded set of data bits, the method comprising:

• searching the encoded set for a marker bit that is the first data bit of the encoded set having a first logic level;
• placing in the decoded data set, in unencoded form, any data bits of the encoded set previous to the marker bit;
• inverting any data bits of the encoded set subsequent to the marker bit if inverting the subsequent data bits of the encoded set would produce more data bits of the first logic level than data bits of a second logic level;
• and
• placing in the decoded data set the subsequent data bits in unencoded form if inverting the subsequent data bits would produce more bits of the second logic level than bits of the first logic level.