LOW-POWER ASYNCHRONOUS DATA LINKS

• US 20160285620A1
• Filed: 03/23/2016
• Published: 09/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxlinear Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Maxlinear Incorporated
• Inventors: Ye, Sheng
• Granted Patent: US 10,615,954 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/0079 Receiver details
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/0087 Preprocessing of received signal for synchronisation, e.g. by code conversion, pulse generation or edge detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/06 the synchronisation signals differing from the information signals in amplitude, polarity or frequency or length

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for low-power asynchronous data links.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a receiver that comprises;

one or more timing recovery circuits operable to;

obtain from signals received from a transmitter, over low-power asynchronous links, recovery information embedded into the signals at the transmitter;

determine based on the recovery information, control parameters, wherein the control parameters comprise parameters relating to the signals and/or to processing of the signals at the transmitter; and

configure based on the control parameters, a control signal applied during processing of the signals; and

one or more processing circuits operable to process the signals, based on the control signal, wherein the processing comprises extraction of data embedded in the signals at the transmitter.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control parameters comprise symbol rate and/or timing applied during embedding of data into the signal at the transmitter.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the control signal comprises a clock signal.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein:

the one or more processing circuits comprise an analog-to-digital convertor (ADC) circuit; and

the ADC circuit is operable to sample the signals based on the clock signal.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more timing recovery circuits are operable to, when configuring the clock signal, set one or more parameters of the clock signal based on the control parameters.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more parameters of the clock comprise frequency, and the frequency is set based on symbol rate determined from the recovery information.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more parameters of the clock comprise phase, and the phase is set based on symbol timing determined from the recovery information.

8. A system comprising:

a transmitter that comprises;

one or more processing circuits operable to generate, based on an input datastream, signals configured for transmission to a receiver, over low-power asynchronous data links; and

one or more timing control circuits operable to embed into the signals, recovery information that enables determining, at receiver, parameters relating to the signals and/or to the generating of the signals.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more timing control circuits are operable to insert the recovery information into data encoded into the signals during the generating of the signals.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more timing control circuits are operable to insert the recovery information at particular intervals.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more timing control circuits are operable to negotiate timing of insertion of the recovery information with the receiver.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the timing of insertion is negotiated based on one or more of clock drift at receiver, clock draft at transmitter, and data throughput requirements.

13. A method comprising:

in a receiver;

receiving signals, from a transmitter, over low-power asynchronous links;

obtaining from the signals, recovery information embedded into the signals at the transmitter;

determining based on the recovery information, control parameters, wherein the control parameters comprise parameters relating to the signals and/or to processing of the signals at the transmitter;

configuring based on the control parameters, a control signal applied during processing of the signals; and

processing the signals, based on the control signal, wherein the processing comprises extraction of data embedded in the signals at the transmitter.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the control parameters comprise symbol rate and/or timing applied during embedding of data into the signal at the transmitter.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the control signal comprises a clock signal.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising setting, when configuring the clock signal, one or more parameters of the clock signal based on the control parameters, wherein the one or more parameters of the clock signal comprise frequency and phase.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising setting the frequency based on symbol rate, applied at the transmitter, as determined from the recovery information;

and

18. The method of claim 16, comprising setting the phase based on symbol timing, applied at the transmitter, as determined from the recovery information.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising inserting the recovery information, by the transmitter, at particular intervals.

20. The method of claim 18, comprising negotiating timing of insertion of the recovery information between the transmitter and the receiver.