Method and system for configuring terminators in a serial communication system

• US 6,968,413 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2002
• Issued: 11/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Owczarski, Paul A., Cranford, Hayden C. Jr., Ficken, Westerfield J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Myers, Paul R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, RAYMOND NGAN
• Application Number:
  US10/266,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20040068600A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 710300-304, 710105-106, 710305-315, 710/16, 710 11- 12, 710 58- 61
• US Class Current: 710/300
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0278 Arrangements for impedance matching

Abstract

A system and method is disclosed that efficiently provides standard termination blocks in an approved cell library that are flexible and customizable. A serial communications system includes a transmitter for sending a serial data signal at an output of the transmitter; a transmitter terminator, coupled to the output and responsive to a first configuration signal, to variably terminate a first selected property of the output; a receiver for processing the serial data signal at an input of the receiver, the input of the receiver coupled to the output of the transmitter; and a receiver terminator, coupled to the input of the receiver and responsive to a second configuration signal to variably terminate a second selected properly of the input. The method for operating a serial communications system includes the steps of: (a) providing a plurality of unidirectional serial links, each of the links between a transmitter and a receiver, an output of each transmitter coupled to an input of a corresponding receiver by a medium type with each output having a transmitter terminator and each input having a receiver terminator; (b) terminating variably a selected property of the output of each transmitter to match the medium type coupling the output to the input of the corresponding receiver by use of a transmitter termination configuration signal asserted to the transmitter; and (c) terminating variably a selected property of the input of each receiver to match the medium type coupling the input to the output of the corresponding transmitter by use of a receiver termination configuration signal asserted to the receiver.

Claims

1. A serial communications system, comprising:

a transmitter for sending a serial data signal at an output of the transmitter;

a transmitter terminator, coupled to the output and responsive to a first external configuration signal for configuring the transmitter terminator to variably terminate a first selected property of the output;

a receiver for processing the serial data signal at an input of the receiver, the input of the receiver coupled to the output of the transmitter; and

a receiver terminator, coupled to the input of the receiver and responsive to a second external configuration signal for configuring the receiver terminator to variably terminate a second selected property of the input.

2. The serial communications system of claim 1 wherein the configuration signals are provided under logic control.

3. The serial communications system of claim 1 wherein the first selected property and the second selected property are selected from the group comprising an AC/DC coupling mode, a termination voltage and a current sourcing mode.

4. The serial communications system of claim 1 wherein the transmitter is a differential mode driver and the serial data signal is a differential signal.

5. The serial communications system of claim 1 wherein the transmitter is implemented from a standardized transmitter core in an component library with the transmitter disposed on a first module and wherein the receiver is implemented from a standardized receiver core in the component library with the receiver disposed on a second module.

6. The serial communications system of claim 5 wherein the first module and the second module are coupled via a media type.

7. The serial communications system of claim 6 wherein the media type is a backplane connector.

8. The serial communications system of claim 6 wherein the media type is a cable connector.

9. A serial communications system, comprising:

a first serial link, including;

a first transmitter for sending a first serial data signal at a first output of the first transmitter;

a first transmitter terminator, coupled to the first output and responsive to a first external configuration signal for configuring the first transmitter terminator to variably terminate a first selected property of the first output;

a first receiver for processing the first serial data signal at a first input of the first receiver, the first input coupled to the first output; and

a first receiver terminator, coupled to the first input of the receiver and responsive to a second external configuration signal for configuring the first receiver terminator to variably terminate a second selected property of the first input; and

a second serial link, including;

a second transmitter for sending a second serial data signal at a second output of the second receiver;

a second transmitter terminator, coupled to the second output and responsive to a third external configuration signal for configuring the second transmitter terminator to variably terminate a third selected property of the second output;

a second receiver for processing the second serial data signal at a second input of the second receiver, the second input coupled to the second output; and

a second receiver terminator, coupled to the second input of the second receiver and responsive to a fourth external configuration signal for configuring the second receiver terminator to variably terminate a fourth selected property of the second input.

10. The serial communications system of claim 9 wherein the selected properties are selected from the group comprising an AC/DC coupling mode, a termination voltage and a current sourcing mode.

11. The serial communications system of claim 9 wherein the transmitters are differential mode drivers and the serial data signals are differential signals.

12. The serial communications system of claim 9 wherein the transmitters are each implemented from a standardized transmitter core in an component library with the first transmitter disposed on a first module and the second transmitter disposed on a second module;

wherein the receivers are implemented from a standardized receiver core in the component library with the first receiver disposed on third module and the second receiver disposed on a fourth module;

wherein the transmitter terminators are implemented from a standardized transmitter terminator in the standardized library and disposed on the same module as their corresponding transmitters; and

wherein the receiver transmitters are implemented from a standardized receiver terminator in the standardized library and disposed on the same module as their corresponding receivers.

13. The serial communications system of claim 12 wherein the first module and the third module are coupled via a first media type and wherein the second module and the fourth module are coupled via a second media type.

14. The serial communications system of claim 13 wherein the first transmitter terminator and the first receiver terminator are configured for the first media type and the second transmitter terminator and the second receiver terminator are for the second medium type, with the first transmitter terminator and the first receiver terminator configured differently from the second transmitter terminator and the second receiver terminator.

15. The serial communications system of claim 14 wherein the configuration signals are provided by logic control.

16. The serial communications system of claim 14 wherein the first medium type includes a backplane connection and wherein the second medium type includes a cable connection.

17. The serial communications system of claim 14 wherein the first medium type includes AC coupling and wherein the second medium type includes DC coupling.

18. A method for operating a serial communications system, comprising:

(a) providing a plurality of unidirectional serial links, each of the links between a transmitter and a receiver, an output of each transmitter coupled to an input of a corresponding receiver by a medium type with each output having a transmitter terminator and each input having a receiver terminator;

(b) terminating variably a selected property of the output of each transmitter to match the medium type coupling the output of each transmitter to the input of the corresponding receiver by use of an external transmitter termination configuration signal for configuring the transmitter terminator; and

(c) terminating variably a selected property of the input of each receiver to match the medium type coupling the input of each receiver to the output of the corresponding transmitter by use of a receiver termination configuration signal for configuring the receiver terminator.

19. The operating method of claim 18 wherein each transmitter is implemented from a standardized transmitter core in an component library with the transmitters disposed on a one or more modules and wherein each receiver is implemented from a standardized receiver core in the component library with the receivers disposed on one or more modules different from the one or more modules having the transmitters.