Method and system for calibrating multi-wire skew

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10243614-B1
Application number	US-201815881512-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jan 26, 2018
Priority date	Jan 26, 2018
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

Methods and systems are described for receiving, over a plurality of consecutive signaling intervals, a plurality of codewords, each codeword received as a plurality of symbols via wires of a multi-wire bus, the plurality of symbols received at a plurality of multi-input comparators (MICs), wherein each symbol is received by at least two MICs, generating, for each codeword, a corresponding linear combination of the received symbols, generating a plurality of composite skew measurement signals over the plurality of consecutive signaling intervals, each composite skew measurement signal based on samples of one or more linear combinations, and updating wire-specific skew values of the wires of the multi-wire bus, wherein one or more wire-specific skew values are updated according to composite skew measurement signals associated with linear combinations formed by at least two different MICs.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, over a plurality of consecutive signaling intervals, a plurality of codewords, each codeword received as a plurality of symbols via wires of a multi-wire bus, the plurality of symbols received at a plurality of multi-input comparators (MICs), wherein each symbol is received by at least two MICs;
generating, for each codeword, a corresponding linear combination of the received symbols;
generating a plurality of composite skew measurement signals over the plurality of consecutive signaling intervals, each composite skew measurement signal based on samples of one or more linear combinations; and
updating wire-specific skew values of the wires of the multi-wire bus, wherein one or more wire-specific skew values are updated according to composite skew measurement signals associated with linear combinations formed by at least two different MICs.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of composite skew measurement signals includes wire-specific skew components from all wires connected to a given MIC.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of composite skew measurement signals is generated based on linear combinations generated by at least two MICs.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wire-specific skew values are updated in response to determining a valid codeword sequence.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein updating the wire-specific skew values of the wires of the multi-wire bus comprises updating wires associated with the valid codeword sequence.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein a wire-specific skew value of a given wire is updated in response to a subset of the composite skew measurement signals generated over the plurality of consecutive signaling intervals exceeding an action threshold.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein each linear combination is performed by a corresponding MIC of the plurality of MICs, the corresponding MIC implementing a linear combination defined by a respective sub-channel vector of a plurality of mutually orthogonal sub-channel vectors.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein updating a wire-specific skew value of a given wire comprises adjusting a capacitance associated with the given wire.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein adjusting the capacitance comprises controlling a switched-capacitor network connected to the given wire.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the samples of the one or more linear combinations are made against a pre-determined offset voltage, and the composite skew measurement signal represents an early-late indication signal.

11. An apparatus comprising:
a plurality of multi-input comparators (MICs) configured to receive a plurality of codewords over a plurality of consecutive signaling intervals, each codeword received at the plurality of MICs as a plurality of symbols, each MIC configured to generate a corresponding linear combination for each received codeword;
a skew correction circuit configured to generate a plurality of composite skew measurement signals, each composite skew measurement signal formed based on one or more linear combinations generated in a single signaling interval of the plurality of consecutive signaling intervals; and
a plurality of wire-specific delay elements configured to store wire-specific delay values, each wire-specific delay value connected to a single wire of a multi-wire bus and to store a wire-specific delay value associated with said single wire, wherein one or more wire-specific delay elements are updated using composite skew measurement signals associated with linear combinations formed by at least two MICs during the plurality of consecutive signaling intervals.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the plurality of composite skew measurement signals includes wire-specific skew components from all wires connected to a given MIC.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the plurality of composite skew measurement signals is generated based on linear combinations generated by at least two MICs.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising a code sequence detection circuit configured to identify a valid codeword sequence, and wherein the plurality of wire-specific delay elements is updated in response to the identification of the valid codeword sequence.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the code sequence detection circuit is further configured to identify a subset of wires associated with the valid codeword sequence.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein a wire-specific skew values of a given wire is updated in response to a subset of the composite skew measurement signals generated over the plurality of consecutive signaling intervals exceeding an action threshold.

17. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein each MIC is configured to implement the corresponding linear combination defined by a respective sub-channel vector of a plurality of mutually orthogonal sub-channel vectors.

18. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the wire-specific delay elements are configured to adjust wire-specific delay values of a given wire by adjusting a capacitance associated with the given wire.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the wire-specific delay element comprises a switched-capacitor network connected to the given wire, the switched-capacitor network configured to control the capacitance associated with the given wire.

20. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the one or more linear combinations are compared to a pre-determined offset voltage, and the composite skew measurement signal represents an early-late indication signal.

Assignees

• Kandou Labs SA

Inventors

• Ulrich roger
• Tajalli Armin
• Hormati Ali
• Simpson Richard

Classifications

• H04L25/03019

  adaptive, i.e. capable of adjustment during data reception · CPC title

• H04L25/14 Primary

  Channel dividing arrangements {, i.e. in which a single bit stream is divided between several baseband channels and reassembled at the receiver} · CPC title

• G06F1/00

  Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00 (architectures of general purpose stored program computers G06F15/76) · CPC title

• H04L7/033

  using the transitions of the received signal to control the phase of the synchronising-signal-generating means, e.g. using a phase-locked loop · CPC title

• H04B3/462 Primary

  Testing group delay or phase shift, e.g. timing jitter · CPC title