Multi-wire electrical parameter measurements via test patterns

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9832094-B2
Application number	US-201514666018-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2015
Priority date	Mar 24, 2014
Publication date	Nov 28, 2017
Grant date	Nov 28, 2017

Abstract

A measurement task is selected, where the measurement task is associated with a transmission of an encoded signal transmitted via a plurality of data lines. The encoded signal is encoded using one or more of 3-Phase, N-Phase, or N-factorial low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) where N is at least three (3). A repeating waveform is generated corresponding to the measurement task. The repeating waveform corresponding to the measurement task is then transmitted via the plurality of data lines.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
selecting a measurement task associated with a transmission of an encoded signal transmitted via a plurality of data lines, wherein the encoded signal is encoded using one or more of 3-Phase, N-Phase, or N-factorial low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) where N is at least three (3);
generating a repeating waveform corresponding to the selected measurement task; and
transmitting the repeating waveform corresponding to the measurement task via the plurality of data lines, wherein the repeating waveform is used to perform an electrical parameter measurement associated with the selected measurement task.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the measurement task is a transmit clock jitter measurement, and generating the repeating waveform includes repeating a periodic waveform on a single wire pair of the plurality of data lines.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the measurement task is a transmit clock jitter measurement, and generating the repeating waveform includes repeating a periodic waveform on a plurality of wire pairs of the plurality of data lines.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the measurement task is a signal level measurement, and generating the repeating waveform includes repeating a staircase waveform on each of the plurality of data lines.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the measurement task is a rise and fall time measurement, and generating the repeating waveform includes repeating a waveform that causes all possible state transitions associated with the plurality of lines to occur.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the repeating waveform includes generating a plurality of repeating waveforms via a programmable pattern generator, each of the plurality of repeating waveforms respectively associated with a corresponding measurement task.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein an encoder encodes the signals and wherein the repeating waveform is generated to have a pattern that beats with a state of the encoder to produce a longer repeating pattern of states on the plurality of data lines than would be produced without such beating.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the repeating waveform is generated to have a pattern that traces all possible state transitions of the encoded signal.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the encoded signal has thirty possible state transitions and the repeating waveform of fourteen symbols is generated to have a pattern that traces all thirty possible state transitions.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the repeating waveform is generated to have a staircase pattern.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the repeating waveform is generated to have a pattern that limits a number of zero-voltage crossings of signals on the data lines.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the repeating waveform is generated to have a pattern that limits zero-voltage crossings of signals on the data lines to transitions between a pair of data lines of the plurality of data lines.

13. A device comprising:
a selection circuit configured to select a measurement task associated with a transmission of an encoded signal transmitted via a plurality of data lines, wherein the encoded signal is encoded using one or more of 3-Phase, N-Phase, or N-factorial low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) where N is at least three (3);
a generator circuit configured to generate a repeating waveform corresponding to the selected measurement task;
a transmitter circuit configured to transmit the repeating waveform corresponding to the measurement task via the plurality of data lines, wherein the transmitter circuit transmits the repeating waveform to a measurement circuit that is configured to perform an electrical parameter measurement associated with the selected measurement task.

14. The device of claim 13 , wherein the measurement task is a rise and fall time measurement, and generating the repeating waveform includes repeating a waveform that causes all possible state transitions associated with the plurality of lines to occur.

15. The device of claim 13 , wherein the repeating waveform is generated to have a pattern that traces all possible state transitions of the encoded signal.

16. A method, comprising:
receiving a signal via a plurality of data lines, the signal corresponding to a measurement task associated with an encoded signal and comprising a repeating waveform on at least one of the plurality of data lines, wherein the encoded signal uses one or more of 3-Phase, N-Phase, or N-factorial low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) where N is at least three (3);
ascertaining at least one differential from the signal, the at least one differential corresponding to a differential between a pair of the plurality of data lines; and
determining a measurement associated with the measurement task, the measurement based on the at least one differential.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the measurement task is a transmit clock jitter measurement, and receiving the signal includes receiving a repeating periodic waveform on a single wire pair of the plurality of data lines.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the measurement task is a transmit clock jitter measurement, and receiving the signal includes receiving a repeating periodic waveform on a plurality of wire pairs of the plurality of data lines.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the measurement task is a signal level measurement, and receiving the signal includes receiving a repeating staircase waveform on each of the plurality of data lines.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein the measurement task is a rise and fall time measurement, and receiving the signal includes receiving a repeating waveform in which all possible state transitions associated with the plurality of lines occur.

21. The method of claim 16 , wherein the repeating waveform has a pattern that traces all possible state transitions of the encoded signal.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the encoded signal has thirty possible state transitions and the repeating waveform of fourteen symbols has a pattern that traces all thirty possible state transitions.

23. The method of claim 16 , wherein the repeating waveform has a staircase pattern.

24. The method of claim 16 , wherein the repeating waveform has a pattern that limits a number of zero-voltage crossings of signals on the data lines.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein the repeating waveform has a pattern that limits zero-voltage crossings of signals on the data lines to transitions between a pair of data lines of the plurality of data lines.

26. A device, comprising:
a receiving circuit configured to receive a signal via a plurality of data lines, the signal corresponding to a measurement task associated with an encoded signal and comprising a repeating waveform on at least one of the plurality of data lines, wherein the encoded signal uses one or more of 3-Phase, N-Phase, or N-factorial low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) where N is at least three (3);
a differential circuit configured to ascertain at least one differential from the signal, the at least one differential corresponding to a differential between a pair of the plurality of data lines; and
a measurement circuit configured to determine a measurement associated with the measurement task, the measurement based on the at least one differential.

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Wiley George Alan

Classifications

• G06K2207/00

  Other aspects · CPC title

• G06T2200/00

  Indexing scheme for image data processing or generation, in general · CPC title

• H04L25/14

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

• H04L43/087 Primary

  Jitter · CPC title

• G06N3/00

  Computing arrangements based on biological models · CPC title