Controller Circuit for Estimating Transmission Delay
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Solution Overview
Problem
In data storage devices, inconsistencies in data trace lengths cause significant transmission delays, leading to decoding errors at the receiver side, especially in high-speed environments, necessitating an effective method for estimating and compensating for internal transmission delays.
Innovation Solution
A control circuit and method involving a first and second signal processing device, a data bus, and a confirm signal line, where synchronization signals are transmitted to estimate and compensate for transmission delays on each data line, with confirmation signals ensuring complete compensation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If data transmission is performed at high speed, then transmission efficiency is improved, but transmission delay inconsistency becomes more significant causing decoding errors
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs transmission delay estimation and compensation in advance before actual data transmission occurs. The controller estimates delays using synchronization signals and configures compensation values beforehand, ensuring that when high-speed data transmission begins, the receiver is already prepared with the correct timing adjustments to prevent decoding errors.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes a feedback mechanism where the receiver transmits confirmation signals back to the controller after receiving synchronization signals. This feedback loop allows the controller to verify whether delay compensation has been successfully applied and to adjust parameters accordingly, ensuring reliable decoding at high transmission speeds.
2Reliability
If transmission delay compensation is implemented, then decoding accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller integrates multiple functions into a single component: it generates synchronization signals, estimates transmission delays, calculates compensation values, and manages the feedback process. By making the controller multi-functional, the patent avoids adding separate dedicated circuits for each function, thereby limiting the increase in system complexity while achieving accurate delay compensation.
3Measurement precision
If synchronization signals are transmitted to estimate transmission delay, then measurement precision of transmission delay is improved, but transmission time is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs delay estimation using synchronization signals during idle or preparatory periods before actual data transmission begins. By completing the measurement and compensation configuration in advance, the patent minimizes the impact on overall transmission time while achieving precise delay measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller transmits synchronization signals at periodic intervals to estimate transmission delays. Rather than requiring continuous or lengthy signal sequences, the system uses periodic bursts of synchronization signals spaced apart from actual data transmission, thereby achieving accurate measurement with minimal time overhead.
Data Source
AI summary
A controller circuit includes a first signal processing device processing signals in accordance with a first predetermined rule, a second signal processing device processing signals in accordance with a second predetermined rule, a data bus coupled between the first signal processing device and the second signal processing device and comprising multiple data lines, and a confirm signal line coupled between the first signal processing device and the second signal processing device. The first signal processing device transmits a synchronization signal to the second signal processing device via the data bus. The second signal processing device estimates transmission delay on each data line according to the synchronization signal, performs transmission delay compensation on each data line according to the estimated transmission delay and transmits a confirmation signal on the confirm signal line to notify the first signal processing device that the transmission delay compensation is complete.