Digital Equalizer Using Lookup Table for Low-Power Backplane Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current digital equalizers require high-resolution analog to digital converters, which are power-intensive and difficult to implement for high-speed backplane communication, limiting their widespread use due to high power consumption and design complexity.
Innovation Solution
A digital equalizer that uses a low-resolution analog to digital converter by employing a computing device with a lookup table and flip-flops to output decision values based on previous bit sequences, reducing power consumption and design complexity by leveraging probability values stored in the lookup table.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a high-resolution analog to digital converter is used to improve equalizer performance, then measurement precision is improved, but use of energy and device complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the resolution parameter of the analog to digital converter from high (6-bit or higher) to low (fewer bits), and compensates for the reduced precision through digital signal processing techniques including de-emphasis filtering and decision feedback equalization. This parameter change allows the system to achieve acceptable performance with lower power consumption converters.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary digital processing components (de-emphasis filter and decision feedback equalizer) that mediate between the low-resolution converter output and the final decision value. These intermediaries compensate for the quantization errors introduced by the low-resolution converter, effectively bridging the gap between limited converter precision and required signal quality.
2Measurement precision
If a high-resolution analog to digital converter is used to improve equalizer performance, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reduces the resolution parameter of the analog to digital converter and compensates through digital domain processing. This shifts complexity from the analog converter design to digital signal processing, which can be implemented using standard digital logic and algorithms, potentially simplifying overall system integration and manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary digital processing stages (de-emphasis filter and decision feedback equalizer) that simplify the requirements for the analog to digital converter. By adding these digital intermediaries, the system can use simpler, lower-resolution converters while maintaining signal integrity through algorithmic compensation.
3Measurement precision
If a high-resolution analog to digital converter is used to improve equalizer performance, then measurement precision is improved, but manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the converter resolution parameter to a lower value that is easier to manufacture and implement. Low-resolution converters are more成熟, easier to fabricate with standard processes, and have better yield characteristics. The performance requirements are met through digital signal processing rather than requiring difficult-to-manufacture high-resolution analog-to-digital converters.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a digital equalizer which outputs a decision value corresponding to reception data transmitted from a data transmitter and is located in a data receiver. The digital equalizer includes at least one flip-flop which stores an adjacent bit sequence which is previous computing information; and a computing device which receives an output value of an analog to digital converter as a first input value, receives the adjacent bit sequence as a second input value, and outputs the decision value which is a binary value of the first input value by referring to a lookup table with respect to the first input value and the second input value.