Error-Detection Flip-Flop for Timing Error Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing digital circuits face challenges in detecting timing errors due to unpredictable variations in propagation delay, which are often managed by margining, resulting in reduced performance and increased power consumption, and existing error detection methods incur significant overhead in clocking power and circuit area.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of error-detection flip-flops, which include an XOR gate and optional inverters to detect timing errors by comparing input signals with output signals during specific clock phases, generating a variable-length error pulse that can be converted to a stable signal for error-correction circuitry, replacing traditional master-slave flip-flops without increasing clocking power or circuit area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If margining is applied to manage delay variations, then reliability is improved, but speed deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The flip-flop is divided into master and slave sections that operate at different times. The master section captures input during the first phase, and the slave section captures during the second phase. This temporal segmentation allows the circuit to detect timing errors without requiring the entire system to operate with conservative margins, thereby maintaining higher clock frequencies while still ensuring reliable operation.
2Reliability
If double-sampling flip-flops are used to detect timing errors, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The error detection functionality is merged into the existing master-slave flip-flop structure. The XOR gate combines the master output and slave output signals to generate an error indicator, eliminating the need for separate detection circuits. This integration maintains timing error detection capability while minimizing additional circuit area and complexity.
3Reliability
If double-sampling flip-flops are used to detect timing errors, then reliability is improved, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flip-flop uses periodic clock phases to alternately enable the master and slave sections. During each clock cycle, only one section is actively sampling, reducing the simultaneous switching activity and associated power consumption. The error detection mechanism leverages this periodic operation to identify timing errors without requiring continuous high-power operation of all circuit elements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution allows digital circuits to operate at higher frequencies or with lower power consumption while maintaining correct operation, reducing the need for margins and minimizing overhead, thus enhancing performance and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The error-detection flip-flop includes an exclusive-or (XOR) gate 26 that generates an error signal, err, whenever the output signal from the master latch, Y, is different from the input signal, D.
Data Source
AI summary
An error-detection flip-flop is disclosed for identifying timing errors in digital circuits. The error-detection flip-flop is a master-slave flip-flop including logic to determine whether an input signal is received during a predetermined clock period, signifying a timing error. The error-detection flip-flop produces a variable-length error pulse, which may be combined with other error pulses and converted to a stable signal for sampling by error-correction circuitry. The error-detection flip-flop does not increase the clocking power of the digital circuit and consumes little additional circuit area.