Eye Diagram BER Calculation Without Sender-Receiver Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for calculating the bit error rate (BER) in eye diagrams require controlling both the sender and receiver, limiting their applicability when the equipment does not have access to both, as they rely on partial eye information that cannot be calculated without this control.
Innovation Solution
A method to calculate the BER for a mask in an eye diagram without using partial eye PDFs P0 and P1, by assuming no appreciable probability of bits exceeding mask boundaries and maximizing BER at either the top or bottom of the mask, allowing for BER calculation using minimum and maximum voltages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If partial eye information is used to calculate BER, then BER calculation is possible with controlled sender and receiver, but the method cannot be applied when equipment does not control both sender and receiver
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential information needed for BER calculation from the eye diagram itself, specifically using the probability distribution function (PDF) that can be obtained from the eye diagram without requiring access to partial eye information. This allows BER calculation to be performed using only the eye diagram data, removing the dependency on controlled sender-receiver pairs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces the probability distribution function (PDF) as an intermediary that bridges the gap between the eye diagram and BER calculation. By using the PDF derived from the eye diagram as the basis for BER calculation, the method enables BER determination without direct access to transmitted and received bit sequences, thus working around the limitation of not controlling both sender and receiver.
2Measurement precision
If conservative BER estimation is used to ensure accuracy, then error impact is minimized, but the estimate may be off by a factor of 2
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a conservative estimation approach that cushions against potential errors by assuming the worst-case scenario within the mask boundaries. By calculating BER based on the assumption that all samples within the mask region represent errors, the method provides a conservative upper bound that ensures accuracy is not overestimated, even though it may overestimate by a factor of 2 in some cases.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the approach from using precise partial eye information to using the overall PDF from the eye diagram with conservative assumptions. This parameter change in the calculation methodology trades some precision for broader applicability and conservative reliability, accepting a potential factor of 2 error margin in exchange for being able to calculate BER in uncontrolled environments.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system and method for calculating a bit error rate for a mask is described. For each time during the time duration of the mask, the minimum and maximum voltages of the mask at that time are determined. The maximum bit error rate can be calculated for each time by integrating between those voltages. The maximum bit error rate for all times during the time duration of the mask can be selected as the maximum bit error rate for the mask.