Payload Line Coding With Bounded Running Disparity

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Solution Overview

Problem

Communication systems face a trade-off between throughput and error resilience due to the selection of line-codes, where higher error resilience results in lower code rate and vice versa, and maintaining synchronization during idle signals is challenging without compromising channel conditions.

Innovation Solution

A communication node encodes frames using two line-codes with different minimal Hamming distances, while maintaining bounded running disparity, allowing for flexible selection based on data type and channel conditions, ensuring efficient error resilience and bandwidth utilization.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a line-code with higher minimal Hamming distance is selected, then error resilience is improved, but code rate decreases and throughput is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveerror resilienceVSAvoidthroughput

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically selects between different line-codes (8b/10b and 6b/8b) based on data type characteristics and channel conditions, transitioning between high-error-resilience mode and high-throughput mode as needed, rather than using a fixed line-code for all scenarios

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the line-code parameters (minimal Hamming distance and code rate) according to the specific data type being transmitted and the current channel conditions, optimizing the trade-off between error resilience and throughput for each transmission scenario

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Productivity

If a line-code with lower minimal Hamming distance is selected, then code rate increases and throughput is improved, but error resilience deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovethroughputVSAvoiderror resilience

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically switches between line-codes with different Hamming distances (D'=3 for 8b/10b, D''=2 for 6b/8b) based on whether the data requires high error protection or can tolerate higher rates with lower protection

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The invention adjusts the line-code parameters to match the requirements of the data being transmitted, using lower Hamming distance codes for non-critical data to maximize throughput while maintaining adequate error protection when needed

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Productivity

If different line-codes are used for different payloads, then bandwidth efficiency is improved, but maintaining bounded running disparity across frame boundaries becomes complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebandwidth efficiencyVSAvoidencoder complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The encoder continuously monitors the running disparity state and uses this feedback to select appropriate code words from the line-code dictionary, ensuring that the disparity remains bounded even when switching between different line-codes for different data types

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary control mechanism that manages the transition between different line-codes and maintains running disparity bounds, acting as a mediator between the diverse line-code requirements and the DC-balance constraint

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Stability of the object's composition

If idle signals are transmitted during packet gaps, then synchronization is maintained, but the idle signals must comply with line-code characteristics which may compromise channel conditions

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovesynchronizationVSAvoidchannel conditions

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the line-code used for idle signals from traditional DC-balanced codes to codes optimized for the specific channel conditions, adjusting the code parameters to minimize harm to the channel while maintaining synchronization

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS9270415B2Encoding payloads according to data types while maintaining running disparity

Publication Date: 2016.02.23 VALENS SEMICON

AI summary

Methods and systems for encoding frames while maintaining bounded running disparity, including: encoding the headers of the frames utilizing a first line-code; selecting the first line-code and a second line code for encoding first and second payloads of first and second frames, respectively, based on first and second data types of first and second data comprised in the first and second payloads, respectively; encoding the first and second payloads utilizing the first and second line-codes, respectively; and transmitting the first and second frames over a communication channel characterized by first and second channel conditions, respectively. The second line-code has a minimal Hamming distance lower than that of the first line-code, and the differences between the first and second channel conditions are not enough for selecting the second line-code instead of the first line-code for encoding the second payload.