Programmable PRBS Transceiver Architecture for Multi-Standard Links
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional transceivers are inflexible and costly due to being designed for specific communication standards, lacking the ability to efficiently handle different standards like 802.3-2008 and SONET, which requires separate serial and parallel implementations for each standard, leading to high area, price, and power consumption.
Innovation Solution
A transceiver with a programmable PRBS generator and checker that uses a user-defined polynomial stored in a polynomial register, allowing for flexible scrambling and descrambling across various standards, and includes a detector to characterize communication channels by adjusting PRBS data sets and determining bit errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional transceivers are designed for specific communication standards with separate serial and parallel implementations, then each standard can be handled with dedicated hardware, but the area, price, and power consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal transceiver architecture that can operate with multiple communication standards (802.3-2008 Ethernet and SONET) through a single unified design. The key mechanism is using a programmable polynomial register that can be configured with different polynomials (e.g., PRBS-7 for 802.3, PRBS-23 for SONET) to generate appropriate scrambled signals for each standard, eliminating the need for separate dedicated hardware implementations for each standard.
Solution Approach 2:
The transceiver employs dynamic reconfigurability through a polynomial register that can be programmed with different polynomials depending on the communication standard being used. This allows the same hardware to adapt its behavior dynamically - the scrambler and descrambler circuits can be reconfigured via software or control signals to support different standards without physical hardware changes, making the system flexible and adaptable.
2Reliability
If separate serial and parallel implementations are used for each communication standard, then each standard receives optimized handling, but the area, price, and power consumption become too costly for general application
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functionality of multiple standard-specific transceivers into a single unified transceiver. Instead of having separate serial and parallel implementation circuits for each standard (802.3 and SONET), the invention combines them into one shared hardware platform that uses a common polynomial register and scrambler/descrambler circuitry, thereby reducing overall power consumption, area, and cost while maintaining standard-specific performance through software configuration.
3Device complexity
If a single transceiver is designed to support multiple communication standards, then area, price, and power consumption are reduced, but the complexity of handling different polynomials and standards increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the polynomial parameter dynamically based on the communication standard being used. Instead of having fixed hardware for each standard, the system uses a programmable polynomial register that can be configured with different polynomial values (e.g., 1+x^6+x^7 for PRBS-7 in 802.3, or appropriate polynomials for SONET). This parameter-based configuration allows the same hardware to adapt to different standards by simply changing the polynomial value, maintaining versatility while reducing hardware complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprises a polynomial register having a plurality of bits, a first bus, a second bus, and a transceiver that is coupled to the first bus, the second bus, and the polynomial register. The polynomial register is configured to store a user-defined polynomial, and the transceiver includes a pseudorandom bit sequence (PRBS) generator is configured to generate a scrambled signal from the user-defined polynomial and a PRBS checker that is configured to generate a descrambled signal from a second signal using the user-defined polynomial.