Serial Stream Encoding With Timing-Aware State Transition Codewords

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing communication systems struggle to transmit bursty, isochronous, and available bit rate streams efficiently over parallel wired channels without meeting latency and jitter requirements, necessitating physical connections between devices.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus for encoding and multiplexing streams over a serial channel, utilizing codewords to encode state transitions and timing of bursty streams, and aggregating these with other streams to maintain latency and jitter requirements, allowing half-duplex communication without physical connections.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If streams are transmitted over a parallel wired channel, then physical connection is maintained, but latency and jitter requirements cannot be met

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelatency and jitter requirementsVSAvoidphysical connection requirement
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical parallel wired connection system with a serial communication system that uses encoded state transitions and timing information. The encoder converts parallel stream data into serial codewords that include timing metadata, allowing the system to maintain latency and jitter requirements without requiring a physical parallel connection infrastructure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the communication parameters by encoding state transitions with timing information into codewords. This parameter transformation allows serial transmission to convey both data and timing information, meeting latency and jitter requirements while eliminating the need for parallel physical connections.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of operation

If streams are transmitted over a serial channel, then physical connection requirement is eliminated, but maintaining timing for state transitions becomes complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvephysical connection requirementVSAvoidencoding and timing maintenance
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges data transmission and timing information into a single codeword structure. Each codeword contains both the state transition data and its associated timing information, allowing the receiver to reconstruct the original stream timing without requiring complex separate timing channels or synchronization mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The encoder acts as an intermediary that transforms complex timing and state transition information into simplified codewords. This intermediary processing layer handles the complexity of timing maintenance, presenting a simpler interface to both the transmitter and receiver while ensuring accurate timing reconstruction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Productivity

If multiple streams are multiplexed over serial channel, then transmission efficiency improves, but stream differentiation and timing synchronization become difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransmission efficiencyVSAvoidstream differentiation and synchronization
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments multiplexed streams into distinct frames, with each frame containing identification information and timing data for its associated stream. This segmentation allows the receiver to differentiate between multiple streams and maintain proper timing synchronization for each stream independently, even though they share the same serial communication channel.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP4621586A1Method and apparatus for encoding and multiplexing a stream in a serial channel
Publication Date: 2025.09.24 NXP USA INC
  • EP4621586A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4621586A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4621586A1 patent drawingFigure 3A

AI summary

A state transition for a stream and a timing of when the state transition is detected with respect to a duration of a frame which is to be transmitted over the serial channel. The state transition and timing of the state transition is coded into a codeword which is inserted into a portion of a frame which is transmitted over the serial channel to transmit the stream over the serial channel.