Signal Time Margin Analysis via Waveform Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
As digital circuit clock speeds increase, Inter Symbol Interference (ISI) becomes more pronounced, making it difficult to estimate the minimum setup and hold time margins for signal processing, as these margins vary with different bit combinations, and conventional methods require extensive simulation data, leading to inefficiencies in product design reliability.
Innovation Solution
An analysis method that extracts primary and secondary waveforms from an input signal, counts their quantities to generate bit combinations, integrates these combinations, and performs signal analysis to determine the signal time margin, allowing for improved estimation of setup and hold time margins by focusing on rising and falling edges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a large quantity of data bits are used in signal simulation software to obtain minimum setup time margin and hold time margin, then the completeness and reliability of product design is ensured, but the simulation time becomes excessively long
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the signal waveform into primary waveform and secondary waveforms (first secondary before primary, second secondary after primary). By counting the quantities of these segmented waveforms and generating corresponding bit combinations, the method divides the simulation task into manageable parts, reducing the overall simulation time while maintaining design reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary extraction and counting of secondary waveforms before generating bit combinations. This preliminary action identifies the essential waveform characteristics in advance, allowing the simulation to focus only on relevant bit combinations rather than exhaustively simulating all possible data bit combinations, thus reducing simulation time.
2Measurement precision
If different bit combinations are transmitted on the signal line to account for ISI phenomenon, then the accuracy of setup time margin and hold time margin estimation is improved, but the complexity of determining minimum margins increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex bit combination analysis into structured groups based on secondary waveform quantities. By categorizing bit combinations according to the number of first and second secondary waveforms, the method systematically handles different ISI scenarios without overwhelming complexity, maintaining measurement precision while managing analytical complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the analysis parameter from exhaustive bit combination enumeration to waveform quantity-based classification. By using the quantities of first and second secondary waveforms as parameters to generate bit combinations, the method simplifies the determination process while maintaining accuracy in estimating minimum setup and hold time margins under various ISI conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
An analysis method for a signal time margin is provided. An input signal is received. The input signal is extracted to obtain a primary waveform, at least one first secondary waveform and at least one second secondary waveform of the input signal. The first secondary waveform and the second secondary waveform are respectively located before and after the primary waveform. Quantities of the first secondary waveform and the second secondary waveform are counted to respectively generate a first quantity and a second quantity. According to the first quantity, the primary waveform and the first secondary waveform, first bit combinations are generated, and according to the second quantity, the primary waveform and the second secondary waveform, second bit combinations are generated. The first and second bit combinations are integrated to generate third bit combinations. Signal analysis is performed on the third bit combinations to obtain a signal time margin.