Transmitter Circuit Selectable Power Modes
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
High-speed serial interfaces in communication systems face inefficiencies in power consumption due to complex transmitters and receivers designed for worst-case conditions, leading to non-linear power adjustments and increased delay, which compromise data integrity and power efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A transmitter circuit with multiple cascaded driver stages allows selective enabling of pre-driver circuits and uses a single-ended to differential converter to control power consumption, enabling programmable power modes and remote power management via control signals, optimizing power usage based on channel conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If transmitter power level is reduced to save power consumption, then power consumption decreases, but signal degradation increases and delay increases compromising data integrity
Solution Approach 1:
The transmitter circuit dynamically switches between differential and single-ended operation modes based on channel conditions. The circuit includes selectable driver stages that can be enabled or disabled to adjust output signal level, allowing the system to adapt power consumption to actual transmission requirements while maintaining data integrity through intelligent mode selection.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the operating parameters of the transmitter by selecting different driver stage configurations. By enabling or disabling specific driver stages and switching between differential and single-ended modes, the system adjusts signal amplitude and power consumption levels to match channel conditions, resolving the contradiction between power savings and data integrity.
2Use of energy by moving object
If driver voltage and current levels are adjusted to control power consumption, then power consumption changes, but impedance matching deteriorates causing loss of power and signal integrity
Solution Approach 1:
The driver circuit is segmented into multiple independent driver stages that can be selectively enabled or disabled. This segmentation allows the system to adjust power consumption by controlling which stages are active, while maintaining proper impedance matching in the active stages, thereby avoiding the power loss and signal integrity issues caused by improper impedance matching during power adjustment.
3Reliability
If transmitter is designed for worst-case conditions to ensure low bit error rates, then reliability improves, but power consumption increases unnecessarily for good channel conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The transmitter circuit dynamically adapts its operation based on channel conditions rather than operating at fixed worst-case specifications. By monitoring channel quality and switching between differential and single-ended modes, the system maintains low bit error rates when needed while significantly reducing power consumption under good channel conditions, eliminating the need to always operate at maximum power.
Data Source
AI summary
A digital transmission circuit and method providing selectable power consumption via single-ended or differential operation improves the flexibility of an interface while reducing power consumption when possible. A differential path is provided through the transmitter output driver stages and portions are selectively disabled when the transmission circuit is in a lower-power operating mode. A single-ended to differential converter circuit can be used to construct a differential signal for output to the final driver stage. The selection of power mode can be made via feedback from a channel quality measurement unit or may be hardwired or selected under programmatic control. The longer delay or skew of the lower-power single-ended mode is compensated for by the relaxed requirements of the channel when conditions permit the use of the lower-power single-ended mode.