Passive capture adapter circuit for sensing signals of a high-speed circuit
US8643405B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 27, 2012 |
| Grant date | Feb 4, 2014 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 27, 2032 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01R29/02
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A multi-stage passive capture adapter (PCA) circuit is configured to sense and recover digital signals present on a high-speed serial bus for capture and analysis in external test equipment. A first stage of the PCA circuit includes a differentiator that functions as a high impedance probe that contacts the serial bus to capture an original input signal waveform of the high-speed digital signals. The signal waveform is fed to a dual-slope comparator/driver that includes a plurality of high-speed comparators and drivers. The second stage includes a differential receiver/shaper that converts logic levels of differential receiver outputs to input signals that set and reset a signal restorer whose output signals are fed to a driver of a driver/shaper. The output of the driver is then fed to a shaper network configured to substantially match an output signal of driver/shaper to the input signal waveform sensed from the high-speed serial bus.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.