US 11,716,229 B2
PAM-N receiver capable of adaptively adjusting threshold voltages determining level of data in received signal and method of adaptively adjusting threshold voltages of PAM-N receiver
Hyeon-Woo Ahn, Seoul (KR); Yo-Han Kim, Seoul (KR); Soo-Hwan Yoo, Seoul (KR); Jae-Geol Lee, Seoul (KR); Hyo-Goon Lim, Seoul (KR); Il-Soo Lee, Seoul (KR); and Yongsam Moon, Gwacheon-si (KR)
Assigned to UNIVERSITY OF SEOUL INDUSTRY COOPERATION FOUNDATION, Seoul (KR)
Filed by UNIVERSITY OF SEOUL INDUSTRY COOPERATION FOUNDATION, Seoul (KR)
Filed on Jun. 21, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/845,369.
Claims priority of application No. 10-2021-0176428 (KR), filed on Dec. 10, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0188391 A1, Jun. 15, 2023
Int. Cl. H04B 1/06 (2006.01); H04B 1/16 (2006.01); H04L 27/01 (2006.01); H04L 27/06 (2006.01); H04L 25/49 (2006.01)
CPC H04L 27/06 (2013.01) [H04L 27/01 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of adjusting threshold voltages of a PAM-N receiver comprising a sampler comparing a level of data contained in an equalized signal EQOUT with first reference data level DLR1 through Nth reference data level DLRN and first threshold voltage VTH1 through (N−1)th threshold voltage VTH(N−1), the method comprising:
(a) determining the level of the data by comparing the data in the equalized signal EQOUT with the first threshold voltage VTH1 through the (N−1)th threshold voltage VTH(N−1);
(b) comparing the level of the data determined in (a) as Kth data level DLK with Kth reference data level DLRK;
(c) increasing the Kth reference data level DLRK when DLK is greater than DLRK according to comparison result obtained in (b) and decreasing the Kth reference data level DLRK when DLK is smaller than DLRK according to the comparison result obtained in (b) to generate Kth updated reference data level DLURK; and
(d) updating at least one of (K−1)th threshold voltage VTH(K−1) and Kth threshold voltage VTHK with (K−1)th updated threshold voltage VUTH(K−1) and Kth updated threshold voltage VUTHK by calculating at least one of the (K−1)th updated threshold voltage VUTH(K−1) and the Kth updated threshold voltage VUTHK from the Kth updated reference data level DLURK (where N is a natural number equal to or greater than 2, K is a natural number satisfying 1≤K≤N, DLK is one of DL1 through DLN satisfying DL1<DL2<. . .<DL(N-1)<DLN, DLRK is one of DLR1 through DLRN satisfying DLR1<DLR2<. . .<DLR(N−1)<DLRN, VTH(K−1) is one of VTH1 through VTH(N−1) satisfying VTH1<VTH2<. . .<VTH(N−2)<VTH(N−1)).