US 12,015,413 B2
Coding for pulse amplitude modulation with an odd number of output levels
Charles L. Wang, Los Altos, CA (US); Yi-Hsiu E. Chen, San Jose, CA (US); and Pranavi Sunkara, Santa Clara, CA (US)
Assigned to Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed by Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed on Sep. 15, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/945,429.
Prior Publication US 2024/0097667 A1, Mar. 21, 2024
Int. Cl. H03K 9/02 (2006.01); H03K 7/02 (2006.01)
CPC H03K 9/02 (2013.01) [H03K 7/02 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A driver circuit, comprising:
a first circuit, comprising:
a first inverter circuit having a first input terminal and a first output terminal;
a first impedance element electrically coupled to the first output terminal;
a second inverter circuit having a second input terminal and a second output terminal; and
a second impedance element electrically coupled to the second output terminal and electrically coupled to the first impedance element at a first connection point; and
a second circuit, comprising:
a third inverter circuit having a third input terminal and a third output terminal;
a third impedance element electrically coupled to the third output terminal;
a fourth inverter circuit having a fourth input terminal and a fourth output terminal; and
a fourth impedance element electrically coupled to the fourth output terminal and electrically coupled to the third impedance element at a second connection point,
wherein a first input signal to the first input terminal, a second input signal to the second input terminal, a third input signal to the third input terminal, and a fourth input signal to the fourth input terminal are selected such that the first connection point has substantially a same voltage as the second connection point for encoding a value using the driver circuit.