Texas Instruments Corporation

Eldad Falik

Alexander Bronfer

Aishwarya Dubey

Rajat Sagar

Peter Aberl

Haviv Ilan

A device is provided that includes a processor, a flash memory configured to store error correcting code (ECC) blocks for execution in place (XIP) processing by the processor, wherein an ECC block includes a data block and an ECC code for the data block, a flash interface controller coupled to the flash memory, and an error correcting code (ECC) engine coupled between the processor and the flash interface controller, wherein the ECC engine is configured to receive a read command for the flash memory from the processor, to translate a read address to an ECC block address, to read the ECC block at the ECC block address from the flash memory via the flash interface controller, and to verify the ECC code in the read ECC block.

Safe execution in place (XIP) from flash memory

A novel and useful apparatus for and method of clock recovery from a serial data stream. The clock recovery mechanism of the present invention provides accurate and fast timing recovery while operative to filter out the effects of noise. The clock recovery mechanism clocks the received serial data into a shift register of N bits, where N is an even number equal to the oversampling factor of the data signal. A timing correction, generated during learning cycles, is applied during the subsequent correction cycle. The timing is adjusted during correction cycles by preloading the reference counter, from which the sampling clock is produced, such that its cycle is either shortened or extended by M clocks, where M corresponds to the required timing correction.

Apparatus for and method of clock recovery from a serial data stream

A novel and useful mechanism for measuring the time duration between asynchronous events. The mechanism utilizes two metastability resolvers, one for detecting the rising edge of the input signal and one for detecting its falling edge. The input signal is typically assumed to have some known nominal clock rate, but its exact frequency and phase (timing of transitions) are not known. Each of the two metastability resolvers comprises two branches of cascaded flip flops, each clocked off the rising edge and falling edge of a fast clock. Each metastability resolver functions to output an edge event signal and a clock phase signal indicating which edge of the fast clock the rising (or falling) edge of the data signal was closer to. The edge event signals are used to start and stop a counter clocked off the fast clock. The clock phase is used to correct (i.e. compensate) the counter value depending on which half cycle of the fast clock the rising and falling edge of the data signal arrived in. Thus, this measurement mechanism reduces its maximal timing error from a full cycle of the fast clock to only half of it.

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Dallas, TX, United States of America

Eldad Falik