Patents by Inventor John Poulton

John Poulton has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11936507
    Abstract: A transceiver circuit includes a receiver front end utilizing a ring oscillator, and a transmitter front end utilizing a pass-gate circuit in a first feedback path across a last-stage driver circuit. The transceiver circuit provides low impedance at low frequency and high impedance at high frequency, and desirable peaking behavior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: NVIDIA CORP.
    Inventors: Sanquan Song, John Poulton
  • Publication number: 20240030916
    Abstract: A level-shifting circuits utilizing storage cells for shifting signals low-to-high or high-to-low include control drivers with moving supply voltages. The moving supply voltages may power positive or negative supply terminals of the control drivers. The control drivers drive gates of common-source configured devices coupled to storage nodes of the storage cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2022
    Publication date: January 25, 2024
    Applicant: NVIDIA Corp.
    Inventors: Walker Joseph Turner, John Poulton, Sanquan Song
  • Publication number: 20240030917
    Abstract: Stacked voltage domain level shifting circuits for shifting signals low-to-high or high-to-low include a storage cell and control drivers powered by a mid-range supply rail of the stacked voltage domain level shifting circuit, wherein the control drivers are coupled to drive common-source configured devices coupled to storage nodes of the storage cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2022
    Publication date: January 25, 2024
    Applicant: NVIDIA Corp.
    Inventors: Walker Joseph Turner, John Poulton, Sanquan Song
  • Publication number: 20240030918
    Abstract: Stacked voltage domain level shifting circuits for shifting signals low-to-high or high-to-low include a storage cell powered by a mid-range supply rail of the stacked voltage domain level shifting circuit, and control drivers powered by moving supply voltages generated by the storage cell, wherein the control drivers coupled to drive gates of common-source configured devices coupled to storage nodes of the storage cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2022
    Publication date: January 25, 2024
    Applicant: NVIDIA Corp.
    Inventors: Walker Joseph Turner, John Poulton, Sanquan Song
  • Patent number: 11824533
    Abstract: Voltage level conversion circuits include PMOS pull-down devices or NMOS pull-up devices, and inverters with outputs that determine gate voltages of these devices. The inverters are powered by moving supply voltages, for example complementary supply voltages generated from a pair of cross-coupled inverters. The cross-coupled inverters may implement a data storage latch with the moving supply voltages generated from the internal data storage nodes of the latch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: NVIDIA CORP.
    Inventors: Walker Joseph Turner, John Poulton, Sanquan Song
  • Publication number: 20230269119
    Abstract: A transceiver circuit includes a receiver front end utilizing a ring oscillator, and a transmitter front end utilizing a pass-gate circuit in a first feedback path across a last-stage driver circuit. The transceiver circuit provides low impedance at low frequency and high impedance at high frequency, and desirable peaking behavior.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2023
    Publication date: August 24, 2023
    Applicant: NVIDIA Corp.
    Inventors: Sanquan Song, John Poulton
  • Publication number: 20230246661
    Abstract: A simultaneous bi-directional (SBD) transceiver includes a main transmit driver, a replica transmit driver, and a series-series-bridged (SSB) tri-impedance network. A pre-driver stage includes parallel delay paths for the main transmit driver and the replica transmit driver, enabling the delay for signals received by the main transmit driver and the replica transmit driver to be independently configured.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2022
    Publication date: August 3, 2023
    Applicant: NVIDIA Corp.
    Inventors: Xi Chen, Yoshinori Nishi, John Poulton
  • Patent number: 11632275
    Abstract: A transceiver circuit includes a receiver front end utilizing a ring oscillator, and a transmitter front end utilizing a pass-gate circuit in a first feedback path across a last-stage driver circuit. The transceiver circuit provides low impedance at low frequency and high impedance at high frequency, and desirable peaking behavior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: NVIDIA CORP.
    Inventors: Sanquan Song, John Poulton
  • Publication number: 20220353115
    Abstract: A transceiver circuit includes a receiver front end utilizing a ring oscillator, and a transmitter front end utilizing a pass-gate circuit in a first feedback path across a last-stage driver circuit. The transceiver circuit provides low impedance at low frequency and high impedance at high frequency, and desirable peaking behavior.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2021
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Applicant: NVIDIA Corp.
    Inventors: Sanquan Song, John Poulton
  • Patent number: 11165394
    Abstract: The disclosure provides an improved transimpedance amplifier (TIA) that can operate at a higher bandwidth and lower noise compared to conventional TIAs. The TIA employs a data path with both feedback impedance and feedback capacitance for improved performance. The feedback impedance includes at least two resistors in series and at least one shunt capacitor, coupled between the at least two resistors, that helps to extend the circuit bandwidth and improve SNR at the same time. The capacitance value of the shunt capacitor can be selected based on both the bandwidth and noise. In one example, the TIA includes: (1) a biasing path, and (2) a data path, coupled to the biasing path, including multiple inverter stages and at least one feedback capacitance coupled across an even number of the multiple inverter stages. An optical receiver and a circuit having the TIA are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Nvidia Corporation
    Inventors: Sanquan Song, John Poulton, Carl Thomas Gray
  • Patent number: 11133794
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to a circuit comprising a first, second, and third data latch, and an input for a data signal. The first data latch may be configured to sample a delayed version of the data signal in response to a first control signal. The second data latch may be configured to sample the delayed version of the data signal in response to a run clock signal. The run clock signal may be configured to run for a predefined number of clock cycles subsequent to the first control signal. The third data latch may be configured to sample either an output signal of the first data latch or an output signal of the second data latch in response to a second control signal received after the predefined number of clock cycles of the run clock signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corp.
    Inventors: Stephen G Tell, Matthew Rudolph Fojtik, John Poulton
  • Publication number: 20210242837
    Abstract: The disclosure provides an improved transimpedance amplifier (TIA) that can operate at a higher bandwidth and lower noise compared to conventional TIAs. The TIA employs a data path with both feedback impedance and feedback capacitance for improved performance. The feedback impedance includes at least two resistors in series and at least one shunt capacitor, coupled between the at least two resistors, that helps to extend the circuit bandwidth and improve SNR at the same time. The capacitance value of the shunt capacitor can be selected based on both the bandwidth and noise. In one example, the TIA includes: (1) a biasing path, and (2) a data path, coupled to the biasing path, including multiple inverter stages and at least one feedback capacitance coupled across an even number of the multiple inverter stages. An optical receiver and a circuit having the TIA are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Publication date: August 5, 2021
    Inventors: Sanquan Song, John Poulton, Carl Thomas Gray
  • Patent number: 10601324
    Abstract: A DC-DC converter circuit includes a switched tank converter configured to output a switching waveform. The DC-DC converter circuit further includes a transformer coupled to the switched tank converter to receive the switching waveform output by the switched tank converter across a primary winding of the transformer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corp.
    Inventors: Sudhir Shrikantha Kudva, Ahmed Abou-Alfotouh, Nikola Nedovic, John Poulton
  • Patent number: 10566958
    Abstract: Injection locked oscillation circuits are applied along clock distribution circuit paths to increase clock signal bandwidth, reduce duty cycle error, reduce quadrature phase error, reduce clock signal jitter, and reduce clock signal power consumption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corp.
    Inventors: Sanquan Song, Olakanmi Oluwole, John Poulton, Carl Thomas Gray
  • Patent number: 8649475
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for a partial-rate transfer mode using fixed-clock-rate interfaces. In the partial-rate mode, each data bit is transmitted consecutively two or more times. The receiver uses a global clock without phase adjustment to detect the replicated incoming bits. As a result, the receiver system can receive data at a partial data rate when the system is locking into the phase of data received from the transmitter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Frederick A. Ware, Robert E. Palmer, John Poulton
  • Publication number: 20120243632
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for a partial-rate transfer mode using fixed-clock-rate interfaces. In the partial-rate mode, each data bit is transmitted consecutively two or more times. The receiver uses a global clock without phase adjustment to detect the replicated incoming bits. As a result, the receiver system can receive data at a partial data rate when the system is locking into the phase of data received from the transmitter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: RAMBUS INC.
    Inventors: Frederick A. Ware, Robert E. Palmer, John Poulton
  • Patent number: 8208593
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for a partial-rate transfer mode using fixed-clock-rate interfaces. In the partial-rate mode, each data bit is transmitted consecutively two or more times. The receiver uses a global clock without phase adjustment to detect the replicated incoming bits. As a result, the receiver system can receive data at a partial data rate when the system is locking into the phase of data received from the transmitter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Frederick A. Ware, Robert E. Palmer, John Poulton
  • Patent number: 8199866
    Abstract: Embodiments of a circuit are described. This circuit includes a receiver circuit including a first sampler (312-1) and a second” sampler (312-2). A clock-data-recovery circuit (324) in the receiver circuit adjusts a sample time of the receiver circuit so that the sample time is proximate to a signal crossing point at an edge of an eye pattern associated with received signals. An offset-calibration circuit (326) in the receiver circuit determines and adjusts an offset voltage of a given sampler, which can be the first sampler or the second sampler. This offset-calibration circuit may determine a present offset voltage (412) of the given sampler in a timing region proximate to the signal crossing point (410-2) in which the clock-data-recovery circuit dithers about a present sample time based on the present offset voltage. Additionally, the clock-data-recovery circuit and the offset-calibration circuit may iteratively converge on the signal crossing point and a residual offset voltage of the given sampler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew M. Fuller, John Poulton
  • Publication number: 20100220828
    Abstract: Embodiments of a circuit are described. This circuit includes a receiver circuit including a first sampler (312-1) and a second” sampler (312-2). A clock-data-recovery circuit (324) in the receiver circuit adjusts a sample time of the receiver circuit so that the sample time is proximate to a signal crossing point at an edge of an eye pattern associated with received signals. An offset-calibration circuit (326) in the receiver circuit determines and adjusts an offset voltage of a given sampler, which can be the first sampler or the second sampler. This offset-calibration circuit may determine a present offset voltage (412) of the given sampler in a timing region proximate to the signal crossing point (410-2) in which the clock-data-recovery circuit dithers about a present sample time based on the present offset voltage. Additionally, the clock-data-recovery circuit and the offset-calibration circuit may iteratively converge on the signal crossing point and a residual offset voltage of the given sampler.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2008
    Publication date: September 2, 2010
    Applicant: RAMBUS INC.
    Inventors: Andrew M. Fuller, John Poulton
  • Publication number: 20090129505
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for a partial-rate transfer mode using fixed-clock-rate interfaces. In the partial-rate mode, each data bit is transmitted consecutively two or more times. The receiver uses a global clock without phase adjustment to detect the replicated incoming bits. As a result, the receiver system can receive data at a partial data rate when the system is locking into the phase of data received from the transmitter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2008
    Publication date: May 21, 2009
    Applicant: RAMBUS INC.
    Inventors: Frederick A. Ware, Robert E. Palmer, John Poulton