Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
114 words
A method of synchronizing data comprising the steps of: storing data in a store at a first, asynchronous, rate; gapping a clock signal having a second, synchronous, rate greater than the first rate to produce a first gapped clock signal; gapping the first gapped clock signal with a predetermined ratio to produce a second gapped clock signal; reading data from the store in dependence upon the second gapped clock signal; monitoring a frequency difference between the first gapped clock signal and the first rate multiplied by the predetermined ratio; and in dependence upon the monitored frequency difference, controlling the gapping of the clock signal having the second rate to compensate for the frequency difference.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
114 words
A method of synchronizing data comprising the steps of: storing data in a store at a first, asynchronous, rate; gapping a clock signal having a second, synchronous, rate greater than the first rate to produce a first gapped clock signal; gapping the first gapped clock signal with a predetermined ratio to produce a second gapped clock signal; reading data from the store in dependence upon the second gapped clock signal; monitoring a frequency difference between the first gapped clock signal and the first rate multiplied by the predetermined ratio; and in dependence upon the monitored frequency difference, controlling the gapping of the clock signal having the second rate to compensate for the frequency difference.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second rate is 6.912 MHz divided by an integer from 1 to 4.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
14 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second rate is 1.728 MHz.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first rate is nominally 1.544 MHz and the predetermined ratio is 208/193.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
46 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of monitoring comprises counting pulses of the first gapped clock signal, counting pulses at the first rate multiplied by the predetermined ratio, and comparing a difference between the counted pulses with at least one threshold value.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
50 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of gapping the clock signal having the second rate comprises suppressing selected pulses of the clock signal, and the step of controlling the gapping comprises selectively suppressing additional pulses or inhibiting the suppression of selected pulses of the clock signal.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method as claimed in claim 6 wherein the pulses of the clock signal are suppressed in groups of eight pulses.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
110 words
A synchronizing circuit comprising: a data store; means for storing asynchronous data in the store; first gapping means for gapping a synchronous clock signal to produce a first gapped clock signal; second gapping means for gapping the first gapped clock signal with a predetermined ratio to produce a second gapped clock signal; means for reading data from the store in dependence upon the second gapped clock signal; monitoring means for monitoring a frequency difference between the first gapped clock signal and the asynchronous data rate multiplied by the predetermined ratio; and control means responsive to the monitoring means for controlling the first gapping means to compensate for the frequency difference.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
110 words
A synchronizing circuit comprising: a data store; means for storing asynchronous data in the store; first gapping means for gapping a synchronous clock signal to produce a first gapped clock signal; second gapping means for gapping the first gapped clock signal with a predetermined ratio to produce a second gapped clock signal; means for reading data from the store in dependence upon the second gapped clock signal; monitoring means for monitoring a frequency difference between the first gapped clock signal and the asynchronous data rate multiplied by the predetermined ratio; and control means responsive to the monitoring means for controlling the first gapping means to compensate for the frequency difference.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
78 words
A synchronizing circuit as claimed in claim 8 wherein the monitoring means comprises: a first counter for counting pulses of the first gapped clock signal; a second counter for counting, when enabled, pulses of the synchronous clock signal; frequency multiplier means for enabling the second counter at the asynchronous data rate frequency multiplied by the predetermined ratio; and comparison means for comparing a difference between counts of the first and second counters with at least one threshold value.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
39 words
A synchronizing circuit as claimed in claim 9 wherein the comparison means is responsive to only that part of the count of each of the first and second counters greater than the 3 least significant bits representing the count.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
33 words
A synchronizing circuit as claimed in claim 10 wherein the first gapping means is arranged for gapping the synchronous clock signal by suppressing groups of 8 consecutive pulses of the synchronous clock signal.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
23 words
A synchronizing circuit as claimed in claim 9 wherein the first and second counters are modulo-208 counters and the predetermined ratio is 208/193.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
95 words
A synchronizing circuit as claimed in claim 8 wherein the first gapping means is arranged for gapping the synchronous clock signal by suppressing groups of 8 consecutive pulses of the synchronous clock signal, and the control means for controlling the first gapping means comprises means for controlling the first gapping means to suppress an additional group of 8 pulses when the monitored frequency difference is of a first polarity and to inhibit the suppression of a group of 8 pulses of the clock signal when the monitored frequency difference is of a second, opposite, polarity.