Elastic buffer with error detection using a hamming distance circuit

Claim 1

An elastic buffer circuit comprising: a plurality of memory elements for storing and outputting data; writing designation means for successively designating memory elements to store input data in synchronism with a first clock pulse said writing designation means designating adjacent memory elements by memory position codes having a predetermined number of bits and a Hamming distance of 1, the memory position codes including common codes in which all the bits other than one bit of the writing position codes of adjacent memory elements are same; reading designation means for successively designating memory elements for reading of output data in synchronism with a second clock pulse, said reading designation means designating adjacent memory elements by reading position codes having a predetermined number of bits and a Hamming distance of 1, the reading position codes further including common codes in which all the bits other than one bit of the reading position codes of adjacent memory elements are the same; means for detecting as errors occurrences when the common code of a memory position code of a memory element designated by the reading designation means is the same as the common code of a memory position code of a memory element designated by the writing designation means; initialization means for storing the writing position code designating the memory element storing data when an end signal is provided, and for initializing the contents of the writing designation means when the stored writing position code and the code designated by the reading designation means have the same common code; and initial code setting means for setting into the writing designation means an initial code, obtained as a result of a logical operation between a code designated by the reading designation means and a predetermined code.