Patent ID: 8854983
Filing Date: 2014-10-07
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of providing at least one signal to at least one transmitter of at least one PHY of a serial communication protocol device, comprising: providing a standard data signal from a link layer of the serial communication protocol device to a first multiplexer, wherein the standard data signal is created within a link layer of the serial communication protocol device; generating, by a test pattern generator, an un-encoded test pattern signal; providing the un-encoded test pattern signal to the first multiplexer; selecting, by the first multiplexer, a first selected signal from a plurality of inputs based on a particular control signal, the plurality of inputs including the un-encoded test pattern signal and the standard data signal, the first multiplexer including a first input communicatively coupled to the link layer of the serial communications protocol device for receiving the standard data signal and a second input communicatively coupled to the test pattern generator for receiving the un-encoded test pattern signal; providing, by the first multiplexer, the first selected signal to a scrambler, wherein the scrambler is communicatively coupled to the first multiplexer and a second multiplexer; receiving, by the scrambler, the first selected signal from the first multiplexer, wherein the scrambler further includes at least one control signal input for restarting a polynomial configured for producing a particular scrambled signal of the un-encoded test pattern signal and configured for producing a particular scrambled signal of the standard data signal; scrambling, by the scrambler, the first selected signal to provide a scrambled signal; outputting the scrambled signal to the second multiplexer; selecting, by the second multiplexer, a second selected signal from a second plurality of inputs based on a particular control signal, the second plurality of inputs including the scrambled signal and the first selected signal, the second multiplexer including a first input communicatively coupled to the scrambler for receiving the scrambled signal and a second input communicatively coupled to the first multiplexer for receiving the first selected signal; providing, by the second multiplexer, the second selected signal to an encoder; encoding, by the encoder, the second selected signal to be an encoded signal; providing, by the encoder, the encoded signal to a third multiplexer; generating, by the test pattern generator, an encoded test pattern signal; providing the encoded test pattern signal to the third multiplexer; selecting, by the third multiplexer, a third selected signal from a third plurality of inputs based on a particular control signal, the third plurality of inputs including the encoded signal and the encoded test pattern signal wherein the third multiplexer includes a first input communicatively coupled to the at least one encoder for receiving the encoded signal and a second input communicatively coupled to the test pattern generator for receiving the encoded test pattern signal; serializing, by a serializer, the third selected signal for transmission to an external serial bus; and providing serialized data to the at least one transmitter of the at least one first PHY, wherein the test pattern generator, the serializer, the encoder, and the scrambler are located within a phy layer of the serial communication protocol device.