Patent ID: 7900129

Claim:
An apparatus for precluding reception errors in an source synchronous receiver, the apparatus comprising: a delay-locked loop, configured to receive a reference clock signal, and configured to generate a select vector signal and an encoded select vector signal, wherein said encoded select vector signal indicates a lockout time period, and wherein said select vector signal is employed to select one of a plurality of successively delayed versions of said reference clock signal that lags said reference clock signal by a prescribed number of cycles of said reference clock signal, and wherein said lockout time period is slightly less than said prescribed number of cycles of said reference clock signal, said delay-locked loop comprising; a gray encoder, configured to generate said encoded select vector signal according to a gray code; and one or more strobe receivers, each coupled to said delay-locked loop, and said each configured to receive said encoded select vector signal and a corresponding strobe signal, wherein said each is configured to lock out reception of said corresponding strobe signal for said lockout time period following transition of said corresponding strobe signal, and wherein said encoded select vector signal is employed to determine said lockout time period by selecting one of a plurality of successively delayed versions of said corresponding strobe signal, and wherein said each comprises a gray code mux to select said one of a plurality of successively delayed versions of said corresponding strobe signal according to said encoded select vector signal.