Patent ID: 7380152

Claim:
A multi-device system, comprising: a host device adapted to provide a data signal and a reference signal at an output terminal and receive a feedback signal at an input terminal, and comprising an oscillator generating the reference signal by imparting an oscillation period (tOSC) and a predetermined buffering delay time (tBUF) to the feedback signal; a plurality of first through N-th client devices, each comprising a drive input terminal, a drive output terminal, a response input terminal, and a response output terminal; a system drive bus comprising a plurality of first through N-th drive bus sections, wherein the first drive bus section connects the host device output terminal to a drive input terminal of the first client device, and wherein an i-th drive bus section connects a drive output terminal of an (i-th- 1 ) client device to a drive input terminal of the i-th client device, where wherein i varies from 2 to N; a system response bus comprising a plurality of first through N-th response bus sections, wherein a first response bus section connects the host device input terminal to a response output terminal of the first client device, and wherein an i-th response bus section connects a response input terminal of the (i-th- 1 ) client device to a response output terminal of the i-th client device; and a chain bus adapted to connect a drive output terminal of the N-th client device to a response input terminal of the N-th client device, wherein each one of the drive bus sections and response bus sections is characterized by a predetermined flight delay time (tFLT), such that the oscillation period tOSC=2*(2N+1)*(tBUF+tFLT).