On December 4, 2018 the US Patent and Trademark Office granted Professor Ahmed Louri, David and Marylin Karlgaard Endowed Chair of ECE US Patent 10,148,593 Title: “Directional allocation of communication links based on data traffic loads”. This patent introduces interconnection links that have four functions: these links can dynamically function as (1) forward repeaters, (2) backward repeaters, (3) forward buffers, and (4) backward buffers. This enables significant power reduction while enabling circuits to both improve performance and reliability.
Patent Abstract: A first example provides a circuit configured to operate in four modes. A first mode includes propagating data from a first terminal of the circuit to a second terminal of the circuit. A second mode includes propagating data from the second terminal of the circuit to the first terminal of the circuit. A third mode includes storing data received by the first terminal. A fourth mode includes storing data received by the second terminal. A second example provides a circuit configured to cause one or more communication links to operate in one of two modes based on data traffic detected on the one or more communication links. The first mode includes propagating data from a first router to a second router. The second mode includes propagating data to the first router from the second router.