Circuit for Delaying at Least One High Bit Rate Binary Data Train

1. A circuit for delaying at least one high bit rate data train for a delay period of T bit periods, said circuit comprising: first and second mxn first-in-first-out (FIFO) registers, each said FIFO register capable of storing up to "n" "m"-bit input words and comprising: a "reset" terminal responsive to a register initialization (RAZ) signal, an "m" bit input terminal, an "m" bit output terminal, an output enable terminal responsive to an output enable (OE) signal, a shift-in terminal for causing the m-bit input word currently appearing at said input terminal to be input to the FIFO register in response to m shift-in pulses (SI) appearing at said shift-in terminal, and a shift-out terminal for causing the first m-bit word remaining in the FIFO register to be output from the "m" bit output terminal of the register in response to m shift-out (SO) pulses appearing at said shift-out terminal while said output enable signal is applied to said output enable terminal; a common data input directly coupled to the input terminals of both the first and second FIFO registers; a common data output directly coupled to the output terminals of both the first and second FIFO registers; counter means response to a clock signal for delivering a synchronization (MSB/2) signal having a period equal to twice said delay period T, with T.ltoreq.n bit periods, said clock signal operating at a bit rate substantially equal to that of the data input; and a write/read control circuit responsive to said synchronization signal and to said clock signal for controlling input (writing) to and output (reading) from said FIFO registers and comprising a first circuit for alternatively supplying a sequence of m pulses derived from said clock signal (a) to both the shift-in terminal of a first said FIFO register and the shift-out terminal of a second said FIFO register and (b) to both the shift-out terminal of the first FIFO register and to the shift-in terminal of the second FIFO register, in order to thereby write in one of the two FIFO registers during a write stage of said one FIFO register while simultaneously reading from the other of the two FIFO registers during a read stage of said other register, and vice versa, the first circuit comprising shift-in timing logic responsive to the synchronization signal and the lock signal for alternately generating a first sequence of shift-in pulses Si1 at a first timing logic output and a second sequence of shift-in pulses Si2 at a second timing logic output with each of said sequences being delayed relative to said synchronization signal by one bit period of said clock signal, said first timing logic output being directly coupled both to the shift-in terminal of the first FIFO register and to the shift-out terminal of the second FIFO register and said second timing logic output being directly coupled both to the shift-out terminal of the first FIFO register and to the shift-in terminal of the second FIFO register, whereby only one of said FIFO registers is in its write stage in which it is responsive to any input data words appearing at said common data input, a second circuit for dynamically resetting an alternately selected one of said FIFO registers to zero after the synchronization signal changes state and immediately prior to the generation of a respective one of said delayed sequences of shift-in pulses by said fist circuit during a respective write stage, the second circuit comprising initialization logic responsive to said synchronization signal for applying an initialization pulse to the reset terminal of the selected FIFO register immediately prior to the application of said respective sequence of shift-in pulses to the shift-in terminal of said selected FIFO register, whereby each FIFO register is cleared of all data still remaining in the FIFO register at the end of its respective write stage, and a third circuit for supplying a respective said output enable signal only to the non-selected one of said FIFO registers to enable data stored therein to be output therefrom during a "T" clock period read stage following a delay of "T" clock periods since the beginning of the write stage of said non-selected FIFO register, the third circuit comprising output selection logic responsive to the clock signal and to the synchronization signal for alternately generating a first output enable signal associated with the first FIFO register and a second output enable signal associated with the second FIFO register, in synchronism with the generation of the respective sequences of shift-out pulses by said first circuit. whereby only the FIFO register in which data delayed by said delay period T had been stored during an immediately prior read stage is enabled to output its thus-stored and delayed data onto said common data output free from interference from any data remaining in the other FIFO register.

2. A circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first circuit further comprises: a counter bistable for synchronizing said synchronization signal to the clock signal; and two AND gates for generating said two sequences of shift-in pulses Si1 and Si2.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the second circuit further comprises two monostables each associated with a difference said FIFO register for alternately generating respective first and second initialization pulses immediately before the respective write stages.

4. A circuit according to claim 2, wherein the third circuit further comprises a pointer bistable for delaying the synchronization signal.

5. A circuit according to claim 1, wherein each FIFO register comprises a plurality of FIFO packages connected in series, thereby enabling the delay to be increased.

6. A circuit according to claim 1, wherein each FIFO register comprises a plurality of packages in parallel, thereby enabling the number of inputs to be increased.