Address-Converting Transfer Interface for Multi-Slave Serial Buses
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Solution Overview
Problem
The serial transmission scheme for interconnecting semiconductor components in mobile communication terminals limits the number of slave devices that can be connected, leading to complex control and increased load on the bus, making high-speed communication difficult.
Innovation Solution
A transfer device that converts commands with added parity bits to simplify control of slave devices by a master device, allowing high-speed communication by converting addresses and judging abort conditions to generate parity errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple slave devices are connected to the bus in the serial transmission scheme, then the functionality and flexibility of the system are improved, but the control complexity increases and communication speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a transfer device as an intermediary component between the master device and multiple slave devices. This transfer device receives commands from the master device, converts the address to identify a specific internal slave device, and forwards the command accordingly. By inserting this intermediary layer, the master device only needs to communicate with the transfer device using simple addressing, while the transfer device handles the complexity of routing to multiple slave devices internally.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the slave device functionality into multiple internal slave devices within a single physical device. The transfer device contains a plurality of internal slave devices, each with specific functions. This segmentation allows the system to support multiple slave devices while maintaining simple external communication interfaces, as the transfer device presents a unified interface to the master device while managing multiple internal functional units.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple slave devices are connected to the bus in the serial transmission scheme, then the functionality and flexibility of the system are improved, but the communication speed decreases due to increased bus load
Solution Approach 1:
The transfer device acts as a mediator that consolidates communication traffic. Instead of multiple slave devices each competing for bus access, all commands are routed through the single transfer device interface. This reduces bus contention and load, maintaining high communication speed while supporting multiple slave devices through the internal structure of the transfer device.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple slave device interfaces into a single transfer device interface on the bus. The transfer device combines the functionality of multiple slave devices while presenting a unified communication interface to the master device. This merging reduces the number of bus transactions and eliminates the need for complex bus arbitration, thereby maintaining high communication speed.
3Ease of operation
If address conversion is performed to identify specific internal slave devices, then the control of slave devices is simplified, but the risk of parity errors and abort conditions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transfer device incorporates a judgment circuit that monitors commands after address conversion. The judgment circuit checks whether the converted address and command parameters are valid and whether abort conditions are satisfied. This feedback mechanism detects potential errors early in the command processing chain, allowing the system to handle parity errors and abort conditions systematically rather than allowing them to propagate unchecked through the system.
Solution Approach 2:
The transfer device performs preliminary validation of commands before forwarding them to internal slave devices. The judgment circuit evaluates abort conditions and address validity in advance, converting potentially erroneous commands into valid ones or generating appropriate error responses. This preliminary action prevents reliability issues from occurring downstream in the system.
Data Source
AI summary
A transfer device includes: a converter configured to convert an address contained in a command CMD1 transmitted from a master device, to an address indicating an internal slave device, and transfer a command CMD2K to the stated internal slave device; a first parity calculator configured to calculate a first parity bit formed of one bit for the command CMD2K; and a judgment circuit configured to judge whether or not a predetermined abort condition is satisfied. When the predetermined abort condition is satisfied, the converter outputs the first parity bit as a parity bit of the command CMD2K.