Debug System Compression for Diagnostic Data Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Debugging complex embedded systems often requires transferring large amounts of diagnostic data, which exceeds the bandwidth of existing debug systems, necessitating improved bandwidth utilization.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a debug system that compresses and packs captured signals to form diagnostic messages, utilizing a data processing system with components like ADC units, DMA units, signal processors, compression units, and packing units to reduce data size and enhance transfer efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If large amounts of diagnostic data are transferred using existing debug systems, then diagnostic information can be captured and analyzed, but the bandwidth of the debug system is exceeded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential diagnostic information from the captured signals by identifying and transmitting only changed states or significant events, rather than transferring all captured data. This selective extraction reduces the data volume to fit within debug system bandwidth constraints while maintaining diagnostic effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the representation parameters of diagnostic data by encoding signal states using fewer bits. Instead of transferring complete signal waveforms or raw data, the system transforms the data into compressed representations that capture essential diagnostic information while reducing bandwidth requirements.
2Productivity
If diagnostic data is compressed and packed to reduce data size, then bandwidth requirements are reduced, but the complexity of the debug system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the debug system into distinct functional units: a compression unit that compresses captured signals, a packing unit that packs compressed data into standardized formats, and a diagnostic unit that analyzes the packed data. This segmentation allows each unit to perform its function efficiently while maintaining overall system manageability despite increased complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary components (compression unit and packing unit) that act as mediators between the signal capture stage and the diagnostic analysis stage. These intermediaries transform raw captured signals into compressed, packed diagnostic messages, adding processing steps that increase system complexity but enable efficient bandwidth utilization.
3Productivity
If compression and packing units are added to the debug system, then data transfer efficiency is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the compression and packing functions into an integrated processing pipeline within the debug system. By combining these functions and using standardized message formats, the system achieves efficient data transfer while managing complexity through functional integration rather than separate independent units.
Data Source
AI summary
A data processing system has a system bus, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a signal processor, a memory, compression and packing units, and a debug unit. The ADC samples a baseband signal, and provides a digitized signal representative of the baseband signal the system bus. The signal processing block converts the digitized signal to a processed signal in the frequency domain. The memory is coupled to the system bus and is for storing the processed signal. The compression unit is coupled to the system bus and is for capturing the processed signal and compressing the processed signal to produce a compressed signal. The packing unit is coupled to the compression unit and is for packing the compressed signal to produce a packed signal. The debug unit is coupled to the packing unit and is for converting the compressed and packed signal to a diagnostic message. The disclosed data processing system and method provides diagnostic messages in near real-time.