DMA Data Integrity Verification Hardware Checksum

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Solution Overview

Problem

Software-based data integrity verification processes in safety-critical applications, such as automotive and industrial automation, place a significant processing burden on central processing units and have complex development and testing processes, which can lead to inefficiencies and reliability issues.

Innovation Solution

A hardware-based data integrity verification system using direct memory access (DMA) components with data buffers and checksum generators, which perform verify-read operations to compare checksums of data copied between source and destination devices, ensuring data integrity through automatic and efficient hardware mechanisms.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If software-based data integrity verification is used, then data integrity can be verified, but processing burden on central processing units increases and development complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata integrity verificationVSAvoiddevelopment complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces software-based verification with hardware-based verification using DMA components. The DMA controller includes dedicated hardware circuits for copying data, generating checksums, and comparing verification data. This hardware implementation eliminates the need for software processing of verification operations, thereby reducing CPU burden and simplifying development while maintaining data integrity verification capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The DMA component performs self-verification by automatically copying data from source to destination, generating checksums of both original and copied data, comparing the checksums, and detecting errors without external intervention. The hardware circuit includes integrated functionality for data copying, checksum generation, and error detection that operates autonomously, reducing reliance on external software processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Reliability

If software-based data integrity verification is used, then data integrity can be verified, but processing burden on central processing units increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata integrity verificationVSAvoidprocessing burden on CPU

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts the data integrity verification function from the CPU's software domain and implements it as a separate hardware subsystem. The DMA controller is given dedicated functionality for data copying, checksum generation, and error detection, removing this processing burden from the CPU and allowing it to focus on other computational tasks.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Productivity

If hardware-based verification is implemented, then processing burden on CPU is reduced and verification efficiency is enhanced, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveverification efficiencyVSAvoidhardware complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple functions into the DMA controller: data copying, checksum generation, verification data comparison, and error detection. By integrating these functions into a single hardware component rather than using separate software routines or multiple independent hardware modules, the overall system complexity is managed while achieving efficient hardware-based verification.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The DMA controller is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a data transfer mechanism and as a data integrity verification system. The same hardware circuits that copy data are used to generate verification checksums, and the comparison logic serves both transfer validation and integrity checking purposes, maximizing the utility of the hardware investment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS12189471B2Data integrity verification in direct memory access (DMA) transfer

Publication Date: 2025.01.07 TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INC

AI summary

In an example, a method includes copying data between a source device and a destination device to form first copied data. The method also includes, responsive to completion of the copying, performing a verify-read operation. The verify-read operation includes determining a first checksum of the first copied data, copying the data between the source device and the destination device to form second copied data, determining a second checksum of the second copied data, comparing the first checksum to the second checksum to determine a comparison result, and determining a data integrity validation result based on the comparison result.