DMA Controller Diagnosis Circuit Disconnects Error Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data processing apparatuses face performance degradation during diagnosis due to the load imposed on the host controller when diagnosing DMA transfer errors, as the host controller must activate and instruct the DMA controller, leading to inefficient error detection and potential system performance issues.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a diagnosis circuit within the DMA controller that disconnects from the control circuit to diagnose the error detection circuit independently, allowing for efficient error detection without loading the host controller, and storing diagnosis data within the diagnosis circuit to reduce memory usage and system performance degradation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the host controller activates and instructs the DMA controller for diagnosis, then error detection can be performed, but system performance degrades due to the load on the host controller
Solution Approach 1:
The DMA controller performs self-diagnosis by including a diagnosis circuit within its own structure that can independently test the error detection circuit without requiring activation or instructions from the host controller. This self-service capability allows the DMA controller to diagnose its own error detection functionality, eliminating the performance degradation caused by host controller involvement while maintaining reliable error detection capability.
2Productivity
If the diagnosis function is integrated within the DMA controller, then the load on the host controller is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The diagnosis circuit is merged with the existing DMA controller structure, sharing the same physical platform and resources. The diagnosis circuit includes a disconnect unit that can selectively disconnect the error detection circuit from the data transfer path, and a diagnosis interface that provides test patterns and evaluates results. This merging approach consolidates diagnostic functionality within the DMA controller without requiring separate external diagnosis equipment, thereby reducing host controller load while managing complexity through resource sharing.
Data Source
AI summary
A data processing apparatus includes a processor; and a direct memory access (DMA) controller coupled to the processor, the DMA controller including a control circuit that controls a DMA transfer of data, an error detection circuit that performs an error detection on the data based on a character assigned in association with the data to output a result of the error detection to the control circuit, and a diagnosis circuit that disconnects between the control circuit and the error detection circuit to diagnose an operation of the error detection circuit and provide a diagnosis result to the processor.