I3C Slave Index Validation and NACK Error Handling

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Solution Overview

Problem

The I2C and CCI protocols lack error detection functions, leading to potential communication failures due to index errors or FIFO overflows, necessitating reliable error countermeasures for stable communication.

Innovation Solution

A communication apparatus with a high-level layer that determines index validity and commands error handling, including sending NACK responses to ensure communication restarts or stops, and a low-level layer that detects errors and neglects communication until conditions are met.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If error detection functions are added to I2C and CCI protocols, then communication reliability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication reliabilityVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The communication apparatus is divided into distinct functional layers: a low-level layer handling physical communication and a high-level layer managing data access and error detection. This segmentation allows error detection capabilities to be added without complicating the entire system, as each layer handles specific functions independently.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary error detection by checking whether accessed data exceeds valid ranges before actual data transfer occurs. The high-level layer validates indices and detects potential errors in advance, preventing communication failures rather than reacting to them after occurrence.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If error detection and handling mechanisms are implemented, then communication stability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication stabilityVSAvoidease of operation

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The communication apparatus performs self-diagnosis and self-protection through automatic error detection and handling. The high-level layer automatically detects invalid access attempts and prevents erroneous data transfer without requiring external intervention, making the system easier to operate while maintaining stability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Reliability

If the high-level layer validates index ranges before access, then data integrity is improved, but processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata integrityVSAvoidprocessing time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The high-level layer performs preliminary validation of index ranges before actual data access occurs. By checking whether indices fall within valid ranges in advance, the system prevents invalid memory accesses and ensures data integrity, while the validation process is designed to be efficient with minimal time overhead.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS11544132B2Communication apparatus, communication method, program, and communication system

Publication Date: 2023.01.03 SONY SEMICON SOLUTIONS CORP

AI summary

A CCI (I3C SDR) processing section determines status of an index when requested to be accessed by an I3C master for a read operation. An error handling section then controls an I3C slave 13 to detect occurrence of an error based on the status of the index and to neglect all communication until communication is restarted or stopped by the I3C master, the I3C slave 13 being further controlled to send a NACK response when performing acknowledge processing on a signal sent from the I3C master. This technology can be applied to the I3C bus, for example.