Communication Interface Timing Arbitration for Channel Conflict Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
In electronic systems with multiple master and slave devices, conflicts arise due to limited communication channels, causing slave devices to fail in correctly returning data to master devices.
Innovation Solution
A communication interface circuit with master and slave counting circuits, a control circuit, and determination circuits to record and determine the availability of channels, ensuring that current requests do not conflict with previous ones by performing arbitration based on recorded times.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple master devices send requesting commands simultaneously through limited channels, then the communication throughput increases, but conflicts occur causing slave devices to fail in correctly returning data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by recording the execution time of previous requesting commands in counting circuits before new commands are processed. The control circuit uses these pre-recorded time values to determine whether channel conflicts will occur, and adjusts the arbitration process accordingly. This allows the system to proactively prevent conflicts rather than reacting to them after they occur, maintaining both high throughput and data accuracy.
2Reliability
If the number of communication channels is increased to handle multiple requests, then conflict probability decreases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of time by recording execution times in counting circuits and using time-based arbitration. Instead of increasing the number of physical channels, the system uses temporal parameter tracking to manage multiple requests. The control circuit arbitrates based on recorded time values, allowing multiple masters to share limited channels without conflicts while maintaining simple channel architecture.
3Reliability
If strict arbitration is performed to prevent conflicts, then data return accuracy improves, but communication delay increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by performing arbitration only when necessary - specifically when the control circuit determines that recorded execution times indicate potential conflicts. When no conflict is detected based on the time comparison, commands are processed without additional arbitration delays. This selective arbitration approach maintains data accuracy while minimizing communication delay.
Data Source
AI summary
A communication interface circuit. Each counting sub-circuit of a master counting circuit records a master counting time required to fully execute a previous requesting command of a corresponding master device. Each slave counting circuit records a slave counting time required to fully execute a previous responding command of a corresponding slave device. A first determination circuit generates a first determination result upon determining that a source master counting circuit has a counting sub-circuit that is in an available state. A second determination circuit generates a second determination result upon determining that an absolute difference between the master counting time recorded by each of the counting sub-circuits in an unavailable state in the source master counting circuit, and a slave counting time recorded by a target slave counting circuit, is not less than a burst length. A control circuit sends a current requesting command to an arbitration circuit for arbitration.