Dynamically Adjustable Multi-Line Bus for Legacy and High-Speed Sensors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current serial interfaces, such as I2C, struggle to provide high data rate throughputs necessary for next-generation sensors while maintaining compatibility with legacy sensors on the same bus, leading to inefficiencies in communication.
Innovation Solution
A dynamically adjustable shared bus system that switches between a base protocol and a high data rate protocol, using additional lines to encode data and clock information, allowing for higher throughput while still supporting legacy devices by encoding symbols across multiple wires.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If legacy I2C protocol is used for communication, then backward compatibility with legacy sensors is maintained, but data transfer rate is limited and insufficient for next-generation sensors
Solution Approach 1:
The bus system dynamically switches between I2C protocol mode and HDR protocol mode based on device capabilities. The master device determines whether each slave device supports HDR mode and adjusts the communication protocol accordingly, allowing the same physical bus to adapt its characteristics to meet different performance requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The two-wire bus is designed to support multiple communication protocols (I2C and HDR) on the same physical infrastructure. By encoding data in sequences of symbols transmitted over the two-wire bus combined with additional connectors/lines, the system achieves multi-functionality where the bus can serve both legacy and next-generation devices.
2Productivity
If additional connectors and lines are used for high-speed communication, then data throughput increases, but device complexity and connection requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the two-wire bus (SCL and SDA lines) with additional connectors or lines to create a unified communication channel for HDR mode. By merging existing infrastructure with additional resources, the system achieves higher throughput without completely redesigning the connection architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from two-dimensional communication (two-wire I2C) to multi-dimensional communication by incorporating additional connectors and lines. Data is encoded in sequences of symbols transmitted over multiple dimensions (original two-wire bus plus additional lines), enabling higher data rates while maintaining backward compatibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A device is provided that has a bus including a first line and a second line. A first set of devices are coupled to the bus and, in a first mode of operation, configured to use the first line for data transmissions and use the second line for a first clock signal. One or more additional lines are connected between two or more of the devices in the first set of devices for transmitting signaling between the two or more devices. A second set of devices are configured to use the bus and at least one of the additional lines for data transmissions in a second mode of operation, where in the second mode of operation symbols are encoded across the first line, the second line, and the at least one of the additional lines.