Shared GPIO Bus Switching for Space-Efficient Interconnections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing analog circuits require numerous lines for interconnections between circuit components and I/O ports, leading to significant device space consumption due to the one-to-one correspondence between bus lines and GPIO ports.
Innovation Solution
The use of transmission gates to selectively connect GPIO pads to a shared bus line, allowing alternating connections and dynamic configuration, thereby reducing the number of required bus lines and optimizing real estate usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If one line is used for each possible interconnection between GPIO pads and internal components, then connectivity and adaptability are improved, but device space consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple GPIO pads are merged to share a single bus line through transmission gates. Instead of having dedicated lines for each pad, the transmission gates enable multiple pads to access the same physical bus line at different times, combining multiple communication paths into a single shared resource that reduces device space while maintaining connectivity options.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static one-to-one line assignments to dynamic many-to-one sharing. Transmission gates are controlled by select signals that dynamically connect different GPIO pads to the bus line based on operational requirements, enabling flexible reconfiguration of connections without physical rewireting.
2Area of stationary object
If transmission gates are used to share bus lines among multiple GPIO pads, then device space is reduced, but control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Transmission gates serve as intermediary switching elements between GPIO pads and the bus line. These gates are controlled by select signals that act as mediators, enabling centralized control of the sharing mechanism. The intermediaries simplify the control architecture by providing standardized interfaces between the pads and bus line, making the system easier to manage despite the increased sharing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A programmable device, having an analog component coupled with an analog bus and a digital component coupled with a digital bus together with a set of IO pads, each of which capable of being coupled to a bus line of one segment of the analog bus as well as to at least one digital bus line, and where the analog bus is capable of being used to connect a pair of the IO pads to each other.