Single Communication Interface with Internal Addressing Mode
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing master-slave communication interfaces, such as SPI and I2C, do not allow the slave device to initiate communication and require the master device to know internal memory locations for register access, making them inefficient and dependent on internal software changes.
Innovation Solution
A single communication interface system that uses a 32-bit word to encode addressing mode, data direction, and address, allowing both internal and external addressing modes with minimal overhead, enabling the slave device to initiate communication and eliminating the need for the master to know internal memory locations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a slave device wants to transfer data, it must signalize its demand via an interrupt signal to the master and the master can initiate a transfer to read out the data from the slave device, then data transfer capability is improved, but communication complexity and control overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The slave device is equipped with an internal addressing mode that allows it to autonomously manage data transfers without requiring the master to initiate each transfer or know internal memory locations. The slave can independently encode messages with internal addresses and initiate transfers by setting the transfer start bit, making the system self-serving and reducing communication complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication interface dynamically switches between external addressing mode (for register access) and internal addressing mode (for data transfers). This dynamic adaptation allows the system to optimize for different operational scenarios, using interrupt signals only when necessary while relying on autonomous internal addressing for routine data transfers.
2Productivity
If the master device needs detailed memory location information for register access, then register access capability is improved, but adaptability to internal software changes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The addressing system is segmented into two distinct modes: external addressing for register access and internal addressing for data transfers. The external addressing mode allows the master to access registers using known addresses, while the internal addressing mode uses autonomous addresses generated by the slave itself, separating the concerns of register control and data management.
Solution Approach 2:
The internal addressing mode acts as an intermediary layer between the master and the slave's internal memory. Instead of the master directly addressing internal memory locations, it uses the internal addressing mode with autonomous addresses, which then routes to the correct locations through the slave's internal addressing logic, providing adaptability to internal changes.
3Adaptability or versatility
If two different modes (register access and streaming) are implemented in a complex slave device, then functionality is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A single communication interface is designed to handle both register access and streaming operations universally. The interface automatically adapts to the required mode based on the transfer type, using external addressing for register access and internal addressing for streaming, eliminating the need for separate hardware interfaces for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication interface dynamically adapts its addressing mode based on the operational requirements. For register access operations, it uses external addressing with master-provided addresses, while for streaming operations, it switches to internal addressing with autonomous slave-generated addresses, allowing one interface to serve multiple functions efficiently.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the integrated processor of the slave device is involved in the communication, then communication flexibility is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The internal addressing mode enables the slave device to autonomously manage data transfers without processor involvement. The hardware interface independently encodes messages, manages addressing, and initiates transfers using the internal addressing mode, allowing communication to proceed without activating the integrated processor and thus reducing energy consumption.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention discloses a single communication interface between a master device and at least one slave device and a method with internal/external addressing mode using the single communication interface. The object to provide a leaner communication interface between a master and slave device which is more universal and independent from internal software changes will be solved by a single communication interface between a master device and at least one slave device, whereas the master device comprises a master interface and the slave device comprises a slave interface and a slave bus-system, whereas the slave interface is directly connected to the slave bus-system, wherein the master interface and the slave interface communicate on a packet based protocol by an internal and external addressing mode inside the slave interface, whereas the addressing mode, data direction transfer and data address location are coded by the packet based protocol inside a first 32-bit word of each transmission between the master device and slave device over the single communication interface.