UART Hub Multiplexing for Multi-Chip Pin Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In multi-chip designs, the need for multiple UART interfaces to facilitate communication between chips with multiple applications increases manufacturing costs due to the requirement for numerous pins for communication.
Innovation Solution
A chip with a UART hub that allows data from multiple applications to be transmitted over a single UART interface to another chip, reducing the number of pins required for communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple UART interfaces are used to enable communication between chips with multiple applications, then communication capability is improved, but pin count increases causing manufacturing costs to increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple UART interfaces into a single physical interface by implementing a multiplexing mechanism. The multiplexer dynamically switches between multiple application circuits and a single UART interface, allowing multiple applications to share the same physical communication channel. This combining approach reduces the number of required pins while maintaining the ability to communicate for multiple applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal UART interface that serves multiple functions by enabling a single interface to handle communication for multiple different applications. The multiplexer allows the same physical UART interface to be dynamically allocated to different application circuits based on communication needs, making the interface multi-functional rather than dedicated to a single application.
2Productivity
If multiple UART interfaces are used to facilitate communication between chips with multiple applications, then data transmission capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate UART interfaces into a single multiplexed interface system. Instead of having separate dedicated interfaces for each application, the system merges them into one shared interface controlled by a multiplexer, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining data transmission capabilities for all applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a multiplexer as an intermediary component between multiple application circuits and the single UART interface. This mediator manages the allocation and switching of the interface resource, coordinating data transmission from multiple sources through a single channel without requiring multiple separate interfaces, thus reducing overall device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a chip including a plurality of application circuits and a UART interface. The plurality of application circuits, configured to generate a plurality of data, respectively, wherein the plurality of data respectively generated by the plurality of application circuits are transmitted to another chip via the same UART interface.