Semiconductor device and fault detection method therefor

• US 10,191,829 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2015
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Inventors: Ito, Hirohiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Loan L. T.
• Application Number:
  US14/803,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20160055070A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,291 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/221 to test buses, lines or interfaces, e.g. stuck-at or open line faults
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2226 to test ALU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3027 where the computing system component is a bus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3037 where the computing system component is a memory, e.g. virtual memory, cache accessing, addressing or allocating within memory systems or architectures G06F12/00; checking stores for correct operation G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4022 using switching circuits, e.g. switching matrix, connection or expansion network G06F13/4009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/001 for loudspeakers H04R29/007 takes precedence

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a memory-transfer control unit that controls data transfer between a memory and a sound unit. A plurality of sound data transfer routes are configured by one memory-transfer control unit and one sound unit. The semiconductor device outputs reproduction sound data via at least one sound data transfer route and acquires at least two pieces of recording sound data on account of one piece of reproduction sound data via at least two sound data transfer routes.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a processor coupled to a storage device storing instructions for executing;

an arithmetic unit that performs processing for executing a computer program;

a plurality of sound units that convert sound data stored in a memory into a serial signal, add sampling frequency information of the sound data to the serial signal and output the serial signal to a plurality of external terminals, and convert the sound data input from one of the plurality of the external terminals into a parallel signal, add the sampling frequency information of the sound data to the parallel signal, and transfer the parallel signal to the memory;

a route switching unit that switches a transfer route of sound data input to and output from the plurality of sound units, the route switching unit being provided between the plurality of sound units and the plurality of external terminals; and

a memory transfer controller that includes a plurality of memory-transfer control units that control transmission and reception of data between the memory and the plurality of sound units, and a unit control unit that controls the plurality of memory-transfer control units,

wherein the arithmetic unit controls the route switching unit according to the computer program to configure first to third sound data transfer routes configured by one of the sound units and one of the memory-transfer control units, transfers reproduction sound data stored in the memory from the memory to a side of the external terminals via the first sound data transfer route, and transfers two recording sound data generated on account of the reproduction sound data from. the side of the external terminals to the memory via the second and third sound data transfer routes,

wherein the arithmetic unit accumulates, in the memory, two pieces of the recording sound data transferred using the second and third sound. data transfer routes and compares the reproduction sound data and the two pieces of recording sound data and detects a fault in the sound data transfer routes,

wherein the plurality of sound units generate a first count value indicating a length of a cycle of a sampling frequency of the sound data,

wherein the plurality of memory-transfer control units generate a second count mile indicating a length of a transfer interval of the sound data,

wherein the unit control unit generates a third count value indicating a length of a generation interval of a data control signal output by the sound units,

wherein, when the first count value and a first expected value indicating an expected value of the first count value set in advance do not coincide with each other, the arithmetic unit determines that the sound unit has a fault,

wherein, when the second count value and a second expected value indicating an expected value of the second count value set in advance do not coincide with each other, the arithmetic unit determines that the memory-transfer control unit has a fault, and

wherein, when the third count value and a third expected value indicating an expected value of the third count value set in advance do not coincide with each other, the arithmetic unit determines that the sound data transfer route has a fault.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the arithmetic unit controls the route switching unit to switch at least one of the unit and the sound data transfer route, which has a fault, to at least one of another unit and another sound data transfer route and starts performing at least one of output and input of the sound data via the external terminals.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the route switching unit includes:

a route setting register that stores a route setting value indicating an output destination of the sound data; and

a plurality of selectors that switch a transfer route of the sound data on the basis of a value of the route setting value.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein the route setting value is rewritten by the arithmetic unit.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the second sound data transfer route transfers first recording sound data obtained by recording with a microphone sound output from a speaker via the external terminals, and

wherein the third sound data transfer route transfers second recording sound data generated by looping back the reproduction sound data in the route switching section.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein at least two routes including the second sound data transfer route or at least two routes including the third sound data transfer route are provided.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein a number of all of the sound units and a number of all of the memory transfer control units are considered in setting a number of the sound data transfer routes.

8. A fault detection method in a semiconductor device, the semiconductor device including:

a processor coupled to a storage device storing instructions for executing;

an arithmetic;

unit that performs processing for executing a computer program;

a plurality of sound units that convert sound data stored in a memory into a serial signal, add sampling frequency information of the sound data to the serial signal, and output the serial signal to a plurality of external terminals, and convert the sound data input from one of the plurality of the external terminals into a parallel signal, add the sampling frequency information of the sound data to the parallel signal, and transfer the parallel signal to the memory; and

a plurality of memory transfer control units that control transmission and reception of data between the memory and the plurality of sound units,

the fault detection method comprising;

configuring first to third sound data transfer routes configured by one of the sound units and one of the memory-transfer control units;

transferring reproduction sound data stored in the memory from the memory to a side of the external terminals via the first sound data transfer route;

transferring two pieces of recording sound data generated on account of the reproduction sound data from the side of the external terminals to the memory via the second and the third sound data transfer routes;

comparing, in the arithmetic unit, the reproduction sound data and the two pieces of the recording sound data and detecting a fault in the sound data transfer routes;

in the plurality of sound units, generating a first count value for measuring a transfer cycle of the sound data;

in the plurality of memory-transfer control units, generating a second count value for measuring a transfer cycle of the sound data from the sound unit to the memory and a third count value for measuring a transfer cycle of the sound data from the memory to the sound unit; and

in the arithmetic unit;

when the first count value and a first expected value indicating an expected value of the first count value set in advance do not coincide with each other, determining that the sound unit has a fault;

when the second count value and a second expected value indicating an expected value of the second count value set in advance do not coincide with each other, determining that the memory-transfer control unit has a fault; and

when the third count value and a third expected value indicating an expected value of the third count value set in advance do not coincide with each other, determining that the sound data transfer route has a fault.

9. The fault detecting method according to claim 8, further comprising, in the arithmetic unit, switching at least one of the unit and the sound data transfer route, which has a fault, to at least one of another unit and another sound data transfer route and starting performing at least one of output and input of the sound data via the external terminals.

10. The fault detecting method according to claim 8, wherein the sound data transfer route transfers first recording sound data obtained by recording with a microphone sound data output from a speaker via the external terminals, and

wherein the third sound data transfer route transfers the second recording sound data generated by looping back the reproduction sound data in a route switching section.

11. The fault detecting method according to claim 10, wherein at least two routes of the second sound data transfer route or at least two routes of the third sound data transfer route are provided.

12. The fault detecting method according to claim 8, wherein a number of all of the sound units and a number of all of the memory-transfer control units are considered in setting a number of the sound data transfer routes.