Resistor identification configuration circuitry and associated method

• US 20060179047A1
• Filed: 01/19/2006
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Bresemann, David P., Wagner, Robert C., Hendrickson, Alan F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,958,286 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23336 Identification of program, application, device to be controlled
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/54433 containing identification or tracking information
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/5444 for electrical read out
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/544 Marks applied to semiconductor devices or parts, e.g. registration marks, alignment structures, wafer maps test patterns for characterising or monitoring manufacturing processes H01L22/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

Programmable on-chip identification circuitry and associated method are disclosed that provide integrated circuits with the ability to select and report from multiple different vendor and system identification configurations. The integrated circuit device includes programmable circuitry that utilizes vendor identification, system identification, configuration or other device information provided or selected at least in part based upon selection information from a source external to the integrated circuit. The selection information may be provided through one or more externally generated digital and/or analog control signals that are then processed within the integrated circuit device to select, access and utilize desired identification information stored in an on-chip database. For example, one or more analog control signals can be generated using resistor circuits for which specific selectable resistor configurations map to particular information stored in a look-up table or other database structure within the integrated circuit. The analog control signals are converted to digital values within the integrated circuit, and these digital values are used to select device information from the on-chip database. Furthermore, the selected device information can be stored in on-chip device information registers. And the digital values themselves can be stored and used as identification, configuration or other device information.

Claims

1. Programmable information selection system for an integrated circuit, comprising:

a database integrated within an integrated circuit, the database having a plurality of sets of information stored within it; and

programmable circuitry within the integrated circuit coupled to the database and coupled to receive at least one external analog voltage control signal as an input, the programmable circuitry being configured to select from the sets of stored information depending at least in part upon the analog voltage control signal; and

external resistor circuitry coupled to the programmable circuitry to provide at least one external analog voltage control signal.

2. The programmable information selection system of claim 1, wherein the programmable circuitry comprises an analog to digital converter (ADC) having the analog voltage control signal as an input, and control circuitry coupled to receive a digital selection value from the ADC.

3. The programmable information selection system of claim 2, wherein the database comprises a look-up table and wherein the sets of information are stored within the look-up table as selectable rows of information, the digital selection value determining what data is accessed and stored in information registers.

4. The programmable information selection system of claim 3, wherein the information stored in the look-up table comprises system identification information according to the PCI local bus standard or the AC97 component specification.

5. The programmable information selection system of claim 1, wherein multiple resistor configurations for the resistor circuitry are mapped to information stored in the database, such that a selection of one of the resistor configurations determines at least in part the information selected and utilized from the database.

6. The programmable information selection system of claim 5, wherein the resistor circuitry comprises at least two resistors coupled together to form a resistor divider circuit, the resistor divider circuit providing the voltage control signal to the integrated circuit, and wherein the multiple resistor configurations comprises different sets of resistor values for the at least two resistors.

7. A computer system having programmable information selection system for direct-access-arrangement (DAA) circuitry, comprising:

a processor;

a digital controller coupled to the processor;

digital-access-arrangement (DAA) circuitry including at least one integrated circuit, the DAA circuitry being coupled to the digital controller;

a database within the integrated circuit, the database configured to store identification information;

programmable circuitry included within the integrated circuit, the programmable circuitry being configured to retrieve identification information from the on-chip database based at least in part upon an analog voltage control signal provided through at least one input pin of the integrated circuit from a source external to the integrated circuit; and

resistor circuitry external to the integrated circuit coupled to the programmable circuitry to provide at least one analog voltage control signal.

8. The computer system of claim 7, further comprising at least one analog-to-digital converter (ADC) within the integrated circuit coupled to receive the analog voltage control signal and to provide a digital control signal as an output.

9. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the programmable circuitry comprises multiple registers, each capable of storing identification information.

10. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the database comprises a look-up table configured to store multiple sets of identification information, and wherein the digital control signal determines which set of identification information is utilized by the DAA circuitry.

11. Programmable device information circuitry for an integrated circuit, comprising:

at least one external pin for an integrated circuit configured to receive at least one analog voltage control signal;

analog-to-digital conversion circuitry within the integrated circuit coupled to receive the external analog voltage control signal and to output a digital value;

at least one device information register;

control circuitry within the integrated circuit coupled to the analog-to-digital converter, the programmable circuitry being configured to store device information in the device information register depending at least in part upon the digital value; and

external resistor circuitry coupled to the external pin to provide the analog voltage control signal.

12. The programmable device information circuitry of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is configured to store the digital value in the device information register.

13. The programmable device information circuitry of claim 12, further comprising a database within the integrated circuit, the database having a plurality of sets of information stored within it, and wherein the control circuitry is configured to select device information from the sets of stored information to store the selected device information in the device information register.

14. The programmable device information circuitry of claim 13, wherein the database comprises a look-up table, the digital value determining what data is accessed and stored in the device information register.

15. The programmable device information circuitry of claim 13, wherein multiple resistor configurations for the resistor circuitry are mapped to information stored in the database, such that a selection of one of the resistor configurations determines at least in part the information selected and utilized from the database.

16. The programmable device information circuitry of claim 11, wherein the resistor circuitry comprises at least two resistors coupled together to form a resistor divider circuit, the resistor divider circuit providing the analog voltage control signal to the integrated circuit.

17. The programmable device information circuitry of claim 11, wherein the analog voltage control signal comprises a differential signal received across two external pins for the integrated circuit.

18. A method for programming device information for an integrated circuit, comprising:

utilizing resistor circuitry to generate at least one analog voltage control signal;

receiving the analog voltage control signal as an input to at least one external input pin of an integrated circuit;

converting the analog control signal to a digital value; and

storing device information in at least one device information register depending at least in part upon the digital value.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising storing the digital value in the device information register.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising providing a database within the integrated circuit, the database having a plurality of sets of information stored within it, selecting device information from the sets of stored information based upon the digital value, and storing the selected device information in the device information register.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the database comprises a look-up table, the digital value determining what data is accessed and stored in the device information register.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising mapping multiple resistor configurations for the resistor circuitry to information stored in the database, such that a selection of one of the resistor configurations determines at least in part the information selected and utilized from the database.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the resistor circuitry comprises at least two resistors coupled together to form a resistor divider circuit, the resistor divider circuit providing the voltage control signal to the integrated circuit.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the analog voltage control signal comprises a differential signal received across two external pins for the integrate circuit.