COMMUNICATION DEVICE, COMMUNICATION METHOD, PROGRAM, AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20200133901A1
• Filed: 05/25/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Koshisaka, Naohiro, Takahashi, Hiroo
• Granted Patent: US 11,119,955 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/20 for access to input/output bus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4282 on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4291 using a clocked protocol

Abstract

To perform communication more definitely and efficiently.

In a case of transferring a communication initiative in accordance with a request by a secondary master, a master determines whether or not the secondary master that has performed the request has a group management capability. Then, when it is determined that the secondary master has no group management capability, the master instructs all communication devices connected to a bus to reset a group address, and when it is determined that the secondary master has the group management capability, the master transfers the communication initiative in a state in which the group address is set. The present technology is, for example, applicable to a bus IF.

Claims

1. A primary communication device having a communication initiative through a bus, the primary communication device comprising:

communication circuitry configured to communicate with a plurality of secondary communication devices, wherein the plurality of secondary communication devices are configured to perform communication under control of the primary communication device; and

control circuitry configured to;

cause the primary communication device to receive a mastership request from a respective secondary communication device,

determine whether the respective secondary communication device has a capability relating a group address, and

cause the primary communication device to inform the respective secondary communication device of an assigned group address information.

2. The primary communication device according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where the respective secondary communication device does not have the capability relating to the group address, the control circuitry is configured to determine whether any of the plurality of secondary communication devices have the capability relating to the group address.

3. The primary communication device according to claim 1, further comprising a register, wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine whether the respective secondary communication device has the capability relating to the group address based on a table held in the register.

4. The primary communication device according to claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured to cause the primary communication device to issue a read command, and

a group address is prohibited to be designated in the read command.

5. The primary communication device according to claim 1, wherein the assigned group address information includes information corresponding to an I3C version state of the corresponding second communication device.

6. The primary communication device according to claim 1, wherein the assigned group address information includes information representing a number of assignable group address slots of the corresponding second communication device.

7. The primary communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication circuitry and/or the control circuitry are respectively configured from a semiconductor integrated circuit.

8. The primary communication device according to claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured to cause the primary communication device to issue a write command to those among the plurality of secondary communication devices having a particular group address.

9. The primary communication device according to claim 8, wherein the primary communication device is configured to receive an acknowledgment from those among the plurality of secondary communication devices having the particular group address, in response to the write command.

10. A secondary communication device configured to perform communication through a bus under control of a primary communication device, the secondary communication device comprising:

communication circuitry configured to communicate with the primary communication device and with a plurality of tertiary communication devices; and

control circuitry configured to;

cause the secondary communication device to start driving the bus, and

cause the secondary communication device to acquire a respective capability information from the primary communication device and/or at least one of the plurality of tertiary communication devices.

11. The secondary communication device according to claim 10, wherein the control circuitry is configured to:

cause the secondary communication device to transmit a mastership request to the primary communication device;

cause the secondary communication device to receive an acknowledgment from the primary communication device, the acknowledgment indicating that the secondary communication device is permitted to receive the communication initiative through the bus; and

cause the secondary communication device to start driving the bus in response to receiving the acknowledgment.

12. The secondary communication device according to claim 10, wherein the control circuitry is configured to:

determine whether the secondary communication device has a capability relating to a group address; and

in a case where the secondary communication device has the capability relating to the group address, cause the secondary communication device to assign a respective group address to the primary communication device and/or at least one of the plurality of tertiary communication devices.

13. The secondary communication device according to claim 10, wherein the control circuitry is configured to cause the secondary communication device to issue a read command, and

a group address is prohibited to be designated in the read command.

14. The secondary communication device according to claim 10, wherein the assigned address information includes information corresponding to an I3C version state of the primary communication device and/or at least one of the plurality of tertiary communication devices.

15. The secondary communication device according to claim 10, wherein the assigned address information includes information includes information representing a number of assignable group address lots of the primary communication device and/or at least one of the plurality of tertiary communication devices.

16. The secondary communication device according to claim 10, wherein the communication circuitry and/or the control circuitry are respectively configured from a semiconductor integrated circuit.

17. The secondary communication device according to claim 10, wherein the control circuitry is configured to cause the secondary communication device to issue a write command to those among the primary communication device and the plurality of tertiary communication devices having a particular group address.

18. The secondary communication device according to claim 17, wherein the primary communication device is configured to receive an acknowledgment from those among the primary communication device and the plurality of tertiary communication devices having the particular group address, in response to the write command.

19. A communication system comprising:

a primary communication device having a communication initiative through a bus;

a secondary communication device configured to perform communication through the bus under control of the primary communication device and capable of receiving the communication initiative through the bus; and

at least one tertiary communication device configured to perform communication under control of the primary communication device or the secondary communication device, wherein

the primary communication device includes;

first communication circuitry configured to communicate with the secondary communication device and the at least one tertiary communication device, and

first control circuitry configured to;

cause the primary communication device to receive a mastership request from the secondary communication device,

determine whether the secondary communication device has a capability relating to a group address, and

cause the primary communication device to inform the secondary coin-munication device of an assigned group address information.

20. The communication system according to claim 19, wherein the secondary communication device includes:

secondary communication circuitry configured to communicate with the primary communication device and with the at least one tertiary communication device; and

second control circuitry configured to;

cause the secondary communication device to start driving the bus, and

cause the secondary communication device to acquire a respective capability information from the primary communication device and/or the tertiary communication device.