System and method for communicating with an integrated circuit

• US 6,601,189 B1
• Filed: 10/01/1999
• Issued: 07/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics Limited (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics Limited (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Edwards, David Alan, Rich, Anthony Willis, Ramanadin, Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): MASKULINSKI, MICHAEL C
• Application Number:
  US09/410,732
• Time in Patent Office: 1,397 Days
• Field of Search: 710/106, 710/307, 713/320, 714/25, 714/30, 714/31, 714/726
• US Class Current: 714/30
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/31903 tester configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3656 using a specific debug interface

Abstract

A system and method for communicating with an integrated circuit is provided that allows an integrated circuit to communicate debugging information and system bus transaction information with an external system. The system may include an interface protocol that provides flow control between the integrated circuit and the external system. The system may include a high-speed link and/or a JTAG link for communicating information. A link may be automatically selected by a debug circuit, or selected by an on-chip device or external system. The high-speed link enables real-time collection of trace information. Links may be memory-mapped, such that on-chip devices and other devices attached to the system bus may access the external system. The high-speed link may also operate at a rate which is integrally coupled with a rate of the processor or system bus. Further, the high-speed link may be adapted to change speeds in response to a change in operating speed of the system bus or processor. The JTAG interface may utilize standard JTAG components and instructions such that external devices such as debug adaptors adopting these components and instructions may be re-used for different integrated circuit types. Information transmitted over the JTAG or high-speed link may be compressed to optimize available bandwidth of the links. Also, processor control signals can be transferred through links that allow an external system to manipulate and monitor operation of the processor and its associated modules.

Claims

1. A method for communicating between a debug circuit of an integrated circuit and an external system, the method comprising steps of:

sending a first request message;

receiving a second request message, said second request message indicating that a receive processor may receive another request message; and

sending a third request message, wherein the third request message is located in a buffer, and is transmitted in response to receiving the second request message.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein messages are transmitted over an output data path and are received over an input data path wherein the input and output paths operate independently from one another.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the output data path is wider than the input data path.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the input data path is 1 bit wide.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the output data path is 4 bits wide.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein input data of an input message is provided in phase with an input clocking signal.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein output data of an output message is provided that is in phase with an output clocking signal.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein an output transmission clock used to clock output data is determined from an internal system bus clock.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein a programmable divider determines the output transmission clock frequency.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the programmable divider is programmed by a system external to the integrated circuit.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the external system issues a command to transfer the processor from a standby state into an operating state.

12. The method according to claims 11, wherein the external system monitors a status indicator to determine if the processor is operating normally.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the external system delays sending of requests until the processor is operating normally.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the external system waits a predetermined amount of time to allow the processor to stabilize.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the external system may perform one of either:

waiting a predetermined amount of time to allow the processor to stabilize; and

monitoring a status indicator to determine if the processor is operating normally.

16. The method according to claim 8, wherein the output transmission clock is an integral frequency of the system bus clock.

17. The method according to claim 8, wherein the system clock is dynamically changed to conserve power.

18. The method according to claim 2, wherein an input message does not include a type field.

19. The method according to claim 2, wherein an output message is a variable-length message determined by the contents of the message.

20. The method according to claim 2, wherein an output message is not dependent on debug adapter buffer status.

21. The method according to claim 2, wherein output messages are one of trace messages and system bus transactions.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the system bus transaction is a request to an address space of the external system.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the request to the address space of the external system is at least one of the group of:

reading from a memory address;

storing to a memory address; and

writing to a memory address and returning a previous value of the memory address.

24. The method according to claim 21, wherein a message type field of a trace message indicates that the trace message is at least one of,

a trigger trace message type;

and

a background trace message type.

25. The method according to claim 2, wherein an idle word separates two output messages.

26. The method according to claim 1, wherein the steps of sending request messages includes:

sending a start of message indication; and

sending an end-of-message indication.

27. The method according to claim 1, wherein the request messages are system bus request messages.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the system bus request messages originate from one or more devices coupled to a system bus associated with the integrated circuit.

29. The method according to claim 1, wherein contents of the request messages are identified and specify the response required to each request message.

30. The method according to claim 1, wherein the debug circuit indicates, in a bit of the output idle word, whether the receive buffer of the module is empty.