Microcomputer, electronic equipment and debugging system

• US 7,114,101 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2003
• Issued: 09/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Kudo, Makoto, Hijikata, Yoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bonzo, Bryce P.
• Application Number:
  US10/724,885
• Publication Number:
  US 20040153802A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• Field of Search: 714/28, 714/30, 714/31, 714/35, 703/28
• US Class Current: 714/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/273 Tester hardware, i.e. output processing circuits G06F11/263 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3648 using additional hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3656 using a specific debug interface

Abstract

An object is to provide a microcomputer, electronic instrument and debugging system which can realize an on-chip debugging function through a reduced size of instruction code or a reduced circuit scale. A main monitor section (16) converts a debugging command into a primitive command. A mini monitor section (14) transfers data to and from the main monitor section (16) to execute a primitive command determined based on the receive data. The primitive commands include go, write and read commands. A control register having its address allocated on a memory map in the debugging mode is provided together with a mini monitor RAM. The mini monitor section (14) serving as a slave is connected to the main monitor section (16) serving as a master through a half-duplex bidirectional communication line so that transfer data can be fixed-length. The receive data includes a command identifying data. A mini monitor program has been stored in a ROM. The mini monitor section (14) and main monitor section (16) use a clock in common to generate a sampling clock while transferring data in the start-stop synchronization.

Claims

1. A microcomputer having an on-chip debugging function, comprising:

a central processing unit for executing instructions; and

a first monitor section which performs data transfer to and from a second monitor section, determines a primitive command to be executed based on the receive data from said second monitor section, and performs processing for execution of the determined primitive command, a monitor program for executing a processing of said first monitor section is stored in a ROM, said second monitor section being provided outside said microcomputer and performing a processing to convert a debugging command into at least one primitive command in order to reduce the size of an instruction code for realizing the first monitor section or a scale of the first monitor section, and said primitive command includes a command for starting an execution of a user program, a command for writing data to an address on a memory map in a debugging mode and a command for reading data from the address on said memory map.

2. The microcomputer according to claim 1, the first monitor section includes a control register used for execution of instructions in said central processing unit and having an address thereof allocated on the memory map in the debugging mode.

3. The microcomputer according to claim 1, the first monitor section includes a monitor RAM into which contents of an internal register of said central processing unit are saved, and having an address thereof allocated on the memory map in the debugging mode.

4. The microcomputer according to claim 1, further comprising a terminal connected to a single bidirectional communication line for performing a half-duplex bidirectional communication between said terminal and said second monitor section, wherein, on condition that said first monitor section being a slave has received data from said second monitor section being a master, said first monitor section performs a processing corresponding to the received data and sends response data corresponding to the received data to said second monitor section.

5. The microcomputer according to claim 1, the data received from said second monitor section includes an identification data of the primitive command to be executed by said first monitor section.

6. The microcomputer according to claim 1, wherein said first monitor section transfers fixed-length data to and from said second monitor section.

7. The microcomputer according to claim 1, said first monitor section includes:

a first frequency division circuit for dividing a first clock and for generating a first sampling clock for sampling each bit in data sent and received according to start-stop synchronization; and

a circuit for sending and receiving data based on said first sampling clock, and

wherein said first monitor section supplies said first clock to said second monitor section as a signal for causing a second frequency division circuit included in said second monitor section to generate a second sampling clock.

8. The microcomputer according to claim 1, said first monitor section includes a monitor RAM which is readable and writable, and when a break of an execution of an user program occurs and a mode is shifted to a debugging mode, said first monitor section saves a program counter value of said central processing unit and contents of an internal register into said monitor RAM.

9. An electronic instrument, comprising:

a microcomputer according to claim 1;

an input source of data to be processed by said microcomputer; and

an output device for outputting data processed by said microcomputer.

22. The microcomputer according to claim 3, said first monitor section includes:

a first frequency division circuit for dividing a first clock and for generating a first sampling clock for sampling each bit in data sent and received according to start-stop synchronization; and

a circuit for sending and receiving data based on said first sampling clock, and

wherein said first monitor section supplies said first clock to said second monitor section as a signal for causing a second frequency division circuit included in said second monitor section to generate a second sampling clock.

23. An electronic instrument, comprising:

a microcomputer according to claim 22;

an input source of data to be processed by said microcomputer; and

an output device for outputting data processed by said microcomputer.

10. A microcomputer having an on-chip debugging function, comprising:

a central processing unit for executing instructions; and

a first monitor section which performs data transfer to and from a second monitor section, determines a primitive command to be executed based on the receive data from said second monitor section, and performs processing for execution of the determined primitive command, a monitor program for executing a processing of said first monitor section is stored in a ROM, said second monitor section being provided outside said microcomputer and performing a processing to convert a debugging command into at least one primitive command in order to reduce the size of an instruction code for realizing the first monitor section or a scale of the first monitor section, and the first monitor section includes a control register used for execution of instructions in said central processing unit and having an address thereof allocated on a memory map in a debugging mode.

11. The microcomputer according to claim 10, further comprising a terminal connected to a single bidirectional communication line for performing a half-duplex bidirectional communication between said terminal and said second monitor section, wherein, on condition that said first monitor section being a slave has received data from said second monitor section being a master, said first monitor section performs a processing corresponding to the received data and sends response data corresponding to the received data to said second monitor section.

12. An electronic instrument, comprising:

a microcomputer according to claim 11;

an input source of data to be processed by said microcomputer; and

an output device for outputting data processed by said microcomputer.

13. The microcomputer according to claim 10, the data received from said second monitor section includes an identification data of the primitive command to be executed by said first monitor section.

14. An electronic instrument, comprising:

a microcomputer according to claim 13;

an input source of data to be processed by said microcomputer; and

an output device for outputting data processed by said microcomputer.

15. The microcomputer according to claim 10, wherein said first monitor section transfers fixed-length data to and from said second monitor section.

16. An electronic instrument, comprising:

a microcomputer according to claim 15;

an input source of data to be processed by said microcomputer; and

an output device for outputting data processed by said microcomputer.

17. The microcomputer according to claim 10, further comprising a trace section realizing a real-time trace function and connected to said second monitor means.

18. The microcomputer according to claim 10, said first monitor section includes a monitor RAM which is readable and writable, and when a break of an execution of an user program occurs and a mode is shifted to a debugging mode, said first monitor section saves a program counter value of said central processing unit and contents of an internal register into said monitor RAM.

19. An electronic instrument, comprising:

a microcomputer according to claim 18;

an input source of data to be processed by said microcomputer; and

an output device for outputting data processed by said microcomputer.

20. An electronic instrument, comprising:

a microcomputer according to claim 10;

an input source of data to be processed by said microcomputer; and

an output device for outputting data processed by said microcomputer.

21. An electronic instrument, comprising:

a microcomputer according to claim 10;

an input source of data to be processed by said microcomputer; and

an output device for outputting data processed by said microcomputer.

24. A microcomputer having an on-chip debugging function, comprising:

a central processing unit for executing instructions; and

a first monitor section which performs data transfer to and from a second monitor section, determines a primitive command to be executed based on the receive data from said second monitor section, and performs processing for execution of the determined primitive command, a monitor program for executing a processing of said first monitor section is stored in a ROM, said second monitor section being provided outside said microcomputer and performing a processing to convert a debugging command into at least one primitive command in order to reduce the size of an instruction code for realizing the first monitor section or a scale of the first monitor section, and the first monitor section includes a monitor RAM into which contents of an internal register of said central processing unit are saved, and having an address thereof allocated on a memory map in a debugging mode.

25. An electronic instrument, comprising:

a microcomputer according to claim 24;

an input source of data to be processed by said microcomputer; and

an output device for outputting data processed by said microcomputer.

26. A debugging system for a target system including a microcomputer, said debugging system comprising:

a second monitor section which performs processing for converting a debugging command issued by a host system into at least one primitive command; and

a first monitor section which performs data transfer to and from said second monitor section, determines a primitive command to be executed based on the receive data from said second monitor section, and performs processing for execution of the determined primitive command, a monitor program for executing a processing of said first monitor section is stored in a ROM, the second monitor section converts the debugging command into the primitive command in order to reduce the size of the monitor program and a scale of the ROM, and said primitive command includes a command for starting an execution of a user program, a command for writing data to an address on a memory map in a debugging mode and a command for reading data from the address on said memory map.

27. The debugging system according to claim 26, the first monitor section includes a control register used for execution of instructions in said central processing unit and having an address thereof allocated on a memory map in a debugging mode.

28. The debugging system according to claim 26, the first monitor section includes a monitor RAM into which contents of an internal register of said central processing unit are saved, and having an address thereof allocated on a memory map in a debugging mode.

29. The debugging system according to claim 26, further comprising a terminal connected to a single bidirectional communication line for performing a half-duplex bidirectional communication between said terminal and said second monitor section, wherein, on condition that said first monitor section being a slave has received data from said second monitor section being a master, said first monitor section performs a processing corresponding to the received data and sends response data corresponding to the received data to said second monitor section.

30. The debugging system according to claim 26, the data received from said second monitor section includes an identification data of the primitive command to be executed by said first monitor section.

31. The debugging system according to claim 26, wherein said first monitor section transfers fixed-length data to and from said second monitor section.

32. The debugging system according to claim 26, said first monitor section includes:

a first frequency division circuit for dividing a first clock and for generating a first sampling clock for sampling each bit in data sent and received according to start-stop synchronization; and

a circuit for sending and receiving data based on said first sampling clock, and

wherein said first monitor section supplies said first clock to said second monitor section as a signal for causing a second frequency division circuit included in said second monitor section to generate a second sampling clock.

33. The microcomputer according to claim 26, further comprising a trace section realizing a real-time trace function and connected to said second monitor means.