Pin-out connections/drive levels direct-set by drop down list

• US 7,143,360 B1
• Filed: 10/29/2001
• Issued: 11/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Ogami, Kenneth Y., Anderson, Douglas H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu D.
• Application Number:
  US10/032,986
• Time in Patent Office: 1,856 Days
• Field of Search: 345/735, 345/808, 345/810, 345/840, 345/843, 345/841, 345/771, 715/502, 715/503, 715/763, 715/967
• US Class Current: 715/763
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/07 where the programme is defined in the fixed connection of electrical elements, e.g. potentiometers, counters, transistors
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23258 GUI graphical user interface, icon, function bloc editor, labview
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25268 PLD programmable logic device
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/967 Visual or iconic programming

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a method and mechanism for configuring input/output connections in a programmable logical device, which comprise presenting a graphical user interface enabled to aid in configuring the programmable logical device, selecting a configuration presentation from the graphical user interface, selecting an I/O pin to be configured from the configuration presentation and selecting options for configuring the pin from among those presented in a selection set presented by the graphical user interface. The pins to be configured can be selected from either a graphical presentation or a parameter table and option selection sets can be presented in pop-up windows or drop-down lists.

Claims

1. In a computer system, a method for configuring input/output connections in a PSOC (programmable system-on-a-chip) device, comprising:

displaying a graphical user interface enabled for said configuring of said PSOC device;

selecting a configuration presentation from said graphical user interface;

selecting an input/output connection from said programmable logical device for configuration, wherein said input/output connection comprises a pin for said PSOC device; and

selecting options for said configuring of said input/output connections from a selection set presented in said graphical user interface.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein said graphical user interface is tailored to a specific PSOC device and implemented using a programming device.

3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein said PSOC device is a programmable microcontroller device.

4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein said configuration presentation is graphical presentation of a representation of said PSOC device.

5. A method as described in claim 1, wherein said configuration presentation is tabular presentation.

6. A method as described in claim 1, wherein said selecting of an input/output connection comprises mouse-clicking a graphical representation of said input/output connection.

7. A method as described in claim 1, wherein said selecting of an input/output connection comprises mouse-clicking a cell of a tabular representation of said input/output connection.

8. A method as described in claim 1, wherein said selecting of options comprises mouse-clicking a selection from a pop-up window.

9. A method as described in claim 8, wherein said options are presented in a drop-down list.

10. A system for configuring input/output connections in a PSOC (programmable system-on-a-chip) device, comprising:

a computing device;

a graphical display device communicatively coupled with said computing device;

a graphical user interface implemented within said computing device and presented in said graphical display device;

a graphical cursor control device communicatively coupled with said computing device and enabled to input commands to said computing device through said graphical user interface; and

a PSOC device electronically and communicatively coupled with said computing device, wherein selecting specific points with said graphical cursor control device on said graphical user interface results in input/output pin configuration data being generated for said input/output pin of said PSOC device.

11. A system as described in claim 10, wherein said specific points relate to integrated circuit input/output pins.

12. A system as described in claim 10, wherein said computing device is a personal computer.

13. A system as described in claim 10, wherein said graphical user interface presents configuration options pertinent to said input/output connections.

14. A system as described in claim 13, wherein said configuration options pertinent to said input/output connections presented in said graphical user interface are presented in pop-up windows.

15. A system as described in claim 13, wherein said configuration options pertinent to said input/output connections presented in said graphical user interface are presented in drop-down lists.

16. A system as described in claim 10, wherein said PSOC device is a programmable microcontroller device.

17. A graphical user interface for aiding the configuration of a PSOC (programmable system-on-a-chip) device, comprising:

a device configuration window;

a user-selectable pin-out window in said device configuration window;

a pin configuration parameters table;

a pop-up window, comprising selection options pertinent to the configuration of input/output connections; and

a drop-down list comprising selection options pertinent to the configuration of said input/output connections wherein said graphical user interface is enabled to accept user input commands in the process of configuring said PSOC device, and wherein said input/output connections comprise pins of said PSOC device.

18. A graphical user interface as described in claim 17, wherein said graphical user interface is enabled to accept mouse-click commands as said user input commands.

19. A graphical user interface as described in claim 17, wherein said device configuration window is specifically tailored to program input/output pin configurations on a programmable microcontroller device.

20. A graphical user interface as described in claim 17, wherein said user-selectable pin-out window is graphically configured in the form of said PSOC device and implemented using a programming device.

21. A graphical user interface as described in claim 17, wherein said pop-up window comprises selection options pertinent to the configuration of input/output pins of said programmable logic device.

22. A graphical user interface as described in claim 21, wherein said pop-up window is enabled to appear when an input/output pin is selected by a mouse-click in said pin-out window.

23. A graphical user interface as described in claim 21, wherein said selection options in said pop-up window are selectable by a mouse-click.

24. A graphical user interface as described in claim 17, wherein said pin configuration parameters table comprises selection options pertinent to the configuration of said input/output connections.

25. A graphical user interface as described in claim 17, wherein said drop-down list is enabled to appear when a tabular listing associated with said input/output connections is selected by mouse-click in said pin configuration parameters table.

26. A graphical user interface as described in claim 17, wherein said drop-down list comprises selection options pertinent to the configuration of said input/output connections.

27. A graphical user interface as described in claim 17, wherein said pop-up window disappears from said graphical user interface when a mouse-click is made outside said pop-up window.

28. In a computer system, a tool for programming a PSOC (programmable system-on-a-chip) integrated circuit comprising:

a graphical representation of said integrated circuit displayed on a display screen, said graphical representation comprising input/output pins; and

a window displayed in response to a selection of an input/output pin, wherein said window comprises a list of selectable attributes for assigning said input/output pin and wherein both pin type and drive type can be assigned to said input/output pin from said list of selectable attributes.

29. A tool as described in claim 28 further comprising a cursor control device for providing said selection of said input/output pin.

30. A tool as described in claim 29 wherein said cursor control device is also for providing a selection of said list of selectable attributes.

31. A tool as described in claim 29 wherein said window automatically disappears if said cursor control device makes a selection outside of said window.

32. A tool as described in claim 28 further comprising a tabular display of information in cells comprising, for each of said input/output pins, a column for pin name, a column for pin type and a column for drive type.

33. A tool as described in claim 32 wherein said window is also displayed in response to a selection of a cell of said tabular display of information.