Diagnostic mechanism for an integrated circuit

• US 7,206,982 B1
• Filed: 06/16/2004
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arm Ltd. (United Kingdom) (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Arm Ltd. (United Kingdom) (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Flynn, David Walter, Muller, Michael Peter, Patel, Dipesh Ishwerbhai
• Primary Examiner(s): Decady; Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trimmings; John P.
• Application Number:
  US10/868,342
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 714/724
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2884 using dedicated test connectors, test elements or test circuits on the IC under test G01R31/2855 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3025 Wireless interface with the DUT

Abstract

A diagnostic mechanism for an integrated circuit 2 uses a radio interface circuit 16 to provide communication between an external diagnostic device 22 and one or more diagnostic circuits 26, 28 within the integrated circuit 2. The use of a radio communication link for diagnostic data and control reduces the required pin count for the integrated circuit 2.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit comprising:

at least one data processing circuit operable to perform data processing operations;

a diagnostic circuit operable to perform one or more diagnostic operations upon said at least one data processing circuit; and

a radio for providing communication between said diagnostic circuit and an external diagnostic device, wherein said radio, during non-diagnostic operations of said integrated circuit, provides communication between said data processing circuits and an external non-diagnostic device.

2. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said diagnostic circuit is operable to generate diagnostic result data and said radio is operable to transmit said diagnostic result data to said external diagnostic device.

3. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said diagnostic circuit is responsive to diagnostic control data and said radio is operable to receive said diagnostic control data from said external diagnostic device.

4. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said diagnostic circuit is a debug circuit operable to perform debugging operations by control of one of said data processing circuits.

5. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said diagnostic circuit is a tracing circuit operable to perform tracing operations upon said data processing circuits.

6. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 5, wherein said radio provides real time communication with said external diagnostic device of trace data generated by said tracing circuit.

7. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said diagnostic circuit is a manufacturing test circuit operable to perform manufacturing test operations upon said data processing circuits.

8. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 7, wherein said radio is operable to transmit one or more results of said manufacturing test operations to said external diagnostic device.

9. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of more of said data processing circuits are used in combination with said radio to provide said communication between said diagnostic circuit and said external diagnostic device.

10. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said data processing circuit include a program controlled processor core and said program controlled processor is operable to execute diagnostic communication program routines that serve with said radio to provide said communication between said diagnostic circuit and said external diagnostic device.

11. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said radio is a Bluetooth on-chip radio circuit and diagnostic operation is provided by a diagnostic profile over a Bluetooth radio link.

12. A method of performing diagnostic operations upon an integrated circuit, said method comprising the steps of:

performing one or more diagnostic operations with a diagnostic circuit upon one or more data processing circuits of said integrated circuit; and

communicating between said diagnostic circuit and an external diagnostic device with a radio, wherein said radio, during non-diagnostic operations of said integrated circuit, provides communication between said data processing circuits and an external non-diagnostic device.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said diagnostic circuit is operable to generate diagnostic result data and said radio is operable to transmit said diagnostic result data to said external diagnostic device.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said diagnostic circuit is responsive to diagnostic control data and said radio is operable to receive said diagnostic control data from said external diagnostic device.

15. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said diagnostic circuit is a debug circuit operable to perform debugging operations by control of one of said data processing circuits.

16. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said diagnostic circuit is a tracing circuit operable to perform tracing operations upon said data processing circuits.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein said radio provides real time communication with said external diagnostic device of trace data generated by said tracing circuit.

18. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said diagnostic circuit is a manufacturing test circuit operable to perform manufacturing test operations upon said data processing circuits.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein said radio is operable to transmit one or more results of said manufacturing test operations to said external diagnostic device.

20. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein one or more of said data processing circuits are used in combination with said radio to provide said communication between said diagnostic circuit and said external diagnostic device.

21. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said data processing circuit includes a program controlled processor core and said program controlled processor is operable to execute diagnostic communication program routines that serve with said radio to provide said communication between said diagnostic circuit and said external diagnostic device.

22. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said radio is a Bluetooth on-chip radio circuit and diagnostic operation is provided by a diagnostic profile over a Bluetooth radio link.