Method and apparatus for generating microcontroller configuration information

• US 7,406,674 B1
• Filed: 10/24/2001
• Issued: 07/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Ogami, Kenneth Y., Anderson, Doug, Pleis, Matthew, Hood, III, Frederick Redding
• Primary Examiner(s): Siek, Vuthe
• Application Number:
  US10/002,726
• Time in Patent Office: 2,470 Days
• Field of Search: 716/1, 716/16, 716/17, 716/18, 703/22, 326 37- 41
• US Class Current: 716/117
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/30 Circuit design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/327 Logic synthesis; Behaviour synthesis, e.g. mapping logic, HDL to netlist, high-level language to RTL or netlist
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/34 for reconfigurable circuits, e.g. field programmable gate arrays [FPGA] or programmable logic devices [PLD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/347 Physical level, e.g. placement or routing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/22 Microcontrol or microprogram arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

A method and apparatus for configuring a microcontroller. An XML description of the microcontroller'"'"'s hardware resources may be accessed. A user may select from available hardware resources and pre-defined user modules to select a configuration. Configuration information, which may include register bit patterns and microprocessor instructions, may be automatically generated. Additionally, application programming interface calls and structure, as well as interrupt vector tables may be automatically generated. Embodiments of the present invention provide improved ease of use and the ability to manage greater complexity in the configuration of configurable microcontrollers.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a microcontroller comprising:

a) accessing a text readable description of hardware resources of said microcontroller;

b) selecting available configurations of said text readable description of hardware resources, wherein said selecting produces a selected configuration;

c) generating executable configuration information corresponding to said selected configuration; and

c3) generating an interrupt vector table for use by embedded software, wherein a plurality of interrupts included in said interrupt vector table are generated by said selected configuration.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said description of said text readable hardware resources of said microcontroller comprises a text readable data structure.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein said text readable data structure is substantially compliant with extensible markup language.

4. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

a1) accessing predetermined configurations of said hardware resources, wherein said predetermined configurations are user modules.

5. The method according to claim 4 further comprising:

b1) selecting said user modules to produce said selected configuration.

6. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

c1) running said executable configuration information to configure said microcontroller.

7. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

c2) generating application programming interface calls for embedded software.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein said application programming interface calls are named according to names given to configurations of hardware resources of said microcontroller.

9. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

d) tracking said selected configuration; and

e) informing the user if said selected configuration is achievable using hardware resources of said microcontroller.

10. A method for configuring a microcontroller containing a plurality of dynamically configurable blocks comprising:

a) accessing a text based description of said dynamically configurable blocks, wherein said dynamically configurable blocks can be configured to produce a variety of functions and said text based description is not executable software;

b) selecting available configurations of said dynamically configurable blocks, wherein said selecting produces a selected configuration; and

c) generating configuration information corresponding to said selected configuration.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein said text based description of said dynamically configurable blocks is substantially compliant with extensible markup language.

12. The method according to claim 10 further comprising:

a1) accessing predetermined configurations of said dynamically configurable blocks, wherein said predetermined configurations are user modules.

13. The method according to claim 12 further comprising:

b1) selecting said user modules to produce said selected configuration.

14. The method according to claim 10 further comprising:

c1) generating microprocessor instructions for using said configuration information to configure said dynamically configurable blocks.

15. The method according to claim 10 further comprising:

c2) generating application programming interface calls for embedded software.

16. The method according to claim 15 wherein said application programming interface calls are named according to names given to configurations of said hardware resources.

17. The method according to claim 10 further comprising:

c3) generating an interrupt vector table for use by embedded software, wherein a plurality of interrupts included in said interrupt vector table are generated by said selected configuration.

18. The method according to claim 10 further comprising:

d) editing said text based description to reflect changes in said plurality of dynamically configurable blocks.

19. The method according to claim 10 further comprising:

e) adding a file to a directory to enable the use of a new hardware configuration of said microcontroller.

20. The method according to claim 10 further comprising:

f) adding a file to a directory to enable the user of a new user module.

21. A system comprising:

a processor coupled to a bus;

a memory coupled to said bus and wherein said memory contains instructions that when executed on said processor implement a method for configuring a microcontroller, said method comprising;

a) accessing a text readable description of a plurality of dynamically configurable blocks of said microcontroller, wherein said dynamically configurable blocks can be configured to produce a variety of functions;

b) selecting available configurations of said dynamically configurable blocks, wherein said selecting produces a selected configuration; and

c) generating configuration information corresponding to said selected configuration.

22. A system as described in claim 21 wherein said text readable description of said plurality of dynamically configurable blocks comprises a non-executable software data structure.

23. A system as described in claim 22 wherein said text readable data structure is substantially compliant with extensible markup language.

24. A system as described in claim 21 wherein said method further comprises:

a1) accessing predetermined configurations of said plurality of dynamically configurable blocks, wherein said predetermined configurations are user modules.

25. A system as described in claim 21 wherein said method further comprises:

b1) selecting said user modules to produce said selected configuration.

26. A system as described in claim 21 wherein said method further comprises:

c1) generating microprocessor instructions for using said configuration information to configure said microcontroller.

27. A system as described in claim 21 wherein said method further comprises:

c2) generating application programming interface calls for embedded software.

28. A system as described in claim 27 wherein said application programming interface calls are named according to names given to configurations of said plurality of dynamically configurable blocks.

29. A computer usable medium having computer readable code stored thereon for causing a computer system to perform a method for configuring a microcontroller, said method comprising:

a) accessing a text readable description of hardware resources of said microcontroller, wherein said text readable description is not microcontroller executable;

b) selecting available configurations of said hardware resources of said microcontroller, wherein said selecting produces a selected configuration;

c) generating microcontroller executable configuration information corresponding to said selected configuration;

d) generating an interrupt vector table for use by embedded software, wherein a plurality of interrupts included in said interrupt vector table are generated by said selected configuration.

30. The computer usable medium as described in claim 29 wherein said text readable description of hardware resources comprises a text readable data structure.

31. The computer usable medium as described in claim 30 wherein said text readable data structure is substantially compliant with extensible markup language.

32. The computer usable medium as described in claim 29 wherein said method further comprises:

a1) accessing predetermined configurations of said hardware resources, wherein said predetermined configurations are user modules.

33. The computer usable medium as described in claim 29 wherein said method further comprises:

b1) selecting said user modules to produce said selected configuration.

34. The computer usable medium as described in claim 29 wherein said method further comprises:

c1) generating microprocessor instructions for using said configuration information to configure said microcontroller.

35. The computer usable medium as described in claim 29 wherein said method further comprises:

c2) generating application programming interface calls for embedded software.

36. The computer usable medium as described in claim 35 wherein said application programming interface calls are named according to names given to configurations of said hardware resources.