Embedded software debug system with partial hardware acceleration

• US 9,477,579 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2013
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Cecka, Kenneth E., Woodward, James T.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRUONG, LOAN
• Application Number:
  US13/963,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20150046753A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3656 using a specific debug interface

Abstract

An embedded software debug system with partial hardware acceleration includes a computer that executes a debug software stack. The debug software stack includes high level operations. The system also includes a remote microcontroller electronically connected to the computer. The system further includes an embedded processor electronically connected to the remote microcontroller. The remote microcontroller receives an applet from the computer and executes the applet in conjunction with the computer executing the debug software stack to debug the embedded processor. The applet includes low level protocol operations including performance critical tight-loops precompiled into machine code. The debug software stack may include a stub that replaces the tight-loops of the applet. The computer may send the applet to the remote microcontroller in response to executing the stub.

Claims

1. An embedded software debug system comprising:

an embedded processor configured to execute embedded software instructions;

a computer comprising a processor configured to execute a debug software stack, wherein the debug software stack comprises a set of instructions for debugging the embedded software instructions; and

a remote microcontroller, communicatively coupled to the computer through a high-latency connection and the embedded processor through a low-latency connection, and configured to;

receive an applet from the computer in response to execution of a stub of the debug software stack, wherein the applet comprises a subset of the set of instructions for debugging the embedded software instructions and the stub replaces the subset of the set of instructions forming the applet, and

execute the applet to debug the embedded software instructions executed on the embedded processor.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said remote microcontroller comprises a server for caching multiple applets.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said remote microcontroller comprises a core on a chip, wherein the chip comprises said embedded processor.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said chip comprises a plurality of embedded processors and said remote microcontroller that is a core on said chip is electronically connected to the plurality of embedded processors for debugging.