Burst access protocol

• US 8,639,852 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2010
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sampathkumar, Ramkumar, Avadhanam, Phani B., Jayaraman, Siddharth, Bailey, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Huson, Zachary K
• Application Number:
  US12/887,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20110231858A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,225 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 710/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4403 Processor initialisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4405 Initialisation of multiprocessor systems

Abstract

Methods and systems provide a burst access protocol that enables efficient transfer of data between a first and a second processor via a data interface whose access set up time could present a communication bottleneck. Data, indices, and/or instructions are transmitted in a static table from the first processor and stored in memory accessible to the second processor. Later, the first processor transmit to the second processor a dynamic table which specifies particular data, indices and/or instructions within the static table that are to be implemented by the second processor. The second processor uses the dynamic table to implement the identified particular subset of data, indices and/or instructions. By transmitting the bulk of data, indices and/or instructions to the second processor in a large static table, the burst access protocol enables efficient use of data interfaces which can transmit large amounts of information, but require relatively long access setup times.

Claims

1. A method for passing data from a first processor to a second processor through a data interface, comprising:

transmitting a static table of a first set of information from the first processor to the second processor via the data interface in a first transmission;

storing the static table in memory accessible by the second processor;

transmitting a dynamic table of a second set of information from the first processor to the second processor via the data interface in a second transmission;

storing the dynamic table in memory accessible by the second processor;

accessing the second set of information in the dynamic table to determine an indicated portion of the first set of information in the static table to implement; and

implementing, in the second processor, the indicated portion from the first set of information stored in the static table in the memory accessible by the second processor, whereby the second set of information of the dynamic table is used to control the second processor implementing the indicated portion from the first set of information of the static table.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of information in the static table comprises a plurality of data tables each including register indices and values to be stored in registers identified by the indices.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second set of information in the dynamic table identifies a particular one or more of the plurality of data tables to be used in configuring hardware registers.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second set of information in the dynamic table further identifies a sequence of data tables within the plurality of data tables to be used in configuring hardware registers.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending an interrupt from the first processor to the second processor following transmission of the dynamic table.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a message from the first processor to the second processor informing the second processor that the static table is about to be transmitted.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a message from the first processor to the second processor informing the second processor that the dynamic table is about to be transmitted.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether parameters included in the dynamic table are valid or invalid; and

transmitting an error interrupt message from the second processor to the first processor when it is determined that the parameters included in the dynamic table are invalid,

wherein implementing the indicated portion of the first set of information in the second processor is performed when it is determined that the parameters included in the dynamic table are valid.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein implementing the indicated portion of the first set of information in the second processor comprises looping through each of the plurality of data tables within the static table identified in the dynamic table until all operations indicated in the identified data tables have been accomplished.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the static table and dynamic table are transmitted from the first processor to the second processor via an SDIO (Secure Digital input/output) data interface.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring the second processor as an early operation within an initialization sequence managed by the first processor, wherein configuring the second processor is accomplished prior to transmission of the static table of a first set of information from the first processor to the second processor.

12. An electronic device, comprising:

a first processor; and

a second processor coupled to the first processor via a data interface circuit, wherein the first and second processors are configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

transmitting a static table of a first set of information from the first processor to the second processor via the data interface in a first transmission;

storing the static table in memory accessible by the second processor;

transmitting a dynamic table of a second set of information from the first processor to the second processor via the data interface in a second transmission;

storing the dynamic table in memory accessible by the second processor;

accessing the second set of information in the dynamic table to determine an indicated portion of the first set of information in the static table to implement; and

implementing, in the second processor, the indicated portion from the first set of information stored in the static table in the memory accessible by the second processor, whereby the second set of information of the dynamic table is used to control the second processor implementing the indicated portion from the first set of information of the static table.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the first set of information in the static table comprises a plurality of data tables each including register indices and values to be stored in registers identified by the indices.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the second set of information in the dynamic table identifies a particular one or more of the plurality of data tables to be used in configuring hardware registers.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the second set of information in the dynamic table further identifies a sequence of data tables within the plurality of data tables to be used in configuring hardware registers.

16. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the first and second processors are configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising sending an interrupt from the first processor to the second processor following transmission of the dynamic table.

17. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the first and second processors are configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising transmitting a message from the first processor to the second processor informing the second processor that the static table is about to be transmitted.

18. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the first and second processors are configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising transmitting a message from the first processor to the second processor informing the second processor that the dynamic table is about to be transmitted.

19. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the first and second processors are configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

determining whether parameters included in the dynamic table are valid or invalid; and

transmitting an error interrupt message from the second processor to the first processor when it is determined that the parameters included in the dynamic table are invalid,

wherein implementing the indicated portion of the first set of information in the second processor is performed when it is determined that the parameters included in the dynamic table are valid.

20. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein implementing the indicated portion of the first set of information in the second processor comprises looping through each of the plurality of data tables within the static table identified in the dynamic table until all operations indicated in the identified data tables have been accomplished.

21. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the static table and dynamic table are transmitted from the first processor to the second processor via an SDIO (Secure Digital input/output) data interface.

22. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the first and second processors are configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising configuring the second processor as an early operation within an initialization sequence managed by the first processor, wherein configuring the second processor is accomplished prior to transmission of the static table of a first set of information from the first processor to the second processor.

23. An electronic device, comprising:

a first processor;

a second processor coupled to the first processor via a data interface circuit;

means for transmitting a static table of a first set of information from the first processor to the second processor via the data interface in a first transmission;

means for storing the static table in memory accessible by the second processor;

means for transmitting a dynamic table of a second set of information from the first processor to the second processor via the data interface in a second transmission;

means for storing the dynamic table in memory accessible by the second processor;

means for accessing the second set of information in the dynamic table to determine an indicated portion of the first set of information in the static table to implement; and

means for implementing, in the second processor, the indicated portion from the first set of information stored in the static table in the memory accessible by the second processor, whereby the second set of information of the dynamic table is used to control the second processor implementing the indicated portion from the first set of information of the static table.

24. The electronic device of claim 23, wherein the first set of information in the static table comprises a plurality of data tables each including register indices and values to be stored in registers identified by the indices.

25. The electronic device of claim 24, wherein the second set of information in the dynamic table identifies a particular one or more of the plurality of data tables to be used in configuring hardware registers.

26. The electronic device of claim 25, wherein the second set of information in the dynamic table further identifies a sequence of data tables within the plurality of data tables to be used in configuring hardware registers.

27. The electronic device of claim 23, further comprising means for sending an interrupt from the first processor to the second processor following transmission of the dynamic table.

28. The electronic device of claim 23, further comprising means for transmitting a message from the first processor to the second processor informing the second processor that the static table is about to be transmitted.

29. The electronic device of claim 23, further comprising means for transmitting a message from the first processor to the second processor informing the second processor that the dynamic table is about to be transmitted.

30. The electronic device of claim 23, further comprising:

means for determining whether parameters included in the dynamic table are valid or invalid; and

means for transmitting an error interrupt message from the second processor to the first processor when it is determined that the parameters included in the dynamic table are invalid,

wherein means for implementing the indicated portion of the first set of information in the second processor comprises means for implementing the indicated portion of the first set of information in the second processor when it is determined that the parameters included in the dynamic table are valid.

31. The electronic device of claim 25, wherein means for implementing the indicated portion of the first set of information in the second processor comprises means for looping through each of the plurality of data tables within the static table identified in the dynamic table until all operations indicated in the identified data tables have been accomplished.

32. The electronic device of claim 23, wherein the data interface circuit is an SDIO (Secure Digital input/output) data interface, and the static table and dynamic table are transmitted from the first processor to the second processor via the SDIO data interface.

33. The electronic device of claim 23, further comprising means for configuring the second processor as an early operation within an initialization sequence managed by the first processor, wherein means for configuring the second processor comprises means for configuring the second processor prior to transmission of the static table of a first set of information from the first processor to the second processor.

34. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable instructions configured to cause a first processor and a second processor within a single electronic device to perform operations comprising:

transmitting a static table of a first set of information from the first processor to the second processor via a data interface in a first transmission;

storing the static table in memory accessible by the second processor;

transmitting a dynamic table of a second set of information from the first processor to the second processor via the data interface in a second transmission;

storing the dynamic table in memory accessible by the second processor;

accessing the second set of information in the dynamic table to determine an indicated portion of the first set of information in the static table to implement; and

implementing, in the second processor, the indicated portion from the first set of information stored in the static table in the memory accessible by the second processor, whereby the second set of information of the dynamic table is used to control the second processor implementing the indicated portion from the first set of information of the static table.

35. The processor-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 34, wherein the first set of information in the static table comprises a plurality of data tables each including register indices and values to be stored in registers identified by the indices.

36. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 35, wherein the second set of information in the dynamic table identifies a particular one or more of the plurality of data tables to be used in configuring hardware registers.

37. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 36, wherein the second set of information in the dynamic table further identifies a sequence of data tables within the plurality of data tables to be used in configuring hardware registers.

38. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 34, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause the first processor and the second processor within a single electronic device to perform operations further comprising sending an interrupt from the first processor to the second processor following transmission of the dynamic table.

39. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 34, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause the first processor and the second processor within a single electronic device to perform operations further comprising transmitting a message from the first processor to the second processor informing the second processor that the static table is about to be transmitted.

40. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 34, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause the first processor and the second processor within a single electronic device to perform operations further comprising transmitting a message from the first processor to the second processor informing the second processor that the dynamic table is about to be transmitted.

41. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 34, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause the first processor and the second processor within a single electronic device to perform operations further comprising:

determining whether parameters included in the dynamic table are valid or invalid; and

transmitting an error interrupt message from the second processor to the first processor when it is determined that the parameters included in the dynamic table are invalid,

wherein implementing the indicated portion of the first set of information in the second processor is performed when it is determined that the parameters included in the dynamic table are valid.

42. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 36, wherein implementing the indicated portion of the first set of information in the second processor comprises looping through each of the plurality of data tables within the static table identified in the dynamic table until all operations indicated in the identified data tables have been accomplished.

43. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 34, wherein the static table and dynamic table are transmitted from the first processor to the second processor via an SDIO (Secure Digital input/output) data interface.

44. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 34, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a first processor and a second processor within a single electronic device to perform operations further comprising configuring the second processor as an early operation within an initialization sequence managed by the first processor, wherein configuring the second processor is accomplished prior to transmission of the static table of a first set of information from the first processor to the second processor.