# US 10,310,584 B2 · Interconnect serialization system and method

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- Number: US 10,310,584 B2
- Document ID: US10310584B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/131,895
- Filed: 2018-09-14
- Published: 2019-01-17
- Granted: 2019-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2015-12-01
- Assignees: Infineon Technologies AG
- Applicants: Infineon Technologies AG
- Inventors: Prakash Kalanjeri Balasubramanian
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10310584B2

## CPC

- G06F 1/324: by lowering clock frequency
- G06F 1/3296: by lowering the supply or operating voltage
- G06F 13/4022: {using switching circuits, e.g. switching matrix, connection or expansion network (G06F13/4009 takes precedence)}
- G06F 13/4282: {on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus (on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247)}
- G06F 15/7807: {System on chip, i.e. computer system on a single chip; System in package, i.e. computer system on one or more chips in a single package}
- Y02D 10/00: Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE

## Abstract

A method and system to reduce power consumption are described. The system can include a first device and a second device of a plurality of devices. The second device can be coupled to the first device via an interconnect. A serialization capability of the first device can be determined. Further, access to the second device one or more of the plurality of devices can be determined. The interconnect can be serialized based on the determined serialization capability and/or the determined access to the second device.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for reducing power consumption of a system communicating with a plurality of devices, the system including first and second devices of the plurality of devices, the second device being coupled to the first device via an interconnect, the method comprising:
determining an amount of access to the second device by one or more of the plurality of devices; and
serializing the interconnect coupling the first device with the second device based on the determined amount of access to the second device.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the serializing of the interconnect is further based on a serialization capability of the first device.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising determining the serialization capability of the first device.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the determining the serialization capability of the first device comprises:
determining a performance request associated with the first device;
determining performance characteristics of the first device; and
comparing the performance characteristics and the performance request.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the performance request comprises at least one of a voltage and a frequency at which the first device intends to operate; and wherein the performance characteristics comprise at least one of a voltage and a frequency at which the first device operates.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the first device is capable of serialization if the performance request is less than the performance characteristics.

### Claim 7 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein determining the serialization capability of the first device comprises determining a serialization factor associated with the first device.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the amount of access to the second device comprises:
determining if the first device has sole access to the second device.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the serializing of the interconnect is enabled if the first device has sole access to the second device.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the interconnect is serialized if:
the serialization capability indicates that a performance request associated with the first device is less than a performance characteristic of the first device; and
the determined amount of access indicates that the first device has sole access to the second device.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein determining the amount of access to the second device by one or more of the plurality of devices is based on an output bit mask table.

### Claim 12

A system on chip (SOC), comprising:
a data bus including an input stage and an output stage, the input stage being coupled to the output stage via an interconnect;
a serialization controller that is configured to generate a serialization control signal based on: (a) a serialization factor associated with a first device coupled to the input stage, and an output bit mask associated with the first device and a second device coupled to the output stage, or (b) one or more performance requests received from one or more applications; and
a serializer disposed between the input stage and the output stage, the serializer being configured to serialize the interconnect that couples the input stage to the output stage based on the serialization control signal to serialize the coupling of the input stage to the output stage.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The SOC of claim 12, further comprising:
a power arbitration controller configured to determine a performance request message based on one or more performance requests received by the power arbitration controller.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The SOC of claim 13, wherein the power arbitration controller is further configured to generate the serialization factor based on the one or more performance requests.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The SOC of claim 13, further comprising:
a power management controller configured to generate a performance control signal based on the performance request message.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The SOC of claim 15, wherein the serialization controller is configured to generate the serialization control signal based on the performance control signal.

### Claim 17 (depends on 12)

The SOC of claim 12, wherein the serialization controller is configured to generate the serialization control signal based on the serialization factor and the one or more performance requests.

### Claim 18 (depends on 12)

The SOC of claim 12,
wherein the serialization controller is configured
to generate the serialization control signal based on:
a comparison of a performance characteristic of the first device and a performance request associated with the first device, and
an amount of access to the second device by another device associated with another input stage of the data bus.

### Claim 19 (depends on 12)

The SOC of claim 12, wherein the serialization controller is configured to compare the serialization factor with the output bit mask to generate the serialization control signal.