Detection of an error condition on a serial data bus
AssigneeMicrochip Technology Incorporated
InventorRobin Jonah Solomon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A controller is provided that includes a serial data (SDA) line interface to connect the controller to an SDA line of a two-wire, shared, serial data bus. The controller includes a circuitry to provide output data for transfer on to the SDA line via the output SDA pad buffer. The controller includes a logic circuit that is external to the circuitry, and that monitors data on the SDA line while the output data is transferred on to the SDA line. The logic circuit compares the monitored data on the SDA line and the output data to detect an error condition when the monitored data and the output data differ. The logic circuit disables an output SDA pad buffer of the SDA line interface for a current byte of the output data provided by the circuitry, and then causes a stop condition on the data bus.
Claims23
A controller comprising:
- a serial data (SDA) line interface to connect the controller to an SDA line of a two-wire, shared, serial data bus, the SDA line interface comprising an output SDA pad buffer;
- a circuitry to provide output data for transfer on to the SDA line via the output SDA pad buffer, wherein the circuitry enables the controller to support serial communication on the serial data bus but fails to support detection of an error condition;
- and
- a logic circuit that is external to the circuitry, the logic circuit to at least:
- monitor data on the SDA line while the output data is transferred on to the SDA line;
- compare the monitored data on the SDA line and the output data to detect the error condition when the monitored data on the SDA line and the output data differ;
- and based on the detected error condition,
- disable the output SDA pad buffer for a current byte of the output data provided by the circuitry, and then cause a stop condition on the data bus.
A method comprising:
- providing output data from a circuitry for transfer on to a serial data (SDA) line of a two-wire, shared, serial data bus via an output SDA pad buffer;
- and by a logic circuit that is external to the circuitry,
- monitoring data on the SDA line while the output data is transferred on to the SDA line;
- comparing the monitored data on the SDA line and the output data to detect an error condition when the monitored data on the SDA line and the output data differ;
- and
- based on the detected error condition, disabling the output SDA pad buffer for a current byte of the output data provided by the circuitry, and
- then causing a stop condition on the data bus, wherein the circuitry enables the controller to support serial communication on the serial data bus but fails to support detection of an error condition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.