Microprocessor with trace module
AssigneeSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
InventorJung-Mi Kwon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A processor-based device includes a processor, a trace module, a plurality of data input/output pins, and an input/output interface circuit. The input/output interface circuit, when operating in a trace mode, externally outputs trace data signals from the trace module to an external device via at least one of the data input/output pins. When in a normal mode, the input/output interface circuit transfers data from the processor core to the data input/output pins and transfers data received at the data input/output pins to the processor core. In this manner, the processor-based device according to the present invention can output trace data using normal data input/output pins without the need for additional pins for outputting the trace data.
Claims16
A semiconductor device including pins that permit connection to at least one external device, comprising:
- an internal core that receives and generates data signals;
- a trace module that generates trace data signals;
- a plurality of data input/output pins which, when the device is operating in a normal mode, input and output the data signals from and to the at least one external device;
- and
- a plurality of logic circuits, each corresponding to one of the plurality of data input/output pins, and each, when operating in a trace mode, externally outputs one of the trace data signals from the trace module to the at least one external device via the corresponding one of the plurality of data input/output pins in response to a plurality of trace output pin select signals.
A method of operating a semiconductor device including pins that permit connection to at least one external device, comprising:
- receiving and generating data signals at an internal core;
- generating trace data signals at a trace module;
- inputting and outputting the data signals from and to the at least one external device at a plurality of data input/output pins when the device is operating in a normal mode;
- and
- externally outputting one of the trace data signals from the trace module to the at least one external device via the corresponding one of the plurality of data input/output pins in response to a plurality of trace output pin select signals at a plurality of logic circuits, each logic circuit corresponding to one of the plurality of data input/output pins, when operating in a trace mode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.