Processor with non-intrusive self-testing
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorsVenkatesh NATARAJAN, Karthikeyan RAJAMANICKAM
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Abstract
A processor includes a central processing unit (CPU) and diagnostic monitoring circuitry. The diagnostic monitoring circuitry is coupled to the CPU. The diagnostic monitoring circuitry includes a monitoring and cyclic redundancy check (CRC) computation unit. The monitoring and CRC computation unit is configured to detect execution of a diagnostic program by the CPU, and to compute a plurality of CRC values. Each of CRC values corresponds to processor values retrieved from a given register of the CPU or from a bus coupling the CPU to a memory and peripheral subsystem while the CPU executes the diagnostic program.
Claims13
A processor, comprising:
- a central processing unit (CPU) comprising a first register and a second register;
- and
- monitoring circuitry coupled to the CPU, the monitoring circuitry configured to:
- detect execution of a diagnostic program by the CPU;
- retrieve a first processor value from the first register of the CPU;
- retrieve a second processor value from the second register of the CPU;
- combine the first processor value and second processor value;
- and
- compute a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) value based on the combined first and second processor value.
A method for monitoring processor operation, comprising:
- detecting, by monitoring circuitry, execution of the diagnostic program by a central processing unit (CPU);
- retrieving a first processor value from a first register of the CPU;
- retrieving a second processor value from a second register of the CPU;
- combining the first processor value and the second processor value;
- and
- computing a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) value based on the combined first and second processor value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.