Hardware-based security authentication
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorsGregory Allen NORTH, Per Torstein ROINE, Eric Thierry Jean PEETERS
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system includes a multiplexer, an input/output (I/O) pin, a logic circuit, and a control register. The multiplexer has multiple inputs, an output, and a selection input. The logic circuit is coupled between the multiplexer and the I/O pin. The logic circuit hays a first input. The control register includes first and second bit fields corresponding to the I/O pin. The first bit field is coupled to the selection input of the multiplexer, and the second bit field is coupled to the first input of the logic circuit.
Claims20
A system, comprising:
- a multiplexer having a set of inputs, an output, and a selection input;
- an input/output (I/O) pin;
- a logic circuit coupled between the multiplexer and the I/O pin, the logic circuit having a first input;
- and
- a control register including:
- a first bit field corresponding to the I/O pin, the first bit field coupled to the selection input of the multiplexer;
- and
- a second bit field corresponding to the I/O pin, the second bit field coupled to the first input of the logic circuit.
A system, comprising:
- an input/output (I/O) cell circuit;
- an I/O cell access control circuit coupled to the I/O cell circuit;
- an authenticator coupled to a system bus;
- and
- a control register coupled between the authenticator and the I/O cell access control circuit;
- wherein the authenticator is configured to authenticate a first request to map the I/O cell circuit to a device specified in the first request if the I/O cell circuit is not presently mapped to another device, and to update the control register to associate the device specified in the first request with the I/O cell circuit.
A method, comprising:
- receiving a first request to access an input/output (I/O) pin, the I/O pin having a state, and the first request specifying a device to communicate with the I/O pin;
- responsive to the I/O pin's state indicating that the I/O pin is not assigned to any device, updating the state of the I/O pin in a control register to indicate that the I/O pin is associated with the device and storing an identifier of the device in the control register;
- receiving a second request for connection of the I/O pin to the device;
- and
- responsive to the control register storing an identifier of the device, updating the state of the I/O pin in the control register to specify a state contained in the second request.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.