US 7,096,301 B2 · Communications interface for enabling extension of an internal common bus architecture (CBA)

Abstract

A serial communications interface is described that enables the extension of an internal Communications Bus Architecture (CBA) bus segment to one or more external devices. The interface accomplishes this function by serializing bus transactions in one device, transferring the serial transaction between devices via one interface port, and de-serializing the transaction in the external device. The general features include low pin count (as few as three signals), simple packet based transfer protocol for memory mapped access, symmetric operation, simple block code formatting, supports both host to peripheral and peer to peer transactions, and support multiple outstanding transactions.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A communications system for enabling extension of an internal common bus architecture (CBA) bus segment of a first physical semiconductor chip device to an internal CBA bus segment of a second external physical semiconductor chip device comprising:

a first serial communications interface module in said first semiconductor chip device of varying bit width at transmit and receive pins coupled to said internal bus segment of said first semiconductor chip device for serializing bus transaction from said first device to an output port of said first device;
a second serial communications interface module in said second semiconductor chip external device of varying bit width at transmit and receive pins coupled to said internal bus segment for said second semiconductor chip device for de-serializing data received at an input port for said second device for providing an extension of said internal CBA bus segment in said second device to external physical devices at an input port and
an external serial connector for transferring the serialized transaction between first and second devices at said input and output ports using semiconductor chip protocols;
said modules carrying CBA bus commands, interrupt and confimiration operations in band over the same transmit and receive pins.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Communications interface for enabling extension of an internal common bus architecture (CBA)

Life of this patent

Communications interface for enabling extension of an internal common bus architecture (CBA)

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims13