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US 7,460,497 B2Granted
Two way serial communication
AssigneeSilicon Laboratories Inc.
InventorPhillip Edward Beecher
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to a system of two-way packet-oriented serial communication between master and slave. Messages 20, 30 include status and request words 22, 32 which indicate the status of master and slave. Each of the master and slave determines from these words 22,32 separately whether communication is to continue from master to slave, from slave to master, both, or neither.
Claims16
A communication method in a two-way synchronous packet serial communications link between a master device and slave device, the method including:
- sending a first message packet from master to slave, the first message packet including at its start a request block including a master receive data enable field indicating whether the master layer is ready to receive data and a master transmit data request field indicating whether the master layer ready to send data;
- sending a second message packet from the slave to the master, the second message packet including at its start a status block including a slave receive data enable field indicating whether the slave layer is ready to receive data and a slave transmit data request field indicating whether the slave layer ready to send data;
- transmitting the rest of the first message packet if the master transmit data request field indicates that the master layer is ready to send data and the slave receive data field indicates that the slave layer is ready to receive data;
- transmitting the rest of the second message packet if the slave transmit data request field indicates that the slave layer is ready to send data and the master receive data field indicates that the master is ready to receive data.
1 more element
A method of operating a master device in a two-way synchronous serial communications link between a master device and a slave device, the method including:
- sending a first message packet to the slave, the first message packet including at its start a request block including a master receive data enable field indicating whether the master layer is ready to receive data and a master transmit data request field indicating whether the master layer ready to send data;
- receiving a second message packet from the slave, the second message packet including at its start a status block including a slave receive data enable field indicating whether the slave layer is ready to receive data and a slave transmit data request field indicating whether the slave layer ready to send data;
- transmitting the rest of the first message packet if the master transmit data request field indicates that the master layer is ready to send data and the slave receive data field indicates that the slave layer is ready to receive data;
- and receiving the rest of the second message packet if the slave transmit data request field indicates that the slave layer is ready to send data and the master receive data field indicates that the master is ready to receive data.
1 more element
A method of operating a slave device in a two-way synchronous serial communications link between a master layer in the slave device and a slave layer in the slave device, the method including:
- receiving a first message packet from the master, the first message packet including at its start a request block including a master receive data enable field indicating whether the master layer is ready to receive data and a master transmit data request field indicating whether the master layer ready to send data;
- transmitting a second message packet to the master, the second message packet including at its start a status block including a slave receive data enable field indicating whether the slave layer is ready to receive data and a slave transmit data request field indicating whether the slave layer ready to send data;
- receiving the rest of the first message packet if the master transmit data request field indicates that the master layer is ready to send data and the slave receive data field indicates that the slave layer is ready to receive data;
- and transmitting the rest of the second message packet if the slave transmit data request field indicates that the slave layer is ready to send data and the master receive data field indicates that the master is ready to receive data.
1 more element
A computer readable medium encoded with a computer program arranged to cause a master device in a two-way synchronous serial communications link between the master device and a slave device to carry out the steps of:
- sending a first message packet to the slave, the first message packet including at its start a request block including a master receive data enable field indicating whether the master layer is ready to receive data and a master transmit data request field indicating whether the master layer ready to send data;
- receiving a second message packet from the slave, the second message packet including at its start a status block including a slave receive data enable field indicating whether the slave layer is ready to receive data and a slave transmit data request field indicating whether the slave layer ready to send data;
- transmitting the rest of the first message packet if the master transmit data request field indicates that the master layer is ready to send data and the slave receive data field indicates that the slave layer is ready to receive data;
- and receiving the rest of the second message packet if the slave transmit data request field indicates that the slave layer is ready to send data and the master receive data field indicates that the master is ready to receive data.
1 more element
A computer readable medium encoded with a computer program product arranged to cause a slave device in a two-way synchronous serial communications link between a master device and the slave device to carry out the steps of:
- receiving a first message packet from the master, the first message packet including at its start a request block including a master receive data enable field indicating whether the master layer is ready to receive data and a master transmit data request field indicating whether the master layer ready to send data;
- transmitting a second message packet to the master, the second message packet including at its start a status block including a slave receive data enable field indicating whether the slave layer is ready to receive data and a slave transmit data request field indicating whether the slave layer ready to send data;
- receiving the rest of the first message packet if the master transmit data request field indicates that the master layer is ready to send data and the slave receive data field indicates that the slave layer is ready to receive data;
- and transmitting the rest of the second message packet if the slave transmit data request field indicates that the slave layer is ready to send data and the master receive data field indicates that the master is ready to receive data.
1 more element
A master device, comprising:
- a duplex or half duplex synchronous serial interface for communicating with a slave device using a two-way packet-oriented synchronous serial communications link;
- and a controller arranged to cause the master device:
- to send a first message packet to the slave device through the serial interface, the first message packet including at its start a request word including a master receive data enable field indicating whether the master layer is ready to receive data and a master transmit data request field indicating whether the master layer ready to send data;
- to receive a second message packet from the slave device through the serial interface, the second message packet including at its start a status word including a slave receive data enable field indicating whether the slave layer is ready to receive data and a slave transmit data request field indicating whether the slave layer ready to send data;
- to transmit the rest of the first message packet through the serial interface if the master transmit data request field indicates that the master layer is ready to send data and the slave receive data field indicates that the slave layer is ready to receive data;
- and to transmit the rest of the second message packet if the slave transmit data request field indicates that the slave layer is ready to send data and the master receive data field indicates that the master is ready to receive data.
3 more elements
A slave device, comprising:
- a duplex or half duplex synchronous serial interface for communicating with a master device using a two-way packet-oriented synchronous serial communications link;
- wherein the slave device is arranged:
- to receive a first message packet from the master device through the serial interface, the first message packet including at its start a request word including a master receive data enable field indicating whether the master is ready to receive data and a master transmit data request field indicating whether the master is ready to send data;
- to synchronously send a second message packet to the master device through the serial interface, the second message packet including at its start a status word including a slave receive data enable field indicating whether the slave layer is ready to receive data and a slave transmit data request field indicating whether the slave layer is ready to send data;
- to continue to receive the first message packet through the serial interface if the master transmit data request field indicates that the master is ready to send data and the slave receive data field indicates that the slave layer is ready to receive data;
- and to continue to transmit the second message packet if the slave transmit data request field indicates that the slave layer is ready to send data and the master receive data field indicates that the master is ready to receive data.
3 more elements
A synchronous communications system including a master device comprising:
- a duplex or half duplex synchronous serial interface for communicating with a slave device using a two-way packet-oriented synchronous serial communications link;
- and a controller arranged to cause the master device:
- to send a first message packet to the slave device through the serial interface, the first message packet including at its start a request word including a master receive data enable field indicating whether the master layer is ready to receive data and a master transmit data request field indicating whether the master layer ready to send data;
- to receive a second message packet from the slave device through the serial interface, the second message packet including at its start a status word including a slave receive data enable field indicating whether the slave layer is ready to receive data and a slave transmit data request field indicating whether the slave layer ready to send data;
- to transmit the rest of the first message packet through the serial interface if the master transmit data request field indicates that the master layer is ready to send data and the slave receive data field indicates that the slave layer is ready to receive data;
- and to transmit the rest of the second message packet if the slave transmit data request field indicates that the slave layer is ready to send data and the master receive data field indicates that the master is ready to receive data;
- and a slave device comprising:
- a duplex or half duplex synchronous serial interface for communicating with a master device using a two-way packet-oriented synchronous serial communications link;
- wherein the slave device is arranged:
- to receive a first message packet from the master device through the serial interface, the first message packet including at its start a request word including a master receive data enable field indicating whether the master is ready to receive data and a master transmit data request field indicating whether the master is ready to send data;
- to synchronously send a second message packet to the master device through the serial interface, the second message packet including at its start a status word including a slave receive data enable field indicating whether the slave layer is ready to receive data and a slave transmit data request field indicating whether the slave layer is ready to send data;
- to continue to receive the first message packet through the serial interface if the master transmit data request field indicates that the master is ready to send data and the slave receive data field indicates that the slave layer is ready to receive data;
- and to continue to transmit the second message packet if the slave transmit data request field indicates that the slave layer is ready to send data and the master receive data field indicates that the master is ready to receive data.
10 more elements
A synchronous communications system, comprising:
- a master device having a serial interface;
- a slave device having a serial interface;
- a synchronous serial communications link between the serial interfaces in the master and slave devices;
- wherein the synchronous communications system is arranged:
- to send a first message packet from master to slave, the first message packet including at its start a request word including a master receive data enable field indicating whether the master layer is ready to receive data and a master transmit data request field indicating whether the master layer ready to send data;
- to send a second message packet from the slave to the master, the second message packet including at its start a status word including a slave receive data enable field indicating whether the slave layer is ready to receive data and a slave transmit data request field indicating whether the slave layer ready to send data;
- to continue to transmit the first message packet if the master transmit data request field indicates that the master layer is ready to send data and the slave receive data field indicates that the slave layer is ready to receive data;
- and to continue to transmit the second message packet if the slave transmit data request field indicates that the slave layer is ready to send data and the master receive data field indicates that the master is ready to receive data.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.