US 8,284,879 B2Granted

Lossless transfer of events across clock domains

AssigneeNXP B.V.

InventorsOtto Steinbusch, Marino Strik, Robert De Gruijl

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Abstract

Transfer circuits (200, 400, 500) for monitoring in a monitor clock domain target events that occur in a target clock domain (170) are disclosed. Some embodiments (200) impose significant constraints on the domain clocks and include: an event detector (210); a sending circuit (220) that changes the value of a request signal (150) with each event; and a receiving circuit (230) that detects changes in the request signal. Other embodiments work for a broader range of clocks and include: a counter (410) that generates an incremental count (415) of event occurrences while a transfer is taking place; sending and receiving registers (420, 430, 530) for the incremental count; the request sending and receiving circuits (220, 230), where the request signal changes value for each transfer of the incremental count; and sending and receiving circuits (470, 480) for an acknowledgement signal.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A circuit for transferring to a monitor clock domain target events that occur in a target clock domain, the transfer circuit comprising:

a detector, in the target clock domain, configured to assert a target-domain event signal each time the target event occurs;
a sending circuit, in the target clock domain, configured to change the value of a request signal each time the target-domain event signal is asserted;
and
a receiving circuit, in the monitor clock domain, configured to detect the change in value of the request signal, and to assert a monitor-domain event signal once for each change in value detected;
a second detector, in a second target clock domain, configured to assert a second-target-domain event signal when a second target event occurs;
a second sending circuit, in the second target clock domain, configured to change the value of a second request signal each time the second target-domain event signal is asserted;
and
a second receiving circuit in the monitor clock domain configured to detect the change in value of the second request signal, and to assert a second monitor-domain event signal once for each change in value detected;
a monitor circuit, in the monitor clock domain, configured to increment a first count in response to the monitor-domain event signal, to increment a second count in response to the second monitor-domain event signal, to hold a first target value, to produce a first trigger signal by comparing the first count with the first target value, to hold a second target value, and to produce a second trigger signal by comparing the second count with the second target value;
wherein the transfer circuit is adapted for use in a debug module within an integrated circuit, and the monitor circuit is further configured to assert a debug signal based on a signal selected from the first trigger signal, the second trigger signal, or a logical combination thereof.

7 more elements

A circuit for transferring to a monitor clock domain target events that occur in a target clock domain, the transfer circuit comprising:

a counter, in the target clock domain, configured to generate an incremental count of occurrences within a time period of the target event and, in response to a transfer signal, to transfer the incremental count and clear the incremental count;
a sending register, in the target clock domain, configured to load the incremental count in response to the transfer signal, and to hold the incremental count, wherein the time period that the counter generates the incremental count includes the time period during which the sending register holds the incremental count;
a request sending circuit, in the target clock domain, configured to change the value of a request signal in response to the transfer signal;
a request receiving circuit, in the monitor clock domain, configured to detect the change in value of the request signal and, in response thereto, to generate a receive signal;
a receiving register, in the monitor clock domain, configured to load the incremental count from the sending register in response to the receive signal;
an acknowledgement sending circuit, in the monitor clock domain, configured to change the value of an acknowledgement signal in response to the receive signal;
an acknowledgement receiving circuit, in the target clock domain, configured to detect the change the value of the acknowledgement signal and, in response thereto, to assert a target-domain acknowledgement signal;
and
a control circuit, in the target clock domain, configured to generate the transfer signal when the incremental count in the counter is non-zero and the target-domain acknowledgement signal has been asserted for each change in value of the request signal.

6 more elements

A circuit for transferring to a monitor clock domain target events that occur in a target clock domain, the transfer circuit comprising:

means, in the target clock domain, for detecting occurrences of the target event and for asserting, in response thereto, a target-domain event signal;
means, in the target clock domain, for changing the value of a request signal response to the target-domain event signal;
means, in the monitor clock domain, for receiving the request signal and for asserting a monitor-domain event signal in response to the value of the request signal changing;
means, in the target domain, for counting occurrences of the target event within a time period, thereby generating an incremental count, and, when enabled, for transferring a non-zero incremental count and resetting the incremental count;
means, in the target domain, for holding the incremental count received from the counting means, wherein the time period during which the counting means counts includes the time period during which the holding means holds the incremental count;
and
means, in the monitor domain, for responding to the change in value of the request signal by receiving the incremental count from the holding means and by changing the value of an acknowledgement signal;
and
means, in the target domain, for disabling the transfer of a non-zero incremental count until the acknowledgement signal changes value;
wherein the value of the request signal changes each time that a non-zero incremental count is transferred.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.