Communication on an I2C bus
AssigneeSTMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
InventorFrancois Tailliet
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A communication system includes an I2C bus interconnecting at least one first device and one second device. At least one direct data link, other than the I2C bus, interconnects the first and second devices. The system is configurable to operate in: a first operating mode providing for data only transmission between the first and second devices over the I2C bus; and a second operating mode providing for simultaneous data transmission between the first and second devices over both the I2C bus and said data link.
Claims12
A communication system, comprising:
- an I2C bus comprising a data conductor and a synchronization conductor;
- at least one first device directly electrically connected to both the data conductor and the synchronization conductor of the I2C bus;
- at least one second device directly electrically connected to both the data conductor and the synchronization conductor the I2C bus;
- wherein the connections formed between the at least one first device and the at least one second device by the data conductor and the synchronization conductor are physically and electrically uninterrupted;
- and
- at least one direct data link, other than the data conductor and synchronization conductor of the I2C bus, between the two devices, the at least one direct data link comprising a physically and electrically uninterrupted conductor;
- wherein the at least one first device and the at least one second device are configured to communicate data simultaneously over both the I2C bus and the at least one direct data link.
A method of communication between a first device and a second device interconnected by an I2C bus and a direct data link, other than the I2C bus, comprising:
- setting logic states of signals present on said direct data link to correspond, during a first byte of an I2C frame, to the states of the three bits of rank 1 to 3 of a device selection byte of an I2C frame;
- communicating data simultaneously over both the I2C bus and the direct data link.
A system, comprising:
- a first device having an I2C port and another communications port;
- a second device having an I2C port and another communications port;
- a I2C bus coupling the I2C ports of the first and second devices, the I2C bus comprising a data conductor and a synchronization conductor;
- wherein the data conductor and synchronization conductor directly electrically connect the first device and second device in a physically and electrically uninterrupted manner;
- a direct data link coupling the another communications ports of the first and second devices, the direct data link comprising a physically and electrically uninterrupted conductor;
- wherein the system is configurable to operate in:
- a first operating mode providing for data only transmission between the first and second devices over the I2C bus;
- and
- a second operating mode providing for simultaneous data transmission between the first and second devices over both the I2C bus and said direct data link.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.