IP Library Granted Patent US 12,585,530
Granted Patent B2
US 12,585,530 · App. 18/122,420 · Granted Mar 24, 2026

Single signal debug port

Inventors: Avneep Kumar Goyal (Greater Noida, IN); Thomas Szurmant (Munich, DE)
Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
G06F11/0793G06F1/08G06F11/0745
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,585,530
App. No.
18/122,420
Filed
Mar 16, 2023
Granted
Mar 24, 2026
Kind
B2
Art Unit
2113
USPC
714/30
Abstract

According to an embodiment, a system is provided that includes a debugging tool and an application board. The debugging tool includes a serial wire debug (SWD) host coupled to a single signal debug port (SSDP) host. The application board includes an SWD target coupled to an SSDP target. The SWD target is configured to communicate SWD signals with the SWD host. The SSDP target is configured to encode the SWD signals to SSDP signals for communication over a Controller Area Network (CAN) Bus between the application board and the debugging tool. The SSDP signals are pulse-width modulation (PWM) encoded signals of the SWD signals. An SWD clock signal generated by the SWD host is the carrier signal for the PWM encoded signals. The SSDP target is configured to decode the SSDP signals received from the SSDP host over the CAN Bus to the SWD signals.

Claims (41)

1 . A circuit, comprising:

a serial wire debug (SWD) target circuit configured to communicate SWD signals with an SWD host circuit of a debugging tool; and

a single signal debug port (SSDP) target circuit coupled to the SWD target circuit, the SSDP target circuit configured to:

encode the SWD signals to SSDP signals for communication over a Controller Area Network (CAN) Bus between the circuit and the debugging tool, wherein the SSDP signals are pulse-width modulation (PWM) encoded signals of the SWD signals, wherein an SWD clock signal generated by the SWD host circuit is a carrier signal for the PWM encoded signals, or

decode the SSDP signals received over the CAN Bus to the SWD signals.

2 . The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the SSDP target circuit is configured to detect a consecutive number of logic high PWM signals, wherein the detecting comprises comparing sequential symbols received over the CAN Bus and determining that a set number of continuous logic high PWM signals have a same clock period and a same duty cycle, and wherein receiving the set number of continuous logic high PWM signals corresponds to an activation sequence initiation by the debugging tool.

3 . The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the SSDP target circuit is configured to:

transmit a response sequence to the debugging tool in response to detecting a set number of logic high PWM signals from an SSDP host circuit of the debugging tool, and wherein the response sequence comprises an SWD clock frequency of the SWD clock signal; and

receive an acknowledge of the response sequence from the SSDP host circuit to establish an SSDP link between the SSDP target circuit and the SSDP host circuit over the CAN Bus.

4 . The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the decoded SSDP signals comprise the SWD clock signal and SWD data signals, wherein the SSDP target circuit is configured to communicate the SWD clock signal and the SWD data signals to the SWD host circuit.

5 . The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the SSDP signals are communicated over a single wire of the CAN Bus, and wherein the single wire of the CAN Bus is a differential pair type.

6 . The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the SSDP signals communicated over the CAN Bus are transparent to the SWD target circuit.

7 . The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the SSDP target circuit communicates with the debugging tool over the CAN Bus using CAN input/output (I/O) pins, the CAN I/O pins used to communicate CAN communications with the circuit during a functional operation of the circuit.

8 . A method, comprising:

establishing a single signal debug port (SSDP) link between a single signal debug port (SSDP) host circuit and an SSDP target circuit;

encoding SSDP signals by the SSDP host circuit or the SSDP target circuit from a serial wire debug (SWD) host circuit or an SWD target circuit, respectively, wherein the SSDP signals are pulse-width modulation (PWM) encoded signals of SWD signals, wherein an SWD clock signal generated by the SWD host circuit is a carrier signal for the PWM encoded signals;

communicating the SSDP signals between the SSDP host circuit and the SSDP target circuit over a Controller Area Network (CAN) Bus; and

decoding the SSDP signals, by the SSDP target circuit or the SSDP host circuit, to SWD signals.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the establishing the SSDP link comprises:

transmitting, by the SSDP host circuit, a set number of logic high PWM signals to place CAN nodes coupled to the CAN Bus in a Bus-OFF state;

transmitting, by the SSDP target circuit, a response sequence to the SSDP host circuit in response to detecting the set number of logic high PWM signals, wherein the response sequence comprises an SWD clock frequency of the SWD clock signal; and

transmitting, by the SSDP host circuit, an acknowledge of the response sequence from the SSDP host circuit to the SSDP target circuit to establish the SSDP link over the CAN Bus.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the SWD host circuit and the SSDP host circuit are circuits of a debugging tool used to debug a circuit comprising the SWD target circuit and the SSDP target circuit.

11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the SSDP signals are communicated over a single wire of the CAN Bus, and wherein the single wire of the CAN Bus is a differential pair type.

12 . The method of claim 8 , the SSDP signals are communicated over the CAN Bus using CAN input/output (I/O) pins, the CAN I/O pins used to communicate CAN communications during a functional operation of a circuit comprising the SWD target circuit and the SSDP target circuit.

13 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the SSDP signals communicated over the CAN Bus are transparent to the SWD target circuit and the SWD host circuit.

14 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising transmitting, by the SSDP host circuit, a set number of PWM logic high signal symbols to reset the SSDP target circuit.

15 . A system, comprising:

a debugging tool comprising:

a serial wire debug (SWD) host circuit, and

a single signal debug port (SSDP) host circuit coupled to the SWD host circuit; and

an application board comprising:

an SWD target circuit, the SWD target circuit configured to communicate SWD signals with the SWD host circuit; and

an SSDP target circuit coupled to the SWD target circuit, the SSDP target circuit configured to:

encode the SWD signals to SSDP signals for communication over a Controller Area Network (CAN) Bus between the application board and the debugging tool, wherein the SSDP signals are pulse-width modulation (PWM) encoded signals of the SWD signals, wherein an SWD clock signal generated by the SWD host circuit is a carrier signal for the PWM encoded signals, or

decode the SSDP signals received from the SSDP host circuit over the CAN Bus to the SWD signals.

16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the SSDP target circuit is configured to transmit a response sequence to the debugging tool in response to detecting a set number of logic high PWM signals from the SSDP host circuit, and wherein the response sequence comprises an SWD clock frequency of the SWD clock signal.

17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the SSDP target circuit is configured to receive an acknowledge of the response sequence from the SSDP host circuit to establish an SSDP link between the SSDP target circuit and the SSDP host circuit over the CAN Bus.

18 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the SSDP host circuit is configured to transmit a set number of logic high PWM signals or transmit multiple CAN messages having errors to place CAN nodes coupled to the CAN Bus in a Bus-OFF state.

19 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the SSDP signals are communicated over a single wire of the CAN Bus, and wherein the single wire of the CAN Bus is a differential pair type.

20 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the decoded SSDP signals comprise the SWD clock signal and SWD data signals, wherein the SSDP target circuit is configured to communicate the SWD clock signal and the SWD data signals to the SWD host circuit.