Method and data structure for random access via a bus connection
View Patent ↗A method for addressing cells in devices via an I2C bus is suggested, in which the common addressing scheme is supplemented by a ‘Data Transfer Mode’ byte. The ‘Data Transfer Mode’ byte specifies the number of the address and data bytes to follow the device addressing and thereby allows for orthogonal and scalable addressing of cells inside a device connected to the bus. The method is fully compatible to the existing I2C standard for writing to the slave device. Setting up and terminating a connection between a master and a slave as well as acknowledging receipt of a byte follows the standard.
1. A method for accessing cells in devices connected via a bus connection with a single data line carrying data signals and a single clock line carrying clock signals, wherein the devices connected to the bus are identified by device addresses, wherein a first device establishes a start condition to set up a bus connection, thereby becoming a master for the following communication, wherein the master selects a second device by its device address, the second device becoming a slave for the following communication, wherein the master selects the transmission mode read or write, and wherein the master establishes a stop condition terminating the bus connection after successful communication, the method comprising the master:
transmitting a data mode signal via the single data line after addressing the slave, wherein the data mode signal includes information about the number of cell address bytes for composing the cell address inside the addressed slave device and the number of data bytes to be subsequently transmitted;
transmitting via the single data line a cell address signal according to the data mode signal, wherein the cell address signal includes the bytes which form the cell address; and
transmitting data to and/or receiving data from the slave according to the data mode signal.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein writing data and/or reading data from the slave follows the transmission of the data mode signal and the cell address signal.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein each respective receiving device issues an acknowledge signal after a predetermined number of received bits.