Analog-to-digital converter control using signal objects
View Patent ↗A method and apparatus for detecting an event and sampling first value from a pin in response to the event. For example, the event is identified by a signal object of a plurality of signal objects stored in a memory. Each signal object of the plurality of signal objects identifies a single analog input pin and a trigger.
1. A method comprising:
detecting a first event, wherein
the first event is identified by a first signal object stored in memory,
the first signal object is one of a plurality of signal objects, and
each signal object respectively identifies one and only one signal; and
sampling a first value from a first pin in response to the first event.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting a second event, wherein the second event is specified by a second signal object stored in memory; and
sampling a second value from the first pin in response to the second event.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein:
the first event occurs at a first rate;
the second event occurs at a second rate; and
the first rate is different from the second rate.
4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
converting the first value to a first digital value;
storing the first digital value in a first register, wherein storing the first digital value comprises accessing the first signal object;
converting the second value to a second digital value; and
storing the second digital value in a second register, wherein storing the second digital value comprises accessing the second signal object.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
modifying the first signal object such that the first signal object specifies a modified first event, wherein the modified first event occurs at a rate different from a rate at which the first event occurs.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting a first priority associated with the first pin, wherein the detecting the first priority comprises accessing the first signal object.
7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
detecting a second priority associated with the first pin, wherein the detecting the second priority comprises accessing a second signal object, and the second priority is different from the first priority.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving information about the first signal;
specifying a value for at least one parameter of a plurality of parameters included in the first signal object; and
storing the first signal object in memory.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting whether a first sample window specified by the first signal object is open.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein
sampling the first signal is enabled in response to detecting that the first sample window is open.
11. An apparatus comprising:
a control circuit configured to detect a first event;
a memory configured to store a plurality of signal objects, wherein
each signal object respectively identifies one and only one signal, and
the first event is identified by a first signal object of the plurality of signal objects; and
a sampling circuit configured to sample a first value from a first pin of a plurality of pins in response to the first event.
12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein
the control circuit is further configured to detect a second event, wherein the second event is specified by a second signal object stored in memory; and
the sample circuit is further configured to sample a second value from the first pin in response to the second event.
13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein:
the first event occurs at a first rate;
the second event occurs at a second rate; and
the first rate is different from the second rate.
14. The apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising:
an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to convert the first value to a first digital value and convert the second value to a second digital value, wherein
the first signal object comprises a register configured to store the first digital value, and
the second signal object comprises a register configured to store the second digital value.
15. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein
the control circuit is configured to modify the first signal object such that the first signal object specifies a modified first event, wherein the modified first event occurs at a rate different from a rate at which the first event occurs.
16. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein
the first signal object specifies a first priority associated with the first pin.
17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein
a second signal object specifies a second priority associated with the first pin, wherein the second priority is different from the first priority.
18. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the control circuit is configured to receive information about the first signal,
specify a value for at least one parameter of a plurality of parameters included in the first signal object, and
store the first signal object in memory.
19. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the control circuit is configured to detect whether a first sample window specified by the first signal object is open.
20. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein
sampling the first signal is enabled in response to detecting that the first sample window is open.