Granted Patent B2

US 9,934,377 · App. 14/946,901 · Granted Apr 3, 2018

Abstract

Claims (53)

1. A device comprising:

a detector configured to detect an event;

a selector coupled to the detector and configured to generate a signal in response to a detection of an event by the detector, the signal operable to select a set of input/output (I/O) parameters from among first and second stored sets of parameters; and

a configuration module that is coupled to the selector and includes (i) a multiplexer and (ii) an I/O line management unit coupled to the multiplexer and an I/O line,

wherein multiplexer is configured to:

receive the first and second stored sets of parameters as inputs,

receive the signal from the selector, and

send one of the first and second stored sets of parameters to the I/O line management unit based on receiving the signal from the selector, and

wherein the I/O line management unit is configured to:

receive, from the multiplexer, one of the first and second stored sets of parameters, and

adapt the I/O line to a selected configuration corresponding to the set of parameters received from the multiplexer.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the configuration module includes a first register for storing the first set of parameters and a second register for storing the second set of parameters, and wherein outputs of the first register and the second register are coupled to inputs of the multiplexer.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first set of parameters includes first configuration parameters associated with a first mode of operation for a first I/O line and the second set of parameters includes safety configuration parameters associated with a safety mode of operation for the first I/O line.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein the first configuration parameters are reconfigurable by a user, and wherein the safety configuration parameters are not reconfigurable by a user, and

wherein the selector is configured to:

receive an indication of the event detection from the detector; and

in response to receiving the indication of the event detection, send the signal to the configuration module to apply the safety configuration parameters to the first I/O line.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the device includes a second I/O line that is configured to operate in the first mode of operation in response to receiving the indication of the event detection at the selector.

6. The device of claim 3 , wherein the safety mode of operation includes preventing the first I/O line from communicating with an external device.

7. The device of claim 3 , wherein the safety mode of operation includes a first safety mode of operation and a second safety mode of operation, and

wherein the configuration module is configured to:

switch the first I/O line from the first mode of operation to the first safety mode of operation in response to occurrence of an event of a first type; and

switch the first I/O line from the first mode of operation to the second safety mode of operation in response to occurrence of an event of a second type.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the configuration module includes first configuration parameters associated with the first I/O line, first safety configuration parameters and second safety configuration parameters associated with the first I/O line and a multiplexer that is configured to:

receive as inputs the first configuration parameters, the first safety configuration parameters and the second safety configuration parameters; and

output one of the first configuration parameters, the first safety configuration parameters and the second safety configuration parameters to manage the first I/O line based on the signal from the selector.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the selector is configured to:

in response to a determination that a first detected event is of a first type, send a first signal to the multiplexer to output the first safety configuration parameters; and

in response to a determination that a second detected event is of a second type, send a second signal to the multiplexer to output the second safety configuration parameters.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the event is associated with one or more of an abnormal physical condition of the device, an unauthorized external probe applied to the device, and an unauthorized execution command applied to the device.

11. A method comprising:

detecting, by a detector, an event;

in response to the detection of the event, generating, by a selector coupled to the detector, a signal that is operable to select a set of input/output (I/O) parameters from among first and second stored sets of parameters; and

outputting, by a configuration module coupled to the selector, the selected set of I/O parameters, wherein outputting, by the configuration module, the selected set of I/O parameters comprises:

receiving, at a multiplexer included in the configuration module, the signal from the selector;

outputting, by the multiplexer, one of the first and second stored sets of parameters based on receiving the signal from the selector,

receiving, at an I/O line management unit that is included in the configuration module and coupled to the multiplexer and an I/O line, one of the first and second stored sets of parameters from the multiplexer, and

adapting, by the I/O line management unit, the I/O line to a selected configuration corresponding to the set of parameters received from the multiplexer.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first set of parameters includes first configuration parameters associated with a first mode of operation for a first I/O line and the second set of parameters includes safety configuration parameters associated with a safety mode of operation for the first I/O line.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first configuration parameters are reconfigurable by a user, and wherein the safety configuration parameters are not reconfigurable by a user, the method comprising:

receiving, at the selector, an indication of the event detection from the detector; and

in response to receiving the indication of the event detection, sending, by the selector, the signal to the configuration module to apply the safety configuration parameters to the first I/O line.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the safety mode of operation includes preventing the first I/O line from communicating with an external device.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the safety mode of operation includes a first safety mode of operation and a second safety mode of operation, the method further comprising:

switching, by the configuration module, the first I/O line from the first mode of operation to the first safety mode of operation in response to occurrence of an event of a first type; and

switching, by the configuration module, the first I/O line from the first mode of operation to the second safety mode of operation in response to occurrence of an event of a second type.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the configuration module includes first configuration parameters associated with the first I/O line, first safety configuration parameters and second safety configuration parameters associated with the first I/O line and a multiplexer, the method further comprising:

receiving as inputs, at the multiplexer, the first configuration parameters, the first safety configuration parameters and the second safety configuration parameters; and

outputting, by the multiplexer, one of the first configuration parameters, the first safety configuration parameters and the second safety configuration parameters to manage the first I/O line based on the signal from the selector.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein outputting, by the multiplexer, one of the first configuration parameters, the first safety configuration parameters and the second safety configuration parameters comprises:

in response to a determination that a first detected event is of a first type, sending, by the selector, a first signal to the multiplexer to output the first safety configuration parameters; and

in response to a determination that a second detected event is of a second type, sending, by the selector, a second signal to the multiplexer to output the second safety configuration parameters.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the event is associated with one or more of an abnormal physical condition of a device, an unauthorized external probe applied to the device, and an unauthorized execution command applied to the device.

Assignments (16)