IP Library Granted Patent US 10,474,515
Granted Patent B2
US 10,474,515 · App. 15/591,161 · Granted Nov 12, 2019

Debugging translation block and debugging architecture

Inventors: Baraa Al-Dabagh (Redwood City, CA); Dongsheng Bi (Fremont, CA); Roi Uziel (Santa Clara, CA)
Assignee: Intel IP Corporation
G06F11/00G01R31/31705
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,474,515
App. No.
15/591,161
Granted
Nov 12, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

An electronic device includes one or more integrated circuits, a debugging translation block, and a bus connected to the one or more integrated circuits and the debugging translation block, the bus configured to provide a connection to one or more external devices, wherein the debugging translation block is configured to receive debugging commands from a testing host device via the bus, convert the debugging commands into debugging input data, and provide the debugging input data to a debugging state machine of a first integrated circuit of the one or more integrated circuits.

Claims (38)

1. An electronic device comprising:

one or more integrated circuits;

a debugging translation block; and

a bus connected to the one or more integrated circuits and the debugging translation block, the bus configured to provide a connection to one or more external devices;

wherein the debugging translation block is configured to receive debugging commands from a testing host device via the bus, convert the debugging commands into debugging input data, and provide the debugging input data to a debugging state machine of a first integrated circuit of the one or more integrated circuits,

wherein the debugging input data comprises debugging test data and debugging instructions, and wherein the debugging translation block is configured to provide the debugging test data and the debugging instructions to the debugging state machine of the first integrated circuit by providing the debugging test data and debugging instructions over a plurality of debugging signal lines.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein a second integrated circuit of the one or more integrated circuits is configured to receive the debugging commands from the testing host device over the bus via a wired connection, and to provide the debugging commands to the debugging translation block over the bus.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the debugging translation block is configured to receive debugging output data from the first integrated circuit, and to provide the debugging output data to the testing host device over the bus via the wired connection.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein a second integrated circuit of the one or more integrated circuits is configured to receive the debugging commands from the testing host device via a wireless connection, and to provide the debugging commands to the debugging translation block over the bus.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the second integrated circuit comprises a wireless communication chip that is configured to wirelessly receive the debugging commands from the testing host device via the wireless connection.

6. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the second integrated circuit is a wireless controller.

7. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the debugging translation block is configured to receive debugging output data from the first integrated circuit, and to provide the debugging output data to the testing host device via the wireless connection.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the debugging input data is Joint Test Action Group (JTAG) input data, the debugging state machine is a JTAG TAP controller, and the plurality of debugging signal lines comprise one or more of a Test Reset (TSRT) signal line, a Test Mode Select (TMS) signal line, a Test Clock (TCLK) signal line, or a Test Data Input (TDI) signal line.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the bus is an auxiliary bus of the electronic device.

10. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the debugging translation block is configured to grant access to debugging capabilities based on whether a valid debug key is provided.

11. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the debugging state machine comprises one or more registers configured to shift debugging test data into logic circuitry of the first integrated circuit and to capture debugging output data from the logic circuitry.

12. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the debugging input data is Joint Test Action Group (JTAG) input data and the debugging state machine is a JTAG TAP controller.

13. An electronic device comprising:

a first integrated circuit and second integrated circuit; and

a debugging translation block configured to receive debugging commands from a testing host device via a pipe connection provided by the first integrated circuit, convert the debugging commands into debugging input data, and to provide the debugging input data to a debugging state machine of the second integrated circuit,

wherein the debugging input data comprises debugging test data and debugging instructions, and wherein the debugging translation block is configured to provide the debugging test data and the debugging instructions to the debugging state machine of the second integrated circuit by providing the debugging test data and debugging instructions over a plurality of debugging signal lines.

14. The electronic device of claim 13 , further comprising a bus that connects the first integrated circuit and the debugging translation block, wherein the first integrated circuit is configured to provide the pipe connection over the bus.

15. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the first integrated circuit is configured to provide the pipe connection as a wired connection over the bus to the testing host device.

16. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the first integrated circuit comprises a wireless chip configured to provide the pipe connection as a wireless connection with a counterpart wireless chip of the testing host device.

17. The electronic device of claim 16 , further comprising a bus that connects the first integrated circuit and the debugging translation block, wherein the first integrated circuit is configured to receive the debugging commands via the wireless chip and to send the debugging commands to the debugging translation block over the bus.

18. An electronic device comprising:

a first integrated circuit and a second integrated circuit;

a debugging translation block; and

a bus connecting the first integrated circuit and the debugging translation block,

wherein the first integrated circuit is configured to receive debugging commands from a testing host device and to provide the debugging commands to the debugging translation block over the bus,

and the debugging translation block is configured to convert the debugging commands into debugging input data and to provide the debugging input data to a debugging state machine of the second integrated circuit,

the electronic device further comprising a plurality of signal lines connecting the debugging translation block and the debugging state machine, wherein the debugging translation block is configured to provide the debugging input data to the debugging state machine on the plurality of signal lines.

19. The electronic device of claim 18 , wherein the debugging input data comprises Joint Test Action Group (JTAG) input data, and the plurality of signal lines comprise a Test Mode Select (TMS) signal line, a Test Clock (TCK) signal line, and a Test Data Input (TDI) signal line.

20. A method for testing integrated circuits, the method comprising:

receiving, at a debugging translation block, debugging commands from a testing host device via a bus that is connected to one or more integrated circuits and configured to provide a connection to one or more external devices;

converting, at the debugging translation block, the debugging commands into debugging input data; and

providing, from the debugging translation block, the debugging input data to a debugging state machine of a first integrated circuit of the one or more integrated circuits,

wherein the debugging input data comprises debugging test data and debugging instructions, and wherein providing the debugging test data and the debugging instructions to the debugging state machine of the first integrated circuit comprises providing the debugging test data and debugging instructions over a plurality of debugging signal lines.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 26, 2020
From: INTEL CORPORATION
To: APPLE INC.
Reel/Frame 053063/0205 →
CONFIRMATORY ASSIGNMENT Recorded Jun 25, 2020
From: INTEL IP CORPORATION
To: INTEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 053051/0016 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 10, 2017
From: AL-DABAGH, BARAA; BI, DONGSHENG; UZIEL, ROI
To: INTEL IP CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 042319/0223 →
Continuity (1)
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