Atmel Corporation

Amtel Corporation

Atmel Rousset S.a.s.

Guillaume Pean

Renaud Tiennot

Frédéric Schumacher

Alain Vergnes

Vincent Debout

Franck Lunadier

Marc Maunier

Michel Douguet

Frederic Schumacher

Sebastien Younes

Pierre Samat

Patrice Vilchez

In an embodiment, a system comprises: a first bus; a second bus; a first peripheral coupled to the first bus and the second bus, the first peripheral configured to receive a command from the first bus and to generate data in response to the first command; and a second peripheral coupled to the first bus and the second bus, the second peripheral configured to initiate transfer of the generated data from the first peripheral to the second peripheral over the second bus such that access to the generated data through the first bus is prevented.

System architecture with secure data exchange

A peripheral interface circuit and method is disclosed for dealing with round trip delay with serial memory. In some implementations, a finite state machine is configured to introduce a delay state prior to a read data state to absorb round trip delay associated with a memory read operation. A clock module is coupled to the finite state machine and configured to delay start of a pad return clock for the read operation until completion of the delay state. A first synchronous logic is coupled to receive the pad return clock and is configured to sample and hold data from a data bus during the read data state of the memory read operation based on the pad return clock. A second synchronous logic is coupled to receive a system clock and is configured to sample the held data based on the system clock.

Peripheral interface circuit for serial memory

A microcontroller includes a microprocessor, a serial flash memory interface, and input/output (I/O) terminals for coupling the serial flash memory interface to external serial flash memory. The microprocessor is operable to generate instruction frames that trigger respective commands to read data from specified addresses in the external serial flash memory. The serial flash memory interface receives and processes the instruction frames, obtains the data contained in the specified addresses in the external serial flash memory regardless of whether the specified addresses are sequential or non-sequential, and provides the data for use by the microprocessor.

Microcontroller with integrated interface enabling reading data randomly from serial flash memory

Initiating data transactions on a system bus is disclosed. In some implementations, a controller receives first information from a first peripheral requesting a first data transaction. The first information is received over a first communication link between the controller and the first peripheral. The controller receives second information from a second peripheral requesting a second data transaction. The second information received over a second communication link between the controller and the second peripheral. The controller determines first and second ranks for the first and second data transactions, respectively, based on the first and second information, and initiates based on the first and second ranks, the first and second data transactions on a system bus.

Initiating multiple data transactions on a system bus

A controller coupled to a peripheral identifies an access type used by the controller for data transfer. The controller performs operations including: sending information to a peripheral coupled to a controller, the information indicating an access type for which the controller is configured for data transfer; monitoring a communication link with the peripheral for a signal indicating that the peripheral is ready to perform a data transfer according to the access type; and performing, in response to a receipt of the signal through the communication link, the data transfer using data transfer handshake signals that are adapted according to the access type.

Data transfer

A microcontroller has integrated monitoring capabilities for network applications. The disclosed techniques can take advantage, for example, of an unused, duplicate network controller that is present in some microcontrollers by providing selection circuitry and configuration capabilities that allow the unused, duplicate network controller to be used for the purpose of monitoring frames that are transferred between network media and another network controller residing on the microcontroller. The monitored frames can then be used, for example, for debugging or other purposes, such as statistical analyzes or security enhancements.

Microcontroller with integrated monitoring capabilities for network applications

A microcontroller system is disclosed that includes an access stealing monitor coupled to a bus that is configured to receive a first access request from the bus for a first peripheral, duplicate the first access request, transform the first access request to a second access request on a second peripheral, and transfer the second access request to the bus. In another embodiment, a first peripheral coupled to the bus is configured to receive a first access request from the bus for the first peripheral, duplicate the first access request and transform the first access request to a second access request. A second peripheral coupled to the bus and to the first peripheral is configured to receive the second access request and to respond to the second access request. Methods of access stealing in a microcontroller system are also disclosed.

Microcontroller architecture with access stealing

A system includes one or more master modules configured to execute instructions embedded in non-transitory machine-readable media and controllable by a processor. The system also includes one or more peripheral modules that are configured to execute instructions embedded in non-transitory machine-readable media and controllable by the processor. The system also includes a system bus with instructions embedded in a non-transitory machine-readable medium and configured to allow data transfer between the processor and the one or more peripheral modules. A data processing module of the one or more peripheral modules includes a master interface and a slave interface. Both master and slave interfaces are coupled to the system bus.

Microcontroller peripheral data transfer redirection for resource sharing

Microcontroller including alternative links between peripherals for resource sharing

A variable architecture for random number generators is disclosed. In some implementations, the architecture of a random number generator may be varied based on microcontroller-specific data stored on the microcontroller. For example, a random number generator module may be embedded in a microcontroller circuit. The random number generator module may be designed to receive input from data sources in the circuit that contain microcontroller-specific data (e.g., a unique chip identifier, data carried in fuse bits). In some implementations, the architecture of the random number generator module may be adjusted or varied based on the microcontroller-specific data.

Growing community of inventors

Aix en Provence, France

Guillaume Pean