Microchip Technology Inc.

Stephen Bowling

Yong Yuenyongsgool

Igor Wojewoda

Bryan Kris

James E Bartling

Andreas Reiter

Alex Dumais

Manivannan Balu

John K Gulsen

John Day

Sankar Rangarajan

Justin Oshea

Samar Naik

Pedro Ovalle

Michael Simmons

Sean Steedman

Michael I Catherwood

Rodney J Drake

Sumit K Mitra

Hartono DArmawaskita

Ward Brown

Brian E Boles

Timothy J Phoenix

Naveen Raj

Tim Phoenix

Brant Ivey

Cobus Van Eeden

Cristian Nicolae Groza

Steve Bradley

Anton Alkhimenok

Timothy Phoenix

Robert Ellis

Dereck Fernandes

Hassan Harb

Steven Marsh

Richard Fischer

Zacharias Martin Smit

James E Usbartling

A microcontroller may include a DMA controller, a pattern matching circuit and a memory. The DMA controller may read a first descriptor word in the memory at a location addressed by a first descriptor pointer, and may move an input word from a location in the memory addressed by a source payload pointer to a location in the memory addressed by a destination payload pointer. The pattern matching circuit may perform a pattern matching operation based on the input word and one or more register values. The first descriptor pointer may be modified based on the results of the pattern matching circuit and may generate a second descriptor pointer value.

Device and methods for functional descriptor-based DMA controller

An article of manufacture includes a non-transitory machine-readable medium. The medium includes instructions. The instructions, when read and executed by a processor, cause the processor to identify a first input instruction in a code stream to be executed, determine that the first input instruction includes an atomic operation designation, and selectively block interrupts for a duration of execution of the first input instruction and a second input instruction. The second input instruction is to immediately follow the first input instruction in the code stream.

Atomic instruction set and architecture with bus arbitration locking

A system and method is provided including a first pulse width modulation (PWM) generator circuit including a first timer to generate a first cycle count, a first configuration register to define characteristics of a first electrical pulse to be generated, and a trigger cycle count specifying a timing of a first trigger signal, and a first load enable input to load a new configuration value into the first configuration register, a second PWM generator circuit including a second timer to generate a second cycle count, a second configuration register to define characteristics of a second electrical pulse to be generated, a second load enable input to load a new configuration value into the second configuration register, and a load enable selector to selectively drive the second load enable input based on the first trigger signal.

System and method for configuring coordinated PWM generators

A fault event monitor and filter having a digital comparator receiving a digital input value, wherein the digital comparator generates a plurality of outputs based on programmable threshold input values, a first counter coupled to a first output of the plurality of outputs of the digital comparator, a second counter coupled to a second output of the plurality of outputs of the digital comparator, and an output controller with a first input coupled to an output of the first counter and with a second input coupled to an output of the second counter, wherein the output controller to generate a fault event signal based at least partially on signals received from the first and second counters.

Programmable fault violation filter

A device including an input to receive a clock signal, a ramp start program register, a ramp start active register, a ramp stop program register, a ramp stop active register, a ramp slope program register, a ramp slope active register, an update controller, the update controller to update, based on a programmable condition, respectively, the ramp start active register contents, the ramp stop active register contents and the ramp slope active register contents, and a ramp controller to generate a ramp signal, the ramp signal to begin at the value reflective of the ramp start active register contents, the ramp signal to change value at each cycle of the clock signal based on the value reflective of the ramp slope active register contents, and the ramp signal to stop at the value reflective of the ramp stop active register contents.

System and methods for ramp control

An apparatus includes a debugger circuit, debug pins, and a test controller circuit. The test controller circuit is configured to, in a programming mode, determine a subset of the debug pins used in programming the apparatus. The test controller circuit is further configured to save a designation of the subset of the debug pins. The test controller circuit is further configured to, in a test mode subsequent to the programming mode, use the designation to route the subset of the debug pins used in programming the apparatus to the debugger circuit for debug input and output with the server.

Automatic assignment of device debug communication pins

An apparatus includes an adjustment circuit configured to receive a pulsed-width modulation (PWM) input, generate an adjusted PWM signal based upon the PWM input, and determine that a first pulse of the PWM input is shorter than a runt signal limit. The adjustment circuit is further configured to, in the adjusted PWM signal, extend the first pulse of the PWM input based on the determination that the PWM input is shorter than the runt signal limit, and output the adjusted PWM signal to an electronic device.

Automatic protection against runt pulses

A temperature-compensating clock frequency monitor circuit may be provided to detect a clock pulse frequency in an electronic device that may cause erratic or dangerous operation of the device, as a function of an operating temperature of the device. The temperature-compensating clock frequency monitor circuit include a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature associated with an electronic device, a clock having an operating frequency, and a frequency monitoring system. The frequency monitoring system may be configured to determine the operating frequency of the clock, and based at least on (a) the operating frequency of the clock and (b) the measured temperature associated with the electronic device, generate a corrective action signal to initiate a corrective action associated with the electronic device or a related device. The temperature sensor, clock, and frequency monitoring system may, for example, be provided on a microcontroller.

Temperature compensated clock frequency monitor

A semiconductor die includes a feedback path coupled to the output pin, and an integrity monitor circuit (IMC). The output pin is communicatively coupled to the logic. The IMC is configured to receive a data value. The IMC is further configured to receive measured data value from the output pin routed through the feedback path, compare the data value and the measured data value, and, based on the comparison, determine whether an error has occurred.

Integrity monitor peripheral for microcontroller and processor input/output pins

A clock monitor includes a test clock input, as a reference clock input, another clock input, a measurement circuit, and control logic. The measurement circuit generates a measurement of a frequency or a duty cycle of the test clock input using the reference clock input, which is compared to a threshold. The control logic determines whether the measurement exceeded the threshold and, based on the measurement exceeding the threshold, cause generation of another measurement of a frequency or a duty cycle using the third clock input in combination with the first clock input or the reference clock input. The control logic may determine whether the other measurement exceeded a threshold and, based on such a determination, further determine that the test clock input or the reference clock input are faulty.

Fault tolerant clock monitor system

A constant current source, a stable time base and a capacitor are used to self-check operation of an analog-to-digital convertor (ADC) by charging the capacitor for a pre-determined amount of time to produce a voltage thereon. This voltage will be proportional to the amount of time that the capacitor was charged. Multiple points on the ADC transfer function can be verified in this self-check procedure simply by varying the amount of time for charging of the capacitor. Relative accuracy among test points may then be easily obtained. Absolute accuracy may be obtained by using an accurate clock reference for the time base, a known current source and capacitor value.

ADC self-test using time base and current source

A memory management circuit includes a direct memory access (DMA) channel. The DMA channel includes logic configured to receive a buffer of data to be written using DMA. The DMA channel further includes logic to perform bit manipulation in real-time during a DMA write cycle of the first buffer of data.

Bit manipulation capable direct memory access

In an embedded device with a plurality of processor cores, each core has a static random access memory (SRAM), a memory built-in self-test (MBIST) controller associated with the SRAM, an MBIST access port coupled with the MBIST controller, an MBIST finite state machine (FSM) coupled with the MBIST access port via a first multiplexer, and a JTAG interface coupled with the MBIST access ports of each processor core via the multiplexer of each processor core.

Multi-processor core device with MBIST

A serial transmission peripheral device for transmitting serial transmission data with a variable data length includes a pulse forming unit; and a register programmable to set a desired transmission length. The peripheral device is operable to determine an actual transmission length and calculate a length of a pause pulse and to add the pause pulse at the end of a transmission to generate a transmission having a constant length.

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Chandler, AZ, United States of America

Stephen Bowling