I/O interface-based signal output method and apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10558258-B2
Application number	US-201615056379-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 29, 2016
Priority date	Aug 28, 2013
Publication date	Feb 11, 2020
Grant date	Feb 11, 2020

Abstract

An input/output (I/O) interface-based signal output method and apparatus. The method includes determining whether a voltage output by a core power supply domain of a first chip is lower than a preset threshold voltage of the first chip, and when the voltage output by the core power supply domain is lower than the threshold voltage, generating a first level signal according to a control function of the first chip over a second chip, where the first level signal is used to enable the second chip to be in an ignoring state after the second chip receives the first level signal, and sending the first level signal to the second chip through an I/O interface, where the ignoring state indicates that the second chip ignores a control signal and a data signal that are sent by the first chip where the method improves stable performance of a chip product.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An input/output (I/O) interface-based signal output method, the I/O interface being disposed in a first chip, a core power supply domain being provided for the first chip, the first chip being communicatively coupled to a second chip, and the signal output method comprising:
determining whether a voltage output by the core power supply domain is less than or greater than a preset threshold voltage of the first chip, the voltage output by the core power supply domain being less than the preset threshold voltage of the first chip in response to the core power supply domain being turned-on or turned-off, the voltage output by the core power supply domain being less than the preset threshold voltage of the first chip indicating that the first chip is in an unstable state and generates abnormal data, and the voltage output by the core power supply domain being greater than the preset threshold voltage of the first chip indicating that the first chip is in a stable state;
generating a first level signal based on a level of a signal used to control the second chip by the first chip in response to the voltage output by the core power supply domain being less than the threshold voltage, the first level signal comprising a first low level signal that enables the second chip to be in an ignoring state after the second chip receives the first level signal;
sending the first level signal to the second chip through the I/O interface to enable the second chip to enter the ignoring state, the ignoring state being used to indicate that the second chip ignores control and data signals sent by the first chip to the second chip; and
generating a second level signal based on the level of the signal used to control the second chip by the first chip in response to the voltage output by the core power supply domain being greater than the threshold voltage, the second level signal comprising a first high level signal that enables the second chip to be in a working state after the second chip receives the first level signal.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein generating the first level signal according to the control function of the first chip over the second chip comprises generating the first level signal using a pull-up resistor or a pull-down resistor that is disposed on the I/O interface.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein generating the first level signal using the pull-up resistor or the pull-down resistor that is disposed on the I/O interface comprises:
outputting, using a resistor control circuit, a pull-up control (PUC) signal to the pull-up resistor in order to obtain the first high level signal using the pull-up resistor in response to the pull-up resistor being disposed on the I/O interface; and
outputting, using the resistor control circuit, a pull-down control (PDC) signal to the pull-down resistor in order to obtain the first low level signal using the pull-down resistor in response to the pull-down resistor being disposed on the I/O interface.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a pull-up resistor and a pull-down resistor are disposed on the I/O interface of the first chip, generating the first level signal according to the control function of the first chip over the second chip comprises:
generating, using the core power supply domain, a high low control-core (HLC-Core) signal corresponding to the control function of the first chip over the second chip;
performing level conversion on the HLC-Core signal to obtain a high low control (HLC) signal; and
generating, using a bus hold circuit, the first level signal according to the HLC signal, the bus hold circuit outputting the first high level signal in response to the HLC signal indicating a high level, and the bus hold circuit outputting the first low level signal in response to the HLC signal indicating a low level.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a pull-up resistor and a pull-down resistor are disposed on the I/O interface of the first chip, generating the first level signal according to the control function of the first chip over the second chip comprises:
outputting a pull-up control (PUC) signal to the pull-up resistor such that the pull-up resistor outputs the first high level signal, according to the control function of the first chip over the second chip, in response to the PUC signal being generated using a resistor control circuit; and
outputting a pull-down control (PDC) signal to the pull-down resistor such that the pull-down resistor outputs the first low level signal, according to the control function of the first chip over the second chip, in response to the PDC signal being generated using the resistor control circuit.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein generating the first level signal according to the control function of the first chip over the second chip comprises:
sending a hold signal;
acquiring a first signal output by the I/O interface before the hold signal is sent; and
generating, for the second chip in response to the hold signal, a second signal whose level is kept reverse to a level of the first signal, the second signal comprising the generated first level signal.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the voltage output by the core power supply domain is greater than or equal to the threshold voltage, the signal output method further comprises:
determining whether a voltage output by an I/O power supply domain is in an unstable working state;
generating the second level signal according to a pull-up resistor or a pull-down resistor that is disposed on the I/O interface in response to the voltage output by the I/O power supply domain being in the unstable working state, the second level signal enabling the second chip to be in the ignoring state after the second chip receives the second level signal; and
sending the generated second level signal to the second chip to enable the second chip to enter the ignoring state.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein generating the second level signal according to the pull-up resistor or the pull-down resistor that is disposed on the I/O interface comprises:
outputting, using a resistor control circuit, a pull-up control (PUC) signal to the pull-up resistor in order to obtain the second high level signal using the pull-up resistor in response to the pull-up resistor being disposed on the I/O interface; and
outputting, using the resistor control circuit, a pull-down control (PDC) signal to the pull-down resistor in order to obtain the second low level signal using the pull-down resistor in response to the pull-down resistor being disposed on the I/O interface.

9. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the voltage output by the I/O power supply domain is in a stable working state, the signal output method further comprises:
triggering, according to a pull-down (PD) signal, a pull-down control (PDC) signal output by a resistor control circuit such that the PDC signal controls the pull-down resistor to be in a non-working state in response to the PD signal being output in the core power supply domain; and
triggering, according to a pull-up (PU) signal, a pull-up control (PUC) signal output by the resistor control circuit such that the PUC signal controls the pull-up resistor to be in the non-working state in response to the PU signal being output in the core power supply domain.

10. An input/output (I/O) interface-based signal output apparatus, the I/O interface being disposed in a first chip, a core power supply domain being provided for the first chip, the first chip being communicatively coupled to a second chip, and the signal output apparatus comprising:
a memory configured to store instructions; and

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tan Lijuan

Classifications

• G06F1/3296 Primary

  by lowering the supply or operating voltage · CPC title

• G06F1/28

  Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision · CPC title

• G06F13/362

  with centralised access control · CPC title

• G06F1/266

  Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips · CPC title

• G06F13/4072 Primary

  Drivers or receivers (G06F13/4086 takes precedence; for multistate logic circuits H03K19/0002) · CPC title