IIC bus start-stop detection circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9436647-B2
Application number	US-201314026375-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2013
Priority date	Sep 13, 2013
Publication date	Sep 6, 2016
Grant date	Sep 6, 2016

Abstract

A start/stop condition detection circuit is coupled to receive the SDA and SCL signals from an IIC Bus. The circuit generates a first signal in response to an edge of the SDA signal and generates an inversion of the first signal as a second signal in response to an opposite edge of the SCL signal. The first and second signals are logically combined to generate an output signal. The particular directions of the edges of the SDA and SCL signals that the circuit is response to determines whether the output signal is indicative of a start condition detection or a stop condition detection.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A circuit, comprising:
a first input configured to receive an SDA signal;
a second input configured to receive an SCL signal;
a first logic circuit configured to generate a first signal having a first logic state in response to a rising edge of the SCL signal;
a second logic circuit configured to invert the first signal and generate a second signal having a second logic state in response to a falling edge of the SDA signal; and
a third logic circuit operable responsive to the first logic state of the first signal and second logic state of the second signal to generate a start signal indicative of a start condition on a bus comprising the SDA and SCL signals.

2. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the first logic circuit is a first flip-flop circuit clocked by the SCL signal.

3. The circuit of claim 2 , wherein the second logic circuit is a second flip flop circuit clocked by an inversion of the SDA signal.

4. The circuit of claim 3 , wherein the second logic circuit further comprises a multiplexing circuit having a first input coupled to receive the inverted first signal and having a selection functionality controlled by the SCL signal.

5. The circuit of claim 4 , wherein the multiplexing circuit further comprises a second input coupled to receive the second signal.

6. The circuit of claim 3 , wherein the second signal output from the second flip-flop is input to the first flip-flop.

7. The circuit of claim 1 , further comprising a fourth logic circuit coupled to receive an enable signal and the start signal, said fourth logic circuit configured to pass the start signal in response to said enable signal.

8. The circuit of claim 7 , further comprising an additional logic circuit configured to generate the enable signal in response to said SDA and SCL signals.

9. The circuit of claim 8 , wherein the additional logic circuit comprises:
a fifth logic circuit configured to generate a fifth signal having a first logic state in response to a falling edge of the SDA signal;
a sixth logic circuit configured to invert the fifth signal and generate a sixth signal having a second logic state in response to a rising edge of the SDA signal; and
a seventh logic circuit operable responsive to the fifth and sixths signals to generate said enable signal.

10. The circuit of claim 9 , wherein the fifth logic circuit is a fifth flip-flop circuit clocked by an inversion of the SDA signal.

11. The circuit of claim 10 , wherein the fifth logic circuit further comprises a fifth multiplexor having a first input coupled to receive the fifth signal and a second input coupled to receive the sixth signal and having a selection functionality controlled by the SCL signal.

12. The circuit of claim 10 , wherein the sixth logic circuit is a sixth flip-flop circuit clocked by the SDA signal.

13. The circuit of claim 12 , wherein the sixth logic circuit further comprises a sixth multiplexor having a first input coupled to receive the sixth signal and a second input coupled to receive the inverted fifth signal and having a selection functionality controlled by the SCL signal.

14. The circuit of claim 1 , further comprising a finite state machined coupled to receive the start signal and the SCL signal, the finite state machine configured to check the logic state of the start signal at the rising edge of the SCL signal.

15. A circuit, comprising:
a first input configured to receive an SDA signal;
a second input configured to receive an SCL signal;
a first logic circuit configured to generate a first signal having a first logic state in response to a falling edge of the SCL signal;
a second logic circuit configured to invert the first signal and generate a second signal having a second logic state in response to a rising edge of the SDA signal; and
a third logic circuit operable responsive to the first logic state of the first signal and second logic state of the second signal to generate a stop signal indicative of a stop condition on a bus comprising the SDA and SCL signals.

16. The circuit of claim 15 , wherein the first logic circuit is a first flip-flop circuit clocked by an inversion of the SCL signal.

17. The circuit of claim 16 , wherein the second logic circuit is a second flip flop circuit clocked by the SDA signal.

18. The circuit of claim 17 , wherein the second logic circuit further comprises a multiplexing circuit having a first input coupled to receive the inverted first signal and having a selection functionality controlled by the SCL signal.

19. The circuit of claim 18 , wherein the multiplexing circuit further comprises a second input coupled to receive the second signal.

20. The circuit of claim 17 , wherein the second signal output from the second flip-flop is input to the first flip-flop.

21. The circuit of claim 15 , further comprising a finite state machined coupled to receive the stop signal and the SCL signal, the finite state machine configured to check the logic state of the stop signal at the falling edge of the SCL signal.

22. A circuit, comprising:
a first input configured to receive an SDA signal;
a second input configured to receive an SCL signal;
a first circuit configured to sense a rising edge of the SCL signal and generate a first signal;
a second circuit configured to sense a falling edge of the SDA signal and pass an inversion of the first signal as a second signal; and
a logic circuit configured to logically combine the first and second signals to generate a start condition signal for a bus comprising the SDA and SCL signals.

23. The circuit of claim 22 , further comprising an enable circuit configured to enable passing of the start condition signal, said enable circuit comprising:
a third circuit configured to sense a falling edge of the SDA signal and generate a third signal;
a fourth circuit configured to sense a rising edge of the SDA signal and an inversion of the third signal as a fourth signal; and
an additional logic circuit configured to logically combine the third and fourth signals to generate said enable signal.

24. A circuit, comprising:
a first input configured to receive an SDA signal;
a second input configured to receive an SCL signal;
a first circuit configured to sense a falling edge of the SCL signal and generate a first signal;
a second circuit configured to sense a rising edge of the SDA signal and pass an inversion of the first signal as a second signal; and
a logic circuit configured to logically combine the first and second signals to generate a stop condition signal for a bus comprising the SDA and SCL signals.

25. A circuit, comprising:
a first input configured to receive an SDA signal;
a second input configured to receive an SCL signal;
a start/stop condition detection circuit coupled to receive the SDA and SCL signals and configured to:
generate a first signal in response to an edge of the SDA signal;
generate an inversion of the first signal as a second signal in response to an opposite edge of the SCL signal; and
logically combine the first and second signals to generate an output signal indicative of start/stop condition detection.

26. The circuit of claim 25 , wherein the particular directions of the edges of the SDA and SCL signals that the start/stop condition detection circuit is response to determines whether the output signal is indicative of a start condition detection or a stop condition detection

Assignees

• St Microelectronics Asia Pacific Pte Ltd
• St Microelectronics Asia Pacific Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Low Nee Loong Wilson
• Zhang Chaochao

Classifications

• G06F2213/0016

  Inter-integrated circuit (I2C) · CPC title

• G06F13/4291

  using a clocked protocol · CPC title

• G06F13/4282 Primary

  on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus (on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247) · CPC title

• G06F13/42

  Bus transfer protocol, e.g. handshake; Synchronisation · CPC title