Chapter4 Embedded Interfaces

Tien Pham Van, Dr. rer. nat.
Hanoi University of Science and Technology

Compiled with reference to other presentations
Embedded Networking Research Group School of Elec. and Telecom - Hanoi University of Science and Technology
Email: tien.phamvan1@hust.edu.vn C9-411, Dai Co Viet str. 1, HBT, Hanoi Tel: +84-243-8693596
Outlines
• Custom interfaces
• GPIO
• Communication
• Human machine
interfaces
Hardware: system view
Embedded system is a special-purpose computing device designed to perform dedicated function
EMBEDDED
INPUT OUTPUT
SYSTEM
- Keyboard Button - LCD Display
- Steering wheel position - Servo Engine

SOFTWARE
- Microphone APPLICATION SOFTWARE
- EEG signals
SYSTEM SOFTWARE
MIDDLEWARE
DEVICE DRIVERS
Analog Environment
Digital Environment HARDWARE

EMBEDDED BOARD
OUTPUT DEVICES
MCU
INPUT DEVICES
Embedded development trend
• Interconnection
– IoT/M2M
– Diversified communication physical means
• Distribution/decentralization
– More modules to co-work
– Higher parallelism
• Human machine interface
– Behavior recognition
– More intelligent
• Customizability
– Configurable hardware
– Universal ports
Devices have different data Rates
different I/O techniques used
+ sensors, actuators, SSD, router
Embedded
2/16 Networking Research Group School of Elec. and Telecom - Hanoi University of Science and Technology
Interface Performance Measures
• Latency
 delay between service request and service
completion
» includes both software and hardware delays
 for real-time systems
» guarantee must be made for worst-case latency
• Bandwidth (or throughput)
 maximum rate at which data can be processed
• Priority
 determines service order when more than one
request is pending
Synchronizing SW w/ I/O Devices
• Problem: I/O devices operate in parallel w/ controller

 pro: parallelism enhances performance
 con: it’s hard for humans to get it right
• Hardware common case
 3 states: idle, busy, or done
 when not idle
» busy and done alternate
• I/O or CPU bound (unbuffered vs. buffered interfaces)
 I/O bound is typical
» I/O devices often much slower than controller SW loop
• synchronization is required
• unbuffered interface works but SW has to do significantbabysitting
 CPU bound
» still need synchronization for accurate information transfer
» buffering required to store I/O transactions
Synchronization Mechanisms
• Blind cycle
 SW waits a fixed amount of time for the I/O to complete
» then samples input or produces another output
• Busy waiting
 check I/O status flag once per iteration (previous example)
» waits for flag to indicate I/O done state
• Interrupt
 I/O requests SW to become active
• Periodic polling
 timer based interrupt requests software activity
» 6812 TCNT timer both more accurate and energy efficient than a cycle
counting software timer
• Direct Memory Access (DMA)
 I/O device transfers data to/from controller memory
» memory used as a mailbox to facilitate communication
Scalable Embedded I/O Bus Architectures
- Device I/O interfaces and Drivers for
Real-time Systems | Coursera
https://www.coursera.org/lecture/real-time-mission-
critical-systems-design/scalable-embedded-i-o-bus-
architectures-sGxqA
I/O Basics
• I/O controller  I/O devices ports

– Transfers data to/from device
– Synchronizes operations with software
• Command / control registers
• Status registers: device status, errors
• Data registers
– Write: data  device eg Transmit
– Read: CPU device eg receive
– multiple I/O registers can map to same address
Device Drivers
• Device-specific – controls IO device, written by

manufacturer eg SSD driver, mouse,
– command registers, commands vary from device to device
• Part of kernel
– Compiled with OS, Dynamically loaded into OS
• Accept abstract R/W requests from device-independent layer ;
• Initialize device, Manage power, and log
• Check & translate input parameters
– e.g., convert linear block number into the head, track, sector and cylinder
number for disk access
• Check device status & Control  sequence of commands
CPU Bus I/O
• CPU needs to talk to I/O Address

Data
• Memory-mapped I/O CPU

Read
– Devices mapped to Write
reserved memory locations -
like RAM Memory I/O Device
– Uses load/store instructions
just like accesses to memory
Address
Data
• I/O mapped I/O CPU Memory I/O
– Special bus line Read
Write
– Special instructions
I/O Port
Memory
I/O Device
Memory Mapped I/O
Physical Layout Programmer’s View
I/O Register operations
 I/O Registers are NOT like normal memory
 Device events can change their values (e.g., status registers)
 Reading a register can change its value (e.g., error condition
reset)
 For example, can't expect to get same value if read twice
 Some are readonly (e.g., receive registers)
 Some are writeonly (e.g., transmit registers)
 Sometimes multiple I/O registers are mapped to same address
 Selection of one based on other info (e.g., read vs. write or extra control
bits)
 Cache must be disabled for memory-mapped addresses – why?
 When polling I/O registers, should tell compiler that value can
change on its own and therefore should not be stored in a register
 volatile int *ptr; (or int volatile *ptr;)
Parallel vs. Serial Digital Interfaces
 Parallel $$$$
– Multiple parallel data lines
– Hi Speed
– Ex: PCI, ATA, CF cards
 Serial convenient
– minimal data lines
– Low Power, length
– Ex: USB, SATA, SD (secure digital),
I2C, SPI, CAN, PCI-Express
Serial vs. Parallel
TX
Serial MCU 1 RX MCU 2
signal
Data[0:7]
Parallel MCU 1 MCU 2
Why Serial Communication?
 Serial communication is a pin-efficient way of sending and

receiving bits of data
 Sends and receives data one bit at a time over one wire
 While it takes eight times as long to transfer each byte of data this way
(as compared to parallel communication), only a few wires are required
 Typically one to send, one to receive (for full-duplex), and a common
signal ground wire
 Simplistic way to visualize serial port

 Two 8-bit shift registers connected together
 Output of one shift register (transmitter) connected to the input of the
other shift register (receiver)
 Common clock so that as a bit exits the transmitting shift register, the bit
enters the receiving shift register
 Data rate depends on clock frequency
Simple Serial Port
Receive
Buffer Register
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Receive
Shift Register
Transmit
Shift Register 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Transmit 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Hold Register
Processor Peripheral
Protecting Against Data Loss
 How can data be lost?
 If the transmitter starts to send the next byte before the
receiver has had a chance to process/read the current byte
 If the next byte is loaded at the transmitter end before the
current byte has been completely transmitted
 Most serial ports use FIFO buffers so that data

is not lost
 Buffering of received bytes at receiver end for later processing
 Buffering of loaded bytes at transmitter end for later
transmission
 Shift registers free to transmit and receive data without worrying
about data loss
 Why does the size of the FIFO buffers matter?

Serial Port
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
FIFO Buffer FIFO Buffer
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Clock Clock
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
FIFO Buffer FIFO Buffer

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Processor Peripheral
What is RS-232?
 So far, we’ve talked about clocks being synchronized and using the
clock as a reference for data transmission
 Fine for short distances (e.g., within chips on the same board)
 When data is transmitted over longer distances (off-chip), voltage

levels can be affected by cable capacitance
 A logic “1” “1”might appear as an indeterminate voltage at the receiver
 Wrong data might be accepted when clock edges become skewed
 Enter RS232: Recommended Standard number 232

 Serial ports for longer distances, typically, between PC and peripheral
 Data transmitted asynchronously, i.e., no reference clock
 Data provides its own reference clock
Types of Serial Communications
 Synchronous communication
 Data transmitted as a steady stream at regular intervals
 All transmitted bits are synchronized to a common clock signal
 The two devices initially synchronize themselves to each other, and
then continually send characters to stay synchronized
 Faster data transfer rates than asynchronous methods, because it does
not require additional bits to mark the beginning and end of each data
byte
 Asynchronous communication
 Data transmitted intermittently at irregular intervals
 Each device uses its own internal clock resulting in bytes that are
transferred at arbitrary times
 Instead of using time as a way to synchronize the bits, the data format is
used
 Data transmission is synchronized using the start bit of the word, while
one or more stop bits indicate the end of the word
 Asynchronous communications slightly slower than synchronous
Sync vs. Async
 Synchronous communications
 Requires common clock (SPI)
 Whoever controls the clock controls communication speed
 Asynchronous communications
 Has no clock (UART)
 Speed must be agreed upon beforehand (the baud-rate configuration
accomplishes that)
RS232 – Bits and Serial Bytes
 Serial ports on IBM-style PCs support asynchronous communication only

 A “serial byte” usually consists of
 Characters: 5-8 data bits
 Framing bits: 1 start bit, 1 parity bit (optional), 1-2 stop bits
 When serial data is stored on your computer, framing bits are removed, and this
looks like a real 8-bit byte
 Specified as number of data bits - parity type - number of stop bits
 8-N-1 a eight data bits, no parity bit, and one stop bit
 7-E-2 a seven data bits, even parity, and two stop bits
MSB LSB
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
RS-232 Signal Levels
Serial Port Connector
 9-pin (DB-9) or 25-pin (DB-25) connector

 Inside a 9-pin connector
 Carrier Detect - Determines if the DCE is connected to a working
phone line
 Receive Data - Computer receives information sent from the DCE
 Transmit Data - Computer sends information to the DCE
 Data Terminal Ready - Computer tells the DCE that it is ready to talk
 Signal Ground - Pin is grounded
 Data Set Ready - DCE tells the computer that it is ready to talk
 Request To Send - Computer asks the DCE if it can send information
 Clear To Send - DCE tells the computer that it can send information
 Ring Indicator – Asserted when a connected modem has detected an
incoming call
Embedded Real-Time Systems
RS-232 Pin Connections
Handshaking
 Some RS232 connections using handshaking lines between DCE

and DTE
 RTS (ReadyToSend)
• Sent by the DTE to signal the DCE it is Ready To Send
 CTS (ClearToSend)
• Sent by the DCE to signal the DTE that it is Ready to Receive
 DTR (DataTerminalReady)
• Sent to DTE to inform the DCE that it is ready to connect
 DSR (DataSetRead)
• Sent to DCE to inform the DTE that it is ready to connect
 Handshaking lines can make it difficult to set up the serial
communications, but seamless after set-up.
 Also, software handshaking (XON/XOFF)
Interfacing Serial Data to Microprocessor
 Processor has parallel buses for data need to convert serial data to
parallel (and vice versa)
 Standard way is with UART
 UART Universal asynchronous receiver and transmitter
Chip Reg
Select
Tx Clock
R/W
Control
Tx Data Reg Tx Shift Reg Tx Data

IRQ
Status Reg
CTS
D0-D7 Data Control Reg
Bus RTS
Buffers Rx Data Reg Rx Shift Reg Rx Data
Rx Clock

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Tien Pham Van, Dr. rer. nat.

Hanoi University of Science and Technology

Embedded system is a special-purpose computing device designed to perform dedicated function

- Keyboard Button - LCD Display

- Steering wheel position - Servo Engine

Digital Environment HARDWARE

• Problem: I/O devices operate in parallel w/ controller

• I/O controller  I/O devices ports

• Device-specific – controls IO device, written by

• CPU needs to talk to I/O Address

• Memory-mapped I/O CPU

Physical Layout Programmer’s View

Parallel MCU 1 MCU 2

 Serial communication is a pin-efficient way of sending and

 Simplistic way to visualize serial port

 Most serial ports use FIFO buffers so that data

 Why does the size of the FIFO buffers matter?

FIFO Buffer FIFO Buffer

 When data is transmitted over longer distances (off-chip), voltage

 Enter RS232: Recommended Standard number 232

 Serial ports on IBM-style PCs support asynchronous communication only

 9-pin (DB-9) or 25-pin (DB-25) connector

RS-232 Pin Connections

 Some RS232 connections using handshaking lines between DCE

Tx Data Reg Tx Shift Reg Tx Data

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