Patents by Inventor Robert N. Ehrlich

Robert N. Ehrlich has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9626279
    Abstract: A method and information processing system provide trace compression for trace messages. In response to a branch of a conditional branch instruction having not been taken or having been taken, a flag of a history buffer is set or cleared. A trace address message is generated in response to a conditional indirect branch instruction being taken, wherein the trace address message includes address information indicating the destination address of the taken branch, and an index value indicating a corresponding flag of the history buffer. In response to a return from interrupt or return from exception instruction, a predicted return address is compared to an actual return address. A trace address message is generated in response to the predicted and actual return addresses not matching. A trace address message is not generated in response to the predicted and actual return addresses matching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: NXP USA, INC.
    Inventors: Robert A. McGowan, Robert N. Ehrlich
  • Patent number: 9626280
    Abstract: A method and information processing system provide trace compression for trace messages. In response to a branch of a conditional branch instruction having not been taken or having been taken, a flag of a history buffer is set or cleared. A trace address message is generated in response to a conditional indirect branch instruction being taken, wherein the trace address message includes address information indicating the destination address of the taken branch, and an index value indicating a corresponding flag of the history buffer. In response to a return from interrupt or return from exception instruction, a predicted return address is compared to an actual return address. A trace address message is generated in response to the predicted and actual return addresses not matching. A trace address message is not generated in response to the predicted and actual return addresses matching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: NXP USA, INC.
    Inventors: Robert N. Ehrlich, Robert A. McGowan, Michael B. Schinzler
  • Patent number: 9495169
    Abstract: A program trace data compression mechanism in which execution of a variable length execution set (VLES) including multiple non-branch conditional instructions are traced in real-time in a manner that allows the instruction execution to be reconstructed completely by correlating the trace data with the traced binary code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.
    Inventors: Robert N. Ehrlich, Petru Lauric, Robert A. McGowan
  • Publication number: 20160169965
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides system and method embodiments for generation of capture clock signals. A first and second test circuit receive a first test pattern and a functional clock signal. A first test clock control (TCC) circuit of the first test circuit generates a first capture clock signal that comprises a set of functional clock signal pulses generated according to a first clock pattern of the first test pattern. A second TCC circuit of the second test circuit generates a second capture clock signal that comprises the set of functional clock signal pulses generated according to the first clock pattern. The set of functional clock signal pulses of the second capture clock signal are staggered in time from the set of functional clock signal pulses of the first capture clock signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2014
    Publication date: June 16, 2016
    Inventors: DARRELL L. CARDER, RAKESH BAKHSHI, ROBERT N. EHRLICH
  • Patent number: 9366724
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides system and method embodiments for generation of capture clock signals. A first and second test circuit receive a first test pattern and a functional clock signal. A first test clock control (TCC) circuit of the first test circuit generates a first capture clock signal that comprises a set of functional clock signal pulses generated according to a first clock pattern of the first test pattern. A second TCC circuit of the second test circuit generates a second capture clock signal that comprises the set of functional clock signal pulses generated according to the first clock pattern. The set of functional clock signal pulses of the second capture clock signal are staggered in time from the set of functional clock signal pulses of the first capture clock signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.
    Inventors: Darrell L. Carder, Rakesh Bakhshi, Robert N. Ehrlich
  • Patent number: 9304880
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for an asynchronous multicore common debugging system is described. Debug signals from a plurality of processor cores are synchronized to a common timing domain. Processing completed within the plurality of processor cores during a common timing interval is tracked. A single debugging tool chain is utilized to provide debugging results in response to the tracking the processing completed within the plurality of processor cores during the common timing interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael L. Olivarez, Stephen J. Benzel, Robert N. Ehrlich, Robert A. McGowan
  • Publication number: 20150006869
    Abstract: A method and information processing system provide trace compression for trace messages. In response to a branch of a conditional branch instruction having not been taken or having been taken, a flag of a history buffer is set or cleared. A trace address message is generated in response to a conditional indirect branch instruction being taken, wherein the trace address message includes address information indicating the destination address of the taken branch, and an index value indicating a corresponding flag of the history buffer. In response to a return from interrupt or return from exception instruction, a predicted return address is compared to an actual return address. A trace address message is generated in response to the predicted and actual return addresses not matching. A trace address message is not generated in response to the predicted and actual return addresses matching.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2013
    Publication date: January 1, 2015
    Applicant: FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.
    Inventors: Robert N. Ehrlich, Robert A. McGowan, Michael B. Schinzler
  • Publication number: 20150006863
    Abstract: A method and information processing system provide trace compression for trace messages. In response to a branch of a conditional branch instruction having not been taken or having been taken, a flag of a history buffer is set or cleared. A trace address message is generated in response to a conditional indirect branch instruction being taken, wherein the trace address message includes address information indicating the destination address of the taken branch, and an index value indicating a corresponding flag of the history buffer. In response to a return from interrupt or return from exception instruction, a predicted return address is compared to an actual return address. A trace address message is generated in response to the predicted and actual return addresses not matching. A trace address message is not generated in response to the predicted and actual return addresses matching.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2013
    Publication date: January 1, 2015
    Applicant: FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.
    Inventors: Robert A. McGowan, Robert N. Ehrlich
  • Publication number: 20140281735
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for an asynchronous multicore common debugging system is described. Debug signals from a plurality of processor cores are synchronized to a common timing domain. Processing completed within the plurality of processor cores during a common timing interval is tracked. A single debugging tool chain is utilized to provide debugging results in response to the tracking the processing completed within the plurality of processor cores during the common timing interval.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Inventors: Michael L. Olivarez, Stephen J. Benzel, Robert N. Ehrlich, Robert A. McGowan
  • Patent number: 8666690
    Abstract: A heterogeneous multi-core integrated circuit includes first and second sets of processor cores and corresponding first and second test access ports (TAPs). The first and second TAPs are connected to corresponding first and second debug ports by way of corresponding first and second TAP controllers. A debug control circuit is connected between the first and second TAP controllers and the first and second debug ports. Based on external configuration signals, the debug control circuit configures the connections between the first and second TAP controllers and the first and second debug ports according to predetermined configuration modes, which allows flexibility in debugging the heterogeneous multi-core integrated circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Amar Nath Deogharia, Robert N. Ehrlich, Robert A. McGowan
  • Publication number: 20130283020
    Abstract: A program trace data compression mechanism in which execution of a variable length execution set (VLES) including multiple non-branch conditional instructions are traced in real-time in a manner that allows the instruction execution to be reconstructed completely by correlating the trace data with the traced binary code.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2012
    Publication date: October 24, 2013
    Applicant: FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.
    Inventors: Robert N. Ehrlich, Petru Lauric, Robert A. McGowan
  • Publication number: 20130090887
    Abstract: A heterogeneous multi-core integrated circuit includes first and second sets of processor cores and corresponding first and second test access ports (TAPs). The first and second TAPs are connected to corresponding first and second debug ports by way of corresponding first and second TAP controllers. A debug control circuit is connected between the first and second TAP controllers and the first and second debug ports. Based on external configuration signals, the debug control circuit configures the connections between the first and second TAP controllers and the first and second debug ports according to predetermined configuration modes, which allows flexibility in debugging the heterogeneous multi-core integrated circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2011
    Publication date: April 11, 2013
    Applicant: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Amar Nath Deogharia, Robert N. Ehrlich, Robert A. McGowan
  • Patent number: 7747889
    Abstract: A data processing system may comprise an initiator device having an output whose timing is referenced by a clock input alone corresponding to a first delay along a signaling path. The exemplary data processing system further may further comprise a target device having an input whose timing is referenced by a clock input alone corresponding to a second delay along the signaling path and a system bus interconnected between the initiator device and the target device within the signaling path. The exemplary data processing system may further comprise a dynamic timing bridge coupled to the system bus within the signaling path, wherein responsive to a control signal representative of at least one system characteristic, the dynamic timing bridge performs one selected from the group consisting of (i) inserting a cyclic latency within the signaling path and (ii) not inserting the cyclic latency within the signaling path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Craig D. Shaw, Matthew D. Akers, Robert N. Ehrlich, Brett W. Murdock
  • Publication number: 20080028253
    Abstract: A data processing system may comprise an initiator device having an output whose timing is referenced by a clock input alone corresponding to a first delay along a signaling path. The exemplary data processing system further may further comprise a target device having an input whose timing is referenced by a clock input alone corresponding to a second delay along the signaling path and a system bus interconnected between the initiator device and the target device within the signaling path. The exemplary data processing system may further comprise a dynamic timing bridge coupled to the system bus within the signaling path, wherein responsive to a control signal representative of at least one system characteristic, the dynamic timing bridge performs one selected from the group consisting of (i) inserting a cyclic latency within the signaling path and (ii) not inserting the cyclic latency within the signaling path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2006
    Publication date: January 31, 2008
    Inventors: Craig D. Shaw, Matthew D. Akers, Robert N. Ehrlich, Brett W. Murdock