Invention Grant
US07653757B1 Method for using a multi-master multi-slave bus for power management
有权
使用多主机多从总线进行电源管理的方法
- Patent Title: Method for using a multi-master multi-slave bus for power management
- Patent Title (中): 使用多主机多从总线进行电源管理的方法
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Application No.: US11198698Application Date: 2005-08-05
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Publication No.: US07653757B1Publication Date: 2010-01-26
- Inventor: Kenneth W. Fernald , James W. Templeton , John A. Wishneusky
- Applicant: Kenneth W. Fernald , James W. Templeton , John A. Wishneusky
- Applicant Address: US TX Austin
- Assignee: Zilker Labs, Inc.
- Current Assignee: Zilker Labs, Inc.
- Current Assignee Address: US TX Austin
- Agency: Meyertons Hood Kivlin Kowert & Goetzel, P.C.
- Agent Jeffrey C. Hood
- Main IPC: G06F3/00
- IPC: G06F3/00 ; G05F1/40

Abstract:
In one set of embodiments, a power management system comprises two or more devices, such as POL devices, configured to transmit and receive data over a shared bus, such as an I2C bus, according to the bus protocol of the shared bus. Each device may be configured with at least one respective address register, which may be programmed with an address uniquely identifying the device, and a mask register that may be configured to mask select bits of the respective address register, thereby enabling the device to identify device groups. In one embodiment, one of the devices identifying itself as a master device may distribute information to any of the other devices by transmitting the information, which may include commands and/or data, to itself, in effect targeting the address programmed into its own address register. The devices on the shared bus may be configured to monitor the bus for events, and respond to each event according to the requirements inherent within a transmitted command, thereby performing the necessary tasks to enable power management functions without the need for interconnecting analog signal lines.
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