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Integrated circuit (IC) package with a microcontroller having an n-bit bus and up to n-pins coupled to the microcontroller
| Details |
Inventors: Fink, Scott; Bingham, Gregory; Hull, Richard; Ellison, Scott;
Assignee: Microchip Technology Inc. (Chandler, AZ)
Primary Examiner: Potter; Roy
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Baker Botts L.L.P.
An Integrated Circuit (IC) package is disclosed comprising an IC chip with a microcontroller therein having an n-bit data bus, and up to n pins electrically coupled to the microcontroller. The IC package also includes a control register coupled to the microcontroller for receiving enable and disable signals from the microcontroller. One or more of the pins have one or more functional block associated thereto. Each functional block defines a specified function for its corresponding pin. Thus, each pin having a plurality of corresponding functional blocks has a number of potential functions equal to the number of corresponding functional blocks. The specific function for a given pin is selected by the enable signal from the control register which selects the appropriate functional block upon appropriate command from the microcontroller. By using pins with multiple functions, the instant invention permits an n-bit architecture microcontroller to use less than or equal to n pins. |
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION What is claimed: 1.
A method of operating a microcontroller in an integrated circuit package (IC), said method comprising the steps of: providing an IC chip with a microcontroller having a data bus; providing a first pin electrically coupled to said microcontroller, wherein said first pin functions as a power supply pin; providing a second pin electrically coupled to said microcontroller, wherein said second pin functions as a grounding pin; and providing a plurality of third pins electrically coupled to said microcontroller, wherein said plurality of third pins are function pins, at least one of said plurality of third pins being a multiple function pin, whereby a total number of said first, second and plurality of third pins is at least three which is less than or equal to a bit bus width of said data bus.
2.
The method of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of third pins are one of input only pins or input/output pins.
3.
The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing at least one configuration circuit coupled to each of said plurality of third pins and to said data bus for determining a function for a corresponding one of said plurality of third pins.
4.
The method of claim 3, wherein the step of determining a function for a corresponding one of said plurality of third pins comprises the step of enabling only one at a time of said at least one configuration circuits for each of said plurality of third pins so as to configure a corresponding one of said plurality of third pins to a function associated with said enabled one of said at least one configuration circuits.
5.
The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of coupling independent function lines to each of said configuration circuits and to a corresponding one of said plurality of third pins for transferring data between said corresponding one of said plurality of third pins and said microcontroller when a particular one of said configuration circuits is enabled.
6.
The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of coupling a signal bus to said control register and to said microcontroller for sending signals from said microcontroller to said control register on which of said configuration circuits need to be enabled and which of said configure circuits need to be disabled
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