Datalogging Circuit Triggered by a Watchdog Timer

Organization Name

Inventor(s)

Charles J. Fleckenstein of Portland OR (US)

Datalogging Circuit Triggered by a Watchdog Timer - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 20240118958 titled 'Datalogging Circuit Triggered by a Watchdog Timer

Simplified Explanation

The apparatus described in the patent application includes an integrated circuit with a watchdog timer, functional circuits connected via a communication fabric, and a system management circuit. The system management circuit can access information from the functional circuits in response to the watchdog timer expiration and store it in the memory circuit.

Integrated circuit with watchdog timer, functional circuits, and system management circuit
Functional circuits reset watchdog timer to prevent expiration
System management circuit retrieves information from functional circuits upon watchdog timer expiration
Retrieved information stored in memory circuit

Potential Applications

The technology described in the patent application could be applied in various industries such as:

Internet of Things (IoT) devices
Automotive systems
Industrial automation

Problems Solved

This technology helps in:

Ensuring system reliability by monitoring and managing functional circuits
Preventing system failures by resetting the watchdog timer
Facilitating efficient system management and data storage

Benefits

The benefits of this technology include:

Improved system reliability and uptime
Enhanced system performance through effective management of functional circuits
Simplified system maintenance and troubleshooting processes

Potential Commercial Applications

The technology could be commercially applied in:

Smart home devices
Medical equipment
Aerospace systems

Possible Prior Art

One possible prior art for this technology could be the use of watchdog timers in embedded systems to monitor system health and trigger corrective actions upon failure.

Unanswered Questions

How does this technology compare to existing system management solutions in terms of efficiency and scalability?

This article does not provide a direct comparison with existing system management solutions in terms of efficiency and scalability. It would be beneficial to understand how this technology stands out in these aspects compared to other solutions.

What are the potential limitations or challenges in implementing this technology in real-world applications?

The article does not address the potential limitations or challenges in implementing this technology in real-world applications. It would be important to explore any obstacles that could arise during the integration of this technology into different systems.

Original Abstract Submitted

an apparatus includes a memory circuit, and an integrated circuit formed on a single semiconductor substrate and coupled to the memory circuit. the integrated circuit includes a watchdog timer, a plurality of functional circuits coupled together via a communication fabric, and a system management circuit coupled to the watchdog timer and to a subset of the functional circuits via respective dedicated point-to-point interfaces. a given functional circuit may be configured to repeatedly reset the watchdog timer before the watchdog timer expires. the system management circuit may be configured, in response to an expiration of the watchdog timer, to access information in the subset of the functional circuits via the respective point-to-point interfaces. the system management circuit may be further configured to store the accessed information in the memory circuit.