Analog Devices, Inc.
GPIO-to-GPIO communication on a multi-node daisy-chained network

Abstract:

Disclosed herein are systems and techniques for general purpose input/output (GPIO)-to-GPIO communication in a multi-node, daisy-chained network. In some embodiments, a transceiver may support GPIO between multiple nodes, without host intervention after initial programming. In some such embodiments, the host may be required only for initial setup of the virtual ports. In some embodiments, GPIO pins can be inputs (which may change virtual ports) or outputs (which may reflect virtual ports). In some embodiments, multiple virtual ports may be mapped to one GPIO output pin (with the values OR'ed together, for example). In some embodiments, multiple GPIO input pins may be mapped to one virtual port. For example, multiple GPIO input pin values may be OR'ed together, even if they come from multiple nodes.