Abstract
Accessing the UART (universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter) ports of a particular processor within a system-on-chip (SoC) generally requires exposing the UART pins of the processor at the die periphery. However, the die periphery has space only for a limited number of pins. This disclosure describes techniques that leverage universal serial bus type-C (USB-C) to communicate with processors over UART to enable frictionless SoC debugging. The techniques enable efficient use of SoC pins, rapid and parallel access to processor UARTs, and rapid root-cause analysis. On devices where USB is the only exposed interface, debugging can be facilitated by simply connecting the USB port of the mobile device to a remote host via a USB cable. The techniques can help achieve substantial cost savings and reductions in time-to-market.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Mehta, Mukul; Tummala, Gopi; and Avirneni, Prasad, "UART Virtualization, Debug and Trace in a Multi-Processor System", Technical Disclosure Commons, (February 02, 2026)
https://www.tdcommons.org/dpubs_series/9258