Patent ID: 7392445

Claim:
A method for transmitting a “J” bit block of data from a first electronic unit to a second electronic unit over a signaling bus having “K” signaling conductors, where zero to “K-1” of the signaling conductors is faulty, the method comprising the steps of: identifying faulty and nonfaulty signaling conductors in the signaling bus; setting a fault status of the signaling conductors in the first electronic unit and in the second electronic unit, using information found by the step of identifying faulty and nonfaulty signaling conductors in the signaling bus; determining “F”, the number of faulty signaling conductors in the signaling bus; determining “K-F”, the number of nonfaulty signaling conductors in the signaling bus; and transmitting the “J” bit block of data over the “K-F” nonfaulty signaling conductors using “J/(K-F)” beats, plus an additional beat if a remainder exists; the step of transmitting further comprises the steps of: selecting a “K” bit group of data from the “J” bit block of data; transmitting, on a beat, “K-F” bits of the “K” bit group of data, using the “K-F” nonfaulty conductors; storing the “F” bits in the “K” bit group that cannot be transmitted, on the beat, due to the “F” faulty conductors in the signaling bus; repeating the above three steps until all “J” bits of the “J” bit block of data have been selected; and transmitting the stored “F” bits on one or more additional beats, using one or more of the “K-F” nonfaulty signaling conductors; the step of storing the “F” bits further comprising the step of shifting at least one bit of the “F” bits into a first end of a shift register; and transmitting at least one of the bits of the shift register to a nonfaulty signaling conductor.