Patent ID: 7546408

Claim:
An apparatus for communication, comprising: an integrated circuit including a first module and a second module, said first module including a first transceiver, a first serial/parallel interface, and a first logic circuit, said second module including a second transceiver, a second serial/parallel interface, and a second logic circuit, said first and second transceivers being serial transceivers; said first serial/parallel interface coupled between said first transceiver and said first logic circuit in a first synchronous time domain, and configured to serialize parallel signals from said first logic circuit for input to said first transceiver for serial transmission to said second transceiver as a first serial signal, and deserialize a second serial signal received from said second transceiver via said first transceiver into parallel signals for input to said first logic circuit, said second serial/parallel interface coupled between said second transceiver and said second logic circuit in a second synchronous time domain, and configured to serialize parallel signals from said second logic circuit for input to said second transceiver for serial transmission to said first transceiver as the second serial signal, and deserialize the first serial signal received from said second transceiver via said second transceiver into parallel signals for input to said second logic circuit, said first transceiver having a first transmit-receive port coupled to a first I/O pin for transmitting a serial signal external to the integrated circuit, said second transceiver having a second transmit-receive port coupled to a second I/O pin for receiving a serial signal external to the integrated circuit, at least one signal conductor for serial communication between said first transceiver and said second transceiver, said at least one signal conductor connecting said first I/O pin of said first transmit-receive port of said first transceiver to said second I/O pin of said second transmit-receive port of said second transceiver, said at least one signal conductor for carrying at least one of the first serial signal and the second serial signal, and said at least one signal conductor being independent from other interconnect of the integrated circuit; said first module and said second module configured to communicate with one another asynchronously.