1. An advanced communication controller unit comprising:
a protocol event recording circuit comprising:
a monitoring input connected to at least one internal protocol event data transmission path of said advanced communication controller unit, wherein the protocol event recording circuit is configured to communicate with a protocol engine and a host interface of the advanced communication controller via the at least one internal protocol event data transmission path, wherein the monitoring input is to monitor status information of registers of the host interface; and
a debug output connected to a memory device, wherein
the advanced communication controller unit is coupled to a communication medium and is adapted to communicate with another communication controller over the communication medium using a communication protocol, is to filter protocol event data, received from said monitoring input via the at least one internal protocol event data transmission path, depending on at least one configuration parameter, and is to provide filtered protocol event data to said debug output.
2. The advanced communication controller unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein said communication protocol is a real time communication protocol.
3. The advanced communication controller unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein said communication protocol is a time-triggered communication protocol.
4. The advanced communication controller unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein said communication protocol comprises the FlexRay (trademark) protocol.
5. The advanced communication controller unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein said protocol event recording circuit is adapted to non-intrusively record said filtered protocol event data.
6. The advanced communication controller unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein said protocol event recording circuit is adapted to record said protocol event data during a startup phase of a distributed communication system comprising the advanced communication controller unit and one or more other communication controller units.
7. The advanced communication controller unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein said memory device is a first in, first out buffer device.
8. The advanced communication controller unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein said memory device is a generic buffering sub-system.
9. The advanced communication controller unit as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:
a configuration user interface adapted to provide said at least one configuration parameter to said protocol event recording circuit.
10. The advanced communication controller unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein said memory device is adapted to buffer an amount of said filtered protocol event data depending on a configurable buffer size parameter.
11. The advanced communication controller unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein said protocol event recording circuit is adapted to provide said filtered protocol event data to said memory device in a protocol event frame format.
12. A vehicle, comprising at least one advanced communication controller unit as claimed in claim 1.
13. A method comprising:
communicating between an advanced communication controller unit and another communication controller unit over a communication medium, wherein a distributed communication system comprises a plurality of communication controller units, at least one being the advanced communication controller unit, wherein each communication controller unit is coupled to the communication medium, and each communication controller unit is adapted to communicate using a communication protocol;
receiving protocol event data transmitted on at least one internal protocol event data transmission path of the advanced communication controller unit via a monitoring input of the protocol event recording circuit, the at least one internal protocol event data transmission path connected between a protocol engine and a host interface of the advanced communication controller, wherein the monitoring input is to monitor status information of registers of the host interface;
filtering said protocol event data, received via the at least one internal protocol event data transmission path, depending on at least one configuration parameter; and
providing filtered protocol event data to a memory device.
14. The method as claimed in claim 13, comprising
providing said at least one configuration parameter to said protocol event recording circuit using a configuration user interface.
15. The method as claimed in claim 13, comprising
processing said filtered protocol event data using a debugging unit.
16. The method as claimed in claim 13 further comprising:
non-intrusively recording said filtered protocol event data.
17. The method as claimed in claim 13 further comprising:
recording said protocol event data during a startup phase of said distributed communication system.
18. The method as claimed in claim 13 further comprising:
buffering, by the memory device, an amount of said filtered protocol event data depending on a configurable buffer size parameter.
19. A method comprising:
communicating between an advanced communication controller unit and another communication controller unit over a communication medium, wherein a distributed communication system comprises a plurality of communication controller units, at least one being the advanced communication controller unit, wherein each communication controller unit is coupled to the communication medium, and each communication controller unit is adapted to communicate using a communication protocol;
receiving protocol event data transmitted on at least one internal protocol event data transmission path of the advanced communication controller unit via a monitoring input of the protocol event recording circuit, the at least one internal protocol event data transmission path connected between a protocol engine and a host interface of the advanced communication controller, wherein the monitoring input is to monitor status information of registers of the host interface;
filtering said protocol event data, received via the at least one internal protocol event data transmission path, depending on at least one configuration parameter;
providing filtered protocol event data to a memory device;
providing a write pointer to a debugger unit of the advanced communication controller unit in response to the filtered protocol event data being stored in the memory device, wherein the write pointer identifies a location of the filtered protocol event data in the memory device.
20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:
providing additional filtered protocol event data to the memory device; and
incrementing the write pointer in response to the additional filtered protocol event data being stored in the memory device, wherein the incremented write pointer identifies a location of the additional filtered protocol event data in the memory device.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method comprising:
receiving a signal from a sensor, the signal indicating a physical change detected by the sensor;
determining at least one condition for producing an output signal; and
in response to receiving the signal indicating the detected physical change, producing by a transducer of a transaction card an output signal prompting use of a financial account.
2. The method of claim 1, in which the produced output signal is based on at least one of:
sports information,
market information,
sales information,
lottery information,
schedule information,
travel information,
a joke,
an image,
a video,
a quotation,
a display pattern,
a song,
a horoscope,
exchange rate information, and
weather information.
3. The transaction card of claim 1, further comprising:
deactivating the transducer.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving content via a receiver of the transaction card.
5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:
storing the received content in a memory of the transaction card.
6. The method of claim 4, in which the content is received from a transmitting source.
7. The method of claim 4, in which the content is received from a transmitter associated with a merchant.
8. The method of claim 4, in which the content is received from a user of the transaction card.
9. The method of claim 4, in which the content is received from a second transaction card.
10. The method of claim 4, in which the content is received from a content provider.
11. The method of claim 4, in which the produced output signal comprises at least a portion of the received content.
12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
selecting content stored in a memory of the transaction card; and
in which the produced output signal comprises the selected content.
13. The method of claim 1, in which the detected physical change comprises a change in ambient light.
14. The method of claim 1, in which the detected physical change comprises a change in pressure applied to the transaction card.
15. The method of claim 1, in which the detected physical change comprises use of the transaction card at a card reader.
16. The method of claim 1, in which the detected physical change comprises use of the transaction card at a point of sale terminal.
17. The method of claim 1, in which the detected physical change comprises a location of the device.
18. The method of claim 1, in which the detected physical change comprises a change in orientation of the transaction card.
19. The method of claim 1, in which the detected physical change comprises a change in ambient sound.
20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining that the at least one condition has been satisfied; and
unlocking content stored in a memory of the transaction card in response to determining that the at least one condition has been satisfied,
in which the produced output signal comprises the unlocked content.
21. The method of claim 1, in which the at least one condition comprises at least one of:
use of the transaction card for a transaction,
activation of the financial account associated with the transaction card,
a minimum amount charged by a user to the financial account using the transaction card,
use of the financial account associated with the transaction card by a user with a predetermined frequency,
use of the transaction card by a user at a predetermined time,
use of the transaction card by a user at a predetermined location, and
detecting of a predetermined minimum number of physical changes.