Data Transmission And Reception Procedures - ST STM32F446 Series Reference Manual

Serial peripheral interface/ inter-IC sound (SPI/I2S)
26.3.9

Data transmission and reception procedures

Rx and Tx buffers
In reception, data are received and then stored into an internal Rx buffer while in
transmission, data are first stored into an internal Tx buffer before being transmitted. A read
access to the SPI_DR register returns the Rx buffered value whereas a write access to the
SPI_DR stores the written data into the Tx buffer.
Tx buffer handling
The data frame is loaded from the Tx buffer into the shift register during the first bit
transmission. Bits are then shifted out serially from the shift register to a dedicated output
pin depending on LSBFIRST bit setting.The TXE flag (Tx buffer empty) is set when the data
are transferred from the Tx buffer to the shift register. It indicates that the internal Tx buffer is
ready to be loaded with the next data. An interrupt can be generated if the TXEIE bit of the
SPI_CR2 register is set. Clearing the TXE bit is performed by writing to the SPI_DR register.
A continuous transmit stream can be achieved if the next data to be transmitted are stored
in the Tx buffer while previous frame transmission is still ongoing. When the software writes
to Tx buffer while the TXE flag is not set, the data waiting for transaction is overwritten.
Rx buffer handling
The RXNE flag (Rx buffer not empty) is set on the last sampling clock edge, when the data
are transferred from the shift register to the Rx buffer. It indicates that data are ready to be
read from the SPI_DR register. An interrupt can be generated if the RXNEIE bit in the
SPI_CR2 register is set. Clearing the RXNE bit is performed by reading the SPI_DR
register.
If a device has not cleared the RXNE bit resulting from the previous data byte transmitted,
an overrun condition occurs when the next value is buffered. The OVR bit is set and an
interrupt is generated if the ERRIE bit is set.
Another way to manage the data exchange is to use DMA (see
features).
Sequence handling
The BSY bit is set when a current data frame transaction is ongoing. When the clock signal
runs continuously, the BSY flag remains set between data frames on the master side.
However, on the slave side, it becomes low for a minimum duration of one SPI clock cycle
between each data frame transfer.
For some configurations, the BSY flag can be used during the last data transfer to wait until
the completion of the transfer.
When a receive-only mode is configured on the master side, either in half-duplex
(BIDIMODE=1, BIDIOE=0) or simplex configuration (BIDIMODE=0, RXONLY=1), the
master starts the receive sequence as soon as the SPI is enabled. Then the clock signal is
provided by the master and it does not stop until either the SPI or the receive-only mode is
disabled by the master. The master receives data frames continuously up to this moment.
While the master can provide all the transactions in continuous mode (SCK signal is
continuous), it has to respect slave capability to handle data flow and its content at anytime.
When necessary, the master must slow down the communication and provide either a
slower clock or separate frames or data sessions with sufficient delays. Be aware there is no
858/1328 RM0390 Rev 4
RM0390
Section 9.2: DMA main