Modified boundary scan cell for faster continuous monitoring

Abstract

Traditional boundary scan chain implementations are typically linear and fixed in length for specific designs, with continuous testing being their primary application. However, these chains also play a critical role in continuous monitoring, where the standard architecture, originally intended for testing, is not fully optimized. In particular, input ports that do not contribute to data capture are still included in the scan path, resulting in unnecessary scanning and reduced efficiency. Since the scan chain is linear, the Test Access Port controller must sequentially access all cells, including irrelevant ones, leading to slower monitoring speeds. In this research, we propose a novel boundary scan architecture that enhances both continuous testing and monitoring by focusing only on relevant input ports for test pattern insertion and output ports for response capture. This targeted approach significantly improves monitoring performance by reducing scan length and increasing speed, while also offering modest improvements in testing by eliminating redundant operations. The proposed architecture enables more efficient and scalable boundary scan implementations, with promising applications in both test automation and real-time system monitoring.