Patent · US Expired

Rotating priority encoder operating by selectively masking input signals to a fixed priority encoder

US5095460A · kind A · utility

27Cited by
18References
9Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateApr 25, 1989
Grant dateMar 10, 1992
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 25, 2009

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F13/14
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A rotating priority encoder for selecting from a number of input priority request lines that input request line which is active and which designated as having the highest priority. A mask unit selectively passes only those input request signals which have index numbers which are equal to or greater than a predetermined base-point index number. A 2N priority encoder receives two sets of input signals: L<i>, the masked priority request signals from the mask unit, and H<i> the original priority request signals. The masked priority signals L<i> are given highest priority by this arrangement. The output signal of the 2N priority encoder is the index number of the lowest indexed active input request line. The base-point index number is periodically changed to designate a new input request line as having the highest priority. The masked priority request signals L<i> are assigned the lowest numbers in a sequence of index numbers. The original priority request signals H<i> are assigned the higher numbers in the sequence of index numbers. If the sequence of index numbers for the masked priority request signals L<i> do not end with a number which is an integer power of two, some numbers are s…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.