Apparatus and method for supporting multiple interrupt protocols with unequal number of interrupt request signals

US5619703A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• CIRRUS LOGIC, INC. · US

Inventors

• Reza G. Omid · San Jose, US
• Sanjiv Pathak · Fremont, US
• Jafar Naji · Sunnyvale, US
• Stephen A. Smith · Palo Alto, US
• Sriram Ramamurthy · Fremont, US
• Jihad Y. Abudayyeh · Fremont, US
• Kasturiraman Gopalaswamy · Santa Clara, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 6, 1995
• Grant date: Apr 8, 1997
• Expiry date: Jun 6, 2015

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06F13/24
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A peripheral device capable of generating interrupt request signals compliant with the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) protocol, and the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) protocol. The peripheral device comprises a signal generator block which selectively generates either the interrupt request signals of the PCI protocol or a set of bits representative of interrupt request signals of the ISA protocol. The set of bits are transferred serially to a converter circuit which generates the interrupt request signals of the ISA protocol based on the bits. The signal generator block generates bits in such a way as to support both pulse mode and level mode interrupt request signals for the ISA protocol.