Patent · US Expired

Pin and status bus structure for an integrated circuit

US5701421A · kind A · utility

5Cited by
8References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 13, 1995
Grant dateDec 23, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 13, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F13/4226
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

I/O control modules (IOCMs 25-29) include pin/status buses (75-77) which allow simultaneity of control among the channels (e.g. 58) coupled to the same pin/status bus (e.g. 76). Thus, the operation of channels (e.g. 58) can be synchronized with each another. Pin/status buses (75-77) are modular in that they can be extended or alternately segmented to create separate buses carrying different signals. In one embodiment, each end of pin/status bus (75-77) is delineated by a pin control channel (PCCs 51-53). Pin/status buses (75-77) may be used to transfer event information between channels within an IOCM (e.g. IOCM 25), to transfer event information from one IOCM (e.g. 25) to a different IOCM (e.g. 26), and to transfer pin information between integrated circuit pins (31-35) and one or more channels in IOCMs (25-29).

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