Shared access control device for integrated system with multiple functional units accessing external structures over multiple data buses
US6038630A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 24, 1998 |
| Grant date | Mar 14, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 24, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F13/1684
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A multi-path access control device for an integrated system is presented which allows simultaneous access to multiple external devices coupled thereto by multiple functional units. The multiple functional units are coupled to the shared access control device across two or more high speed, shared data buses. The control device includes multiple bus ports, each coupled to a different data bus, and a non-blocking crossbar switch coupled to the bus ports for controlling forwarding, with zero cycle latency, of requests from the functional units. Multiple external device ports are coupled to the non-blocking crossbar switch for receiving requests forwarded by the crossbar switch, and each external device is coupled to a different external device port. The crossbar switch allows multiple requests at the bus ports directed to different external devices to be forwarded to different external device ports for simultaneous accessing of different external devices coupled thereto pursuant to the multiple requests.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.