Method and apparatus for resource arbitration
US7039737B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 12, 2003 |
| Grant date | May 2, 2006 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 8, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F13/14
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus is described for controlling accesses to a shared resource. An arbitration mechanism uses a register, accessible by each device sharing the resource. The register may be written by the device to request access to the resource, and read by the device to determine whether access to the resource has been granted. Advantageously, the register includes an override bit, which may be used by either device to override the peer device's request for the shared resource. In addition, the register includes a reset bit that may be used to reset arbitration logic controlling the access to the shared logic. The register is used by a straightforward arbitration mechanism that includes only IDLE and GRANT states for each device coupled to the shared resource. Such an arrangement provides a low cost method of controlling accesses to a shared resource.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.