System for controlling interrupts between input/output devices and central processing units
US7162559B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 8, 2005 |
| Grant date | Jan 9, 2007 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 3, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F13/24
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An interrupt controller enables multiple CPUs to control access to an increased number of interrupts. Each of a plurality of CPUs is able to block interrupts written to the interrupt controller at multiple levels. First, each CPU is able to block interrupts at the interrupt level. In other words, a CPU is able to block one or more individual interrupt requests from I/O devices from being sent to that CPU. Second, each CPU is able to block interrupts from one or more entire MSI interrupt registers from being sent to that CPU. The interrupt controller is fully programmable by the CPUs in software and thus is very flexible, as the priority of interrupts can be controlled by the CPUs according to the requirements of the CPUs based on the various operational demands of the CPUs. Any of 512 possible interrupt requests are capable of being routed to any particular one CPU, any combination of the CPUs or to all of the CPUs.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.