Systems and methods for fair arbitration between multiple request signals
OwnerEdward Friedinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A reprogrammable architecture for an arbiter is described. The arbiter is designed to be fair, fast, and simple to implement in circuitry, particularly in programmable logic. In embodiments, the arbiter arbitrates amongst n-many requesters, labeled Requester0, Requester1, . . . , Requestern−1. The arbiter operates by multiplexing n-many connectors, which enables dynamic reprioritizing of the requests. Thus, n-many connectors, labeled Connector0 through Connectorn−1, are bijectively multiplexed to the n-many requesters. The requests from the connectors may then be reprioritized by altering the bijective map from the connectors to the requestors.
Claims25
A switcher used to arbitrate between a plurality of signals coupled to the switcher, the switcher comprising:
- a computational resource coupled to the switcher, such that the switcher to the plurality of signals;
- a plurality of request lines, wherein the plurality of request lines govern access to the computational resource, such that the plurality of request lines are in fixed order of priority;
- a multiplexer coupling the plurality of request lines to the plurality of signals, such that the multiplexer periodically remaps the plurality of signals to the plurality of requests lines to reprioritize the plurality of signals with respect to access to the computational resource.
A method of arbitrating requests between a plurality of signals for access to a computational resource, wherein the computational resource is coupled to a plurality of request lines, such that the plurality of request lines can access the computational resource in descending order of priority, the method comprising:
- mapping the plurality of signals to the plurality of request lines;
- subsequent to mapping the plurality of signals, granting access to the computational resource to a first signal in the plurality of signals, such the first signal is coupled to a first request line in the plurality of request lines;
- in response to granting access, remapping the plurality of signals to the plurality of request lines, such that the first signal is mapped to a lowest priority request line in the plurality of request lines.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.