PCI express to PCI translation bridge
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorsAndrew Lueck, Kevin Main, Jeffrey Enoch
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A PCI Express to PCI bridge enables upstream and downstream isochronous data transfer by modifying the PCI bus arbiter so that the PCI device on the PCI bus is treated as a virtual port for the bridge. Data from the PCI device is assigned via a port arbitration table to sufficient bandwidth so that the data from the PCI device can be transferred upstream isochronously. The bridge also handles downstream isochronous data transfer.
Claims20
A PCI Express to PCI bridge comprising:
- a PCI interface couplable to a PCI bus having PCI compatible devices connected thereto;
- a port arbitration circuit for controlling the PCI compatible devices to guarantee bandwidth to upstream data sent from a predetermined one of the PCI compatible devices and for allocating the data to a predetermined one of a plurality of virtual cannels supported by PCI Express,
- a virtual channel arbitration circuit for allocating the virtual channels to an output port of the bridge;
- and
- a PCI Express interface coupled between the virtual channel arbitration circuit and the output port.
A method for isochronous transfer of data from a PCI compatible device connected to a PCI bus to a PCI Express fabric comprising:
- receiving data at an input port for isochronous transfer from a preselected PCI compatible device;
- controlling PCI compatible devices on the PCI bus to guarantee bandwidth from the preselected PCI device;
- allocating the data from the preselected device to one of a plurality of virtual channels supported by PCI Express;
- arbitrating the virtual channels onto an output port.
A method for isochronous transfer of data between a PCI compatible device and PCI Express fabric comprising:
- receiving data from a PCI compatible device connected to a PCI bus, the data being addressed to a register defined in a PCI Express to PCI bridge;
- transferring the data addressed to the register upstream to a PCI Express fabric, the data transfer maintaining isochronism of the data.
A PCI Express to PCI bridge comprising:
- first means for receiving data from a PCI compatible device connected to a PCI bus and sending the data upstream to a CPU via a PCI Express fabric, the first means maintaining isochronism of isochronous data from the PCI compatible device, and
- second means for receiving isochronous data from the CPU via the PCI Express fabric and for sending the data downstream to the PCI compatible device, the second means maintaining isochronism of the data.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.