Programmable control interface device

An electronic system comprising:

• a central processor furnished with a central bus for exchanging data, addresses and commands with other circuits;
• a command bank memory storing at least one set of complex instructions corresponding to at least one slave circuit, the memory being coupled to the central bus;
• and
• a programmable interface device coupled to the central bus for controlling the at least one slave circuit, the interface device including;
• a first memory for storing the complex instructions,
• a first address counter for supplying addresses to said first memory, and
• a programmable state machine for driving the first memory and the first address counter.

A method of control of a slave circuit by a system with a central processor with the aid of a programmable control interface device, wherein any control signal, intended to control the slave circuit, is decomposed into a succession of bits by sampling with the aid of a sampling signal, a period of said sampling signal being at most equal to the smallest duration between two changes of state of a control signal, the programmable control interface device including a first memory, a first address counter, and a programmable state machine, said method comprising the steps of:

• computation by the processor of a series of sampled commands;
• computation of a succession of states corresponding to the command series;
• loading into the programmable control interface device the sampled command series and of the succession of states;
• and
• after the loading step, supplying to the first memory and to the first counter, by the state machine, instructions for providing on an output bus signals intended for commanding the slave circuit.

A system comprising:

• means for sampling a control signal to generate a series of sampled commands;
• means for computing a succession of states corresponding to the series of sampled commands;
• means for loading the sampled command series and succession of states into a programmable control interface device;
• and
• means for generating instructions from the sampled command series and succession of states for controlling a slave circuit.