US 2008/0288696 A1 · DEVICE WITH A PROCESSOR AND A PERIPHERAL UNIT AND METHOD FOR GENERATING AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT SIGNAL

Abstract

A device is provided that includes a processor, a peripheral unit, and a first logic, and to a method for generating an acknowledgment signal. The processor is clocked by a processor clock signal, which runs asynchronously to the peripheral clock signal, by which the peripheral unit is clocked. The peripheral unit sends an interrupt request synchronously to the peripheral clock signal to the processor, which thereupon is woken up from its idle state, to process the interrupt request in its working state. After the processing or during the processing of the interrupt request, the processor generates an acknowledgment signal synchronous to the processor clock signal. The first logic generates an acknowledgment signal, which is synchronous to the peripheral clock signal and by which the peripheral unit is informed about the processed interrupt request, from the acknowledgment signal synchronous to the processor clock signal.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A device comprising

a processor that is clocked by a processor clock signal and is woken up from an idle state, based on an interrupt request, to process the interrupt request in a working state, and after the processing or during the processing of the interrupt request the processor generates an acknowledgment signal synchronous to the processor clock signal;
at least one peripheral unit, which is clocked by a peripheral clock signal that runs asynchronously to the processor clock signal, and which sends the interrupt request to the processor synchronously to the peripheral clock signal;
and
a first logic that generates an acknowledgment signal, which is synchronous to the peripheral clock signal, and by which the peripheral unit is informed about the processed interrupt request from the acknowledgment signal synchronous to the processor clock signal.

1 more element

A method for generating an acknowledgment signal, the method comprising the steps of:

generating an interrupt request synchronous to a peripheral clock signal by a peripheral unit, which is clocked by the peripheral clock signal;
waking up of a processor based on the interrupt request, so that the processor changes from an idle state to a working state to process the interrupt request, wherein the processor is clocked by a processor clock signal running asynchronously to the peripheral clock signal;
generating an acknowledgment signal synchronous to the processor clock signal after the processor has processed the interrupt request or while the processor is processing the interrupt request;
and
generating an acknowledgment signal synchronous to the peripheral clock signal from the acknowledgment signal synchronous to the processor clock signal via a first logic to inform the peripheral unit about the processed interrupt request.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Device with a processor and a peripheral unit and method for generating an acknowledgment signal

Life of this patent

Device with a processor and a peripheral unit and method for generating an acknowledgment signal

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14