US 5,396,606 A · Address bus switching between sequential and non-sequential ROM searches

Abstract

A hand held electronic data processing device has an input keyboard and a display screen. A sixteen bit central processing unit (CPU) address bus addresses read only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM). However, a twenty bit register provides a twenty line address bus that is employed for addressing sequential data in ROM. A direct memory access (DMA) unit provides direct transfer of data from RAM to a forty bit register which controls the state of the pixels in a 240 character liquid crystal display (LCD). The keyboard is connected in an electronic matrix with rows driven by signals applied by system address bus lines. These various functions require exclusive use of the system address bus. Accordingly an address selector is employed to determine which of the functions is to capture the system address bus; the functions being (a) CPU address of ROM and RAM, (b) Register sequential address of ROM, (c) DMA address of RAM for delivery to LCD display, and (d) the driving of the rows of the keyboard matrix.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A data processing system having a central processing unit (CPU) and application program, a keyboard to permit operator input of data, the application program responding to keyboard input by searching a read only memory (ROM) preparatory to display of data from the ROM on a display screen comprising:

a CPU address bus,
a system address bus separate from said CPU address bus,
a register counter initialized by the application program, said register counter having an output that provides an auxiliary address bus,
an address selector having said CPU address bus and said auxiliary address bus as inputs and said system address bus as an output,
said address selector having a first state and a second state, the state of said address selector being determined by the address on the CPU address bus, a predetermined address on said CPU address bus causing said address selector to be in said first state,
said address selector in said first state coupling said auxiliary address bus to said system address bus to provide the CPU with access through said auxiliary address bus to sequential data in ROM, said predetermined address being reiterated for each sequential reading of data in ROM,
said address selector in said second state coupling said CPU address bus to said system address bus to provide the CPU with direct access to data in ROM.

4 more elements

In a data processing system having a central processing unit (CPU) and application program with a CPU address bus, a keyboard to permit operator input of data, the application program responding to keyboard input by searching a read only memory (ROM) prepatory to display of ROM data on a display screen, a method of searching ROM comprising the steps of:

providing an auxiliary address bus under control of a register counter,
providing a system address bus for addressing the ROM,
connecting said system address bus to the CPU address bus to provide the CPU with direct access to data in ROM,
initializing said register counter by the program,
switching said system address bus from the CPU address bus to said auxiliary address bus in response to a predetermined address on said CPU address bus to provide the CPU with access to ROM through said auxiliary address bus when a sequential search of data in ROM is to be undertaken,
reiterating said predetermined address on said CPU address bus for each sequential reading of data in ROM, and
returning said system address bus to the CPU address bus when said sequential search of data in ROM has been completed.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Address bus switching between sequential and non-sequential ROM searches

Life of this patent

Address bus switching between sequential and non-sequential ROM searches

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims12