Bridge for coupling digital signal processor to on-chip bus as master

For a digital signal processor having an instruction unit, a data unit and master ports which include external ports for said instruction unit and external ports for said data unit, an apparatus for connecting a digital signal processor to an application specific integrated circuit on-chip bus as a master comprising:

• a bridge for coupling signals between the master ports of the digital signal processor and an application specific integrated circuit on-chip bus, said bridge comprising:
• an instruction unit master interface having first instruction master interface ports coupled to the external ports of the digital signal processor instruction unit and having second instruction unit master interface ports for providing instruction unit signals in an internal bridge protocol;
• a data unit master interface having first data unit master interface ports coupled to the external ports of the digital signal processor data unit and having second data unit master interface ports for providing data unit signals in the bridge protocol;
• and
• an arbiter having first arbiter ports coupled to the second instruction unit master interface ports and the second data unit master interface ports and having second arbiter ports selectively providing either said instruction unit signals in the bridge protocol or said data unit signals in the bridge protocol.

A method for coupling signals between master ports of a digital signal processor and an application specific integrated circuit on-chip bus comprising:

• providing a bridge connecting the master ports of the digital signal processor and the application specific integrated circuit on-chip bus, the bridge having master interface ports coupled to the master ports of the digital signal processor and a generic master port coupled to the application specific integrated circuit on-chip bus;
• said bridge converting signals at the master ports of the digital signal processor from a digital signal processor protocol to an application specific integrated circuit on-chip bus protocol;
• and
• coupling the converted master port signals to the application specific integrated circuit on-chip bus via the generic master port.

Apparatus for coupling signals between master ports of a digital signal processor and an application specific integrated circuit on-chip bus comprising:

• bridge means for converting signals at the master ports of the digital signal processor to signals compatible with the on-chip bus;
• wherein said master ports comprise external ports of a data unit and external ports of an instruction unit and wherein said bridge means comprises:
• instruction unit master interface means for converting signals at the external ports of the digital signal processor instruction unit to signals compatible with an internal bridge protocol;
• and
• data unit master interface means for converting signals at the external ports of the digital signal processor data unit to signals compatible with the bridge protocol.