Interrupt signal arbitration
AssigneeArm Limited
InventorsSimon John Craske, Michael Alexander Kennedy, Andrew John Turner, Richard Anthony Lane
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Abstract
An interrupt controller includes a priority level arbitrator (8) including multiple stages. The stages include at least one stage comprising a plurality of interrupt selectors formed of a multiplexer (14) for selecting between a pair of potentially concurrently asserted interrupt signals in dependence upon selection data. The selection data is determined in advance by a priority level comparator (12) using priority level data associated with the respective interrupt signals.
Claims12
Apparatus for processing data comprising:
- an interrupt signal receiver configured to receive a plurality of interrupt signals having respective priority levels;
- and
- a priority level arbitrator coupled to said interrupt signal receiver and configured to identify an interrupt signal having a highest priority level among interrupt signals concurrently asserted at a given time;
- wherein
- said priority level arbitrator comprises:
- (i) a priority level comparator configured to generate selection data by comparing priority levels within each of a plurality of sets of interrupt signals from within said plurality of interrupt signals, said selection data representing an intra-set priority level ordering of said interrupt signals within each of said plurality of sets determined independently of assertion of any of said plurality of interrupt signals;
- (ii) a plurality of interrupt selectors, each of said plurality of interrupt selectors having a corresponding set within said plurality of sets and programmed with a corresponding portion of said selection data to select from among any concurrently asserted interrupt signals within said corresponding set an interrupt signal having a highest priority among said concurrently asserted interrupt signals within said corresponding set.
Apparatus for processing data comprising:
- interrupt signal receiving means for receiving a plurality of interrupt signals having respective priority levels;
- and
- priority level arbitrating means, coupled to said interrupt signal receiving means, for identifying an interrupt signal having a highest priority level among interrupt signals concurrently asserted at a given time;
- wherein
- said priority level arbitrating means comprises:
- (i) priority level comparing means for generating selection data by comparing priority levels within each of a plurality of sets of interrupt signals from within said plurality of interrupt signals, said selection data representing an intra-set priority level ordering of said interrupt signals within each of said plurality of sets determined independently of assertion of any of said plurality of interrupt signals;
- (ii) a plurality of interrupt selecting means for selecting an asserted interrupt, each of said plurality of interrupt selecting means having a corresponding set within said plurality of sets and programmed with a corresponding portion of said selection data to select from among any concurrently asserted interrupt signals within said corresponding set an interrupt signal having a highest priority among said concurrently asserted interrupt signals within said corresponding set.
A method identifying an interrupt signal having a highest priority level among a plurality of interrupt signals, said method comprising the steps of:
- generating selection data by comparing priority levels within each of a plurality of sets of interrupt signals from within said plurality of interrupt signals, said selection data representing an intra-set priority level ordering of said interrupt signals within each of said plurality of sets determined independently of assertion of any of said plurality of interrupt signals;
- and
- performing a plurality of selections, each of said plurality of selections having a corresponding set within said plurality of sets and programmed with a corresponding portion of said selection data generated in said generating step so as to select from among any concurrently asserted interrupt signals within said corresponding set an interrupt signal having a highest priority among said concurrently asserted interrupt signals within said corresponding set.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.