Method and apparatus to enable multiple masters to operate in a single master bus architecture

A method operational on a device, comprising:

• managing communications over a data bus for all devices coupled to the data bus based on interrupt signals asserted over a single line interrupt request (IRQ) bus, wherein a plurality of master devices are coupled to IRQ bus and the data bus;
• monitoring the IRQ bus to ascertain when an IRQ signal has been asserted;
• polling the inactive master devices over the data bus to ascertain which inactive master device asserted the IRQ signal on the IRQ bus;
• and
• handing over control of the data bus to an asserting inactive master device upon obtaining an indication from the inactive master device that it made a master request.

A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having one or more instructions stored thereon, which when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to:

• manage communications over a data bus for all devices coupled to the data bus based on interrupt signals asserted over an interrupt request (IRQ) bus, wherein a plurality of master devices are coupled to IRQ bus and the data bus;
• monitor the IRQ bus to ascertain when an IRQ signal has been asserted;
• poll the inactive master devices over the data bus to ascertain which inactive master device asserted the IRQ signal on the IRQ bus;
• and
• hand over control of the data bus to an asserting inactive master device upon obtaining an indication from the inactive master device that it made a master request.

A device, comprising:

• a first interface to couple to a single line interrupt request (IRQ) bus to which a plurality of other devices are coupled;
• a second interface to couple to a data bus to which the plurality of other devices are also coupled;
• a processing circuit coupled to the first interface and second interface, the processing circuit adapted to:
• manage communications over the data bus for all devices coupled to the data bus based on interrupt signals asserted over the IRQ bus;
• monitor the IRQ bus to ascertain when an IRQ signal has been asserted;
• poll the inactive master devices over the data bus to ascertain which inactive master device asserted the IRQ signal on the IRQ bus;
• and
• hand over control of the data bus to an asserting inactive master device upon obtaining an indication from the inactive master device that it made a master request.