System and method for preloading a bus controller with command schedule

• US 20040158616A1
• Filed: 10/21/2003
• Published: 08/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Konz, Daniel W., Watts, Marshall, Ellerbrock, Philip J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,617,330 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/212
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/387 for adaptation of different data processing systems to different peripheral devices, e.g. protocol converters for incompatible systems, open system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 with centralised control, e.g. polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/4028 the transportation system being an aircraft

Abstract

A system and method is provided for communicating with at least one network device via a network bus comprising a bus controller and a host computer. The bus controller executes a series of instructions, which can be transferred to the bus controller from the host computer. The instructions are executed in a manner independent of the host computer so as to reduce the workload of the host computer. Since the bus controller can execute the series of instructions without further intervention of the host computer, the host computer can perform other operations concurrent with the execution of the series of instructions by the bus controller. In one embodiment, at least one of the instructions has an associated data field that is variable and can be altered by the host computer, such that the host computer can alter the instruction used by the bus controller.

Claims

1. A system for communicating with at least one network device via a network bus comprising:

a host computer; and

a bus controller disposed in electrical communication with both the network bus and said host computer, wherein said bus controller comprises a memory device for storing a series of ins ructions, wherein said bus controller is adapted to execute at least one of the instructions in a manner independent of said host computer so as to control communications conducted with the at least one network device via the network bus, and wherein said bus controller is adapted to transmit at least one of the instructions to at least one network device for subsequent execution by the respective at least one network device independent of the network bus and any other network device.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said host computer is capable of transferring the series of instructions to the memory device of said bus controller such that the bus controller is preloaded with a command schedule.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein the memory device of said bus controller comprises a nonvolatile memory device, and wherein said host computer is capable of preloading the series of instructions into the nonvolatile memory device no later than during execution of the series of instructions by the bus controller.

4. A system according to claim 2, wherein the memory device of said bus controller comprises a volatile memory device, and wherein said host computer is capable of preloading the series of instructions into the volatile memory device before execution of the series of instructions by the bus controller.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein said bus controller is adapted to repeatedly execute the series of instructions in a time-deterministic manner.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein said host computer is capable of preloading said bus controller with a command schedule comprising a series of instructions such that said bus controller executes the command schedule so as to control communications with the at least one network device, wherein at least one of the instructions has an associated variable data field, and wherein said host computer is capable of evaluating communications on the network bus and altering the variable data field of the at least one instruction to thereby alter communications between said bus controller and the at least one network device on the network bus.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein said bus controller comprises a memory device for storing a series of instructions, wherein said bus controller is adapted to execute the series of instructions so as to control communications conducted with the at least one network device via the network bus, wherein at least one instruction has at least one variable data field associated with variable data and wherein said host computer is capable of altering the variable data associated with the at least one variable data field of the at least one instruction to thereby alter the respective at least one instruction executed by said bus controller.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein said host computer is capable of evaluating communications conducted via the network bus, and wherein said host computer is capable of altering the variable data associated with the at least one variable data field of the at least one instruction based upon the communications evaluated.

9. A system according to claim 7, wherein the memory device of said bus controller is capable of storing the variable data at at least one predefined address, wherein the at least one variable data field associated with the variable data is capable of identifying the at least one predefined address of the associated variable data such that when said bus controller executes the at least one instruction including the at least one variable data field said bus controller will retrieve the variable data from the memory device at the at least one predefined address identified by the respective at least one variable data field.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein the memory device of said bus controller includes at least one register comprising the at least one predefined address, wherein the at least one register is capable of storing the variable data at the at least one predefined address.

11. A method of communicating via a network bus comprising:

transferring a series of instructions from a host computer to a bus controller such that the bus controller is preloaded with a command schedule;

executing at least one of the instructions in a manner independent of the host computer so as to control communications conducted between a bus controller and at least one network device via the network bus;

transmitting at least one of the instructions to at least one network device for subsequent execution by the respective at least one network device independent of the network bus and any other network device; and

permitting the host computer to perform operations concurrent with the execution of the at least one instruction by the bus controller.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein transferring the series of instructions comprises transferring a series of instructions to a nonvolatile memory device of the bus controller, and wherein transferring the series of instructions occurs no later than during execution of the series of instructions.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein transferring the series of instructions comprises transferring a series of instructions to a volatile memory device of the bus controller.

14. A method according to claim 11, wherein executing the series of instructions comprises repeatedly executing the series of instructions in a time-deterministic manner.

15. A method according to claim 11, wherein said executing step executes a series of instructions in a manner so as to control communications conducted between a bus controller and a plurality of network devices via the network bus, wherein at least one instruction has at least one variable data field associated with variable data, said method further comprising the step of altering the variable data associated with the at least one variable data field of the at least one instruction to thereby alter execution of the respective instruction.

16. A method according to claim 15 further comprising evaluating communications conduct ed via the network bus as the series of instructions is executed, wherein said altering step comprises altering the variable data associated with the at least one variable data field of the at least one instruction based upon the communications evaluated.

17. A method according to claim 15, wherein the variable data is capable of being stored at at least one predefined address, wherein the at least one variable data field of the at least one instruction is capable of identifying the at least one predefined address of the associated variable data, and wherein executing the series of instructions includes executing at least one instruction including the at least one variable data field and retrieving the variable data based upon the at least one predefined address identified by the at least one variable data field of the respective at least one instruction.

18. A bus controller capable of communicating with at least one network device via a network bus comprising:

a transmitter capable of transmitting instructions onto the network bus;

a receiver capable of receiving data from the network bus; and

a memory device capable of storing a series of instructions, wherein the bus controller is adapted to execute at least one of the instructions in said memory device in a manner independent of a host computer so as to control communications conducted with the at least one network device via the network bus.

19. A bus controller according to claim 18, wherein said memory device is capable of receiving the series of instructions from the host computer such that the bus controller is preloaded with a command schedule.

20. A bus controller according to claim 19, wherein said memory device comprises a nonvolatile memory device, and wherein said memory device is capable of receiving the series of instructions no later than during execution of the series of instructions by the bus controller.

21. A bus controller according to claim 19, wherein the memory device comprises a volatile memory device, and wherein said memory device is capable of receiving the series of instructions before execution of the series of instructions by the bus controller.

22. A bus controller according to claim 18, wherein the bus controller is adapted to repeatedly execute the series of instructions so as to control communications conducted with the at least one network device via the network bus.

23. A bus controller according to claim 18, wherein said memory device stores at least one instruction of the series of instructions having at least one variable data field associated with variable data, and wherein the variable data is capable of being altered by the host computer to thereby alter the respective at least one instruction executed by the bus controller.

24. A bus controller according to claim 23, wherein said memory device is capable of storing the variable data at at least one predefined address, wherein the at least one variable data field associated with the variable data is capable of identifying the at least one predefined address of the associated variable data such that when the bus controller executes the at least one instruction including the at least one variable data field said bus controller is capable of retrieving the variable data from the memory device at the at least one predefined address identified by the respective at least one variable data field.

25. A bus controller according to claim 24, wherein said memory device includes at least one register comprising the at least one predefined address, and wherein the at least one register is capable of storing the variable data at the at least one predefined address.