APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SCHEDULING REQUESTS TO SOURCE DEVICE

• US 20060168383A1
• Filed: 01/21/2005
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Himax Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Himax Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Lin, Wei-Fen
• Granted Patent: US 7,356,631 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/243
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/1642 with request queuing

Abstract

An apparatus and method for scheduling requests to a source device is provided. The apparatus comprises a high-priority request queue for storing a plurality of high-priority requests to the source device; a low-priority request queue for storing a low-priority request to the source device, wherein a priority of one of the high-priority requests is higher than the priority of the low-priority request; a history counter for storing an information related to at least one requesting interval between two adjacent high-priority requests; and a scheduling module for scheduling the high-priority requests and the low-priority request according to the information.

Claims

1. An apparatus for scheduling requests to a source device, comprising:

a high-priority request queue for storing a plurality of high-priority requests to the source device;

a low-priority request queue for storing a low-priority request to the source device, wherein a priority of one of the high-priority requests is higher than the priority of the low-priority request;

a history counter for storing an information related to at least one requesting interval between two adjacent high-priority requests; and

a scheduling module for scheduling the high-priority requests and the low-priority request according to the information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the source device comprises a dynamic random access memory.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the information indicates there is enough time for operation of a first part of the low-priority request, the low-priority request is divided into the first part and at least another part, and the first part of the low-priority request is granted to request the source device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the history counter further provides an average value of a plurality of requesting intervals as the information.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the average value is obtained by weighting each of the requesting intervals and adding the weighted requesting intervals together.

6. A scheduling method for scheduling requests to a source device, comprising:

receiving a plurality of high-priority requests and a low-priority request, wherein a priority of each of the high-priority requests is higher than the priority of the low-priority request;

storing an information related to at least one requesting interval between two adjacent high-priority requests; and

scheduling the high-priority requests and the low-priority request according to the information.

7. The scheduling method of claim 6, wherein when the information indicates there is enough time for operation of a first part of the low-priority request, the low-priority request is divided into the first part and at least another part, and the first part of the low-priority request is granted to request the source device.

8. The scheduling method of claim 6, wherein the information comprises an average value of a plurality of requesting intervals.

9. The scheduling method of claim 8, wherein the average value is obtained by weighting each of the requesting intervals and adding the weighted requesting intervals together.