INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, METHOD OF SAME, AND PROGRAM FOR SAME

• US 20070294446A1
• Filed: 04/17/2007
• Published: 12/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nagao, Yoshito, Shimoyama, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,065,458 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/110
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/3625 using a time dependent access
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/364 using independent requests or grants, e.g. using separated request and grant lines

Abstract

An information processing apparatus configured to control communications of a plurality of devices via a common communication channel on the basis of predetermined priority levels of the devices includes a changing unit configured to change the priority level of a predetermined device, which is one of the plurality of devices, having a first priority level to a second priority level for a predetermined amount of time and a controlling unit configured to control the length of the predetermined amount of time.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus configured to control communications of a plurality of devices via a common communication channel on the basis of predetermined priority levels of the devices, the apparatus comprising:

changing means for changing the priority level of a predetermined device having a first priority level to a second priority level for a predetermined amount of time, the predetermined device being one of the plurality of devices; and

controlling means for controlling the length of the predetermined amount of time.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the changing means returns the second priority level of the predetermined device to the first priority level after the predetermined amount of time elapses.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the changing means changes the priority level of the predetermined device having the first priority level to the second priority level when responding to a communication request from the predetermined device.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the controlling means controls the length of the predetermined amount of time by counting up at each clock pulse and operating a counter so as to reset the counted value when the counted value reaches a predetermined threshold value, and

wherein the changing means returns the priority level of the predetermined device having the second priority level to the first priority level when the counted value reaches the threshold value.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the controlling means controls the operation of the counter when a communication request is sent from the predetermined device and when the priority level of the predetermined device is changed to the second priority level.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication channel is constituted of a bus.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the plurality of devices transmit and receive image data between each other via the communication channel, the image data configured by frames or fields,

wherein the changing means changes the priority level of the predetermined device during the predetermined amount of time so that image processing of at least a frame or a field within a predetermined amount of frame time assigned to a frame or a predetermined amount of field time assigned to a field, and

wherein the controlling means controls the length of the predetermined amount of time so as to maintain the length of the frame time or the field time.

8. A method of processing information for controlling communications of a plurality of devices via a common communication channel on the basis of predetermined priority levels of the devices, the method comprising the steps of:

changing the priority level of a predetermined device having a first priority level to a second priority level for a predetermined amount of time, the predetermined device being one of the plurality of devices; and

controlling the length of the predetermined amount of time.

9. A computer program for controlling communications of a plurality of devices via a common communication channel on the basis of predetermined priority levels of the devices, the program comprising the steps of:

changing the priority level of a predetermined device having a first priority level to a second priority level for a predetermined amount of time, the predetermined device being one of the plurality of devices; and

controlling the length of the predetermined amount of time.

10. An information processing apparatus configured to control communications of a plurality of devices via a common communication channel on the basis of predetermined priority levels of the devices, the apparatus comprising:

a changing unit configured to change the priority level of a predetermined device having a first priority level to a second priority level for a predetermined amount of time, the predetermined device being one of the plurality of devices; and

a controlling unit configured to control the length of the predetermined amount of time.