METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE ADDITION AND REMOVAL OF NODES FROM A COMMON INTERCONNECT

• US 20080140864A1
• Filed: 02/12/2008
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/1994
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michael D. Teener, William S. Duckwall
• Original Assignee: Michael D. Teener, William S. Duckwall
• Inventors: Duckwall, William S., Teener, Michael D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,407,330 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/253
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40078 Bus configuration home automation networks H04L12/2803; arrangements for maintenance or administration H04L41/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/636 IEEE1394 identification numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]

Abstract

An electronic system interconnect. The interconnect comprises a first node and a second node coupled to the first node. The interconnect is initially configured to include the first and second nodes. A third node is added to the interconnect after the interconnect is initially configured, and the first node responds to the addition of the third node by initiating a new connect handshake with the third node. The first node begins by transmitting a first signal to the third node. The first node signals that the third node has been added to the interconnect if the third node responds to the first signal by transmitting a second signal. The first node causes the interconnect to be reconfigured if the third node transmits a third signal in response to receiving the first signal.

Claims

1. A method for concurrently adding multiple new nodes which have only one connected port to a previously configured interconnect comprising:

detecting addition of a first new node to the interconnect by a first node that is coupled to the first new node by a point-to-point link;

detecting addition of a second new node to the interconnect by a second node that is coupled to the second new node by a point-to-point link;

queuing addition process for the second new node by the second node;

processing addition of the first new node to the interconnect; and

processing addition of the second new node to the interconnect.

2. A method as in claim 1 wherein the first node is the same as the second node.

3. A method as in claim 1 wherein the interconnect is a serial bus.

4. A method as in claim 1 wherein said processing addition comprises:

transmitting a first signal by an existing node to a new node in response to detecting the addition of the new node;

transmitting a second signal by the new node to the existing node in response to receiving the first signal; and

signaling addition of the new node to the interconnect by the existing node.

5. A method as in claim 4 wherein the first signal is a YOU ARE MY CHILD signal, and wherein the second signal is a YOU ARE MY PARENT signal.

6. A method as in claim 4 wherein signaling addition of the new node comprises:

requesting control of the interconnect by the existing node;

granting the control of the interconnect to the existing node;

transmitting a first packet to the interconnect by the existing node indicating the new node is being added; and

transmitting a second packet to the interconnect by the existing node indicating the new node has been added.

7. A method as in claim 6 wherein the first packet is a NODE_ADDED_ALERT packet, and wherein the second packet is a SET_ADDRESS packet.

8. A method as in claim 1 wherein queuing addition process comprises:

suspending an arbitration to the interconnect if a first packet indicating a new node is being added to the interconnects is received; and

resuming the arbitration to the interconnect previously suspended if a second packet indicating a new node has been added to the interconnect, is received.

9. A method as in claim 8 wherein the first packet is a NODE_ADDED_ALERT packet, and wherein the second packet is a SET_ADDRESS packet.