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Data processing peripheral subsystems having a controller and a plurality of peripheral devices

  • US 4,813,011 A
  • Filed: 05/13/1985
  • Issued: 03/14/1989
  • Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1985
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. In a data processing system having a controller and one or more peripheral devices connected to the controller;

  • the improvement including, in combination;

    each said peripheral device having a data-handling unit for performing predetermined data processing operations and having electronic control circuits, including device-programmable means, connected to the data-handling unit for controlling the data-handling unit and for transferring data-representing signals with the data-handling unit;

    the controller having electronic control circuits, including controller-programmable means, for controlling said peripheral device and for transferring said data-representing signals with said peripheral device;

    connection means for coupling the electronic control circuits of said controller with the electronic control circuits of said peripheral devices for transferring said data-representing signals therebetween and for transferring control information therebetween;

    a plurality of selection-connection-control means in said connection means separately and independently extending from the electronic control circuits in the controller to the respective electronic control circuits in said peripheral devices for sending a selection signal individually to but one of said peripheral devices;

    data-transfer means in said connection means for transferring data-representing signals between the electronic control circuits of the controller and the electronic control circuits of said peripheral devices;

    time-controlled information-transfer means in said connection means for transferring time-controlled information-representing signals between the electronic control circuits in said controller and in said peripheral devices;

    device-gating means in each of said peripheral devices connected to said electronic control circuits of said each of said peripheral devices and to said time-controlled information-transfer means, to said data-transfer means and to all of said selection-connection-control means for responding to a selection signal received from a respective selection-connection-control means to pass signals between said connection means time-controlled information-transfer means and data-transfer means to and from the electronic control circuits of said each said peripheral device;

    omni-connection-control means in said connection means for transferring predetermined control-information-representing signals including predetermined device commands between the electronic control circuits of any said peripheral devices and said controller independently of said selection signal;

    status circuit means in said electronic control circuits of said peripheral devices connected to said omni-connection-control means for transferring status signals to the electronic control circuits of the controller independently of the selection signal and including device address information-bearing signals for indicating to the electronic control circuits of the controller the source of the status signals;

    command means in the electronic control circuits of the controller connected to the omni-connection-control means for sending device commands with associated device addresses to all said peripheral devices connected to said omni-connection-control means independently of said selection signals;

    status-receiving means in the electronic control circuits of said controller connected to said omni-connection-control means for receiving said status signals and having means for evaluating the received status signals;

    command-executing means in the electronic control circuits of said peripheral device connected to the omni-connection-control means for receiving said predetermined device commands and associated device addresses and for responding to said device commands when the associated device address indicates the device, and connected to the data-transfer means and to said status-circuit means for activating the data-transfer means and the status-circuit means for transferring signals between the electronic control circuits in the controller and the electronic control circuits in said peripheral device;

    said data-transfer means includes each of said peripheral devices data-format means for indicating predetermined data-format-reference indicia interposed between elements of data to be transferred between said electronic control circuits of said controller and the electronic control circuits of said devices which relate to a predetermined logic arrangement of the data as transferred within the respective said peripheral devices;

    format-circuit means in each said peripheral device connected to said device-gating means and to said data-format means and to said selection-connection-control means for responding to the selection signal for transferring said indicated data-format-reference indicia to said controller electronic control circuits; and

    write/read-circuit-control means in the controller connected to said device-gating means via said time-controlled information-transfer means for actuating same to transfer data signals between the electronic control circuits of a currently selected device and said controller electronic control circuits intermediate in time between successive ones of said indicated data-format-reference indicia.

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