Information processing apparatus for performing two-way interruption processing

• US 5,317,748 A
• Filed: 07/16/1992
• Issued: 05/31/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Shimuzu, Noriaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Ray, Gopal C.
• Application Number:
  US07/913,714
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: 395/325, 395/800, 395/200, 395/275, 395/725, 370/85.1, 370/61, 340/825.03, 361/395
• US Class Current: 710/260
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/24 using interrupt G06F13/32 takes precedence

Abstract

An information processing apparatus is of such a type that, between a system including a main board and a corresponding expansion board mounted in a corresponding expansion slot, the apparatus makes a given interruption to the expansion board, via a system bus, for each slot. The main board comprises a main CPU for gaining access to an interruption input/output port corresponding to one associated expansion board and a system bus interface for selecting one expansion board to which an interruption is to be made. The expansion board comprises a system bus interface for receiving an expansion slot select signal from the system bus interface and generating a control signal, an interruption input/output address decoder for decoding an input/output address entered via the system bus and for generating an interruption signal, and a sub CPU for receiving the interruption signal and for performing interruption processing.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

means for storing information;

input/output means for inputting the information to the storing means and for outputting the information from the storing means; and

control means, disposed between the storing means and the input/output means, for performing information processing control, wherein the control means comprises;

a main board,

at least one expansion slot,

an expansion board disposed in the at least one expansion slot, and

a system bus connecting the main board to the expansion board;

wherein the main board comprises;

an input/output port,

a main central processing unit for controlling the information, managing the presence and absence of the expansion board and accessing the input/output port by an interruption that corresponds to the expansion board, and

an expansion board select means, connected to the main central processing unit, for selecting the expansion board by producing an expansion slot select signal and thereby causing the expansion board to be interrupted; and

wherein the expansion board comprises;

a system bus interface means for receiving the expansion slot select signal and for generating a control signal,

an interruption detection means for decoding an input/output address entered from the system bus, for receiving the control signal and for generating an interruption signal,

an interruption control means, connected to the interruption detection means, for receiving the interruption signal and for generating an interruption request signal, and

a sub central processing unit, connected to the interruption control means and the system bus interface means, for receiving the interruption request signal and for performing interruption processing.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the interruption detection means comprises an input/output address decoder means for decoding the input/output address.

3. An information processing apparatus comprising:

means for storing information;

input/output means for inputting the information to the storing means and for outputting the information from the storing means; and

control means, disposed between the storing means and the input/output means, for performing information processing control, wherein the control means comprises;

a main board,

at least one expansion slot,

an expansion board disposed in the at least one expansion slot, and

a system bus connecting the main board to the expansion board, the system bus comprises;

a plurality of buses for transferring an address signal, a data signal, a control signal and a slot common interruption signal between the main board and the expansion board;

wherein the main board comprises;

an input/output port,

a main processing unit for controlling information, managing the presence and absence of the expansion board and accessing the input/output port by an interruption that corresponds to the expansion board,

expansion board select means, connected to the main central processing unit, for selecting the expansion board by producing an expansion slot select signal and thereby causing the expansion board to be interrupted,

interruption request determination means, connected to the main central processing unit, the expansion board select means and the system bus, for determining whether a common interruption request is present, for determining if an individual interruption request is present, and for generating an interruption signal when the interruption request determination means determines that the individual interruption request is present, and

interruption control means, connected to the interruption request determination means and the main central processing unit, for receiving the interruption signal and for delivering an interruption request signal to the main central processing unit; and

wherein the expansion board comprises;

a system bus interface means for receiving the expansion slot select signal and for generating the control signal,

interruption input/output address decoder means for decoding an input/output address entered from the system bus, for receiving the control signal and for generating an expansion board interruption signal,

expansion board interruption control means, connected to the interruption input/output address decoder means, for receiving the expansion board interruption signal and for generating an expansion board interruption request signal, and

a sub central processing unit, connected to the expansion board interruption control means and the system bus interface means, for receiving the expansion board interruption request signal and for performing interruption processing.

4. An information processing apparatus for performing two-way interruption processing between a main board and a plurality of expansion slot, comprising:

storing means for storing information;

input/output means for inputting the information to the storing means and for outputting the information from the storing means; and

control means, disposed between the storing means and the input/output means, comprising;

a system side having the main board,

a communications interface side having;

the plurality of expansion slots,

a plurality of expansion boards, wherein each expansion board is disposed in a corresponding one of the plurality of expansion slots,

a system bus connecting said system-side to said communications interface side,

wherein the main board comprises;

an input/output port,

a main central processing unit for controlling the information, managing the presence and absence of each of the expansion boards and accessing the input/output port by an interruption that corresponds to one of the expansion boards,

and expansion board select means, connected to the main central processing unit, for selecting one of the expansion boards by producing a corresponding expansion slot select signal and thereby causing the selected expansion board to be interrupted, and

wherein each of the expansion boards comprises;

a system bus interface means for receiving the expansion slot select signal and for generating a control signal,

interruption detection means for decoding an input/output address entered from the system bus, for receiving the control signal and for generating an interruption signal,

interruption control means, connected to the interruption detection means, for receiving the interruption signal and for generating an interruption request signal, and

a sub central processing unit, connected to the interruption control means and system bus interface means, for receiving the interruption request signal and for performing interruption processing.

5. An information processing apparatus for performing two-way interruption processing between a main board and a plurality of expansion slots, comprising:

storing means for storing information;

input/output means for inputting the information to the storing means and for outputting the information from the storing means; and

control means, disposed between the storing means and the input/output means, comprising;

a system side having the main board,

a communications interface side having;

the plurality of expansion slots,

a plurality of expansion boards, wherein each expansion board is disposed in a corresponding one of the plurality of expansion slots,

a system bus, connecting said system-side to said communications interface side, having a plurality of buses for transferring an address signal, a data signal, a control signal and a slot common interruption signal between the main board and each of the expansion boards,

wherein the main board comprises;

an input/output port,

a main central processing unit for controlling the information, managing the presence and absence of each of the expansion boards and accessing the input/output port by an interruption that corresponds to one of the expansion boards,

expansion board select means, connected to the main central processing unit, for selecting one of the expansion boards by producing a corresponding expansion slot select signal and thereby causing the selected expansion board to be interrupted,

interruption request determination means, connected to the main central processing unit, the expansion board select means and the system bus, for determining whether a common interruption request is present, for determining whether an individual interruption request is present, and for generating an interruption signal when the interruption request determination means determines that the individual interruption request is present, and

interruption control means, connected to the interruption request determining means and the main central processing unit, for receiving the interruption signal and for delivering an interruption request signal to the main central processing unit, and

wherein each of the expansion boards comprises;

a system bus interface means for receiving the expansion slot select signal and for generating the control signal,

interruption input/output address decoder means for decoding an input/output address entered from the system bus, for receiving the control signal and for generating an expansion board interruption signal

expansion board interruption control means, connected to the interruption input/output address decoder means, for receiving the expansion board interruption signal and for generating an expansion board interruption request signal, and

a sub central processing unit, connected to the expansion board interruption control means and the system bus interface means, for receiving the expansion board interruption request signal and for performing interruption processing.