Modulator data/control equipment

• US 5,535,396 A
• Filed: 09/19/1994
• Issued: 07/09/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brody, Rafael, Eshet, Dan, Cohen, Yitzak, Magril, Tzvika
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz R.
• Application Number:
  US08/308,475
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• Field of Search: 395/725, 395/275, 395/733, 395/868, 395/856
• US Class Current: 710/260
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/26 with priority control

Abstract

Modular equipment for data acquisition/control of a system comprises a central unit (CPU Board), a plurality of input/output modules and a bus coupled therebetween. The central unit has successive approximation generator means (2) for generating a plurality of unique system addresses. The plurality of input/output modules each acquire information from/administering control of said system, and each of said plurality of input/outout modules is located at one of said unique addresses. The bus comprises an interrupt control line (IRQ) for requesting an interrupt service, whereon one or more of said plurality of modules periodically places an interrupt service request. Identifcation means, responsive to said successive approximation generator means (2), identifies an address of a module from which an interrupt service request emanated.

Claims

1. Modular equipment for data acquisition/control of a system, the modular equipment comprising:

a) a central unit having successive approximation generator means, the successive approximation generator means arranged for generating a plurality of interrupt priority values and having a parallel data output for outputting said priority values and an interrupt service request result input for receiving an interrupt service request result, the successive approximation generator means being arranged to select and output an interrupt priority value, receive an interrupt service request result and selectively output an increased or decreased interrupt priority value depending on the interrupt service request result and successive interrupt service request results;

b) a plurality of input/output modules, each input/output module arranged for acquiring information from/administering control of said system, wherein each of said plurality of input/output modules has means for storing a unique interrupt priority value, thus forming a stored interrupt priority value, and has a parallel data input for receiving an interrupt priority value from the central unit, thus forming a received interrupt priority value, comparison means for comparing the received interrupt priority value with the stored interrupt priority value and an interrupt service request result output for providing an interrupt service request result in response to said comparison of the received interrupt priority value with the stored interrupt priority value and

c) a bus, coupled between said plurality of input/output modules and said central unit, having an interrupt control line, for requesting an interrupt service, responsive to a request for interrupt service generated by a requesting input/output module, said bus having parallel data lines for connecting the parallel data output of the central unit to the parallel data inputs of the plurality of input/output modules and having an interrupt service request result line for connecting the interrupt service request result outputs of the plurality of input/output modules to the interrupt service request result input of the central unit; and

,

identification means, responsive to said successive approximation generator means, for identifying the requesting input/output module;

wherein said request for interrupt service is devoid of the stored interrupt priority value of the requesting input/output module.

2. Modular equipment in accordance with claim 1, wherein

the bus contains a plurality of interrupt control lines each of which is assigned a unique interrupt priority value within the modular equipment.

3. Modular equipment in accordance with claim 2, wherein

the stored interrupt priority value of each input/output module determines the priority of the each input/output module interrupt service request within the modular equipment.

4. Modular equipment in accordance with claim 3, where the interrupt control line comprises a collector electrode of a wired-OR open collector circuit coupling the requesting input/output module to the central unit.

5. Modular equipment in accordance with claim 3, where each input/output module includes an address based on the stored interrupt priority value of the each input/output module.

6. In modular equipment comprising a central unit coupled to a plurality of modules, the plurality of modules including a module that is requesting an interrupt, each module of the plurality of modules including a stored priority value that is unique in the modular equipment and that is based on the interrupt priority of the each module, a method for the central unit to service the module that is requesting an interrupt, the method comprising the steps of:

for a first cycle;

(a) by the central unit, generating an offered priority value, and providing the offered priority value to the plurality of modules;

(b) by the module that is requesting an interrupt, forming a result based on comparing the offered priority value to the module'"'"'s stored priority value, and providing the result to the central unit;

(c) by the central unit, based on the result, selectively increasing or decreasing the offered priority value, and then providing the offered priority value to the plurality of modules;

for a second, third, . . . , and an Nth successive cycle;

(d) by the module that is requesting an interrupt, forming a result based on comparing the offered priority value to the module'"'"'s stored priority value, and then providing the result to the central unit;

(e) by the central unit, based on the result, selectively increasing or decreasing the offered priority value, and then providing the priority value to the plurality of modules;

after the Nth successive cycle;

(f) by the central unit, identifying the module that is requesting an interrupt based on the offered priority value;

where the offered priority value for the first cycle is predetermined.

7. The method of claim 6, where N equals 9.

8. In the modular equipment of claim 6, each module of the plurality of modules includes an address that is based on the each module'"'"'s stored priority value, and in the method of claim 6, the central unit identifying step (f) includes a step of addressing the module that is requesting an interrupt based on the offered priority value.

9. The method of claim 6, including a preceding step, by the module that is requesting an interrupt, of sending the central unit a request for interrupt signal, the request for interrupt signal being devoid of the stored priority value of the module that is requesting an interrupt.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the offered priority value for the first cycle is 80_hex.

11. Modular equipment comprising a central unit coupled to a plurality of modules, the plurality of modules including a module that is requesting an interrupt, each module of the plurality of modules including a stored priority value that is unique in the modular equipment and that is based on the interrupt priority of the each module, the modular equipment arranged for the central unit to service the module that is requesting an interrupt, the modular equipment comprising:

responsive to a first cycle;

central unit means for generating an offered priority value, and providing the offered priority value to the plurality of modules;

module means, responsive to requesting an interrupt, for forming a result based on comparing the offered priority value to the module'"'"'s stored priority value, and providing the result to the central unit;

central unit means, based on the result, for selectively increasing or decreasing the offered priority value, and then providing the offered priority value to the plurality of modules;

responsive to a second, third, . . . , and an Nth successive cycle;

module means, responsive to requesting an interrupt, for forming a result based on comparing the offered priority value to the module'"'"'s stored priority value, and then providing the result to the central unit;

central unit means, based on the result, for selectively increasing or decreasing the offered priority value, and then providing the priority value to the plurality of modules;

responsive to the termination of the Nth successive cycle;

central unit means for identifying the module that is requesting an interrupt based on the offered priority value;

where the offered priority value for the first cycle is predetermined.

12. The modular equipment of claim 11, where N equals 9.

13. The modular equipment of claim 11, wherein each module of the plurality of modules includes an address that is based on the each module'"'"'s stored priority value, the central unit identifying means including means for addressing the module that is requesting an interrupt based on the offered priority value.

14. The modular equipment of claim 11, including module means for sending the central unit a request for interrupt signal, the request for interrupt signal being devoid of the stored priority value of the module that is requesting an interrupt.

15. The modular equipment of claim 11, wherein the offered priority value for the first cycle is 80_hex.