Electronic device for computer

• US 5,740,377 A
• Filed: 03/01/1996
• Issued: 04/14/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: MELCO, Inc. (Melco Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: MELCO, Inc. (Melco Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Sonobe, Yoshiiku
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz R.
• Application Number:
  US08/609,165
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: 395/282, 395/500, 395/402, 395/404, 395/405
• US Class Current: 710/301
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4068 Electrical coupling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/7864 on more than one IC chip

Abstract

The electronic computer device according to the present invention comprises an alternative CPU 22 which operates in place of a low-speed CPU on the mother board when it is connected to such as a connector on the mother board of a computer. The electronic computer device 20 is provided with an address bus on its PCB 24, of which bus width is larger than that of the address bus on the mother board 50, and the dual in-line memory modules inserted in the expansion slots 40 connected to the such address bus provides an address space larger than 16 Mbytes. The alternative CPU 22 which can utilize this large address space can perform processing beyond the limitation of the bus width of the address bus on the side of the mother board 50. The DMA transfer to an address area which is not supported by the DMA controller on the side of the mother board 50 can be realized simply by performing the DMA transfer once to the address area of lower significance.

Claims

1. A computer comprising:

a mother board having a first CPU mounted thereon;

an expansion board having a second CPU mounted thereon connected to said mother board, said expansion board being connected to said mother board such that an address and data bus of said second CPU is connected to an address and data bus of said first CPU, said expansion board further including;

an expansion memory bus which is connected to a terminal for memory control of said second CPU and which has a bus width wider than a bus width of said address bus of said first CPU;

a memory means allocated in an expanded memory address area expanded by said expansion memory bus; and

a memory control means connected to said expansion memory bus and to a control signal line for memory control, said memory control means causing said second CPU to access said memory means when a memory address specified by said second CPU is in said expanded memory address area, wherein said second CPU controls said computer.

2. The computer of claim 1, wherein said memory means is comprised of detachable dual in-line memory modules.

3. The computer of claim 1, wherein said memory control means controls access to a predetermined address by controlling an address strobe signal.

4. The computer of claim 1, further comprising:

a buffer preparing means which prepares a temporary data storage area in a main memory located at a lower address than that of an expansion memory when a direct memory access instruction is inputted, said direct memory access instruction being an instruction to access said memory means which is allocated in said expanded memory address area expanded by said expansion memory bus;

a direct memory access change means for changing said instruction so as to perform a direct memory access to said temporary storage area prepared by said buffer preparing means; and

a block transfer means which performs a block transfer of data stored in said temporary storage area to memory addresses according to said direct memory access instruction with use of said second CPU on completion of said direct memory access according to said instruction changed by said direct memory access instruction.

5. The computer of claim 4, wherein said buffer preparing means includes interrupt processing which is executed by trapping said direct memory access instruction to said memory means allocated in said expanded memory address area.

6. The computer of claim 1, wherein said first CPU is an Intel Class 486 processor.

7. An expansion circuit board for upgrading an original CPU which is mounted on a mother board of a personal computer and which is connected to an address bus having a first bus width, comprising:

an expansion CPU;

a connector for connecting said expansion board to said computer, said connector connecting said address bus of said original CPU to said expansion CPU;

at least one slot for receiving an expansion memory;

an expansion memory bus connected to a terminal for memory control of said expansion CPU and said at least one slot for receiving said expansion memory, said expansion memory bus including an address bus having a second bus width wider than said first bus width; and

a memory control unit connected to said expansion memory bus and to a control signal line for memory control, said memory control unit causing said CPU to access said expansion memory when a memory address specified by said CPU is in said expansion memory.

8. The expansion circuit board of claim 7, wherein the board includes two slots for receiving expansion memory.

9. The expansion circuit board of claim 8, wherein dual in-line memory modules are detachably mounted in the two slots for receiving expansion memory.

10. The expansion circuit board of claim 7, wherein the memory control unit comprises a memory integrated circuit, a programmable logic device, a clock driver, and a bus driver.

11. The expansion circuit board of claim 8, wherein the memory control unit comprises a memory integrated circuit, a programmable logic device, a clock driver, and a bus driver.

12. The expansion circuit board of claim 7, further comprising a power supply integrated circuit.

13. The expansion circuit board of claim 12, wherein the power supply integrated circuit supplies power at about 3.3 volts.

14. The expansion circuit board of claim 11, further comprising a power supply integrated circuit.

15. The expansion circuit board of claim 14, wherein the power supply integrated circuit supplies power at about 3.3 volts.