Techniques for accessing devices through a set of serial buses
First Claim
1. Apparatus comprising:
- a master device for polling a plurality of slave devices and maintaining a fast polling list and a slow polling list, the master device polling only one slave device at a time from either list,wherein each slave device is associated with either the fast polling list or the slow polling list, and wherein the fast polling list is polled by the master device more frequently than the slow polling list, andwherein a slave device is associated with the fast polling list if the slave device responds to a poll from the master device within a time period, and wherein the slave device is associated with the slow polling list if the slave device does not respond to the poll from the master device within the time period.
9 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In a highly available environmental monitoring system, several slave devices are associated with either a fast polling list or a slow polling list. The fast polling list is polled by a master device more frequently than the slow polling list. A slave device is associated with the fast polling list if the slave device responds to a poll from the master device within a time period, and is associated with the slow polling list if the slave device does not respond to the poll from the master device within the time period. Furthermore, several control devices arbitrate to determine which shall be the master device for controlling several serial buses. The master device periodically switches between the plurality of serial buses to communicate with slave devices.
-
Citations
30 Claims
-
1. Apparatus comprising:
-
a master device for polling a plurality of slave devices and maintaining a fast polling list and a slow polling list, the master device polling only one slave device at a time from either list, wherein each slave device is associated with either the fast polling list or the slow polling list, and wherein the fast polling list is polled by the master device more frequently than the slow polling list, and wherein a slave device is associated with the fast polling list if the slave device responds to a poll from the master device within a time period, and wherein the slave device is associated with the slow polling list if the slave device does not respond to the poll from the master device within the time period. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
-
-
5. Apparatus comprising:
-
a plurality of slave devices; a plurality of control devices that are capable of being master devices; a plurality of serial buses to which the control devices and slave devices are coupled; wherein the plurality of control devices arbitrate to determine which of the plurality of control devices shall be the master device for controlling the plurality of serial buses; and wherein the master device periodically switches between the plurality of serial buses to communicate with the slave devices; wherein the master device polls the slave devices and tracks responses to the polls received from the slave devices, and wherein, after the master device has switched from a first of the plurality of serial buses to a second of the plurality of serial buses, if the master device receives a response from a slave device to a poll on the second of the plurality of serial buses, and the master device did not receive a response from the slave device to a poll on the first of the plurality of serial buses as evidenced by the tracked responses, the master device ceases switching to the first of the plurality of serial buses. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. A method comprising the steps of:
-
polling by a master device a plurality of slave devices; maintaining by the master device a fast polling list and a slow polling list, the master device polling only one slave device at a time from either list; associating by the master device each slave device with either the fast polling list or the slow polling list, wherein the fast polling list is polled by the master device more frequently than the slow polling list, and associating by the master device a slave device with the fast polling list if the slave device responds to a poll from the master device within a time period, and associating by the master device the slave device with the slow polling list if the slave device does not respond to the poll from the master device within the time period. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. A method comprising the steps of:
-
arbitrating by a plurality of control devices to determine which of the plurality of control devices shall be a master device for controlling a plurality of serial buses; periodically switching by the master device between the plurality of serial buses to communicate with the slave devices; polling by the master device the slave devices; tracking by the master device responses to the polls received from the slave devices; and wherein, after the master device has switched from a first of the plurality of serial buses to a second of the plurality of serial buses, if the master device receives a response from a slave device to a poll on the second of the plurality of serial buses, and the master device did not received a response from the slave device to a poll on the first of the plurality of serial buses as evidenced by the tracked responses, ceasing by the master device switching to the first of the plurality of serial buses. - View Dependent Claims (16)
-
-
17. A method comprising the steps of:
-
arbitrating by a plurality of control devices to determine which of the plurality of control devices shall be a master device for controlling a plurality of serial buses; periodically switching by the master device between the plurality of serial buses to communicate with the slave devices;
wherein the step of arbitrating comprises the steps of;receiving by a control device a command from a processor; requesting by the control device to become the master device if the command received from the processor is fullfillable by accessing a slave device via a serial bus. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
-
-
21. A program product comprising a computer readable medium having embodied therein a computer program for storing data, the computer program comprising:
-
logic for polling by a master device a plurality of slave devices; logic for maintaining by the master device a fast polling list and a slow polling list, the logic for polling only one slave device at a time from either list; logic for associating by the master device each slave device with either the fast polling list or the slow polling list, wherein the fast polling list is polled by the master device more frequently than the slow polling list, and logic for associating by the master device a slave device with the fast polling list if the slave device responds to a poll from the master device within a time period, and associating by the master device the slave device with the slow polling list if the slave device does not respond to the poll from the master device within the time period. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
-
-
25. A program product comprising a computer readable medium having embodied therein a computer program for storing data, the computer program comprising:
-
logic for arbitrating by a Plurality of control devices to determine which of the plurality of control devices shall be a master device for controlling a plurality of serial buses; logic for periodically switching by the master device between the plurality of serial buses to communicate with the slave devices; logic for polling by the master device the slave devices; logic for tracking by the master device responses to the polls received from the slave devices; logic operable after the master device has switched from a first of the plurality of serial buses to a second of the plurality of serial buses for causing the master device to cease switching to the first of the plurality of serial buses, if the master device receives a response from a slave device to a poll on the second of the plurality of serial buses, and the master device did not receive a response from the slave device to a poll on the first of the plurality of serial buses as evidenced by the tracked responses. - View Dependent Claims (26)
-
-
27. A program product comprising a computer readable medium having embodied therein a computer program for storing data, the computer program comprising:
-
logic for arbitrating by a plurality of control devices to determine which of the plurality of control devices shall be a master device for controlling a plurality of serial buses; logic for periodically switching by the master device between the plurality of serial buses to communicate with the slave devices;
wherein logic for arbitrating comprises;logic for receiving by a control device a command from a processor; logic for requesting by the control device to become the master device if the command received from the processor is fullfillable by accessing a slave device via a serial bus. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30)
-
Specification