Asynchronous data pipe for automatically managing asynchronous data transfers between an application and a bus structure

• US 7,944,952 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2009
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Smyers, Scott D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Ajit
• Application Number:
  US12/488,338
• Publication Number:
  US 20090268760A1
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/536
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/128 for dedicated transfers to a network for protocol converters G06F13/387
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40071 Packet processing; Packet format adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific network H04N21/2381, H04N21/4363, H04N21/4381; packet switches H04L49/00; intermediate storage or scheduling H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport

Abstract

An asynchronous data pipe (ADP) automatically generates transactions necessary to complete asynchronous data transfer operations for an application over a bus structure. The ADP includes a register file which is programmed and initiated by the application. The register file includes the bus speed, transaction label, transaction code, destination node identifier, destination offset address, length of each data packet, packet counter, packet counter bump field, control field and a status field. During a data transfer operation, the ADP generates the transactions necessary to complete the operation over the appropriate range of addresses, using the information in the register file as a template. The ADP increments the value in the destination offset address field for each transaction according to the length of each data packet, unless the incrementing feature has been disabled and the transactions are to take place at a fixed address. The packet counter represents the number of transactions remaining to be generated. The packet counter value is decremented after each packet of data is transferred. The application can increment the packet counter value by writing to the packet counter bump field. A multiplexer is included within a system having multiple ADPs for multiplexing the information from the ADPs onto the bus structure. A demultiplexer is included within a system having multiple ADPs for routing information from the bus structure to the appropriate ADP.

Claims

1. An asynchronous data pipe configured for coupling between an application and a bus structure for automatically controlling asynchronous data transfer operations to and from the application over the bus structure comprising:

a. an application interface circuit coupled to a system bus, wherein the application interfaces to the application interface circuit via the system bus; and

b. a register file coupled to the application interface circuit for receiving parameters regarding a data transfer operation, wherein the register file is programmed and initiated by the application,

wherein the application interface circuit automatically generates the transactions necessary to complete the data transfer operation between the application and a node coupled to the bus structure, without direct processor control.

2. The asynchronous data pipe as claimed in claim 1 wherein the register file is used as a template for generating the transactions necessary to complete the data transfer operation.

3. The asynchronous data pipe as claimed in claim 2 wherein the register file comprises registers for bus speed, transaction label, transaction code, destination node identifier, destination offset address, length of each data packet, packet counter, packet counter bump field, control field and status field.

4. The asynchronous data pipe as claimed in claim 2 further comprising a data buffer coupled to the application for sending data to and receiving data from the application.

5. The asynchronous data pipe as claimed in claim 4 wherein the bus structure is an IEEE 1394 standard bus structure.

6. A network of devices comprising:

a. an application within one of the network devices, wherein the application is coupled to a system bus within the one of the network of devices;

b. a bus structure coupled to the network of devices for transmitting communications between the network of devices; and

c. an asynchronous data pipe within the one of the network devices, coupled between the application and the bus structure for automatically controlling asynchronous data transfer operations to and from the application over the bus structure, the asynchronous data pipe comprising;

i. an application interface circuit coupled to the system bus, wherein the application interfaces to the application interface circuit via the system bus; and

ii. a register file coupled to the application interface circuit for receiving parameters regarding a data transfer operation, wherein the register file is programmed and initiated by the application,

wherein the application interface circuit automatically generates the transactions necessary to complete the data transfer operation between the application and another device in the network of devices, without direct processor control.

7. The network of devices as claimed in claim 6 wherein the register file of the asynchronous data pipe is used as a template for generating the transactions necessary to complete the data transfer operation.

8. The network of devices as claimed in claim 7 wherein the register file of the asynchronous data pipe comprises registers for bus speed, transaction label, transaction code, destination node identifier, destination offset address, length of each data packet, packet counter, packet counter bump field, control field and status field.

9. The network of devices as in claim 7 further comprising a data buffer coupled to the application for sending data to and receiving data from the application.

10. The network of devices as claimed in claim 9 wherein the bus structure is an IEEE 1394 standard bus structure.