Command processing apparatus, method and integrated circuit apparatus

• US 9,201,819 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2006
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Socionext Inc.
• Original Assignee: Socionext Inc.
• Inventors: Ichiguchi, Nobuyuki, Mochida, Tetsuji, Nakanishi, Ryuta, Tanaka, Takaharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Tseng, Cheng-Yuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mercado, Ramon A
• Application Number:
  US12/159,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20090327571A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,413 Days
• Field of Search: 711/5, 711/149, 345/530, 345/540, 345/559
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/1605 based on arbitration arbitration in handling access to a common bus or bus system G06F13/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/1647 with interleaved bank access
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/1673 using buffers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/001 Arbitration of resources in a display system, e.g. control of access to frame buffer by video controller and/or main processor

Abstract

A command processing apparatus and method are provided for optimally processing commands issued asynchronously from a plurality of masters to a storage apparatus including a plurality of banks, where each master issues commands for a bank 0 and a bank 1 alternately. The command processing apparatus includes buffer units that obtain commands issued from the plurality of masters, an arbitration unit that arbitrates the obtained commands, and an issuance unit that issues commands to the storage apparatus according to the arbitration. The arbitration unit reads the commands of the plurality of masters obtained in the buffer units, and selects one command as a result of arbitration. The arbitration unit waits until a next command of a master relating to the selected command becomes readable, and reads the next command. The issuance unit consecutively issues the selected command and the read command to the storage apparatus.

Claims

1. A command processing apparatus, comprising:

a command processor that includes a plurality of buffers, the plurality of buffers obtaining commands which are issued asynchronously from a first master and a second master, the command processor processing and sequentially issuing the commands to a storage apparatus including a plurality of banks,

wherein, when the first master requests consecutive selection and issues a first command and a second command to one of the plurality of buffers, and the second master issues a third command to another of the plurality of buffers, the command processor consecutively issues the first command to the storage apparatus and the second command to the storage apparatus, and

the consecutive selection request by the first master requests consecutive issuance of the first command and the second command to the storage apparatus.

2. The command processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first command and the second command are for accessing different ones of the banks.

3. The command processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first command is a command for accessing luminance data of an image, and

the second command is a command for accessing chrominance data of the image.

4. The command processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first command is a command for accessing color component data of graphics data, and

the second command is a command for accessing any one of transparency data, stencil data, and depth data of the graphics data.

5. The command processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first master requests the consecutive selection with a consecutive selection request signal.

10. The command processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said command processor is configured to consecutively issue the first command and the second command to different banks of the storage apparatus.

12. The command processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each master is configured to issue a command for accessing a bank of the storage apparatus different from a bank of the storage apparatus accessed by an immediately preceding command issued by the master.

14. The command processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said command processor judges whether the second command is readable before consecutively issuing the first command to the storage apparatus and the second command to the storage apparatus.

15. The command processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said command processor waits one cycle before consecutively issuing the first command to the storage apparatus and the second command to the storage apparatus when said command processor judges that the second command is not readable.

16. The command processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said command processor repeatedly judges whether the second command is readable and waits the one cycle until the second command becomes readable before consecutively issuing the first command to the storage apparatus and the second command to the storage apparatus.

6. A command processing apparatus, comprising:

a command processor that includes a plurality of buffers, the plurality of buffers obtaining commands which are issued asynchronously from a first master and a second master, the command processor processing and sequentially issuing the commands to a storage apparatus including a plurality of banks,

wherein, when the first master requests consecutive selection and issues a first command and a second command to one of the plurality of buffers, and the second master issues a third command to another of the plurality of buffers, the command processor performs one of the following;

consecutively issuing the first command to the storage apparatus and the second command to the storage apparatus and subsequently issuing the third command to the storage apparatus; and

issuing the third command to the storage apparatus and subsequently consecutively issuing the first command to the storage apparatus and the second command to the storage apparatus, and

the consecutive selection request by the first master requests consecutive issuance of the first command and the second command to the storage apparatus.

7. The command processing apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the first command and the second command are for accessing different ones of the banks.

8. The command processing apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the first command is a command for accessing luminance data of an image, and

the second command is a command for accessing chrominance data of the image.

9. The command processing apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the first command is a command for accessing color component data of graphics data, and

the second command is a command for accessing any one of transparency data, stencil data, and depth data of the graphics data.

11. The command processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said command processor is configured to consecutively issue the first command and the second command to different banks of the storage apparatus.

13. The command processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein each master is configured to issue a command for accessing a bank of the storage apparatus different from the bank of the storage apparatus accessed by an immediately preceding command issued by the master.

17. The command processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said command processor judges whether the second command is readable before consecutively issuing the first command to the storage apparatus and the second command to the storage apparatus.

18. The command processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said command processor waits one cycle before consecutively issuing the first command to the storage apparatus and the second command to the storage apparatus when said command processor judges that the second command is not readable.

19. The command processing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said command processor repeatedly judges whether the second command is readable and waits the one cycle until the second command becomes readable before consecutively issuing the first command to the storage apparatus and the second command to the storage apparatus.

20. A command processing apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of buffers that obtains commands which are issued asynchronously from a plurality of masters;

an arbitrator that reads the commands from the plurality of buffers and arbitrates the commands for sequential issuance to a storage;

wherein the arbitrator consecutively obtains and issues a first command and a second command from one of the plurality of buffers in response to receiving a consecutive selection request signal, the consecutive selection request signal being received by the arbitrator in association with the first command, the first command and the second command each being obtained by the one of the plurality of buffers from a first master of the plurality of masters.