Request controller, processing unit, arrangement, method for controlling requests and computer program product

• US 9,524,256 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2007
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Total Semiconductor, LLC
• Original Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Litovtchenko, Vladimir A., Bogenberger, Florian
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Khanh
• Application Number:
  US12/527,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20100030939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,595 Days
• Field of Search: 710260-269
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/24 using interrupt G06F13/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4812 by interrupt, e.g. masked

Abstract

An request controller for controlling requests of a processing unit. The request controller may include an request controller input for receiving an request and an request processing unit connected to the request controller input. The request may request to switch a context of said processing unit or to switch the processing unit from a current an operation to another operation. The request processing unit may decide on the request based on a decision criterion. An request controller output may be connected to the request processing unit, for outputting information about at least granted request. The request processing unit may include a control logic unit including: a state input for receiving information about a current state of a system including the processing unit; and a request input for receiving information about a received request. The control logic unit may be arranged to determine whether the received request belongs to the current state of the processor, to grant the request when the received request does belong to the current state and to reject the request in case the request does not belong to the current state. The control logic unit may further include a control logic output for outputting an request grant signal when the request is granted.

Claims

1. An interrupt request controller to control an interrupt request of at least one processing unit, said interrupt request requesting to switch a context of said processing unit or to switch said processing unit from a current operation to another operation, said interrupt request controller comprising:

a controller input to receive the interrupt request;

a request processing unit connected to said controller input, the request processing unit to decide whether to grant said received interrupt request based on at least one decision criterion;

a controller output connected to said request processing unit, the controller output to provide information about at least one granted request;

wherein said request processing unit includes;

a control logic unit including;

a state input to receive information about a current state in a logic flow of an application executing in said processing unit; and

a request input to receive information about the received interrupt request;

said control logic unit arranged to determine whether said received interrupt occurs too often, to determine whether said received interrupt request belongs to said current state of the logic flow of the application, to grant said received interrupt request in response to said received interrupt request belonging to said current state of the application and to reject said received interrupt request in response to the received interrupt request not belonging to said current state of the logic flow of the application;

said control logic unit further including a control logic output to provide a request grant signal in response to said received interrupt request being granted.

2. A request controller as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control logic unit is arranged to output, at said control logic output, an illegal request signal in response to said received interrupt request being rejected.

3. A request controller as claimed in claim 1, including:

a counter to count a number of granted interrupt requests;

a comparator to compare a counter value of said counter with a counter threshold value, wherein the comparator is arranged to grant said received interrupt request in case a difference between said counter value and said counter threshold value meets a request grant criterion.

4. A request controller as claimed in claim 3, including at least two counters, each to count a number of requests of a specific type.

5. A request controller as claimed in claim 3, including a counter controller connected to said counter and said comparator, the counter controller to perform a predetermined operation on said counter value in response to said received interrupt request being granted.

6. A request controller as claimed in claim 3, wherein said comparator is arranged to reject said received interrupt request in response to the difference between said counter value and said counter threshold value not meeting said request grant criterion and to output an request overflow signal in response to said request being rejected.

7. A request controller as claimed in claim 1, including:

a current state indicator to indicate the state of the logic flow of the application and a state controller connected to said current state indicator, the state controller to change said current state to a next state.

8. A request controller as claimed claim 7, wherein said state controller is connected to said control logic unit to adjust said state indicator in response to an interrupt request being granted, based on a model of states of the logic flow of the application.

9. A request controller as claimed in claim 1, including:

a state transition controller to determine allowed transitions from the current state to a next state and to determine whether said received interrupt request is associated with an allowed transition and to reject the received interrupt request in response to the received interrupt request not being associated with an allowed transition.

10. A request controller as claimed in claim 9, wherein said state transition controller is configured to grant said received interrupt request in response to said received interrupt request being associated with the allowed transition and one or more conditions for allowing said transition are fulfilled.

11. A request controller as claimed in claim 1, including at least two request controller inputs and an request decoder connected to said received interrupt request controller inputs to select, from two or more interrupt requests received during a same period of time, a selected interrupt request, said request decoder having a decoder output connected to said request processing unit to output said selected interrupt request.

12. A request controller as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control logic unit is further arranged to grant the particular interrupt in response to the particular interrupt not having occurred too often, and to reject the particular interrupt in response to the particular interrupt having occurred too often.

13. A request controller as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control logic unit further comprises:

a memory to store a control graph to identify interrupts not allowed in the current logic flow of the application.

14. A request controller as claimed in claim 13, wherein the control graph also identifies interrupts that occur too often.

15. A method for controlling requests of a processing unit, said requests requesting to switch a context of said processing unit or to switch said processing unit from a current operation to another operation, said method comprising:

receiving an interrupt request;

deciding whether to grant said received interrupt request based on at least one decision criterion;

outputting information about at least one granted interrupt request; and

receiving information about a current state of a logic flow of an application executing in said processing unit;

wherein receiving information about the received interrupt request includes;

determining whether a particular interrupt has occurred too often;

determining from said information whether said received interrupt request belongs to said current state of the logic flow in the application executing in the processing unit;

granting said interrupt request in response to said received interrupt request belonging to said current state of the logic flow of the application executing in the processing unit;

rejecting said received interrupt request in response to the received interrupt request not belonging to said current state of the logic flow of the application; and

outputting an request grant signal in response to said received interrupt request being granted.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising:

granting the particular interrupt in response to the particular interrupt having not occurred too often; and

rejecting the particular interrupt in response to the particular interrupt having occurred too often.

17. A request controller to control a request of a processing unit in a vehicle control system, the request controller comprising:

a controller input to receive an interrupt request from a control node in a vehicle, the interrupt request for the processing unit in the vehicle control system;

a request processing unit connected to the controller input, the request processing unit to decide whether to grant the interrupt request based a decision criterion;

a controller output connected to the request processing unit, the controller output to provide information about a granted request;

wherein the request processing unit includes;

a control logic unit including;

a state input to receive information about a current state of a logic flow of an application executing in the processing unit, and

a request input to receive information about a received interrupt request;

the control logic unit arranged to determine whether a particular interrupt has occurred too often, to determine whether the received interrupt request belongs to the current state of the logic flow of the application, to grant the interrupt request in response to the received interrupt request belonging to the current state of the logic flow of the application, and to reject the interrupt request in response to the interrupt request not belonging to the current state of the logic flow of the application;

the control logic unit further including a control logic output to provide an request grant signal in response to the interrupt request being granted.

18. A request controller as claimed in claim 17, wherein the control logic unit is further arranged to grant the particular interrupt in response to the particular interrupt having not occurred too often, and to reject the particular interrupt in response to the particular interrupt having occurred too often.

19. A request controller as claimed in claim 17, wherein the control logic unit further comprises:

a memory to store a control graph to identify interrupts not allowed in the current logic flow of the application.

20. A request controller as claimed in claim 19, wherein the control graph also identifies interrupts that occur too often.