Bus address assignment
First Claim
1. A controller device comprising:
- a bus interface for communicating over a bus based on addresses assigned to a plurality of devices which communicate over the bus, the devices comprising a plurality of second devices and a plurality of controller devices including said controller device, wherein each of the controller devices is responsible for assigning one or more of the addresses including at least the address of each of a respective one or more of said second devices; and
address allocation logic configured to assign an address to each of said controller device'"'"'s respective one or more second devices, by;
searching for a currently unassigned address to assign to each of its respective one or more second devices, and if an unassigned address for one of the one or more respective second devices cannot be found, to issue a request to at least one other of said controller devices requesting that the other controller device changes one of the one or more addresses which that other controller device is responsible for assigning; and
wherein said request comprises a proposed address that said controller device proposes to use for one of its respective one or more second devices, thereby triggering the other controller device, if the proposed address has already been assigned by that other controller device, to determine whether it can free the proposed address by means of said change.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A plurality of devices communicate over a bus, the devices comprising a plurality of controller devices and a plurality of second devices. Each of the controller devices is responsible for assigning one or more of the addresses including at least the address of each of a respective one or more of the second devices. A controller device comprises address allocation logic configured to assign an address to each of that controller device'"'"'s respective one or more second devices, by: searching for a currently unassigned address to assign to each of the respective one or more second devices, and if an unassigned address for one of those one or more second devices cannot be found, to issue a request to at least one other of the controller devices requesting that the other controller device changes one of the one or more addresses which that other controller device is responsible for assigning.
17 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A controller device comprising:
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a bus interface for communicating over a bus based on addresses assigned to a plurality of devices which communicate over the bus, the devices comprising a plurality of second devices and a plurality of controller devices including said controller device, wherein each of the controller devices is responsible for assigning one or more of the addresses including at least the address of each of a respective one or more of said second devices; and address allocation logic configured to assign an address to each of said controller device'"'"'s respective one or more second devices, by;
searching for a currently unassigned address to assign to each of its respective one or more second devices, and if an unassigned address for one of the one or more respective second devices cannot be found, to issue a request to at least one other of said controller devices requesting that the other controller device changes one of the one or more addresses which that other controller device is responsible for assigning; andwherein said request comprises a proposed address that said controller device proposes to use for one of its respective one or more second devices, thereby triggering the other controller device, if the proposed address has already been assigned by that other controller device, to determine whether it can free the proposed address by means of said change. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more programs, including instructions, which when executed on a controller device causes the controller to perform operations of:
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communicating over a bus based on a scheme of addresses assigned to a plurality of devices which communicate over the bus, the devices comprising a plurality of second devices and a plurality of controller devices including said controller device, wherein each of the controller devices is responsible for assigning one or more of the addresses including at least the address of each of a respective one or more of said second devices; searching for a currently unassigned address to assign to each of said controller device'"'"'s respective one or more second devices; and if an unassigned address for one of the one or more respective second devices cannot be found, issuing a request to at least one other of said controller devices requesting that the other controller device changes one of the one or more addresses which that other controller device is responsible for assigning; and wherein said request comprises a proposed address that said controller device proposes to use for one of its respective one or more second devices, thereby triggering the other controller device, if the proposed address has already been assigned by that other controller device, to determine whether it can free the proposed address by means of said change.
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Specification