Patent ID: 6411236
Filing Date: 2002-06-25
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A programmable priority encoder having a plurality of request inputs and a corresponding plurality of acknowledge outputs, comprising a configurable priority encoder subunit that implements one of a plurality of priority schemes in response to a priority control word corresponding to the priority scheme, wherein the configurable priority encoder subunit acknowledges, on a corresponding one of the acknowledge outputs, a request having a highest priority, in the priority scheme, of all current requests on the plurality of request inputs, said configurable priority encoder subunit comprising:a priority encoder subunit having a default priority scheme, a plurality of subunit request inputs, and a plurality of subunit acknowledge outputs; and an input steering unit that maps the plurality of request inputs to the plurality of subunit request inputs, and an output steering unit that maps the plurality of subunit acknowledge outputs to the plurality of acknowledge outputs, in response to the priority control word so that the programmable priority encoder implements the priority scheme.