Patent ID: 7197589
Filing Date: 2007-03-27
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method of providing access to a bus, comprising: receiving a plurality of device access requests for the bus, each of the plurality of device access requests being received from one of a plurality of processing devices not connected to the bus, each of the plurality of processing devices having a switch associated therewith; selecting a particular one of the plurality of device access requests according to a predetermined priority protocol; generating a control signal corresponding to the selected particular one of the plurality of device access requests; providing the control signal to a particular one of the plurality of processing devices that sent the selected particular one of the plurality of device access requests, the control signal enabling the switch associated with the particular one of the plurality of processing devices to connect the particular one of the plurality of processing devices to the bus; selecting a next one of the plurality of device access requests according to the predetermined priority protocol; generating a control signal corresponding to the selected next one of the plurality of device access requests; providing the control signal to a next one of the plurality of processing devices that sent the selected next one of the plurality of device access requests, the control signal enabling the switch associated with the next one of the plurality of processing devices to connect the next one of the plurality of processing devices to the bus prior to an end of the particular one of the plurality of processing devices being connected to the bus, the remaining ones of the plurality of processing devices not being connected to the bus in order to minimize a load on the bus.