Patent ID: 6105107
Filing Date: 2000-08-15
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A host interface for a digital-versatile disk (DVD) controller comprising:a bus input for a bus coupled to a host;task registers, coupled to the bus input, for being read and written by the host, the task registers including a command register receiving a single-byte command from the host and a status register for reading by the host;a FIFO buffer, coupled to the bus input, for storing a multi-byte command packet from the host and for storing data from a DVD optical disk for transfer to the host;a host state machine, coupled to the task registers, for receiving the multi-byte command packet from the host into the FIFO buffer in response to a packet-input command, the packet-input command being a single-byte command written by the host to the command register, the host state machine also for transferring data from the FIFO buffer to the host, and for sending status to the host through the status register, the host state machine generating microcontroller interrupts and host interrupts;state-control means, coupled to the host state machine, for enabling or blocking the host state machine from receiving the multi-byte command packet and for enabling or blocking transferring data from the FIFO buffer and for enabling or blocking sending status to the host;a microcontroller interface, coupled to a microcontroller, the microcontroller for executing firmware routines to control the host state machine, the firmware routines responsive to the microcontroller interrupts from the host state machine, the firmware routines setting or clearing bits in the state-control means to enable or block the host state machine from:(a) receiving the multi-byte command packet,(b) transferring data from the FIFO buffer; and(c) sending status to the host,whereby the microcontroller controls the host state machine that interfaces with the host.