Patent ID: 7467239
Filing Date: 2008-12-16
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method for programming a direct memory access (DMA) controller of a system on a chip, the system on a chip including a central processing unit for executing a user program, a memory management unit for translating a virtual address into a corresponding physical address according to a translation table, an address bus, a data bus, the DMA controller, and a plurality of entities coupled to the address bus and the data bus, the DMA controller including a set of registers that includes a source register, a destination register, and a size register, and each of the entities being identified by a physical address and addressable by applying that physical address to the address bus, said method comprising the steps of: receiving a first dedicated instruction included in the user program, the first dedicated instruction being dedicated to programming the registers of the DMA controller and including a virtual address as an address argument; and in response to receiving the first dedicated instruction, programming at least one of the registers of the DMA controller, wherein the programming step includes the sub-steps of: