Patent Abstract:
A data accessing system bridges a first master device and a second master device to a first slave device and a second slave device. The data accessing system includes a register, a first multiplexer, a second multiplexer and a control unit. The amount of data that the first master device can process each cycle is less than which of the second slave device. The data accessing system can solve the problem when the first master device writes data to the second slave device via merging two different data. Also, the data accessing system can solve the problem when the first master device reads data to the second slave device via extracting part of the data.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a data accessing method and system, and particularly relates to a system including master and slave devices. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating prior art writing operations between master devices and slave devices. As shown in  FIG. 1 , master devices include a master device  101  and a master device  103 , and slave devices include a slave device  105  and a slave device  107 . The master device  101  includes a processor that can process less data each process cycle (for example, 24 bit), and the master device  103  includes a processor that can process more data each process cycle (for example, 32 bit). Also, the slave device  105  can access less data each process cycle (for example, 24 bit), and the slave device  107  can access more data each process cycle (for example, 32 bit). The master device  101  and the master device  103  can respectively write data to the slave device  105  and the slave device  107 , as indicated by the arrows shown in  FIG. 1 . However, since the empty space of the slave device can not be filled with blank data or null data and all data received by the slave device must be data having meanings, some problem will happen if a master device writes data less than the data amount that a slave device can receive each process cycle to the slave device. For example, the master device  101  writes 24 bit data to the slave device  107 . 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating prior art reading operations between master devices and slave devices. Similar with  FIG. 1 , master devices in  FIG. 2  include a master device  201  (24 bit) and a master device  203  (32 bit), and slave devices include a slave device  205  (24 bit) and a slave device  207  (32 bit). The master device  201  and the master device  203  can respectively read data from the slave device  205  and the slave device  207 , as indicated by the arrows shown in  FIG. 2 . However, a problem will develop if a master device reads more data than the data amount the master device can process each process cycle. For example, the master device  201  reads 32 bits data from the slave device  207 . 
     Therefore, a new data accessing method and a system utilizing the data accessing method is needed to solve the above-mentioned problems. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One objective of the present invention is to provide a data accessing method and system to overcome the above-mentioned problems. 
     One embodiment of the present invention discloses a data accessing system for bridging a first master device and a second master device to a first slave device and a second slave device. The data accessing system includes: a register; a first multiplexer, for outputting one of outputs from the first master device and the second master device to both the first slave device and the second slave device, according to a controlling signal; a second multiplexer, for outputting one of outputs from the first slave device and the second slave device to both the first master device and the second master device, according to the controlling signal; a control unit, for generating the control signal and for performing in a first mode, if the first master device generates a first data and a second data to the second slave device in order, including: extracting part of the first data, controlling the register to register the extracted part of the first data, merging the registered part of the first data and the second data to generate a merged data as the output of the first multiplexer; and writing the merged data to the second slave device; wherein the control unit further performs in a second mode, if the first master device reads a data from the second slave device: extracting part of the data, including: controlling the register to register part of the data, controlling the second multiplexer to output the un-registered part of the data and registered part of the data in order; and controlling the first master device to read un-registered part of the data and the registered part of the data in order. 
     According above mentioned description, new data accessing method and a system utilizing the data accessing method can be acquired. By this way, the prior art problem described in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  can be avoided. 
     These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating prior art writing operations between master devices and slave devices. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating prior art reading operations between master devices and slave devices. 
         FIG. 3  is a data accessing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Certain terms are used throughout the description and following claims to refer to particular components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, electronic equipment manufacturers may refer to a component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function. In the following description and in the claims, the terms “include” and “comprise” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “include, but not limited to . . . ”. Also, the term “couple” is intended to mean either an indirect or direct electrical connection. Accordingly, if one device is coupled to another device, that connection may be through a direct electrical connection, or through an indirect electrical connection via other devices and connections. 
       FIG. 3  is a data accessing system  300  according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the data accessing system  300  includes a master device  301  (24 bit), a master device  303  (32 bit), multiplexers  305 ,  307 , a slave device  309  (24 bit), a slave device  311  (32 bit), a control unit  313  and a register  315 . The master devices  301  and  303  can be processors. Please note that the devices and structures shown in  FIG. 3  are only for example and do not mean to limit the scope of the present invention. Also, the multiplexers  305 ,  307 , the control unit  313  and the register  315  can be regarded as a bus system according to an embodiment of the present invention, for bridging a master device  301  and a master device  303  to a slave device  309  and a slave device  311 . 
     Please refer to the master device  301 , the master device  303 , the multiplexers  305 , the slave device  309 , the slave device  311 , the control unit  313  and the register  315 . These devices perform writing operations of the data accessing system  300 . The master device  301  or a master device  303  will send information to inform the controller  313  when the master device  301  or the master device  303  requires sending data Out a1  or Out a2  to the slave device  309  or the slave device  311 . The control unit  313  will send a control signal CS to select one of the data Out a1  or Out a2  as the output data Out m1  of the multiplexer  305  according to the requirement of the master device  301  or the master device  303 . The control unit  313  further controls one of the slave device  309  and the slave device  311  to receive the output data Out m1  of the multiplexer  305 , and controls the other one of the slave device  309  and the slave device  311  to reject the output data Out m1  of the multiplexer  305 . In one embodiment, if the data Out a1  is written to the slave device  309 , or the data Out a2  is output to the slave device  309 , normal written operations are performed. 
     However, if data Out a1  (24 bit) is written to the slave device  311  (32 bit), the problem described in  FIG. 1  will happen, therefore a special data writing method according to the present invention is performed. In one embodiment, the master device  301  generates a requirement of writing data to the slave device  311 , and the master device  301  generates a first output data Out a1  (24 bit) and a second output data Out a1  (24 bit) to the slave device  311  in order. The control unit  313  performs that 8 bits of the first output data Out a1  is registered in the register  315  in the slave device  309 . After that, the second output data Out a1  that is output after the first output data Out a1  will be merged with the 8 bit registered data to form a 32 bit merged data, and the multiplexer  305  outputs the 32 bit merged data according to a control signal CS. Then the 32 bit merged data is written to the slave device  311 . By this way, the slave device  311  will have no empty space and the problem described in  FIG. 1  can be avoided. The 8 bit registered data can be LSB (Least significant bit) or MSB (Most significant bit) of the first output data Out a1 , but this does not mean to limit it to these bits. Besides, it should be noted the register  105  is not limited to be included in the slave device  309  and the register  105  can be independent from the slave device  309 . Furthermore, the slave devices and the master devices are not limited to 24 bit and 32 bit, and the registered data is not limited to 8 bit. 
     Therefore, the writing operation of the data accessing system  300  can be summarized as follows: Utilize a first electronic device (for example, master device  301 ) to provide a first data (for example, first output data Out a1 ). Extract and register part of the first data (for example, 8 bits of the first output data Out a1 ). Provide a second data (for example, second output data Out a1  generated after the first output data Out a1 ). Merge the registered part of the first data and the second data to generate a merged data. Write the merged data to a second electronic device (for example, slave device  311 ). These operation steps can also be regarded as a data writing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     Besides the writing operations, the reading operations of the data accessing system  300  are described in the following description. Please refer to the master device  301 , the master device  303 , the multiplexer  307 , the slave device  309 , the slave device  311 , the control unit  313  and the register  315 . These devices perform reading operations of the data accessing system  300 . The master device  301  or a master device  303  will send information to inform the controller  313  when the master device  301  or the master device  303  requires reading data Out s1 , or Out s2  from the slave device  309  or the slave device  311 . The control unit  313  will send a control signal CS to the multiplexer  307  for selecting one of the data Out s1  or Out s2  as the output data Out m2  of the multiplexer  307 . The control unit  313  further controls one of the master device  301  and the master device  303  to receive the output data Out m2  of the multiplexer  307 , and controls the other one of the master device  301  and the master device  303  to reject the output data Out m2  of the multiplexer  307 . In one embodiment, if the master device  301  reads data Out s1 , or the master device  303  reads data Out s1  or Out s2 , normal reading operations are performed. 
     However, if the master device  301  (24 bit) reads the data Out s2  (32 bit), the problem described in  FIG. 2  will happen, therefore a special reading method according to the present invention is performed. In one embodiment, the master device  301  (24 bit) generates a requirement of reading a data Out s2  (32 bit) from the second slave device to the control unit  313 . The control unit  313  performs that 8 bits of the data Out s2  is extracted and registered in the register  105  in the slave device  309 . After that, the multiplexer  307  outputs the un-registered 24 bit data of the data Out s2  and the registered 8 bit data of the data Out s2  in order according to a control signal CS. The master device  301  reads the un-registered 24 bit data of the data Out s2  first. Then the master device  301  reads the registered 8 bit data, and the empty space of the master device  301  can be filled with blank data. By this way, the problem described in  FIG. 2  can be avoided. Besides, it should be noted the register  315  is not limited to being included in the slave device  309  and there can be independent from the slave device  309 . Furthermore, the slave devices and the master device are not limited to 24 bit and 32 bit, and the registered data is not limited to 8 bit. 
     Therefore, the reading operation of the data accessing system  300  can be summarized as follows: Read a data (for example, the master device  301  reads 32 bit data from the slave device  311 ). Register part of the data (for example, 8 bit data of the 32 bit data from the slave device  311 ). Read un-registered part of the data (for example, the un-registered 24 bit data of the 32 bit data from the slave device  311 ). Read the registered part of the data. These operation steps can also be regarded as a data reading method according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     According to the above mentioned description, a new data accessing method and a system utilizing the data accessing method can be acquired. By this way, the prior art problem described in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  can be avoided. 
     Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 6