Patent ID: 7765350

Claim:
A method of bus arbitration for use in a system having a plurality of data handling units and a shared bus with a plurality of data-lines, the method comprising acts of: receiving data transfer requests from the plurality of data handling units; determining all possible combinations of the received data requests that are transferable during a single bus cycle; determining at least one set of one or more data transfer requests which, of the all combinations of the received data requests, serves a maximum number of data handling units of the plurality of data handling units and utilizes a maximum number of data-lines during said single bus cycle; selecting one of said at least one set of one or more data transfer requests which serves the maximum number of data handling units of the plurality of data handling units and utilizes the maximum number of data-lines, and; allowing the data handling units that issued said selected set of data transfer requests to access said bus in said single bus cycle.