Patent ID: 7404024

Claim:
A method for arbitrating access to a resource shared by plural electronic elements and accessible according to access cycles clocked by a clock signal, the method comprising: allocating each element a first counting value and a first penalty; modifying, in a first numerical direction, the first counting value of each element, in synchronization with the clock signal; modifying, in a second numerical direction opposite to the first numerical direction, the first counting value of each element, by a value equal to the first penalty, every time the element is selected for an access cycle; and when the plural electronic elements are simultaneously waiting to access the shared resource, selecting one of the plural electronic elements to access the resource if its first counting value reaches a threshold, and if its first counting value exceeds in the first numerical direction, the first counting values of the other elements that are simultaneously waiting to access the shared resource, wherein: each element is allocated a second counting value and a second penalty; the second counting value of each element is modified in the second numerical direction, by a value equal to the second penalty, every time the element is selected; when several elements are simultaneously waiting to access the shared resource, if no element can be selected by virtue of its first counting value, the element selected is the one the second counting value of which exceeds in the first numerical direction the second counting values of the other elements having sent an access request; and the first counting value of each element is modified in the second numerical direction, by a value equal to the first penalty, every time the element is selected by virtue of its second counting value, and reciprocally the second counting value of each element is also modified in the second numerical direction, by a value equal to the second penalty, every time the element is selected by virtue of its first counting value.