Programmable interrupt routing in multiprocessor devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9442869-B2
Application number	US-201514603609-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2015
Priority date	Jan 24, 2014
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

A multiprocessor device is provided that includes a plurality of processors in which each processor of the plurality of processors includes an interrupt controller, and a symmetric interrupt crossbar having a plurality of interrupt inputs in which each interrupt input that is not reserved is coupled to a respective interrupt output of an interrupt source of a plurality of interrupt sources, and a plurality of interrupt outputs in which each interrupt output is coupled to a respective interrupt input of an interrupt controller of one of the plurality of processors, in which the symmetric interrupt crossbar is programmable to map an interrupt signal from any interrupt source of the plurality of interrupt sources coupled to the symmetric interrupt crossbar to any interrupt input of any interrupt controller coupled to the symmetric interrupt crossbar.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A multiprocessor device comprising:
a plurality of processors wherein each processor of the plurality of processors includes an interrupt controller having one or more interrupt inputs; and
a symmetric interrupt crossbar coupled to the one or more interrupt inputs of the interrupt controllers, the symmetric interrupt crossbar having a plurality of interrupt inputs and a plurality of interrupt outputs, wherein each interrupt input that is not reserved is coupled to a respective interrupt output of an interrupt source of a plurality of interrupt sources, and the plurality of interrupt outputs is coupled to the one or more interrupt inputs of the interrupt controllers in a one-to-one relationship such that one interrupt output is coupled to only one interrupt input of only one interrupt controller, wherein the symmetric interrupt crossbar is programmable to map an interrupt signal from any interrupt source of the plurality of interrupt sources coupled to the symmetric interrupt crossbar to any interrupt input of any interrupt controller coupled to the symmetric interrupt crossbar, wherein programming the symmetric interrupt crossbar to map interrupt signals from the plurality of input sources to interrupt inputs of the interrupt controllers is performed when the multiprocessor device is booted.

2. The multiprocessor device of claim 1 , wherein the symmetric interrupt crossbar includes one multiplexer for each interrupt input of each interrupt controller coupled to the symmetric interrupt crossbar, wherein each multiplexer includes an interrupt output coupled to a respective interrupt input of an interrupt controller, a plurality of interrupt inputs in which each interrupt input is coupled to a respective interrupt input of the symmetric interrupt crossbar, and a select input coupled to a respective control register of a plurality of programmable control registers to receive a signal select value indicating which of the plurality of interrupt inputs of the multiplexer is to be applied to the interrupt output of the multiplexer.

3. The multiprocessor device of claim 2 , wherein at least one control register stores a default signal select value for a multiplexer coupled to the at least one control register.

4. The multiprocessor device of claim 1 , wherein the processors of the plurality of processors are not all a same type of processor.

5. A method for interrupt routing in a multiprocessor device wherein each processor of a plurality of processors of the multiprocessor device includes an interrupt controller having one or more interrupt inputs, the method comprising:
receiving an interrupt signal from an interrupt source of a plurality of interrupt sources at a respective interrupt input in each multiplexer of a plurality of multiplexers included in the multiprocessor device, wherein each multiplexer includes respective inputs for each interrupt source of the plurality of interrupt sources and each multiplexer includes a single interrupt output, wherein the interrupt outputs are coupled to the one or more interrupt inputs of the interrupt controllers in a one-to-one relationship such that one interrupt output is coupled to only one interrupt input of only one interrupt controller; and
outputting the interrupt signal from a multiplexer of the plurality of multiplexers to the interrupt input of the interrupt controller coupled to the interrupt output of the multiplexer when a signal select value on a select input of the multiplexer selects the respective interrupt input in the multiplexer.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising programming at least some signal select values for at least some multiplexers of the plurality of multiplexers in control registers included in the multiprocessor device when the multiprocessor device is booted, the control registers coupled to corresponding select inputs of the multiplexers.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein at least one control register stores a default signal select value for a multiplexer of the plurality of multiplexers coupled to the at least one control register.

8. A symmetric interrupt crossbar in a multiprocessor device, the multiprocessor device comprising a plurality of processors each including an interrupt controller having one or more interrupt inputs, the symmetric interrupt crossbar comprising:
a plurality of interrupt inputs in which each interrupt input of at least some of the plurality of interrupt inputs are coupled to respective interrupt outputs of a plurality of interrupt sources of the multiprocessor device; and
a plurality of multiplexers in which each multiplexer includes a same number of inputs as the plurality of interrupt inputs of the symmetric interrupt crossbar and each input of a multiplexer is coupled to a respective one interrupt input of the plurality of interrupt inputs, a single interrupt output, and a select input coupled to a respective control register of a plurality of programmable control registers included in the multiprocessor device, wherein the interrupt outputs of the plurality of multiplexers are coupled to the one or more interrupt inputs of the interrupt controllers in a one-to-one relationship such that one interrupt output is coupled to only one interrupt input of only one interrupt controller.

9. The symmetric interrupt crossbar of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of programmable control registers is programmed when the multiprocessor device is booted.

10. The symmetric interrupt crossbar of claim 9 , wherein at least one control register of the plurality of programmable control registers stores a default signal select value for a multiplexer coupled to the at least one control register.

Assignees

• Texas Instruments Inc

Inventors

• Easwaran Vasant

Classifications

• G06F13/24 Primary

  using interrupt (G06F13/32 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F13/287

  Multiplexed DMA (G06F13/30 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F13/4022

  using switching circuits, e.g. switching matrix, connection or expansion network (G06F13/4009 takes precedence) · CPC title