International Business Machines Corporation

Alain Audre Couder

Gerald Lebizay

Michel Demange

Michel A Lechaczynski

Alain Dauby

Jean-Claude Borie

A modular digital signal processor based on a master-slave architecture has the capability of expanding its processing power by aggregating additional modules in a tree type structure. In such a processor the control functions are subdivided into groups, each for performance in a distinct control unit. One or more of the control units can perform a master function with respect to one or several slaved control units and can itself be a slave to a higher level control unit. The arithmetic data functions of the processor are performed in pipe line multiplier-accumulator units (PMAU), each of which is controlled by, instructions from an associated control unit.

Modular signal processor having a hierarchical structure

Two-way links communication capability between time-division multiplexed subsystems is provided via dual time division address and data busses correlated by a recirculating memory having sections respectively associated with the address busses. Addresses on the address busses are recognized by the individual subsystems and further decoded to gate data to and from the busses data according to time slots assigned to terminal devices in the subsystems. The dual bus arrangement provides a full-duplex link in the sense that there is simultaneous communication via the two data busses, one each way.

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La Gaude, France

Alain Audre Couder