U.S. Philips Corporation

Hans Cramwinckel

Adrianus M De Bijl

A Computer system which includes a central processing unit, a central memory storage unit and a plurality of peripheral devices, the central processing unit having a control unit for dividing single complete input/output instructions for the transfer of data within the system into a sequence of discrete, separately executable, time independent operation instructions under the control of a microprogram. The system further includes peripheral device control units for the control of the independent execution of the discrete divided input/output (I/O) operation instructions. A microprogram command line is connected to the control unit in the central processing unit for controlling the output of the discrete I/O operation instructions along the system bus. An interruption request unit is also included within each of the peripheral device control units for generating an interrupt in the central processing unit after the termination of an operation instruction, both to permit the updated status of instructions to be recorded and to indicate the availability of a specific I/O device for further use. After the control unit in the central processing unit divides single complete input/output instructions into a plurality of separate operation instructions for operation steps which relate to particular functional characteristics of the peripheral devices in the system, the peripheral device control units control the individual execution of each separate operation in a specific sequence but independently of each other in time within that sequence. The individual data operations are transferred over the bus of the system.

Bus-organized computer system with independent execution control

An address conversion device for use with computer systems including a central processing unit and peripheral memory storage devices, such as discs, tapes and bubble memories, which serve for secondary data storage and in which binary data elements are stored in sequential addressable storage sectors. Such storage sectors have precise physical locations on the peripheral storage units. The address conversion device includes a first conversion unit which controls the conversion of user program addresses to logical addresses reflecting the logical structure of the data files stored in the peripheral storage units and a second conversion unit which converts the logical addresses to precise physical addresses of sectors of the secondary storage units in the form of electrical signals, such that the secondary storage units can be addressed as if they were random access units. Replacement of one type of secondary storage unit by another requires only a programmed change of quantitative parameters in the program controlling the address conversion device.

Growing community of inventors

Beekbergen, Netherlands

Hans Cramwinckel