Programmable bus

Abstract

The present inventions provide apparatuses and methods for implementing a programmable bus. A programmable bus provides greater functionality and versatility through the ability to manage data transfers according to a number of sample rate clocks. The number of processing components connected to the programmable bus may be varied without a significant amount of physical alternations. Also, the number of data transfers for a given number of processing components may be modified and scheduled accordingly by reprogramming the programmable bus. The programmable bus comprises a bus and a bus arbiter. The bus is coupled to the bus arbiter and a plurality of devices and the bus arbiter. The plurality of devices operate at different sample rate clocks. The bus arbiter schedules and conducts the transfer of data between the plurality of devices according to the sample rate clocks such that the plurality of devices send and receive data at appropriate times, corresponding to the sample rate clocks. Thus, the bus arbiter is programmable due to the ability to configure the bus arbiter to schedule and conduct the transfer of data between and among the plurality of devices. The plurality of buses may include interface circuitry to allow them to interface properly with the programmable bus. Each device includes an input buffer and an output buffer, the input buffer having a first and a second buffer, and the output buffer having a first and a second buffer. The programmable bus is further comprised of a buffer select line carrying a buffer select signal, such that the buffer select signal informs the plurality of devices whether to use the first or the second buffer of the input and output buffers for the transfer of data. Double buffering facilitates, in one embodiment, the transfer of data based upon different sample rate clocks.