Queued port data controller for microprocessor-based engine control applications

DETAILED DESCRIPTION It is an object of the invention to provide an improved queued port data controller for microprocessor-based engine control systems.
The present invention overcomes the drawbacks of these prior engine control systems through the provision of an engine control system comprising a host processor in operative communication with a data bus and a plurality of peripheral devices for communicating engine operating parameters.
Each of the peripheral devices include a first and second transaction register for storing communication parameters for each of the corresponding plurality of peripheral devices.
The control system also includes a queued port rate register (QRR) including a memory unit in operative communication with the plurality of peripheral devices for storing data for transmission to the plurality of peripheral devices in accordance with the first and second transaction registers.
The system further includes a peripheral counter in operative communication with each of the plurality of peripheral devices.
The peripheral counter is adapted to interrogate each of the plurality of peripheral devices and, when data has been written to one of the peripheral devices, update the peripheral device according to the memory unit data.
The present invention is advantageous in that it simplifies the design of each port interface and provides improved flexibility in the queue structure of the overall control system.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the size of the integrated circuit area, i.
e.
, the die size, required for the disclosed queue controller is less than the sum of the die size for the individual queue controllers previously employed.
A further advantage is that the disclosed state machine controls the flow of data to and from the RAM and the external devices without the need for CPU intervention.
Other object and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and appended claims, and upon reference to the accompanying drawings