Method and system for asynchronously transferring data
View Patent ↗The present invention provides method, data transfer controller and system for asynchronously transferring data. The method allows to provide a buffer device. The method further allows to define in the buffer device a plurality of buffer segments. Respective ones of the buffer segments are filled with data from at least one data source device operating in a respective clock domain. Upon any respective buffer segment being filled up, the method allows to generate an indication of availability of the contents of the respective buffer segment to at least one data destination device operating in a respective clock domain. The clock domain of the at least one source device is distinct than the clock domain of the at least one destination device.
1. A data transfer controller for asynchronously transferring data by way of a buffer device comprising a plurality of data storage locations without performing a read address and write address comparison, the controller comprising:
a buffer-segment module configured to define a plurality of buffer segments comprising at least two data storage locations in the buffer device, the data storage locations of respective ones of the buffer segments being filled with data from at least one data source device operating in a respective clock domain, wherein the buffer-segment module is further configured to dynamically adjust the number and/or size of the buffer segments; and
a segment-availability gauge configured to generate, upon the data storage locations of any respective buffer segment being filled up with said data, an indication of availability of the filled data storage locations of the data contents of the respective buffer segment for transfer to at least one data destination device operating in a respective clock domain, the segment-availability gauge being further configured to generate, upon the contents of the respective segment being acknowledged as transferred to the destination device, an indication of availability of that buffer segment for further refilling of data from the source device, the clock domain of the at least one source device being distinct than the clock domain of the at least one destination device.
2. The controller of claim 1 wherein the segment-availability gauge comprises a comparator configured to determine whether the state of a respective single-bit signal uniquely associated with a respective buffer segment is indicative of whether the respective buffer segment is full.
3. The controller of claim 2 wherein the comparator is further configured to determine whether the state of the single-bit associated with that buffer segment is indicative of whether the respective buffer segment is empty.
4. A system for asynchronously transferring data without performing a read address and write address comparison, the system comprising:
a data buffer device comprising a plurality of data storage locations;
a buffer-segment module configured to define a plurality of buffer segments in the buffer device each buffer segment comprising at least two data storage locations, the data storage locations of respective ones of the buffer segments being filled with data from at least one data source device operating in a respective clock domain; and
a segment-availability gauge configured to generate, upon the data storage locations of any respective buffer segment being filled up with said data, an indication of availability of the data contents of the filled data storage locations of the respective buffer segment for transfer to at least one data destination device operating in a respective clock domain, the indication based on a single-bit signal uniquely associated with the respective buffer segment to indicate whether the buffer segment is full, the buffer segment-availability gauge being further configured to generate, upon the contents of the respective buffer segment being acknowledged as transferred into the destination device, an indication of availability of that buffer segment for further refilling of data from the source device, the indication based on whether the single-bit signal indicates the buffer segment as being empty, the clock domain of the at least one source device being distinct than the clock domain of the at least one destination device, wherein the segment-availability gauge includes a register coupled to a counter configured to count data words transferred to a respective buffer segment, the segment-availability gauge further including a logic module coupled to the register and counter to set the respective signal indicative of that buffer segment being filled-up upon the counter reaching the maximum data word count for the buffer segment.
5. The system of claim 4 wherein the logic module is further responsive to an acknowledge signal from the data destination device to indicate transfer of each data word in any respective buffer segment to set the respective signal indicative of that buffer segment being available for further data refilling.