Interrupt System and Method

The invention relates to systems and methods for operating a computing system in response to an interrupting peripheral device.

Various systems and methods have been utilized to operate a computing system in response to an interrupting peripheral device. One known system includes an interrupt conductor connected to the input of a processor and connected to an interrupt output of all peripheral devices of the system. The processor responds to an interrupt request signal on the interrupt conductor by vectoring to a software polling subroutine. The polling subroutine polls the peripheral device of the system by addressing each of them in a prioritized order to determine which peripheral device generated the interrupt request. Once the processor determines, by means of the polling operation, which peripheral device produced the interrupt request, the processor refers to a stored table to obtain the address of the appropriate interrupt request service subroutine. However, use of software polling systems to establish priority of interrupting peripheral devices is unsatisfactory for a system such as a typical industrial control system which has a large number of peripheral devices, because of the large amount of time required to poll all of the peripheral devices every time an interrupt request signal is generated by the equipment being controlled by the computing system. This is especially true in a system which is operating at a speed close to its maximum speed. Industrial control systems typically do operate at a rate close to their maximum rate because relatively inexpensive, low speed microprocessors, memories and associated logic circuitry are utilized.

Another type of commonly utilized interrupt scheme is referred to as a "daisy chained" interrupt system. In a daisy chained interrupt system, the peripheral devices are serially connected so that if one of the peripheral devices generates an interrupt request signal, the processor produces an "acknowledge" signal which is provided as an input to the highest priority peripheral device. Each peripheral device gates the acknowledge signal to the next peripheral device if the first peripheral device is not the one which produced the interrupt request signal. The peripheral devices are sequentially connected in order of the priority of their respective interrupt request signals. The daisy chained interrupt system may identify the interrupting peripheral device more rapidly than a polled interrupt system, but has the disadvantages that if a particular peripheral device is removed from the system for some reason, the prioritizing system becomes inoperative, and the system further requires additional gating circuitry to be incorporated in each peripheral device.

Other interrupt techniques involve multiple interrupt lines, one from each peripheral device connected, to a priority encoding circuit which immediately generates the address of the appropriate interrupt service subroutine. Such systems require the interrupt service subroutine to generate the address information necessary to select the interrupting peripheral device to enable it to communicate with the processor. Such systems therefore require a great deal of hardware (multiple interrupt lines and address generating circuitry) and additional software to select and enable the interrupting peripheral device.

Certain data processing systems, including typical industrial control systems, need to be able to operate utilizing relatively slow, inexpensive microprocessors and peripheral devices. Such systems typically involve very large numbers of peripheral devices. Such industrial control systems therefore are not well suited for utilization of software priority determining polling routines, and further need the flexibility of being capable of operation when one or more peripheral devices are temporarily removed, and usually must be implemented at minimum cost, and therefore are not well suited to any of the above types of interrupt systems.

There exists a need for an interrupt system which rapidly established priority of interrupt requests from peripheral devices in a minimum amount of time, utilizing less hardware than known priority interrupt systems, while placing a minimum software burden on the system programmer.

The following patents are believed to generally indicate the state of the art for priority interrupt systems and methods: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,208,048; 3,675,209; 3,710,324; 3,828,325; 3,909,790; 3,924,240; 4,003,033; 4,020,472; 4,027,290; and 4,037,204.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a fast, yet economical, method and system for operating a data processing system in response to an interrupt request from a peripheral device.

It is another object of the invention to provide a method and system for operating a data processing system in response to an interrupt request, which method and system are especially suitable for incorporation in an industrial process control system having a large number of peripheral devices.

It is another object of the invention to provide an interrupt system which minimizes the number of conductors required for coupling peripheral devices to a priority encoder and a decoder for selecting the interrupting peripheral device.

It is another object of the invention to provide an economical method and interrupt system which is operative when various peripheral devices are removed from the system.

Briefly described, and in accordance with one embodiment thereof, the invention provides a control system and method for interrupting peripheral devices. The control system includes a processor and a plurality of peripheral devices coupled to the processor by means of a bus. An interrupt conductor connected to all of the peripheral devices inputs a interrupt request signal from one of the peripheral devices to the processor. The processor transmits acknowledge message to all of the peripheral devices in response to the interrupt request signal. The interrupting peripheral device is enabled in response to the acknowledge message to transmit an encode signal via a conductor to an encoder, which produces a code representing the identity of the interrupting peripheral device. Subsequently, a select signal is produced in response to the code and transmitted to the interrupting peripheral device via the same conductor. The acknowledge message is utilized to operatively disable the conductor from circuitry producing the select signal and to operatively enable the conductor to input the encode signal to the input of the encoder during the enabling of the peripheral device in response to the acknowledge message.

In one embodiment of the invention a method and control system are provided wherein a control computer and a plurality of I/O subsystems each include first and second groups of peripheral devices. First and second groups of peripheral address bits are transmitted from the control computer to a microcomputer in each of the input/output subsystems. The first and second groups of peripheral address bits are transmitted by the microcomputer along first and second groups of conductors, respectively, of an internal bus of each I/O subsystem if the second group of address bits dos not contain a first code. If one of the I/O subsystems stores a second code contained in the second group of peripheral address bits, that I/O subsystem is enabled to be accessed by the microcomputer of that I/O subsystem. If the microcomputer of one of the I/O subsystems transmits the first predetermined code, along the second group of conductors of that I/O subsystem, the first group of peripheral devices in that I/O subsystem will be enabled to be accessed by that microcomputer.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an industrial process control system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an input/output control subsystem of the process control system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3A is a partial logic diagram showing a microprocessor and circuitry generating control signals for the input/output subsystem of FIG. 2.

FIG. 3B is a partial logic diagram showing circuitry for decoding acknowledge signals produced by the microprocessor of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3C is a partial logic diagram showing a portion of the priority encoder of FIG. 2.

FIG. 3D is a partial logic diagram showing a portion of the priority encoder of FIG. 2 and also showing the select code decoder and associated three-state buffers of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a partial logic diagram showing circuitry associated with a peripheral device for decoding the acknowledge signals from a microprocessor and enabling the interrupting peripheral device to communicate with the priority encoder and to enable the selected peripheral device to communicate with the data bus.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the microprocessor of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 shows address maps associated with the process control computer and I/O subsystems of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1, a generalized industrial process control system 100 includes a process control computer 102 connected to a bidirectional communications bus 104. A plurality of input/output subsystems (hereinafter I/O subsystems) 106, 108, and 110 are connected to communications bus 104. Process control computer 102 can be any commercially available computer (including a communications port) which has the necessary speed and computing power to provide all of the control information necessary to control the operation of a particular industrial process system. A typical suitable process control computer is the Hewlett Packard system 45 desk top computer, model 9845. Communications bus 104 can be a serial communications link, such as a telephone line and associated MODEMS and acoustical couplers, or it can be a "current loop", including a transmit line pair and a receive line pair of the type conventionally utilized, for example, to couple a teletype machine to a central processor.

I/O subsystem 106 is enlarged in FIG. 1 to show several of the elements thereof. I/O subsystem 106 includes a microcomputer 10A, coupled to bus 22A, which includes an eight bit bidirectional data bus, an address bus, and various control lines. A plurality of peripheral devices such as 112B and 112C are coupled to equipment 108, which is indirectly controlled by process control computer 102 via microcomputer 10A and peripheral devices 112B and 112C. Equipment 108, which includes equipment specialized for controlling operations in a particular processing or manufacturing industrial environment, further produces data and service request inputs to the various peripheral devices, which data and service requests are fed back through the peripheral devices and the microcomputer in I/O subsystem 106 to process control computer 102. I/O subsystem 106 is not shown in details in FIG. 1, but is shown in detail in subsequent drawings.

I/O subsystem 106 communicates with communications bus 104 by means of a specialized peripheral device 112A, which is coupled to bidirectional data bus 22A. Peripheral device 112A can include a MODEM if communications bus 104 is a telephone line, and may include parallel-to-serial and serial-to-parallel converters, in the form of commercially available UART (universal asynchronous receiver transmitter) devices.

As subsequently explained in more detail, each of I/O subsystems 106, 108, 110, etc., is capable of communicating with sixteen peripheral devices such as relays, analog to digital converters, and various other interface devices necessary to input control information to equipment 108, to receive data from equipment 108, and to request information from equipment 108. The present embodiment of the invention permits connecting of fifteen I/O subsystems to communications bus 104, such that an eight bit address outputted by process control computer 102 to the I/O subsystems can be utilized by the I/O subsystems select one of 240 peripheral devices which permit communication with equipment 108. The eight bit address includes four high order bits which are utilized to select one of the I/O subsystems, referred to hereinafter as a "device group", and four lower order bits utilized to select one of the sixteen peripheral devices within the selected device group, the number of the peripheral device within the selected I/O subsystem being referred to hereinafter as the "device number".

Process control computer 102 outputs serial information on communications bus 104, which information is inputted to microcomputer 10A of each I/O subsystem by means of peripheral device 112A of each I/O subsystem. As will subsequently become clear, each time an eight bit word is received, each I/O subsystem is interrupted. Each time a I/O subsystem is interrupted, it reads the eight bit word inputted to that I/O subsystem and loads that eight bit word into an appropriate location of memory 38. After a number of such eight bit words are loaded into memory 38, the microcomputer 10A is programmed to review the group of words which it has received. The microcomputer then can make a decision as to whether or not its I/O subsystem is the one addressed by process control computer 102. If the I/O subsystem does contain the device group specified by the upper four bits of an eight bit address serially outputted by process control computer 102. Then the microcomputer 10A of that I/O subsystem can select the peripheral device specified by the lower order four bits of the address. However, if the upper four bits specify a different device group than the one included in the subject I/O subsystem, then that I/O subsystem does not attempt to select any peripheral device in response to the information received from process control computer 102. In this event, one of the other I/O subsystems, such as 108, 110, etc., connected to communications bus 104 will recognize the device group member specified by the upper four bits of the address.

As subsequently explained, the selected peripheral device in the selected I/O subsystem can be "enabled" to communicate with the bidirectional data bus 22A in response to an interrupt by that peripheral device so that the subject peripheral device can be sensed or written into by microcomputer 10A, (of the selected I/O subsystem). Microcomputer 10A then acts appropriately to communicate with the selected peripheral device by means of bidirectional data bus 22A. It should be noted that other information than peripheral device address information can be outputted via communications bus 104 by process control computer 102; data and control information to be inputted to the selected peripheral device can also be communicated to the selected I/O subsystem via communications bus 104.

Referring now to FIG. 2, I/O subsystem 106 includes microprocessor 10 coupled to bidirectional data bus 22. I/O subsystem 106 also includes a plurality of peripheral devices, such as 112B and 112C, coupled between bidirectional data bus 22 and equipment 108. Conductor groups 42B and 42C connect peripheral devices 112B and 112C, respectively, to equipment 108, which is controlled by I/O subsystem 106. (For convenience, peripheral device 112A of FIG. 1 is omitted in FIG. 2.)

Input/output system 106 includes a priority encoder 20 havings its inputs connected to 32 select/request conductors such as 18A and 18B. Thirty-two select/request conductors, such as 18A and 18B are connected to thirty-two respective peripheral devices such as 112B and 112C. Priority encoder 20 produces a "select code" representing the highest priority interrupting peripheral device on eight-bit bidirectional bus 22 in response to "encode" signals from the respective interrupting peripheral devices. The select code is then inputted to microprocessor 10. I/O subsystem 106 also includes select code register 26, which has enable input 24 connected to microprocessor 10 for subsequently enabling the loading of the select code from microprocessor 10 into select code register 26 at an appropriate time. Select code decoder 28 decodes the select code loaded in select code register 26 and produces a select signal on one of thirty-two conductors, such as 40A and 40B, which are inputted to thirty-two respective three-state non-inverting buffers, such as 16A and 16B, the outputs of which drive select/request conductors 18A, 18B, etc. when the threestate state decoders are "enabled" by an appropriate conductor from bus 14, as subsequently explained.

Bus 14 is utilized to produce an "acknowledge" or enable signal produced by microprocessor 10 in response to an interrupt request signal IRQ produced on interrupt conductor 12. Interrupt conductor 12 is connected to an interrupt input of microprocessor 10 and is also connected to interrupt outputs of all thirty-two of the peripheral devices 112B, 112C, etc. The enable signals produced on bus 14, which includes several conductors (N0, N1, N2, and MRD of microprocessor 10, as shown in FIG. 3A) are decoded to produce a signal ACK (see FIG. 3B) which disables three-state buffers 16A, 16B, etc., during the acknowledge signal, and enables each of the interrupting peripheral devices 112B, 112C, etc., to produce a respective encode signal on the corresponding one of the select/request conductors 18A, etc., and also enables the encode signals to be inputted to priority encoder 20 from the interrupting peripheral devices. Priority encoder 20 then produces a unique corresponding eight bit select code corresponding to the highest priority interrupting peripheral device on data bus 22. Microprocessor 10 then reads the select code and stores it in an appropriate location in its memory or in one of its internal registers.

Microprocessor 10 can be implemented utilizing a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) model SCL1802 microprocessor, manufactured by Solid State Systems Corporation; a substantially similar device having the same model number is also manufactured by RCA. A block diagram of the SCL1802 is shown in FIG. 5. The commercially available devices used to implement the remaining elements in FIG. 2 are given hereinafter with respect to the subsequent discussion of FIGS. 3A-3D. First, however, a general operation of I/O subsystem 106 will be set forth.

Assume that equipment 108 requires additional data to continue operation. Equipment 108 then sends an interrupt signal to one of the peripheral devices 112B, 112C, etc. That peripheral device generates an interrupt request signal IRQ on interrupt conductor 12, which conducts the IRQ signal to an interrupt input of microprocessor 10, thereby interrupting the execution of the software currently being executed by microprocessor 10. Microprocessor 10 then makes a decision to service the interrupting device, loads its internal operating registers onto a "stack" portion of memory 38, and is then ready to service the interrupt. Software which accomplishes the preceding tasks can be readily implemented by those skilled in this art.

Microprocessor 10 then generates an "acknowledge" message on bus 14. (As subsequently explained, outputs N0, N1, N2, and MRD of microprocessor 10 are decoded to produce an "acknowledge" signal, designated by ACK, which performs the "acknowledge" functions now described with respect to FIG. 2.) The signal ACK sets three-state buffers 16A, 16B, etc. into their high impedance output states, so that select/request conductors 18A, 18B, etc., are electrically isolated from select code decoder 28. ACK also is inputted to all of the peripheral devices 112B, 112C, etc. causing a logical ANDing of the above interrupt signal from equipment 108 and ACK to produce an "encode" signal on the select/request conductor connected to the interrupting peripheral device. The encode signal is inputted to the appropriate input of priority encoder 20. The ACK signal also enables priority encoder 20, thereby causing it to generate an eight bit "select code" corresponding to the encode signal and transmit that select code on data bus 22, whereby the select code is inputted to microprocessor 10 and stored in an appropriate location of memory 38.

When the "acknowledge" operation is complete, ACK goes to a logical zero, and microprocessor 10, in accordance with its operating software, outputs the same select code (earlier produced by priority encoder 20) onto bus 22. Microprocessor 10 also produces a "load select code" message on outputs N0, N1, N2 and MRD, which message is decoded to produce a "load select code" signal (designated WRDV in FIG. 3B), on conductor 24. The load select code signal enables that select code to be loaded into select code register 26. The select code is then immediately decoded by select code decoder 28 to produce a logical "one" on the one of select/request conductors 40A, 40B, etc., connected to the input of the three-state buffers driving the interrupting peripheral device. When ACK goes to zero, three-state buffers 16A, 16B, etc., are all enabled, so the above logical "one" is produced on the select/request conductors connected to the interrupting peripheral device. The outputs of priority encoder 20 are also disabled from the respective conductors of data bus 22. Thus, it is seen that microprocessor 10 utilizes the same select code previously generated by priority encoder 20 (in response to the interrupting peripheral device) to subsequently select that interrupting peripheral device. The selection of the interrupting peripheral device causes that interrupting peripheral device to be enabled to communicate with the appropriate conductors coupling that peripheral device to data bus 22. Thus, microprocessor 10, in accordance with the accessed interrupt service subroutine, can output data via data bus 22 and the interrupting peripheral device to the appropriate conductors connecting the interrupting peripheral device to equipment 108. Or, microprocessor 10 can read information from the appropriate conductors of equipment 108, via the interrupting peripheral device and bus 22, thereby servicing equipment 108 in response to the original interrupt signal.

In necessary, microprocessor 10 can communicate (via peripheral device 112A) with process control computer 102 of FIG. 1 in the course of, prior to, or subsequent to the above servicing of equipment 108.

The interrupt service subroutine executed by microprocessor 10 in servicing the interrupting peripheral device is accessed by means of an address obtained from a table stored in memory 38. The stored table contains addresses of all of the interrupt service routines corresponding to the various select codes (produced by priority encoder 20). Therefore, the interrupt service subroutines do not have to generate the select information required to enable the interrupting peripheral device to communicate with the bidirectional data bus. This results in a software savings in comparison with a polled interrupt system. This approach saves a substantial amount of hardware over a system wherein the priority encoder output is utilized to generate the address of the service subroutine, which then has to produce address information which permits the processor to select the interrupting peripheral device. This technique also provides a substantial savings in hardware over systems which the interrupting peripheral device generates the address of the required service subroutine.

Referring now to FIG. 3A, microprocessor 10 includes an interrupt input connected to IRQ conductor 12, a WAIT input, several timing outputs TPA and TPB, and a memory address bus 36 (which is coupled to memory 38 of FIG. 1), data bus conductors DB0-DB7, indicated by reference numeral 22, and four output signals utilized to conduct input/output instructions, including outputs N0, N1, N2, and MRD (memory read) on conductors 140, 141, 142, and 143, respectively.

MRD is inputted to flip flop 60, which produces a signal called INPUT on conductor 162. When INPUT equal to a logical "one", an "I/O read" instruction is being executed, whereas if INPUT is a logical "zero", then an "I/O write" instruction is being executed.

The additional logic gates shown in FIG. 3A are utilized to decode N0, N1, N2, and MRD to produce signals needed to accomplish execution of seven I/O read instructions and seven I/O write instructions. The condition that N0, N1, and N2 are all equal to zero does not represent an I/O instruction, and therefore is not decoded as an I/O instruction. Still referring to FIG. 3A, the signals IORD (input/output read), GRD (gated read), GWR (gated write), and IOWR (input/output write) corresponding to the various combinations of N0, N1 and N2 are produced on conductors 82, 84, 86, and 88, respectively. The DVEN (device enable) input to NOR gates 74 and 76 is generated in circuitry analogous to flip flop 48, NOR gate 54, diode 52, and NAND gate 56 in FIG. 4; this circuitry in FIG. 4 is duplicated in each peripheral device and is also provided to produce the DVEN signals required in FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3B illustrates additional decoding of N0, N1, and N2 to produce the request acknowledge signal ACK on conductor 14' and the signal WRDV (write device) on conductor 24, utilized to enable the select code to be inputted to select code register 26 of FIG. 2. A number of other signals generally indicated by reference numeral 96 are also produced in response to decoding of N0, N1, N2, and MRD. However, the detailed logic is not shown, because these signals are not necessary to understanding of the present invention.

Referring now to FIG. 3C and to portion 206 of FIG. 3D, priority encoder 20 of FIG. 2 includes four Motorola MC14532B encoders. Each of the MC14532B encoders includes eight inputs and an enable input. Encoders 150 and 152 receive the sixteen select/request lines generally designated by reference numeral 18 and also designated by the designations IOS0-IOS15, as explained in FIG. 3D. Encoders 153 and 154 receive the select/request lines designated GZ0-GZ15, as also explained shown in FIG. 3D. Each of the encoders 150-154 has four outputs, labeled Q0, Q1, Q2, and GS. A logical "one" appears on a GS output if any of the D0-D7 inputs and the enable input of that encoder is at a logical "one". The GS outputs of encoders 153 and 154 are inputted to NOR gate 166. The output of NOR gate 166 is connected to the input of inverter 168. The output of inverter 168 is connected to the input of non-inverting three-state buffer 170, the output of which is connected to DB3. NOR gates 160, 162, and 164 have their inputs connected, respectively, to the Q0, Q1, and Q2 outputs of encoders 150, 152, 153, and 154.

The outputs of NOR gates 160, 162, and 164 and inverter 168 produce the select code for device number represented by the lower four bits DB0, DB1, DB2, and DB3, respectively. The select code for the device number is gated to the lower four bits of data bus 22 when the output gate of inverter 186 is at a logical one. The latter condition occurs when any of the GS inputs to OR gate 178 is at a logical "one", i.e., when any of the signals IOS0-IOS15 or GZ0-GZ15 is at a logical "one". This happens if any of the thirty-two peripheral devices receive an interrupt signal and are enabled by ACK.

The select code for device group number represented by the upper four bits of data bus 22 is produced by the cooperation of NOR gate 158 in FIG. 3C (which produces a signal FSD (file switch drive) on conductor 120) and circuitry 206 of FIG. 3D. Referring now to FIG. 3D, circuitry 206 includes four three-state non-inverting buffers 208, 210, 214, having their outputs connected, respectively, to DB7, DB6, DB5, and DB4. The inputs of three-state buffers 208, 210, 212, and 214 are connected, respectively, to inputs 198, 200, 202, and 204 of comparator 190, which is part of the select code decoder, as subsequently explained. The comparator 190 can be implemented by a Motorola MC14585 comparator. Each of inputs 198, 200, 202, and 204, is terminated to ground by a resistor, as indicated, and is also connected to respective area of four "strapping switches", generally indicated by reference numeral 96, and each having a terminal connected to conductor 120, which receives the FSD signal mentioned above. The four strapping switches 196 are set to "recognize" one of the above-mentioned four bit device group select code numbers produced on DB4-DB7 by microprocessor 10 in response to information received from process control computer 102 in FIG. 1 in order to select a particular I/O subsystem. NOR gate 158 of FIG. 3C produces a logical "zero" during a acknowledge operation in response to an interrupt request signal if there is an encode signal produced by one of the peripheral devices which receive the signals GZS0-GZS15 (FIG. 3D). This causes inputs 198, 200, 202, and 204 of three-state buffers 208, 210, 212 and 214 of FIG. 3D to be forced to ground. The DIS signal on conductor 118 enables the three-state buffers 208, 210, 212, and 214 to produce zeros on DB4-DB7 during the above-described "acknowledge" operations.

Any other time, FSD is at a logical "one", and the states set by strapping switches 196 are forced onto the upper four bits of data bus 22 when DIS is at a logical "one". Thus, the signals outputted by priority encoder 20 on bits DB0-DB7 of data bus 22 represent the location of the highest priority interrupting device during an acknowledge operation.

Still referring to FIG. 3D, the lower four bits of select code register 26 and the lower four bits of select code decoder 28 are implemented utilizing a Motorola MC14514B four bit latch/four-to-sixteen line decoder, which decodes bits DB0-DB3 of bidirectional data bus 22 to produce sixteen outputs S0-S15; this four bit latch/decoder is designated in FIG. 3D by reference numeral 192. Each of the sixteen outputs S0-S15 is connected to the input of two three-state noninverting buffers, such as 16A, 160B, 160A, and 16B. The first group of three-state non-inverting buffers is enabled by a conductor designated by reference numeral 238. Conductor 238 produces a signal which is the logical AND of a signal IOS and ACK. The outputs of the first group of three-state buffers are designated by IOS0-IOS15. The second group of three-state buffers is gated by a signal on conductor 240. That signal on conductor 240 is the logical AND of ACK and a signal GZS applied to node 230. The outputs of the second group of three-state buffers are designated GZS0-GZS15. The conductors IOS0-IOS15 and GZS0-GZS15 constitute the thirty-two select/request conductors designated by reference numeral 18 in FIG. 2.

The GZS signal on node 230 is produced by the coincidence of the upper four bits DB4-DB7 of data bus 22 being equal to a logical "zero" and the occurrence of the WRDV signal producing a logical "one" in flip flop 218 in FIG. 3D. If DB4-DB7 are all logical "zeros", microprocessor 10 can access the group of peripheral devices connected to the inputs of the second group of three-state buffers enabled by conductor 240. It should be noted that process control computer 102 is never allowed to communicate with that group of peripheral devices, as subsequently explained.

Still referring to FIG. 3D, the upper four bits DB4-DB7 in select code register 26 of FIG. 2 are "decoded" by comparator 190 to determine if DB4-DB7 matches the code established by strapping switches 196. If such a match does exist, a logical "one" is stored in flip flop 192, producing the signal IOS on conductor 194. This causes the first group of three-state buffers connected to conductor 238 to be enabled when the acknowledge operation is not occurring. Thus, process control computer 102 can select the peripheral device by specifying the device group number, which is the same as the I/O subsystem number. This specifies one of the I/O subsystems connected to the communications bus. Control process computer 102 also specifies the lower four bits DB0-DB3, which select one of the sixteen peripheral devices within the selected I/O subsystem. However, if DB4-DB7 are all logical zeros, then only the second group of peripheral devices in each I/O subsystem are capable of being selected. The second group of peripheral devices is referred to as the "overhead" peripheral devices. The overhead peripheral devices are capable of being operated upon by the respective microprocessors in the I/O subsystems without any information from control processor 102.

FIG. 6 discloses input/output address maps for a control computer such as process control computer 102 in FIG. 1 and a plurality of associated I/O subsystems, such as 106, 109 and 110 of FIG. 1. I/O address map 305 represents the I/O addresses accessible by the process control computer. The I/O addresses represented include the addresses of sixteen I/O device groups such as those indicated by reference numerals 308, 309 and 311. The "sections" (such as 307, 308, 309, 311 of FIG. 6) of map 305 numbered 0, 1, 2 . . . 15, respectively, each correspond to one of these device groups, each of which can include up to sixteen I/O peripheral devices such as 112B, 112C of FIG. 1.

The group zero portion (numbered "0") of each of the I/O subsystem "possible I/O maps" corresponds to the "private I/O address space" available to the microprocessor 10 each of the I/O subsystems, but not accessable by the process control computer, as will be subsequently explained. The I/O address space accessable by control processor 102 is referred to as the "public I/O address space", and corresponds to peripheral devices, such as relays, digital to analog converters, analog-to-digital coverters, etc., utilized to permit the control processor to control and respond to the equipment 108 during ordinary operation of equipment 108. The "private I/O address space" includes elements such as programmable power supplies, flag registers and such elements of the kind that do not need to be frequently attended to by control computer 102, but can be routinely attended to by microprocessor 10.

Microprocessor 10 also has the capability of periodically addressing the I/O peripheral devices in the above-mentioned "public I/O address space" to perform "housekeeping" tasks, such as setting flags, servicing timers, and the like without explicit commands from the process control computer 102.

It should be noted that there are two separate types of address space in the system of FIG. 1, one representing the addresses of memory 38, and one representing the I/O addresses of the I/O peripheral devices 112B, 112C, etc. of each of the I/O subsystems such as 106, 109, and 110 of FIG. 1. (Some other computers alternatively includes the I/O address space within the memory address space, whereby I/O peripheral devices are addressed in the same manner as locations in the memory.)

Each of the I/O subsystems 1, 2, . . . etc. of FIG. 6 is actually capable of accessing only thirty-two peripheral devices, including sixteen "overhead" peripheral devices contained in device groups 0 of each of the I/O address maps in FIG. 6 and also including sixteen peripheral devices in one of the fifteen remaining device groups determined by the settings of strapping switches 196 in FIG. 3D. In FIG. 6, sections 308 of I/O address map 301 and section 311 of I/O address map 303 are cross-hatched to indicate that the corresponding peripheral devices are accessible by the microcomputer such as 10A of FIG. 1.

The other sections of the I/O address maps represent peripheral device groups which could possible be accessed by microcomputer 10A (FIG. 1) for alternative settings of strapping switches 196 of FIG. 3D. Thus, each of the I/O address maps 301 and 303 actually represent the "possible I/O address space" of the corresponding microcomputers 10A of the corresponding I/O subsystems.

In summary then, for each I/O address map in FIG. 6, the "group 0" section, such as 307, represents the "private I/O address space" of the corresponding I/O subsystem. One of the remaining fifteen sections of each I/O subsystem (eg. section 308 of map 301) is cross-hatched to represent the "actual I/O address space" of the corresponding I/O subsystem; the remaining sections correspond to alternative settings of strapping switches such as 196 of FIG. 3D.

The immediately following discussion relates to thepreviously described elements of the drawings cooperating to produce system operation resulting in the I/O address maps of FIG. 6.

First, the circuitry in FIG. 3D, including NOR gate 216, flip flop 218, and the circuitry of FIG. 3B producing the WRDV signal applied to flip flop 218 to produce the GZS signal on node 230, cooperates with NAND gate 236 in FIG. 3D to produce the enable signal on conductor 240 to enable decoder 192 to select one of the above-mentioned sixteen "overhead" I/O peripheral devices receiving the select signals GZS0-GZS15. Thus, unless DB4-DB7 are all logical "zeros" at WRDV time, microprocessor 10 of FIG. 2 is incapable of accessing the sixteen "overhead" peripheral devices. (It should be noted that process control computer 102 of FIG. 1 is always isolated from the sixteen "overhead" peripheral devices, since it always addresses the peripheral devices indirectly, by inputting I/O address information into microprocessor 10, as explained previously. It should also be noted that microprocessor 10 is programmed to disregard any I/O address from control processor 102 wherein DB4-DB7 are all "zeros". Microprocessor 10 then directly accesses the addressed peripheral device of the addressed I/O subsystem, assuming that the stored program being executed by microprocessor 10 outputs the same address code received from control processor 102 via communications bus 104 (FIG. 1).)

It should be realized that (assuming the microprocessor outputs the same I/O address code that it receives from the process control computer 102) the elements previously described with respect to the drawings cooperate to cause the I/O subsystem to ignore any request by process control computer 102 to access the "overhead" peripherals. If, however, microprocessor 10 wishes to access the "overhead" peripherals (which are enabled by the GZS signal derived from NOR gate 216 in FIG. 3D), and that I/O subsystem is not the one selected by process control computer 102, microprocessor 10 outputs "zeros" on DB4-DB7, thereby enabling the peripheral devices receiving GZS0-GZS15 when DB4-DB7 are all zeros (the "group 0" condition). The particular one of the peripheral determined by DB0-DB3 is then addressed by microprocessor 10. Thus, the above-described circuitry of each I/O subsystem cooperates to ensure microprocessor 10 of that I/O subsystem of the existance of the "private I/O address space" designated by the numeral 0 in maps 301 and 303 of FIG. 6.

The circuitry which permits microprocessor 10 to access only the one of the fifteen remaining groups (numbered 1-15) of peripheral devices, as determined by the settings of the strapping switches 196, establishes cross-hatched sections such as 308 of I/O address space map 301 and cross-hatched section 311 of I/O address space 303 in FIG. 6.

It should be noted that microprocessor 10 also has the capability of reading the states of the strapping switches 196. This permits microprocessor 10 to know whether or not to respond to a command or address received from processing computer 102. (The four strapping switches 196 are included in the above-described private I/O address space.)

The above-described circuitry of FIG. 2D (including the strapping switches 196) cooperating to produce the IOS signal and the enable signal on node 238, and the GZS signal and the corresponding enable signal on node 240 allows all of the identical I/O subsystems such as 106, 109, 110 (FIG. 1) to co-exist in the same larger system without having to be different with respect to hardware or software which allows them to be "selected" by process control computer 102. Thus, all of the I/O subsystems in the entire process control system can use the same I/O address space and associated circuitry and software for their "overhead" peripheral devices.