1. A computing system for supporting IOAPIC interrupts between an IO device and the computing system, wherein the IO device is an AMBA\xae compliant IO device, and wherein the computing system is a PCIe compliant computing system, the computing system comprising:
an x86 compatible host system including:
an x86 compatible processor;
memory;
a PCIe root complex (RC); and
a PCIe bus to which the processor, memory, and PCIe RC are communicatively connected;
an interconnect chip having a PCIe endpoint (EP) that is connected to the PCIe RC of the host system through a PCIe link, the PCIe EP of the interconnect chip being connected to an AMBA\xae bus, wherein the interconnect chip communicates with the IO device via the AMBA\xae bus in an AMBA\xae compliant manner, and communicates with the host system in a PCIe compliant manner, by:
receiving a command from the processor for the IO device;
sending the command to the IO device over the AMBA\xae bus;
receiving a response from the IO device over the AMBA\xae bus;
upon receiving the response, sending over the AMBA\xae bus and over the PCIe link one or more DMA operations to the memory of the host system; and
after sending the DMA operations to the memory, sending an IOAPIC interrupt to the processor of the host system according to PCIe ordering rules.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more DMA operations include a plurality of related DMA reads, and the sending of the IOAPIC interrupt occurs after the DMA reads have reached the memory and the requested data from the memory is received by the IO device.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more DMA operations include a plurality of related DMA writes, and the IOAPIC interrupt pushes all related DMA writes to complete.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor, memory, PCIe RC, and PCIe bus of the host system are formed as a system-on-a-chip (SoC).
5. The system of claim 4, wherein the interconnect chip is formed physically separated from the SoC of the host system.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the interconnect chip includes a system management module (SMM) with an IOAPIC table, the SMM being connected to the AMBA\xae bus.
7. The system of claim 6, wherein upon boot up of the computing system, the interconnect chip is configured to:
detect the IO device connected to the interconnect chip;
announce the presence of the IO device to the processor; and
receive programming of an entry inside the IOAPIC table within the SMM by the processor, the entry including, specific to the IO device, an interrupt vector, a host destination ID, and a trigger mode.
8. The system of claim 6, wherein the interconnect chip includes shadowing logic and a device controller, the shadowing logic containing information from a table entry of the IOAPIC table in the interconnect chip, wherein the information from the entry includes, specific to the IO device, an interrupt vector, a host destination ID, and a trigger mode.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the IO device is a USB device, a SATA device, or an eMMC device.
10. A method for supporting IOAPIC interrupts between an IO device and a computing system, wherein the IO device is an AMBA\xae compliant IO device, and wherein the computing system is a PCIe compliant computing system, the method comprising:
receiving a command for the IO device from a processor in a host system of the computing system;
sending the command to the IO device over an AMBA\xae bus on an interconnect chip;
receiving a response from the IO device over the AMBA\xae bus;
upon receiving the response, sending over the AMBA\xae bus and over a PCIe link one or more DMA operations to memory of the computing system; and
after sending the one or more DMA operations to the memory, sending an IOAPIC interrupt to the processor of the host system according to PCIe ordering rules.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the DMA operations include a plurality of related DMA reads, and the sending of the IOAPIC interrupt occurs after the DMA reads have reached the memory and requested data from the memory is received by the IO device.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein the DMA operations include a plurality of related DMA writes, and the IOAPIC interrupt pushes all related DMA writes to complete.
13. The method of claim 10, wherein the processor, the memory, a PCIe RC, and a PCIe bus of the host system are formed as a system-on-a-chip (SoC).
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the interconnect chip is formed separately from the SoC of the host system.
15. The method of claim 10, wherein the interconnect chip includes a system management module (SMM) with an IOAPIC table, the SMM being connected to the AMBA\xae bus.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein upon boot up of the computing system, the interconnect chip is configured to:
detect the IO device connected to the interconnect chip;
announce the presence of the IO device to the processor; and
receive programming of an entry inside the IOAPIC table within the SMM by the processor, the entry including, specific to the IO device, an interrupt vector, a host destination ID, and a trigger mode.
17. The method of claim 15, wherein the interconnect chip includes shadowing logic and a device controller, the shadowing logic containing information from a table entry of the IOAPIC table in the interconnect chip, wherein the information from the entry includes, specific to the IO device, an interrupt vector, a host destination ID, and a trigger mode.
18. The method of claim 10, wherein the IO device is a USB device, a SATA device, or an eMMC device.
19. The method of claim 10, wherein the computing system is a game console and the IO device is a smartphone.
20. A computing system for supporting IOAPIC interrupts between an IO device and the computing system, wherein the IO device is an AMBA\xae compliant IO device, and wherein the computing system is a PCIe compliant computing system, the computing system comprising:
an x86 compatible host system including:
an x86 compatible processor;
memory;
a PCIe root complex (RC); and
a PCIe bus to which the processor, memory, and PCIe RC are communicatively connected;
an interconnect chip having a PCIe endpoint (EP) that is connected to the PCIe RC of the host system through a PCIe link, the PCIe EP of the interconnect chip being connected to an AMBA\xae bus, wherein the interconnect chip communicates with the IO device via the AMBA\xae bus in an AMBA\xae compliant manner, and communicates with the host system in a PCIe compliant manner, by:
receiving a first command from the processor for the IO device;
sending the first command to the IO device over the AMBA\xae bus;
receiving a first response from the IO device over the AMBA\xae bus;
upon receiving the first response, sending over the AMBA\xae bus and over the PCIe link a plurality of related DMA reads to the memory of the host system;
after sending the DMA reads to the memory and after the DMA reads have reached the memory and the requested data from the memory is received by the IO device, sending a first IOAPIC interrupt to the processor of the host system according to PCIe ordering rules;
receiving a second command from the processor for the IO device;
sending the second command to the IO device over the AMBA\xae bus;
receiving a second response from the IO device over the AMBA\xae bus;
upon receiving the second response, sending over the AMBA\xae bus and over the PCIe link a plurality of related DMA writes to the memory of the host system; and
after sending the DMA writes to the memory, sending a second IOAPIC interrupt to the processor of the host system according to PCIe ordering rules, wherein the second IOAPIC interrupt pushes all related DMA writes to complete.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A coin deposit and dispensing apparatus comprising:
a cabinet;
a controller;
at least one coin dispenser supported within the cabinet, the dispenser configured to dispense a specific composition of coins, under control by the controller, to a cash till; and
a closeable dispense space within the cabinet,
the closeable dispense space having an open state in which state the dispense space may receive a cash till to be filled, and a closed state, in which state the dispenser may dispense the specific composition of coins from the at least one dispenser into the cash till, the closed state preventing access to the cash till received therein during the dispensing of the specific composition of coins, said apparatus further comprising,
a movable member defining at least a partial boundary of the closeable dispense space, the movable member being moveable between a first position corresponding to the open state in which a cash till, which is separate from the movable member, may be received at the dispense space, and a second position corresponding to the closed state,
a first sensor coupled to the controller and positioned for detecting when the movable member is in the second position,
a locking mechanism coupled to the controller and associated with the movable member, the locking mechanism being controlled by the controller to selectively allow the movable member to move from its second position towards its first position, and
a first dispenser and a second dispenser respectively for first and second types of coins to be dispensed, the cash till having first and second compartments to respectively receive coins of the first and second types from one of the first and second dispensers,
wherein the movable member comprises a drawer, wherein the first position is a position where the drawer is extended outwardly from the cabinet, and the second position is a position where the drawer is retracted inside the cabinet.
2. A coin deposit and dispensing apparatus comprising:
a cabinet;
a controller;
at least one coin dispenser supported within the cabinet, the dispenser configured to dispense a specific composition of coins, under control by the controller, to a cash till; and
a closeable dispense space within the cabinet,
the closeable dispense space having an open state in which state the dispense space may receive a cash till to be filled, and a closed state, in which state the dispenser may dispense the specific composition of coins from the at least one dispenser into the cash till, the closed state preventing access to the cash till received therein during the dispensing of the specific composition of coins, said apparatus further comprising,
a movable member defining at least a partial boundary of the closeable dispense space, the movable member being moveable between a first position corresponding to the open state in which a cash till, which is separate from the movable member, may be received at the dispense space, and a second position corresponding to the closed state,
a first sensor coupled to the controller and positioned for detecting when the movable member is in the second position,
a locking mechanism coupled to the controller and associated with the movable member, the locking mechanism being controlled by the controller to selectively allow the movable member to move from its second position towards its first position,
a first dispenser and a second dispenser respectively for first and second types of coins to be dispensed, the cash till having first and second compartments to respectively receive coins of the first and second types from one of the first and second dispensers, and
a closeable storage space within the cabinet, separated from the closeable dispense space and for receiving a transport container, wherein the controller is configured to control at least one of the first and second dispensers to discharge one or more coins to the transport container when placed in the closeable storage space,
wherein the at least one coin dispenser comprises the first dispenser and the second dispenser respectively for first and second types of coins to be dispensed, the apparatus further comprising a coin acceptance module for receiving and sorting a deposited mass of coins into the first and second dispensers for buffering therein.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising a buffer capacity determining mechanism for each dispenser, the mechanism comprising the controller detecting when a current buffer capacity of a particular dispenser exceeds a threshold value and, in response, controlling the particular dispenser to discharge a specific number of coins to be received in the transport container.
4. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the controller detects that a coin as processed by the coin acceptance module and destined to a particular dispenser causes the current buffer capacity of the particular dispenser to exceed the threshold value, and in response, controls the particular dispenser to discharge a coin to the transport container.
5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the closeable storage space is formed by a movable and closeable transport container drawer that is moveable between an extended position and a retracted position, in the extended position the drawer receives the transport container and in the retracted position the drawer prevents unauthorized external access to the transport container received therein.
6. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the closeable dispense space is positioned between the dispensers and the closeable storage space, a passage is formed from a coin output end of the dispensers, through the closeable dispense space when no cash till is present therein, to a coin input end of the closeable storage space.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising access restricting components positioned between the closeable dispense space and the closeable storage space, the access restricting components preventing access from the closeable dispense space into the closeable storage space while permitting coins to pass therethrough into the transport container.
8. A coin deposit and dispensing apparatus comprising:
a cabinet housing the apparatus;
a controller;
a coin acceptance module for receiving and processing a deposited mass of coins;
at least one dispenser for at least one type of coin to be dispensed, wherein in a deposit operation, the at least one dispenser is for receiving the deposited and processed mass of coins for buffering therein, and
in a dispensing operation, the dispenser is for dispensing a specific composition of coins, under control by the controller, to a portable coin receptacle at a dispense location;
a closeable storage space positioned within the cabinet at a storage location different from the dispense location, the closeable storage space being for receiving a transport container, wherein the controller is configured to control the at least one dispenser to discharge one or more coins to the transport container when placed in the closeable storage space;
a movable member defining at least a partial boundary of a closeable dispense space including the dispense location, the movable member being moveable between a first position corresponding to an open state in which state a portable coin receptacle, which is separate from the movable member, may be received into said dispense location, and a second position corresponding to a closed state, wherein said movable member is retracted inside said cabinet during the closed state;
a sensor coupled to the controller and positioned for detecting the presence of the portable coin receptacle within the closeable dispense space; and
a locking mechanism coupled to the controller and associated with the movable member, the locking mechanism being controlled by the controller to selectively allow the movable member to move from its second position towards its first position.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising a buffer capacity determining mechanism for each dispenser, the mechanism comprising the controller detecting when a current buffer capacity of a particular dispenser exceeds a threshold value and, in response, controlling the particular dispenser to discharge a specific number of coins to be received in the transport container.
10. Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the controller is for detecting that a coin as processed by the coin acceptance module and destined to a particular dispenser causes the current buffer capacity of the particular dispenser to exceed the threshold value, and in response, controlling the particular dispenser to discharge the coin to the transport container.
11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the closeable storage space is formed by a movable and closeable transport container drawer, which is moveable between an opened, extended position wherein the drawer receives the transport container and a closed, retracted position wherein the drawer prevents access to the transport container received therein.
12. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising a closeable dispense space at the dispense location within the cabinet for receiving the portable coin receptacle during the dispense operation, wherein the closeable dispense space is positioned between the dispensers and the closeable storage space, a passage between a coin output end of the dispensers, and a
coin input end of the closeable storage space, the passage allowing coins to pass from the dispensers through the closeable dispenser space to the closeable storage space when no portable coin receptacle is present in the dispenser space.
13. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising access restricting components positioned between the closeable dispense space and the closeable storage space, the access restricting components preventing access from the closeable dispense space into the closeable storage space while permitting coins to pass therethrough into the transport container.
14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the controller is so configured as to prevent dispensing of the specific composition of coins from the dispensers until at least the movable member is detected by the sensor to be present within in the closeable dispense space.
15. A method of recycling coins using a coin recycling apparatus having a coin acceptance module for receiving and processing coins, a first dispenser and a second dispenser respectively for first and second types of coins to be dispensed, the coin recycling apparatus having a cabinet and a closeable dispense space within the cabinet, the closeable dispense space having an open state and a closed state, a movable member defining at least a partial boundary of the closeable dispense space, the movable member being moveable between a first position corresponding to the open state, in which open state a portable cash till, which is separate from the movable member, may be received into the dispense space, and a second position corresponding to the closed state, wherein the movable member is retracted within the closable dispense space in the closed state, and wherein access to any cash till received in the dispense space is blocked during the closed state at least in part by the movable member, a first sensor coupled to the controller and a locking mechanism coupled to the controller and associated with the movable member, the locking mechanism being controlled by the controller, the method comprising:
receiving a plurality of coins into the coin recycling apparatus;
processing the plurality of coins in the coin acceptance module;
with the closeable dispense space in the open state, receiving a cash till having first and second compartments into the closeable dispense space;
detecting, using the first sensor, that the movable member is in the second position;
while the movable member is in the second position, preventing by the locking mechanism user access to the cash till received in the dispense space; and
during the preventing step, dispensing a specific composition of coins from the first and second dispensers to the first and second compartments of the cash till, respectively,
wherein the closeable dispense space comprises a drawer moveable between a first position corresponding to the open state and a second position corresponding to the closed state, and
wherein the recycling apparatus further comprises a closeable storage space within the cabinet and separated from the closeable dispense space, the storage space being for receiving a transport container.
16. The method of claim 15 further comprising determining a buffer capacity for the at least one dispenser, detecting when the buffer capacity of the at least one dispenser exceeds a threshold value, and discharging a corresponding number of coins to the transport container.
17. A coin deposit and dispensing apparatus comprising:
a cabinet;
a controller;
and at least one coin dispenser supported within the cabinet, the dispenser configured to dispense a specific composition of coins, under control by the controller, to a cash till; and
a closeable dispense space within the cabinet,
the closeable dispense space having an open state in which state the dispense space may receive a cash till to be filled, and a closed state, in which state the dispenser may dispense the specific composition of coins from the at least one dispenser into the cash till, the closed state preventing access to the cash till received therein during the dispensing of the specific composition of coins,
wherein the at least one dispenser comprises a first dispenser and a second dispenser respectively for first and second types of coins to be dispensed, the apparatus further comprising a coin acceptance module for receiving and sorting a deposited mass of coins into the first and second dispensers for buffering therein,
the apparatus further comprising a closeable storage space within the cabinet, separated from the closeable dispense space and for receiving a transport container, wherein the controller is configured to control at least one of the first and second dispensers to discharge one or more coins to the transport container when placed in the closeable storage space.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising a buffer capacity determining mechanism for each dispenser, the mechanism comprising the controller detecting when a current buffer capacity of a particular dispenser exceeds a threshold value and, in response, controlling the particular dispenser to discharge a specific number of coins to be received in the transport container.
19. Apparatus according to claim 18 wherein the controller detects that a coin as processed by the coin acceptance module and destined to a particular dispenser causes the current buffer capacity of the particular dispenser to exceed the threshold value, and in response, controls the particular dispenser to discharge a coin to the transport container.
20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the closeable storage space is formed by a movable and closeable transport container drawer that is moveable between an extended position and a retracted position, in the extended position the drawer receives the transport container and in the retracted position the drawer prevents unauthorized external access to the transport container received therein.
21. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the closeable dispense space is positioned between the dispensers and the closeable storage space, a passage is formed from a coin output end of the dispensers, through the closeable dispense space when no cash till is present therein, to a coin input end of the closeable storage space.
22. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising access restricting components positioned between the closeable dispense space and the closeable storage space, the access restricting components preventing access from the closeable dispense space into the closeable storage space while permitting coins to pass therethrough into the transport container.
23. A method of recycling coins using a coin recycling apparatus having a coin acceptance module for receiving and processing coins and at least one dispenser for dispensing coins, the coin recycling apparatus having a cabinet and a closeable dispense space within the cabinet, the closeable dispense space having an open state and a closed state, the method comprising:
receiving a plurality of coins into the coin recycling apparatus;
processing the plurality of coins in the coin acceptance module;
with the closeable dispense space in the open state, receiving a cash till into the closeable dispense space;
upon closing of the closeable dispense space, preventing user access to the cash till received therein; and
during the preventing step, dispensing a specific composition of coins from the dispenser to the cash till,
wherein the recycling apparatus further comprises a closeable storage space within the cabinet and separated from the closeable dispense space, the storage space being for receiving a transport container.
24. The method of claim 23 further comprising determining a buffer capacity for the at least one dispenser, detecting when the buffer capacity of the at least one dispenser exceeds a threshold value, and discharging a corresponding number of coins to the transport container.
25. A coin deposit and dispensing apparatus comprising:
a cabinet;
a controller;
at least one coin dispenser supported within the cabinet, the dispenser configured to dispense a specific composition of coins, under control by the controller, to a cash till; and
a closeable dispense space within the cabinet,
the closeable dispense space having an open state in which state the dispense space may receive a cash till to be filled, and a closed state, in which state the dispenser may dispense the specific composition of coins from the at least one dispenser into the cash till, the closed state preventing access to the cash till received therein during the dispensing of the specific composition of coins, said apparatus further comprising,
a movable member defining at least a partial boundary of the closeable dispense space, the movable member being moveable between a first position corresponding to the open state in which a cash till, which is separate from the movable member, may be received at the dispense space, and a second position corresponding to the closed state,
a first sensor coupled to the controller and positioned for detecting when the movable member is in the second position,
a locking mechanism coupled to the controller and associated with the movable member, the locking mechanism being controlled by the controller to selectively allow the movable member to move from its second position towards its first position, and
a first dispenser and a second dispenser respectively for first and second types of coins to be dispensed, the cash till having first and second compartments to respectively receive coins of the first and second types from one of the first and second dispensers,
wherein the cash till further comprises a notes compartment and access to the first compartment, the second compartment and the notes compartment of the cash till by the user is prevented when the movable member is in the closed state.