249 results about "Processor design" patented technology

An automated processor design tool uses a description of customized processor instruction set extensions in a standardized language to develop a configurable definition of a target instruction set, a Hardware Description Language description of circuitry necessary to implement the instruction set, and development tools such as a compiler, assembler, debugger and simulator which can be used to develop applications for the processor and to verify it. Implementation of the processor circuitry can be optimized for various criteria such as area, power consumption, speed and the like. Once a processor configuration is developed, it can be tested and inputs to the system modified to iteratively optimize the processor implementation. By providing a constrained domain of extensions and optimizations, the process can be automated to a high degree, thereby facilitating fast and reliable development.

Disclosed is a device and method for testing of a program or a design of an electronic device comprising digital logic circuitry. The method comprises testing the design of software or an electronic device and injecting, after initiation of the testing step, a predetermined error pattern into a value operated upon by the design of the digital logic circuitry. In a preferred embodiment, the software is a simulation of the design of a processor having a cache with error detection and/or correction circuitry. A triggering condition is preferably a cache hit, in response to which a detectable error is injected into the cache. The simulated operations of the model are observed to determine whether the injected error is detected, as should happen if the processor's error detection circuitry has been designed properly. In another respect, the invention is an apparatus, or computer software embedded on a computer readable medium, for testing a program comprising an error detector. The apparatus or software comprises the program, an error injector module connected to the program; and a checker module connected to the program. The checker module is capable of determining whether the program responds appropriately to an error dynamically produced by the error injector module during execution of the program. By injecting errors dynamically the invention easily facilitates precisely focused testing at any time during simulated operation regardless of initialization conditions.

An interframe prediction processor designed for high-speed video coding and decoding. The interframe prediction processor has an address selector and a predictor calculator. The address selector receives information about MBAFF type and coding type. When performing motion compensation for a given MBAFF picture with reference to blocks surrounding a current block, the address selector provides memory addresses of reference motion vectors according to the coding type of the current block pair, as well as to the coding type of the reference blocks. The predictor calculator that determines a motion vector predictor for each constituent block of the current block pair based on reference motion vectors read out of the provided memory addresses.

An automated processor design tool uses a description of customized processor instruction set extensions in a standardized language to develop a configurable definition of a target instruction set, a Hardware Description Language description of circuitry necessary to implement the instruction set, and development tools such as a compiler, assembler, debugger and simulator which can be used to develop applications for the processor and to verify it. The standardized language is capable of handling instruction set extensions which modify processor state or use configurable processors. By providing a constrained domain of extensions and optimizations, the process can be automated to a high degree, thereby facilitating fast and reliable development.

A device, method and system to generate a plurality of true random numbers in a gaming machine having a processor designed or configured to process the plurality of random numbers, at least one quantum mechanical random number generator coupled to the processor to generate the plurality of random numbers, a memory coupled to the processor to store the plurality of random numbers, and an input/output (I/O) interface coupled to the processor to receive and transmit data.

A technique for managing processor cores within a multi-core central processing unit (CPU) provides efficient power and resource utilization over a wide workload range. The CPU comprises at least one core designed for low power operation and at least one core designed for high performance operation. For low workloads, the low power core executes the workload. For certain higher workloads, the high performance core executes the workload. For certain other workloads, the low power core and the high performance core both share execution of the workload. This technique advantageously enables efficient processing over a wider range of workloads than conventional systems.

A method (and system) for executing a multiprocessor program written for a target instruction set architecture on a host computing system having a plurality of processors designed to process instructions of a second instruction set architecture, includes representing each portion of the program designed to run on a processor of the target computing system as one or more program threads to be executed on the host computing system.

In one embodiment, an HSDPA co-processor for 3GPP Release 6 Category 8 (7.2 Mb/s) HSDPA that provides all chip-rate, symbol-rate, physical-channel, and transport-channel processing for HSDPA in 90 nm CMOS. The co-processor design is scalable to all HSDPA data rates up to 14 Mb/s. The coprocessor implements an Advanced Receiver based on an NLMS equalizer, supports RX diversity and TX diversity, and provides up to 6.4 dB better performance than a typical single-antenna rake receiver. Thus, 3GPP R6 HSDPA functionality can be added to a legacy R99 modem using an HSDPA co-processor consistent with embodiments of the present invention, at a reasonable incremental cost and power.

A vertebral processor designed to collect and interpret data from multiple surgically implanted accelerometers. Each accelerometer is surgically implanted into a vertebra of a patient utilizing a bone screw. Additional accelerometers are implanted in adjacent vertebrae. The data from the accelerometers is compared by an algorithm to determine the relative movement of the accelerometers implanted in adjacent vertebrae. Data is generated via the algorithm and compared against the expected behavior of the surgically implanted accelerometers as if they were connected to a rigid body, thus determining the level of success of a spinal fusion procedure for those adjacent segments. The apparatus may be utilized with or without spinal stabilization hardware, and with or without fusion cages or artificial discs. The vertebral processor is supplemented by an external system worn by the patient, which provides for an inductive charging power source and for data transfer.

A memory interface controller and method to allow a processor designed and configured to operate with NOR flash and SRAM memory devices to instead operate using NAND flash and SDRAM. The system accomplishes this by caching sectors out of NAND flash into SDRAM, where the data can be randomly accessed by the processor as though it were accessing data from NOR flash/SRAM. Sectors containing data required by the processor are read out of NAND flash and written into SDRAM, where the data can be randomly accessed by the processor.

Improved processors and processing methods are disclosed for high-speed computerized comparison analysis of multiple linear symbol or character sequences, such as biological nucleic acid sequences, protein sequences, or other long linear arrays of characters. These improved processors and processing methods, which are suitable for use with recursive analytical techniques such as the Smith-Waterman algorithm, and the like, are optimized for minimum gate count and maximum clock cycle computing efficiency. This is done by interleaving multiple linear sequence comparison operations per processor, which optimizes use of the processor's resources. In use, a plurality of such processors are embedded in high-density integrated circuit chips, and run synchronously to efficiently analyze long sequences. Such processor designs and methods exceed the performance of currently available designs, and facilitate lossless higher dimensional sequence comparison analysis between three or more linear sequences.

The invention relates to an ARM and FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) architecture based autopilot of a fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle, which belongs to the technical field of an embedded-control unmanned aerial vehicle. The autopilot uses two processors. The main processor is responsible for controlling calculation while the slave processor is responsible for collecting and outputting signals. The slave processor is designed as a peripheral device of the main processor. The main processor can operate the slave processor by way of operating the self storage space, so that extra workload due to data exchange between two processors is reduced, work is divided clearly, and the system response speed is fast. A design ideal of a top layer module with multiple bottom layers is adopted with distinct gradations, and operation is carried out by using a state machine in reading of an A/D (Analog/Digital) module, so that the work efficiency is higher.

A method utilizing a wireless leak detection and prevention system, used for preventing property damage and personal injury caused by liquid or gas leak. The system comprised of a wireless, battery operated apparatus having sensor(s) incorporated with an RF transmitter, used for detecting liquid or gas leaks, and transmits signal(s) to a wireless valve shutoff control unit. The valve shutoff control unit containing an RF transceiver and a processor designed to receive the detected signals and activate a supervised solenoid or motorized valve shut-off mechanism to stop the detected leak. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the wireless valve control unit is connected to a motor, which is mounted on manual shutoff valve. Wherein the valve control unit activates the motor to produce torque to turn the valve towards a close position in response to a received detected leak signal from a sensor. An electronic or electromechanical circuitry is provided, to detect motor or gear turn cycles. The motor rotation is being controlled by the valve control unit processor, which stops motor rotation in response to a detected preset number of motor turn cycles. A digital, voice, SMS text message phone dialer is add to dispatch the detected leak signals, and notify monitoring personnel of the supervised system operation status. And provide user access to turn on or off a valve(s) from a remote location.

An expert system is included in a downhole processor designed to acquire and process NMR data downhole in real time. The downhole processor controls the acquisition of the NMR data based at least in part on instructions transmitted downhole from a surface location and at least in part on evaluation of downhole conditions by the expert system. The downhole conditions include drilling operation conditions (including motion sensors) as well as lithology and fluid content of the formation obtained from other MWD data. The wait time, number of echos, number of repetitions of an echo sequence, interecho time, bandwidth and shape of the tipping and refocusing pulses may be dynamically changed. Data processing is a combination of standard evaluation techniques. Selected data and diagnostics are transmitted uphole. The expert system may be implemented as a two stage neural net. The first stage does the formation evaluation and the second stage controls the NMR pulse sequence.

A method and circuit arrangement utilize a programmable microcode unit that is capable of being programmed via software to modify the instruction sequences output by the microcode unit in response to microcode instructions issued to the microcode unit. Among other benefits, a programmable microcode unit consistent with the invention enables customization of a processor design to handle specific applications or tasks, as well as to support specific hardware configurations such as specific execution units. In addition, a programmable microcode unit may be updatable, e.g., to correct bugs or faults found in previous instruction sequences supported by the unit.

A method of integrated circuit programmed data processor design includes selecting a benchmark application, selecting an initial set of architecture parameters, reconfiguring a compiler for the selected architecture parameters, compiling the benchmark, reconfiguring a data processor simulator to the selected architecture parameters, running the complied benchmark on the reconfigured simulator, automatically synthesizing an integrated circuit physical layout and evaluating performance of the selected architecture parameters against predetermined criteria. The method varies the selected architecture parameters upon failure to meet criteria until evaluation of the selected architecture parameters meets the criteria.

A system and method processor testing using test pattern re-execution is presented. A processor re-executes test patterns using different timing scenarios in order to reduce test pattern build time and increase system test coverage. The invention described herein varies initial states of a processor's memory (cache, TLB, SLB, etc.) that, in turn, varies the timing scenarios when re-executing test patterns. By re-executing the test patterns instead of rebuilding new test patterns, verification quality is improved since more time is available for execution, verification and validation. In addition, since the test patterns result in the same final state, the invention described herein also simplifies error checking.

The invention discloses a set based on RISC-. According to the method and system complete mechanism of the instruction, the interface and the coprocessor for matrix convolution calculation of the V instruction set architecture, traditional matrix convolution calculation is efficiently achieved in a software and hardware combined mode, and RISC-is utilized. Extensibility of V instruction sets, a small number of instructions and a special convolution calculation unit (namely a coprocessor) are designed; the memory access times and the execution period of a matrix convolution calculation instruction are reduced, the complexity of application layer software calculation is reduced, the efficiency of large matrix convolution calculation is improved, the calculation speed of matrix convolution isincreased, flexible calling of upper-layer developers is facilitated, and the coding design is simplified. Meanwhile, RISC-is utilized. The processor designed by the V instruction set also has greatadvantages in power consumption, size and flexibility compared with ARM, X86 and other architectures, can adapt to different application scenes, and has a wide prospect in the field of artificial intelligence.

A method and apparatus for storing non-critical processor information without imposing significant costs on a processor design is disclosed. Transient data are stored in the processor-local cache hierarchy. An additional control bit forms part of cache addresses, where addresses having the control bit set are designated as “transient storage addresses.” Transient storage addresses are not written back to external main memory and, when evicted from the last level of cache, are discarded. Preferably, transient storage addresses are “privileged” in that they are either not accessible to software or only accessible to supervisory or administrator-level software having appropriate permissions. A number of management functions/instructions are provided to allow administrator/supervisor software to manage and/or modify the behavior of transient cache storage. This transient storage scheme allows the cache hierarchy to store data items that may be used by the processor core but that may be too expensive to allocate to external memory.