AXI Stream Switching with Routing Headers for Low-Overhead Addressability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data communication protocols lack addressability and efficiency, particularly in high-speed transfers within and between electronic chips and cards, leading to complexity and overhead issues.
Innovation Solution
An addressably switchable interconnecting device with a stream switch, data buffers, and a lookup table to dynamically route data streams based on destination information, using the AXI streaming protocol with added routing headers for precise, real-time data exchange.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If Ethernet protocol is used for flexible data communication, then addressability and versatility are improved, but processing overhead and device complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential addressability function from the Ethernet protocol, implementing a simplified addressable point-to-point communication system that maintains routing and destination identification capabilities while eliminating the heavy processing overhead and complexity of full Ethernet protocol stacks
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the communication protocol parameters by adopting AXI Stream protocol with integrated routing headers instead of Ethernet protocol, transforming the communication mechanism to achieve both addressability and low overhead through modified data stream formatting and simplified switching logic
2Speed
If traditional point-to-point protocols are used for high-speed transfers, then speed and efficiency are improved, but addressability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges addressability functionality with high-speed point-to-point transfer protocols by integrating routing headers into the AXI Stream data stream and implementing addressable switching at the stream level, allowing both routing capabilities and high-speed transfer characteristics to coexist in a unified protocol
3Adaptability or versatility
If Ethernet protocol is used for data communication, then versatility across different systems is improved, but overhead increases by orders of magnitude
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses lightweight, simplified communication packets with integrated routing headers instead of heavy Ethernet frames, creating disposable data units that carry all necessary addressing and control information in a compact format, eliminating the need for complex protocol processing and reducing overhead by orders of magnitude
Data Source
AI summary
An addressably switchable interconnecting device, comprising an AXI stream switch having a plurality of input/output ports, configured so as to receive, into a first input/output port, data and control signals as well as a switch destination output port signal, to connect the first input/output port to a second input/output port depending on the switch destination output port signal, so as to pass the data and control signals from the first input/output port through the stream switch to the second input/output port, and further comprising a switch destination output port signal generating device for generating the switch destination output port signal from the data signal. Also a communication system and a communication protocol using the addressably switchable interconnecting device.