B+ Tree Search Accelerator for Memory Page Indexing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing memory systems face challenges in efficiently searching for pages due to the lack of optimized indexing schemes, leading to increased latency and resource utilization.
Innovation Solution
A memory system utilizing a B+ tree node structure with a search accelerator to efficiently search for pages by mapping B+ tree nodes to memory device pages and using a key-value pair to navigate the tree structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If traditional page searching methods are used in memory systems, then the system can operate with basic functionality, but the search latency increases and CPU resource utilization increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the page searching task into two parts: (1) the search accelerator handles B+ tree traversal and page location using hardware-accelerated operations, and (2) the CPU handles higher-level memory management tasks. This segmentation allows the CPU to offload time-consuming search operations to the dedicated search accelerator, reducing search latency and CPU resource utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The search accelerator acts as an intermediary component between the CPU and the memory device. It receives search requests from the CPU, performs hardware-accelerated B+ tree traversal to locate target pages, and returns results to the CPU. This intermediary handles the time-consuming search operations using specialized hardware, reducing the time the CPU needs to wait for search results.
2Productivity
If traditional page searching methods are used in memory systems, then the system can operate with basic functionality, but CPU resource utilization increases
Solution Approach 1:
The search accelerator serves as a specialized intermediary component that handles B+ tree traversal operations in hardware. By introducing this dedicated intermediary, the system offloads computationally intensive search tasks from the CPU to the search accelerator, improving memory system throughput while accepting controlled increases in system architecture complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the software-based B+ tree traversal mechanism (executed by the CPU) with a hardware-based search accelerator. This substitution uses specialized circuitry to perform tree traversal operations in parallel and at higher speeds, improving memory system throughput while managing the added hardware complexity through dedicated functional blocks.
3Device complexity
If B+ tree traversal is performed using software-based methods, then the system architecture remains simple, but the number of I/O operations increases and search efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes software-based B+ tree traversal with a hardware-based search accelerator that performs tree traversal using dedicated circuitry. This replacement reduces the number of I/O operations required for search operations and improves search efficiency, while managing increased device complexity through specialized hardware blocks designed for this specific function.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for searching for pages of a memory device based on a B+ tree node structure. The system includes a memory device and a controller including a cache memory and a search accelerator. The search accelerator receives a key-value pair associated with a target page among a plurality of pages; and searches for the target page from the cache memory based on the key-value pair, using a tree structure including B+ tree nodes mapped to the plurality of pages. The key-value pair includes a searched key and a value indicating a pointer to a tree node mapped to the target page, among the B+ tree nodes.