Bus Master Error Notification via Mode Information
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current data access systems require separate bus configurations for speculative and non-speculative accesses, leading to increased circuit complexity and size for the bus master, as they cannot differentiate between the two types of accesses.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating mode information in bus requests to determine whether error notification is performed by the bus slave or the bus master, allowing the bus master to perform error notification for speculative accesses and the bus slave for non-speculative accesses, thereby reducing the circuit scale of the bus master.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate bus configurations are used for speculative and non-speculative accesses, then error notification reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the error notification function by introducing mode information in bus requests to distinguish between speculative and non-speculative accesses. This allows the bus master to selectively control which device (bus master or bus slave) performs error notification based on the access mode, resolving the contradiction by functional segmentation rather than physical bus separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the error notification mechanism dynamic by allowing the bus master to change the notification mode based on the type of access (speculative or non-speculative). The bus master can dynamically switch between slave-mode notification and master-mode notification, eliminating the need for separate static bus configurations while maintaining reliability.
2Measurement precision
If separate bus configurations are used for speculative and non-speculative accesses, then error notification accuracy is improved, but circuit scale increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing a single bus configuration that can handle both speculative and non-speculative accesses through mode information. The bus master circuit is designed to perform multiple functions: it can act as both the initiating master and the error notification master depending on the access mode, eliminating the need for separate dedicated circuits for each access type.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of bus request mode information to distinguish between speculative and non-speculative accesses. By modifying the request parameters rather than creating separate physical configurations, the system achieves accurate error notification while keeping the circuit scale manageable through parameter-based differentiation.
3Device complexity
If bus master performs error notification for all accesses, then device complexity is reduced, but error notification reliability deteriorates for speculative accesses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the error notification mechanism dynamic by allowing the bus master to change the notification mode based on the type of access (speculative or non-speculative). The bus master can dynamically switch between slave-mode notification and master-mode notification, eliminating the need for separate static bus configurations while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces feedback through mode information in bus requests, where the bus master receives feedback about the access type (speculative or non-speculative) and adjusts its behavior accordingly. This feedback mechanism allows the bus master to reliably determine when to perform error notification and when to let the bus slave handle it, maintaining reliability without increasing complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
Error notification by a bus master for a speculative access and error notification by a bus slave for a non-speculative access are achieved while a circuit scale of the bus master is suppressed. A bus request includes mode information for selecting that error notification for an access is performed by the bus slave or the bus master. In a case where the mode information indicating that error notification is performed by the bus slave is included in the bus request, when an error for an access in that bus request has occurred, the bus slave performs error notification. In a case where execution of an instruction of a speculative load access has been fixed and error information for the load access has been received from the bus slave, the bus master performs error notification based on the error information.