Electronic Device Managing Duplicate Memory Requests
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Solution Overview
Problem
In tiered memory systems, the difference in data units between upper and lower memory devices leads to increased access numbers for the lower memory, deteriorating overall memory system performance and increasing power consumption.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device is designed with an input handling circuit that aligns addresses from a first memory device with the access unit of a second memory device, determining if a duplicate address exists, and updating a bitmask accordingly to manage data transfer efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If address alignment with lower memory access unit is performed, then memory access efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The address management function is segmented into multiple components: an alignment unit that divides addresses into aligned and unaligned portions, a duplicate request determination unit that checks for duplicates, and a bitmask management unit that tracks accessed locations. This segmentation allows efficient handling of memory accesses while distributing complexity across specialized modules rather than requiring a single complex solution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary electronic device between the first memory device and the second memory device. This intermediary performs address alignment, duplicate request detection, and bitmask management, effectively mediating the communication between memories with different access units. The intermediary translates requests from the first memory's perspective to the second memory's requirements, resolving the complexity of direct interfacing.
2Use of energy by stationary object
If duplicate request detection is implemented, then power consumption is reduced, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by maintaining a bitmask that pre-records which locations within an access unit have been accessed. When a new request arrives, the system checks the bitmask in advance to determine if the request is a duplicate, avoiding unnecessary memory accesses. This preliminary tracking enables quick duplicate detection without extensive processing when duplicates are found.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a bitmask as a simplified copy or representation of the actual memory access state. Instead of comparing entire access units or maintaining complex access histories, the system creates a compact bitmask copy that indicates which byte locations have been accessed. This copying approach enables fast duplicate detection with minimal processing time while still effectively reducing power consumption by avoiding redundant accesses.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device includes an input handling circuit, a control circuit, and a data transfer circuit. The input handling circuits receives a first request including an address from a first memory device, aligns the address with an access unit of a second memory device, requests a determination for the aligned address, and transmits a second request to the second memory device based on a determination result. The control circuit determines, based on the request, whether a duplicate address with the aligned address is present to generate the determination result and updates a bitmask based on the determination result. The data transfer circuit receives the second request from the second memory device and transfers data based on the bitmask. The bitmask includes one or more bits, each corresponding to the first request and indicating a location corresponding to the first request within an access unit of the second memory device.