Filter Circuitry for Trigger Signal Control in Processing Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
As processing circuits become more complex, existing monitoring circuitry struggles to effectively monitor and manage complex behaviors within the processing circuitry, leading to inefficiencies in triggering appropriate actions based on program instruction execution information.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus and method incorporate evaluation circuitry to determine trigger conditions, trigger signal generation circuitry to assert signals, and filter circuitry to prevent unnecessary trigger signals by qualifying conditions with event information, allowing for sophisticated monitoring and filtering of complex behaviors within processing circuitry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If monitoring circuitry is programmed to detect specific information values from program instruction execution, then trigger signals can be asserted to monitor processing circuitry behavior, but the monitoring circuitry cannot effectively distinguish relevant trigger conditions from irrelevant ones in complex processing circuits
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring circuitry is segmented into distinct functional units: filter circuitry that receives event information and determines qualifying conditions, evaluation circuitry that evaluates trigger conditions, and trigger signal generation circuitry. This segmentation allows each unit to specialize in specific monitoring tasks, improving both precision and adaptability for complex processing circuits.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter circuitry acts as an intermediary between the complex processing circuitry and the evaluation circuitry. It receives event information, determines whether qualifying conditions are present, and selectively prevents or allows trigger condition notifications to reach the evaluation circuitry based on filter control information, thereby filtering out irrelevant triggers.
2Loss of information
If filter circuitry is added to prevent unnecessary trigger signals, then only relevant events trigger actions, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The filter circuitry is integrated within the existing monitoring circuitry architecture, merging the filtering function with the evaluation and trigger generation functions. This unified structure reduces overall device complexity compared to having separate filtering and monitoring systems, while still effectively preventing unnecessary trigger signals.
3Reliability
If the monitoring circuitry monitors all program instruction execution information, then comprehensive behavior can be tracked, but irrelevant events generate unnecessary trigger signals
Solution Approach 1:
The filter circuitry performs preliminary filtering of event information before it reaches the evaluation circuitry. By determining whether qualifying conditions are present in advance and selectively preventing trigger condition notifications based on filter control information, the system maintains comprehensive monitoring reliability while improving trigger signal assertion efficiency by filtering out irrelevant events early in the process.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method are provided to control assertion of a trigger signal to processing circuitry. The apparatus has evaluation circuitry to receive program instruction execution information indicative of a program instruction executed by the processing circuitry, which is arranged to perform an evaluation operation to determine with reference to evaluation information whether the program instruction execution information indicates presence of a trigger condition. Trigger signal generation circuitry is used to assert a trigger signal to the processing circuitry in dependence on whether the trigger condition is determined to be present. Further, filter circuitry is arranged to receive event information indicative of at least one event occurring within the processing circuitry, and is arranged to determine with reference to filter control information and that event information whether a qualifying condition is present. The filter circuitry is arranged, on determining that the qualifying condition is not present, to prevent the presence of the trigger condition being notified to the trigger signal generation circuitry. This allows the monitoring of particular program instruction execution behaviour to be qualified so that the processing circuitry is only notified if in addition a qualifying event is determined to be present.