Firmware Event Routing via Translation Table Register Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing firmware techniques for processing events are inefficient and inflexible, leading to increased complexity, resource constraints, and delayed response times due to limitations in direct memory access (DMA), interrupt-driven processing, polling, and interrupt chaining.
Innovation Solution
A translation table is used to enable flexible mapping of event fields to multiple register locations, allowing one field to be pushed to at least two different register destinations without requiring changes to the event message or software, thus improving processing efficiency and flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional firmware techniques (DMA, interrupt-driven processing, polling, interrupt chaining) are used to communicate event data to registers, then data transfer can be achieved, but the system suffers from increased complexity, resource constraints, and delayed response times
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an event stack as an intermediary data structure between event sources and register destinations. The event stack receives event data from various sources (interrupts, DMA, polling) and systematically pushes relevant data to the appropriate register destinations, eliminating the need for complex routing logic in firmware and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the event processing system into distinct components: event sources, event stack, and register destinations. This segmentation allows each component to operate independently with well-defined interfaces, reducing coupling and making the system more manageable and less complex.
2Loss of time
If traditional firmware techniques are used for event processing, then data can be transferred to registers, but response times are delayed due to processing overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The event stack is pre-configured with register destination addresses and data masks before runtime operation. This preliminary setup eliminates the need for complex runtime decision-making and data routing logic, allowing events to be processed and pushed to registers with minimal overhead and faster response times.
3Adaptability or versatility
If flexible mapping of event fields to multiple register locations is required, then software changes are traditionally needed, but this increases complexity and compile time
Solution Approach 1:
The event stack structure allows dynamic configuration of field-to-register mappings through data structures that can be modified at runtime or compilation without requiring changes to the core firmware logic. The stack's flexible data structure enables adaptive routing of event fields to multiple register destinations while maintaining ease of modification.
4Device complexity
If existing firmware techniques are used, then data transfer is possible, but resource consumption increases and complexity is reduced only with significant software changes
Solution Approach 1:
The event stack operates as a self-service mechanism that automatically routes event data to the appropriate register destinations based on pre-configured mappings. This eliminates the need for complex firmware logic to manually manage data routing, reducing both complexity and resource consumption by allowing the data structure itself to manage the routing process.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer firmware product improves computer processing efficiency by implementing a process to replicate at least one field index in multiple register destinations. A translation table contains data in a plurality of fields and a plurality of register destination addresses for a firmware event. The firmware product pushes data associated with one field to at least two different register destination addresses. The firmware product recompiles the translation table with the updated data pushed from one field to the two different register destination addresses. Then, the firmware product performs a function based on the translation table with the updated data pushed from the one field to the two different register destination addresses by solely changing the translation table.