Flexible I/O Interface for Adaptive Hardware Module Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
In system-on-a-chip (SOC) technology, existing methods for selecting hardware modules are inflexible and expose sensitive performance characteristics, such as leakage current, to the operating system, compromising privacy and efficiency due to variations in performance across identical hardware modules caused by semiconductor process, temperature, and voltage variations.
Innovation Solution
A flexible I/O interface that maps operating-system-identified addresses into performance-parameter-based addresses for hardware modules, isolating the operating system from performance characterizations, allowing adaptive selection based on parameters like leakage current without revealing this information to the OS.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If hardware modules are selected based on fixed addresses assigned during manufacturing, then the operating system can easily identify and select modules, but the system cannot adapt to performance variations and expose sensitive leakage current information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer (the flexible I/O interface) between the operating system and hardware modules. This intermediary performs address translation that masks the actual hardware module identities, allowing the OS to select modules adaptively based on performance characteristics without directly accessing or exposing sensitive performance data such as leakage current information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the address parameter from fixed manufacturing-assigned values to dynamic performance-based values. The flexible I/O interface translates between fixed OS-addresses and actual hardware module addresses based on current performance parameters like leakage current, enabling adaptive selection while maintaining address confidentiality.
2Reliability
If the operating system directly accesses hardware module addresses, then module selection is simple, but performance variations due to process and temperature cannot be compensated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary characterization of hardware module performance parameters (such as leakage current) during manufacturing or initialization. This pre-characterization data is stored and used by the flexible I/O interface to make informed address translation decisions, compensating for performance variations before tasks are assigned without adding real-time measurement complexity.
3Loss of energy
If hardware modules are tested and characterized for leakage current, then power consumption can be minimized, but the leakage current information becomes exposed to the operating system
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible I/O interface serves as a confidential intermediary that utilizes characterized leakage current information to make optimal module selections for minimizing power consumption, while simultaneously preventing this sensitive characterization data from being exposed to or accessed by the operating system or external observers.
4Ease of operation
If fixed I/O interface is used with static unit addresses, then system simplicity is maintained, but flexibility in hardware module selection is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the address parameter from fixed to dynamic without complicating the OS interface. The flexible I/O interface transparently handles the translation between static OS-requested addresses and dynamic performance-optimal hardware addresses, maintaining OS simplicity while enabling adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
A system is disclosed for mapping operating-system-identified addresses for substantially-identical hardware modules into performance-parameter-based addresses for the hardware modules. The mapping is accomplished by configuring a flexible I/O interface responsive to a characterization of at least one performance parameter for each hardware module.