Grouped Processing Units for Isolated Virtual Machine Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data processing systems face challenges in providing independent and isolated graphics processing operations for multiple sub-systems, such as vehicles' instrument consoles, navigation, and entertainment systems, while managing resource allocation efficiently and cost-effectively.
Innovation Solution
A data processing system comprising a plurality of processing units, a controller for allocating these units into groups, and arbiters to control access by virtual machines, allowing flexible allocation and separation of processing resources between safety-critical and non-safety-critical domains.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a single graphics processing unit is time shared between different graphics processing functions, then resource utilization is improved, but independence and isolation between sub-systems deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the graphics processing units into multiple isolated groups, where each group is dedicated to specific sub-systems (e.g., instrument console, navigation, entertainment). This segmentation maintains independence and isolation between sub-systems while allowing efficient resource utilization within each group, resolving the contradiction between resource sharing and system isolation.
2Reliability
If a completely separate graphics processing unit is provided for each graphics processing function, then independence and isolation between sub-systems is improved, but device complexity and cost deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple graphics processing units into shared groups that can be allocated to different sub-systems based on demand. Instead of providing completely separate dedicated units for each function, the system merges resources while maintaining logical isolation through group-based allocation, reducing overall complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic allocation of processing unit groups to sub-systems based on real-time demands. The system can flexibly assign different groups to different functions as needed, providing independence and isolation when required while allowing resource sharing to reduce complexity, thus resolving the contradiction between isolation and device complexity.
3Reliability
If all processing units operate at a high level of fault protection, then reliability is improved, but use of energy and cost deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different fault protection levels to different groups of processing units based on their specific requirements. Safety-critical sub-systems receive high fault protection, while non-critical sub-systems operate with lower protection levels, reducing overall energy consumption and cost while maintaining necessary reliability where required.
Data Source
AI summary
A data processing system (1) comprises a plurality of processing units (11) and a controller (30) operable to allocate processing units of the plurality of processing units into respective groups of the processing units, wherein each group of processing units comprises a set of one or more of the processing units of the plurality of processing units. The data processing system further comprises an arbiter (31, 32) for each group of processing units for controlling access by virtual machines (33, 34) that require processing operations to the processing units of the group of processing units that the arbiter has been allocated.