Hardware Event Accelerator with Pointer-Based Routine Execution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing event handling methods require significant host processor intervention, leading to increased execution overhead, latency, and reduced resource utilization in processing events triggered by event-driven circuits.
Innovation Solution
A hardware acceleration circuit with an event handling circuit and engine that detects events, updates pointers to event handling routines and context parameters stored in local memory, and processes data without host processor intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If host processor intervention is used to handle events, then event processing can be performed with general-purpose processing, but execution overhead and latency increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments event processing into two distinct parts: event detection by the event-driven circuit and event handling by the hardware accelerator. This segmentation allows the host processor to remain general-purpose while dedicated hardware handles time-critical event processing, thereby reducing execution latency without sacrificing processing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
A hardware accelerator acts as an intermediary between the event-driven circuit and the host processor. The accelerator receives event triggers, executes handling routines in dedicated hardware, and communicates results back, thereby eliminating the need for direct host processor intervention in time-critical paths while maintaining system versatility.
2Adaptability or versatility
If host processor intervention is used to handle events, then flexible processing can be achieved, but resource utilization decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments processing resources into general-purpose host processor and dedicated hardware accelerator. The accelerator handles event processing in parallel, improving overall resource utilization while the host processor maintains flexibility for other tasks. Event handling routines are stored in accessible memory, allowing flexible processing logic without consuming host processor resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The hardware accelerator serves itself by autonomously executing event handling routines when triggered. It independently manages event detection, routine execution, and result communication without requiring continuous host processor supervision, thereby improving resource utilization while maintaining processing flexibility through programmable routines.
3Productivity
If hardware acceleration is used for event processing, then execution bandwidth increases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hardware accelerator is designed as a universal processing unit that can execute multiple different event handling routines stored in memory. Rather than requiring dedicated hardware for each event type, a single multi-functional accelerator handles diverse events by loading appropriate routines, thereby increasing execution bandwidth without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of event handling from software-based (host processor) to hardware-based (accelerator), fundamentally altering the execution model. This parameter change enables parallel processing and significantly increases execution bandwidth while the complexity increase is managed through standardized hardware accelerator architecture and programmable routines.
4Ease of operation
If host processor intervention is used, then centralized control is maintained, but execution overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
Event handling routines are pre-loaded into accessible memory before events occur. When events are triggered, the hardware accelerator can immediately execute these pre-prepared routines without waiting for host processor intervention, thereby reducing execution overhead while centralized control is maintained through the ability to load and update routines via the host processor.
Data Source
AI summary
A hardware acceleration circuit, comprising a communication interface for connecting to one or more event-driven circuits, a memory, an event handling circuit, and a hardware acceleration engine. The event handling circuit is adapted to detect one or more events triggered by one or more of the event-driven circuits, update one or more pointers pointing to one or more event handling routines stored in the memory and to a context memory segment in the memory storing a plurality of context parameters relating to the one or more events, and transmit the pointer(s) to the hardware acceleration engine. The hardware acceleration engine is adapted to receive the pointer(s) from the event handling circuit, and execute the event handling routine(s) pointed by the pointer(s) to process data relating to the event(s) according to at least some of the context parameters retrieved from the context memory segment using the pointer(s).