Hardware Interface Component for Register Address Decoration

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional hardware interfaces for dedicated arithmetic units in embedded systems face inefficiencies due to the need for separate access to control registers and non-sequential register layouts, limiting the ability to perform high-dynamic range arithmetic operations efficiently.

Innovation Solution

A hardware interface component with a decorated memory-mapped address range that decodes register identifiers and operation decorations, allowing direct configuration of arithmetic operations without separate control register access, enabling sequential addressing and efficient use of indirect addressing instructions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a separate control register is used to select and trigger arithmetic operations, then the arithmetic unit can be configured flexibly, but the hardware interface requires additional access steps reducing computational throughput

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoperation selection flexibilityVSAvoidcomputational throughput

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the operation selection function with the operand register writes by encoding the operation type in the upper bits of the target address. This merges what were previously separate control register access and operand loading operations into a single unified access, eliminating the additional control register access step and improving throughput while maintaining operation selection flexibility

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The operand registers are given multiple functions: they serve both as data input registers and as operation selection controls through the decorated address range mechanism. The same register write operation simultaneously loads operands and configures the arithmetic operation type, making the interface more universal and efficient

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Ease of operation

If registers are mapped non-sequentially in the address space, then specific operations can be accessed directly, but indirect addressing instructions cannot be used efficiently

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedirect register accessVSAvoidindirect addressing efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The address space is segmented into a decorated range specifically for the arithmetic unit, where the structure is optimized for sequential access. Within this segmented range, registers are mapped sequentially, enabling efficient indirect addressing while maintaining direct access capabilities through the structured decoration scheme

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the addressing parameter by introducing a decorated address range with a specific structure where the base address and offset combine to encode both register identity and operation type. This parameter change enables sequential mapping that works efficiently with indirect addressing instructions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If multiple separate accesses are required to perform an arithmetic operation, then operation selection and triggering are explicit, but the interface complexity and access time increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoperation control precisionVSAvoidoperation access time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The operation type is encoded in advance within the target address decoration, so that when the register write occurs, both the operand loading and operation selection have already been prepared. This preliminary encoding eliminates the need for subsequent control register accesses, reducing access time while maintaining precise operation control

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Multiple separate accesses (operand loading + operation selection) are merged into a single unified register write operation. The decorated address range allows both pieces of information to be conveyed in one access, reducing the number of steps and access time while maintaining the precision of operation control through the encoded address structure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS10481795B2Hardware interface component for processing write access requests that identify a register using lesser significant bits of a target address and identify an arithmetic operation to be performed using greater significant bits of the target address

Publication Date: 2019.11.19 NXP USA INC

AI summary

A hardware interface component arranged to operably couple at least one arithmetic unit to a an interconnect component of a processing system. The hardware interface component comprises a plurality of program-visible registers and at least one operation decoder component. The at least one operation decoder component is arranged to, upon receipt of a write access request via the interconnect component corresponding to a decorated memory-mapped address range for the hardware interface component, decode a register identifier component of a target address of the received write access request to identify at least one of the program-visible registers, decode a decoration component of the target address of the received write access request to identify an arithmetic operation to be performed, and configure the arithmetic unit to perform the identified arithmetic operation on at least one input operand within the identified at least one program-visible register.