Interconnect Bandwidth Allocation for Fair Multicore Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conflicts between software applications running on a multicore microcontroller cause interconnect displacement, leading to slowed processing and reduced hardware utilization due to time-division multiplexing, which does not effectively manage interconnect access.
Innovation Solution
A controller allocates interconnect bandwidth to each master agent within a time interval and delays new access requests from agents that have consumed their allocated bandwidth, using a request delay mechanism to manage interconnect access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If time-division multiplexing is used to resolve interconnect displacement, then conflicts between applications are reduced, but processing speed is slowed and hardware utilization is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic bandwidth allocation where the interconnect bandwidth is not fixed but adjusted based on real-time monitoring of access patterns and performance metrics. The system dynamically modifies time interval parameters and bandwidth allocations to optimize both reliability and processing speed, moving away from static time-division multiplexing to an adaptive allocation mechanism that responds to actual system conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes key parameters including time interval duration, bandwidth allocation ratios, and arbitration priorities based on monitored performance data. By adjusting these parameters dynamically, the system can shift between favoring reliability (when conflicts occur) and favoring processing speed (when the interconnect is underutilized), thus resolving the contradiction between these two opposing requirements
2Reliability
If time-division multiplexing is used to manage interconnect access, then interconnect conflicts are reduced, but hardware utilization is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a feedback mechanism that continuously monitors interconnect usage, access latency, and bandwidth consumption. This feedback information is used to adjust bandwidth allocations and time interval settings, ensuring that the system maintains fair access (reliability) while maximizing the efficient use of interconnect resources (hardware utilization). The feedback loop prevents both over-allocation that would cause conflicts and under-allocation that would waste resources
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static time-division multiplexing to dynamic bandwidth allocation where resource distribution is continuously adjusted based on actual demand and performance metrics. This dynamic approach allows the system to maintain fairness among master agents while maximizing overall hardware utilization by allocating bandwidth to agents that need it most at any given moment
3Speed
If a master agent accesses the interconnect often or with high latency, then that agent's processing is prioritized, but other applications are slowed down
Solution Approach 1:
The system monitors access frequency and latency metrics for each master agent and dynamically adjusts bandwidth allocation parameters accordingly. When an agent exhibits high access frequency or latency, the system modifies its time interval and bandwidth parameters to prevent it from monopolizing the interconnect, thereby balancing access speed for individual agents with reduced waiting time for other applications
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback monitoring that tracks each master agent's access patterns and performance metrics. This feedback is used to dynamically adjust arbitration decisions and bandwidth allocations, ensuring that no single agent can dominate the interconnect to the detriment of others. The system responds to observed behavior by adjusting parameters to maintain both individual access speed and overall system responsiveness
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for distributing interconnect bandwidth among master agents. The method includes allocating to each of the master agents a respective portion of the interconnect bandwidth within a time interval; monitoring the master agents to determine if any of the master agents has consumed its allocated portion of interconnect bandwidth within a current time interval; and if a master agent has consumed its allocated portion of interconnect bandwidth within the current time interval, delaying any new access requests from this master agent for a predetermined request delay time within the current time interval.