Multiprocessor Task Assignment Based on Connection Topology

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Solution Overview

Problem

In multiprocessor systems, processors must perform routing tasks in addition to their assigned tasks, leading to inefficient power consumption and communication bottlenecks, as they often need to relay information between non-directly connected processors, which can result in increased power usage and potential thermal issues due to uneven task distribution.

Innovation Solution

A multiprocessor system with a task management unit that assigns tasks based on connection relationships between processors, ensuring that processors with fewer direct connections handle fewer tasks and operate at lower frequencies and voltages, thereby reducing power consumption and preventing thermal runaway by redistributing tasks periodically.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If processors are arranged in a matrix with indirect connections, then the system can scale to handle more tasks in parallel, but processors on communication paths must perform routing processes in addition to their assigned tasks, increasing their power consumption and workload

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetask processing capacityVSAvoidprocessor power consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The task management unit performs preliminary action by assigning tasks to processors based on connection information before task execution begins. This pre-planning ensures that processors with fewer direct connections (lower routing overhead) receive more tasks, optimizing the distribution of workload and power consumption across the network before any routing or processing occurs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention applies local quality by treating each processor differently based on its specific position in the network topology. Instead of uniform task distribution, the system assigns tasks according to each processor's number of direct connections, creating a non-uniform distribution that optimizes for local conditions (routing overhead) rather than applying a single global rule.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Stability of the object's composition

If tasks are uniformly distributed across all processors, then each processor handles similar workloads, but processors with more direct connections perform excessive routing processes, leading to uneven effective task processing and potential thermal issues

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveworkload distribution uniformityVSAvoideffective task processing efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary analysis of connection information and task characteristics before assignment, using this advance planning to create an optimized distribution that balances uniformity with efficiency. The task management unit calculates which processors should receive which tasks based on their network position, preventing the inefficiency of uniform distribution while avoiding the unpredictability of ad-hoc assignment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Use of energy by moving object

If processors with more direct connections are assigned more tasks, then routing overhead increases for these processors, but if processors with fewer connections are assigned more tasks, then communication efficiency improves

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverouting process power consumptionVSAvoidcommunication time

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the parameter of task assignment from uniform distribution to distribution based on connection count. By using the number of direct connections as the assignment criterion, the system transforms the task distribution parameter to optimize for reduced routing overhead, directly addressing the contradiction between power consumption and communication efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS9032407B2Multiprocessor system, multiprocessor control method, and multiprocessor integrated circuit

Publication Date: 2015.05.12 SUN PATENT TRUST

AI summary

In a multiprocessor system, in general, a processor assigned with a larger amount of tasks is apt to perform a larger amount of communication with other processors assigned with tasks, than a processor assigned with a smaller amount of tasks. Thus in order for each processor to be able to perform the routing process efficiently, tasks are assigned such that, when there are a first processor and a second processor, the number of processors each assigned with one or more tasks and directly connected with the second processor being smaller than the number of processors each assigned with one or more tasks and directly connected with the first processor, the amount of tasks assigned to the first processor is equal to or larger than the amount of tasks assigned to the second processor.