On-Chip Transaction Filter for Power-Gated Block Communication
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Modern integrated circuits face inefficiencies in managing transactions between functional circuit blocks, particularly when some blocks are in a sleep mode, leading to power consumption issues and potential traffic blockages due to inability to communicate with inactive blocks.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of transaction filters that determine the status of destination blocks and inhibit transactions to blocks in sleep mode, initiating wake-up procedures through power management circuits when necessary, ensuring efficient communication once blocks are active.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If functional circuit blocks are placed in sleep mode to save power, then power consumption is reduced, but communication with inactive blocks fails causing transaction blockages
Solution Approach 1:
The transaction filter performs preliminary checking of the destination block's activity status before allowing a transaction to proceed. By detecting whether the destination block is active or in sleep mode beforehand, the system prevents futile communication attempts and can trigger wake-up sequences proactively, ensuring both power efficiency and communication reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The transaction filter acts as an intermediary component between the source and destination blocks. It intercepts transactions, checks the destination status, and either forwards the transaction or initiates a wake-up sequence, thereby mediating between the power-saving state and the communication requirement
2Loss of energy
If transactions are blocked to sleep mode blocks, then power consumption is reduced, but transaction flow efficiency decreases due to additional filtering overhead
Solution Approach 1:
By performing the activity status check in advance at the transaction filter, the system avoids the waste of transmitting transactions to inactive blocks. This preliminary action prevents energy loss without significantly impacting transaction flow, as the check is integrated into the existing transaction path
Solution Approach 2:
The transaction filter autonomously determines whether to forward or block transactions based on the destination block's status, and can independently initiate wake-up sequences. This self-service capability eliminates the need for complex control logic and maintains transaction flow efficiency while reducing power waste
Data Source
AI summary
A transaction filter for an on-chip communications network is disclosed. In one embodiment, an integrated circuit (IC) include a number of functional circuit blocks, some of which may be placed in a sleep mode (e.g., power-gated). The IC also includes a number of transaction filters that are each associated with a unique one of the functional circuit blocks. Responsive to its associated functional circuit block generating a transaction, a given transaction filter may determine whether the functional circuit block to which the transaction is destined is in a sleep mode. If it is determined that the transaction is destined for a functional circuit block that is currently in the sleep mode, the transaction filter may block the transaction from being conveyed.