Register Emulating Memory for Reduced Circuit Area

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing processing circuits face challenges in reducing circuit area and power consumption while maintaining compliance with processor architectures that require a large number of registers, especially in mixed-signal and large geometry processes.

Innovation Solution

The use of a set of hardware registers with insufficient storage capacity is complemented by register-emulating memory locations in memory, allowing data transfer and emulation of architectural registers to reduce the overall gate count and power consumption, with control circuitry managing data between hardware registers and memory locations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a complete set of hardware registers is provided to support all architectural registers, then the processor complies with the predetermined architecture, but the circuit area and power consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvearchitecture complianceVSAvoidcircuit area

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The register set is segmented into two parts: a reduced set of hardware registers and register-emulating memory locations. This segmentation allows the processor to comply with the architecture by providing access to all architectural registers while physically implementing only a subset in hardware, thereby reducing circuit area.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Control circuitry acts as an intermediary between the program instructions and the register storage. It manages data transfer between hardware registers and memory locations, enabling the processor to present a complete register interface to software while using a reduced hardware register set, thus resolving the contradiction between architecture compliance and area reduction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If a complete set of hardware registers is provided to support all architectural registers, then the processor complies with the predetermined architecture, but the power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvearchitecture complianceVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

By segmenting the register storage into hardware registers and memory locations, the processor reduces the number of hardware registers that consume power continuously. Memory locations only consume power when actively accessed, thereby reducing overall power consumption while maintaining architecture compliance through the control circuitry's management of data transfer.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The control circuitry mediates between architectural requirements and physical implementation, enabling the processor to meet architecture compliance requirements while using a reduced hardware register set that consumes less power. It manages the transfer of data between memory and the limited hardware registers efficiently.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Area of stationary object

If the hardware register set storage capacity is reduced, then the circuit area and power consumption decrease, but the ability to store data for all architectural registers is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecircuit areaVSAvoidregister storage capacity

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The solution merges hardware registers with memory locations to create a hybrid register storage system. The hardware registers provide fast access for frequently used registers, while memory locations provide additional storage capacity for the complete set of architectural registers. This merging allows the processor to reduce circuit area while maintaining sufficient storage capacity through the combined hardware-software register implementation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The control circuitry serves as an intermediary that manages the expanded storage capacity provided by memory locations. It handles data transfer between the reduced hardware register set and memory, enabling the system to support all architectural registers despite having fewer hardware registers, thus resolving the contradiction between reduced circuit area and sufficient storage capacity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS20210026634A1Apparatus with reduced hardware register set using register-emulating memory location to emulate architectural register

Publication Date: 2021.01.28 ARM LTD

AI summary

An apparatus comprises processing circuitry for processing program instructions according to a predetermined architecture defining a number of architectural registers accessible in response to the program instructions. A set of hardware registers is provided in hardware. A storage capacity of the set of hardware registers is insufficient for storing all the data associated with the architectural registers of the pre-determined architecture. Control circuitry is responsive to the program instructions to transfer data between the hardware registers and at least one register-emulating memory location in memory for storing data corresponding to the architectural registers of the architecture.