Router Arbiter Availability Comparison for Buffer Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
In semiconductor integrated circuits with distributed buses, traffic flows often occupy input buffers of routers, leading to uneven virtual channel usage and increased time delays, making it difficult to maintain transfer order and minimize jitter without increasing storage section size or number.
Innovation Solution
A router design that compares the availability of data storage sections with adjacent routers to determine whether to output data, preventing a traffic flow from occupying input buffers without increasing storage capacity, and allocates virtual channels uniformly across routers to ensure efficient data transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If data is stored in input buffers of routers in distributed bus systems, then traffic flow transfer is enabled, but input buffers become occupied and uneven virtual channel usage occurs, leading to increased time delays
Solution Approach 1:
The arbiter performs preliminary comparison of data storage section availability between adjacent routers before outputting data. This advance checking prevents traffic flows from occupying input buffers when downstream routers are full, thereby avoiding the time delays that would result from buffer occupation and uneven virtual channel usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring and comparing the availability status of data storage sections in adjacent routers. This feedback mechanism allows the arbiter to make informed decisions about data output timing, preventing buffer occupation and maintaining uniform virtual channel usage across the network.
2Productivity
If storage section size or number is increased to prevent buffer occupation, then transfer performance can be maintained, but implementation area and power dissipation increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing storage capacity, the invention uses preliminary comparison of availability status between adjacent routers to control data output timing. This approach maintains transfer performance by preventing buffer occupation through smart arbitration rather than through increased hardware resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the control parameter from storage capacity to availability status comparison. By monitoring and comparing the availability of data storage sections in adjacent routers, the system achieves efficient buffer management without increasing the physical size or number of storage sections.
3Productivity
If storage section size or number is increased to prevent buffer occupation, then transfer performance can be maintained, but power dissipation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The arbiter performs preliminary availability comparison before data output to prevent buffer occupation. This approach maintains transfer performance through intelligent control rather than increased storage resources, thereby avoiding the additional power dissipation that would result from larger storage sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the existing data storage sections in adjacent routers to provide availability information for arbitration decisions. This self-service approach eliminates the need for additional storage resources and the associated power consumption.
4Ease of operation
If centralized bus control is used, then data transfer can be controlled, but traffic flow interference between bus masters and memory increases as circuit scale grows
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the centralized bus control into distributed router-based control. Each router independently manages its own data storage sections and performs local availability comparison with adjacent routers, eliminating the traffic flow interference that occurs in centralized systems as circuit scale increases.
Solution Approach 2:
The arbiter acts as an intermediary that coordinates data transfer between routers by comparing availability status. This intermediary mechanism enables distributed control that maintains ease of operation while preventing the traffic flow interference inherent in scaled-up centralized systems.
5Adaptability or versatility
If distributed bus control with multiple routers is implemented, then circuit scale can increase, but uneven virtual channel usage and buffer occupation problems arise
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by continuously comparing the availability of data storage sections between adjacent routers. This feedback mechanism maintains stable and uniform virtual channel usage across the distributed network, preventing buffer occupation and ensuring balanced traffic flow distribution as circuit scale increases.
Solution Approach 2:
The arbiter performs preliminary availability comparison before data output to prevent uneven virtual channel usage. This advance checking ensures that traffic flows are distributed uniformly across the network, maintaining stability in virtual channel usage as the circuit scale expands.
Data Source
AI summary
An router includes: a plurality of data storage sections configured to store input data; and an arbiter configured to compare the availability of at least one of the plurality of data storage sections with respect to data that is stored in that data storage section and that shares at least a part of a transmission path to the availability of another data storage section in an adjacent router with respect to that data that also shares at least that part of the transmission path, thereby determining, based on a result of the comparison, whether or not to output that data.