Shared Arbitration Unit for Service Request Interrupt Router

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current service request interrupt routers require significant area and power due to multiple independent arbitration units for each Interrupt Control Unit (ICU), leading to inefficiencies in resource allocation and increased power consumption.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a shared arbitration unit among multiple ICUs to arbitrate among Service Request Nodes (SRNs) and determine the highest priority SRN for each ICU, reducing the overall area and power consumption by optimizing resource allocation and sharing arbitration logic.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If each Interrupt Control Unit (ICU) has its own independent arbitration unit, then each ICU can independently arbitrate among Service Request Nodes (SRNs), but the area occupied by the service request interrupt router and power consumption increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveindependent arbitration capabilityVSAvoidarea occupied by arbitration units

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple ICUs share a common arbitration unit instead of each ICU having its own independent arbitration unit. The shared arbitration unit receives service request interrupt signals from multiple SRNs and arbitrates among them for multiple ICUs, thereby reducing the total area occupied by arbitration units while maintaining independent arbitration capability through time-multiplexed or priority-based arbitration schemes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The arbitration unit is designed to serve multiple ICUs simultaneously, making it a universal component that can handle arbitration for different ICUs. This multi-functional arbitration unit can be configured to arbitrate for different sets of SRNs assigned to different ICUs, reducing redundancy and optimizing resource utilization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Productivity

If each Interrupt Control Unit (ICU) has its own independent arbitration unit, then arbitration can be performed independently for each ICU, but dynamic and static power consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvearbitration throughputVSAvoidpower consumption of arbitration units

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSUse of energy by stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

By merging multiple independent arbitration units into a single shared arbitration unit, the total power consumption is reduced because only one arbitration unit needs to be operational at any given time. The shared unit can service multiple ICUs sequentially or through priority arbitration, maintaining productivity while minimizing the number of active arbitration circuits and their associated power consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The shared arbitration unit can perform periodic arbitration cycles for different ICUs, switching between serving different ICU groups in a time-multiplexed manner. This periodic action allows the arbitration functionality to be maintained for multiple ICUs while the arbitration unit is active only during scheduled intervals, reducing overall power consumption compared to having continuously active independent arbitration units for each ICU.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentUS9575912B2Service request interrupt router with shared arbitration unit

Publication Date: 2017.02.21 INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AG

AI summary

A service request interrupt router having Interrupt Control Units (ICUs); and an arbitration unit configured to be shared by the ICUs to arbitrate among Service Request Nodes (SRNs) that have respective service request interrupt signals and that are mapped to the ICUs, to determine for each of the ICUs which of the SRNs has a highest priority.