Determining target addresses for instruction flow changing...

Details Determining target addresses for instruction flow changing... Determining target addresses for instruction flow changing...

2004-02-18

2010-11-09

Chan, Eddie P (Department: 2183)

Electrical computers and digital processing systems: processing

Instruction fetching

Prefetching

Reexamination Certificate

active

07831806

ABSTRACT:
A data processing apparatus comprises a processor for executing a stream of instructions, and a prefetch unit for prefetching instructions from a memory prior to sending those instructions to the processor for execution. The prefetch unit receives from the memory a plurality of prefetched instructions from sequential addresses in memory, and detects whether any prefetched instructions are an instruction flow changing instruction, and outputs a fetch address for a next instruction to be prefetched by the prefetch unit. Address generation logic is also provided which, for a selected prefetched instruction that is detected to be an instruction flow changing instruction, determines a target address to be output as the fetch address. Address generation logic has a first address generation path and a further generation path for determining the target address. The first address generation path generates the target address more quickly than the further address generation path.

REFERENCES:
patent: 5692168 (1997-11-01), McMahan
patent: 5848269 (1998-12-01), Hara
patent: 2003/0159019 (2003-08-01), Oldfield et al.
Hennessy, John. Patterson, David. “Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach”. Morgan Kaufmann Publishers Inc, Third Edition. May 17, 2002. pp. A-2 and A-3.
Furber, Steve. “ARM System-on-Chip Architecture”. Addison-Wesley, 2000. pp. 382-384, 387-388.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Determining target addresses for instruction flow changing... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Determining target addresses for instruction flow changing..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Determining target addresses for instruction flow changing... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-4244378