Converting a stream of data using a lookaside buffer
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorJoseph Raymond Michael Zbiciak
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A stream of data is accessed from a memory system by an autonomous memory access engine, converted on the fly by the memory access engine, and then presented to a processor for data processing. A portion of a lookup table (LUT) containing converted data elements is preloaded into a lookaside buffer associated with the memory access engine. As the stream of data elements is fetched from the memory system each data element in the stream of data elements is replaced with a respective converted data element obtained from the LUT in the lookaside buffer according to a content of each data element to thereby form a stream of converted data elements. The stream of converted data elements is then propagated from the memory access engine to a data processor.
Claims21
-7. (canceled)
An electronic device comprising:
- a processor;
- a memory;
- and
- a memory controller comprising:
- storage circuitry;
- and
- an interface coupled to the memory;
- wherein the memory controller is configured to, responsive to one or more instructions:
- receive first data from the memory;
- store the first data in the storage circuitry as a lookup table (LUT);
- receive second data from the memory, the second set of data representing a set of data elements;
- and
- for each data element of the set of data elements:
- determining a converted value corresponding to the data element, wherein the determining of the converted value includes accessing the LUT;
- and
- providing the converted value corresponding to the data element to the processor.
A method comprising:
- causing a memory controller to receive first data from a memory coupled to the memory controller;
- causing the memory controller to receive second data from the memory, the second data representing a set of data elements, wherein each data element represents encoded data;
- storing the first data in storage circuitry of the memory controller, wherein the first data represents at least a portion of a lookup table (LUT) having a plurality of entries, each entry having an input value and an output value;
- causing the memory controller to receive second data from the memory, the second data representing a plurality of first data elements, wherein each first data element represents encoded data;
- determining a plurality of second data elements, wherein each second data element represents decoded data corresponding to a respective one of the first data elements, and wherein the determining of each second data element comprises:
- for a respective first data element:
- determining an index value based on the first data element;
- determining whether the LUT includes an entry having an input value that matches the index value;
- and
- responsive to determining the LUT includes an entry having an input value that matches the index value, selecting the output value of the entry having the input value that matches the index value as the second data element;
- and
- providing the plurality of second data elements to a processor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.