Vector processor with vector buffer memory for read or write of vector data between vector storage and operation unit

A vector processor, comprising:

• vector data storage means for storing plural vector data;
• memory requester means connected to said vector data storage means for accessing said vector data storage means to read vector data from or to write vector data into said vector data storage means;
• a plurality of vector registers connected to said vector data storage means each for holding vector data;
• operation means connected to said plurality of vector registers for performing an operation on vector data read out from one of said vector registers and for providing one of said vector registers with vector data corresponding to a result of the operation;
• buffer storage means connected to said vector data storage means and said vector registers for holding plural vector data each in one of a plurality of data areas included in said vector buffer storage means;
• instruction means for decoding an applied instruction and for generating a read or write request and identification data identifying vector data which is requested by the applied instruction to be transferred between said vector data storage means and said vector registers;
• and
• buffer storage control means connected to said buffer storage means, said memory requester means, said instruction means and said vector registers for controlling the transfer of the requested vector data between said vector data storage means and said vector registers, said control means including:
• (a) identification data storage means for holding plural identification data each identifying vector data held in one of said data areas of said buffer storage means;
• (b) detect means connected to said instruction means and said identification data storage means and responsive to the generated identification data for detecting whether or not one of plural identification data already stored in said identification data storage means coincides with the generated identification data;
• and
• (c) read/write control means connected to said instruction means, said buffer storage means and said detect means and responsive to a generated read request for reading one of plural vector data from said buffer storage means to said vector registers when said detect means detects coincidence between the generated identification data and identification data for the one vector data, for sending the generated read request to said memory requester means so that said memory requester means reads the requested vector from said vector data storage means to said vector registers when said detect means does not detect said coincidence and for writing the requested vector data read out by said memory requester means into a selected one of said data areas, and responsive to the generated write request, for writing vector data read out from said vector registers into one of said data areas of said buffer storage means, when the detect means detects coincidence between the generated identification data and identification data for vector data already stored in said one data area and for writing the vector data read out from said vector registers into a selected one of the data areas of said buffer storage means when said detect means does not detect coincidence, said control means including means for selecting the one of said data areas in which the vector data read out of said vector storage means is to be written when said detect means does not detect coincidence or in which the vector data read out of said vector registers is to be written when said detect means does not detect coincidence.

A vector processor, comprising:

• vector data storage means for storing plural vector data;
• memory requester means connected to said vector data storage means for accessing said vector data storage means respectively for read-out or for write-in of vector data;
• operation means connected to said vector data storage means for performing an operation on input vector data and for providing vector data corresponding to a result of the operation on the input vector data;
• buffer storage means connected to said vector storage means for holding plural vector data each in one of data areas included in said buffer storage means;
• instruction means for decoding an applied instruction which requests reading of first vector data from said vector data storage means to said operation means and writing of second vector data provided by said operation means into said vector storage means and for generating a read request for the first vector data, a write request for the second vector data and first and second identification data respectively identifying said first and second vector data and
• buffer storage control means connected to said buffer storage means, said memory requester means, said instruction means and said operation means for controlling the reading of the first vector data and the writing of the second vector data, including:
• (a) identification data storage means for holding plural identification data each identifying vector data held in one of said data areas of said buffer storage means;
• (b) detect means connected to said instruction means and said identification data storage means and responsive to the first and second identification data for identifying whether or not one of plural identification data already held by said identification data storage means coincides with said first and second identification data;
• and
• (c) read/write control means connected to said instruction means, said detect means and said buffer storage means and responsive to the read request and to detection by said detect means of one identification data coincident with the first identification data for reading vector data corresponding to the one identification data from said buffer storage means to provide the read vector data to said operation means as said first vector data, responsive to the read request and to detection by said detect means of no coincident identification data for sending the read request to said memory requester means so that the first vector data is read out by said memory requester means from said vector data storage means to said operation means and for writing the read out vector data into a first selected one of said data areas of said buffer storage means, responsive to the write request and to detection by said detect means of one identification data coincident to the second identification data for writing the second vector data provided by said operation means into one of said data areas of said buffer storage means which holds vector data corresponding to the second identification data and responsive to the write request and to detection of no coincident identification data by said detect means for writing the second vector data into a second selected one of said data areas of said buffer storage means, said read/write control means including means for selecting the first and second data areas from said data areas of said buffer storage means.

A vector buffer storage for use in connection with a vector data storage which holds in address storage locations a number of vector data each comprised of a number of vector elements, comprising:

• buffer storage means for storing a copy of a portion of the plural vector data held in said vector data storage, each vector data being stored in said buffer storage means in a respective one of a plurality of data areas therein;
• and
• buffer storage control means connected to said buffer storage means for controlling a reading of vector data from or a writing of vector data into said buffer storage means in response to an applied read or write request respectively requesting a reading out of vector data from or a writing of applied vector data into said vector data storage, said buffer storage control means including:
• (a) identification data storage means for holding plural identification data each identifying a respective vector data held in one of said data areas of said buffer storage means;
• (b) detect means connected to said identification data storage means and responsive to applied identification data identifying the vector data to be read from said vector data storage for detecting whether or not identification data coincident with the applied identification data is already stored in said identification data storage means;
• and
• (c) read/write control means connected to said buffer storage means and said detect means and responsive to an applied read request for reading, as said requested vector data, one of plural vector data held by said buffer storage means when said detect means detects coincidence between the applied identification data and identification data for the one vector data.