System signalling schemes for processor & memory module
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorsBasavaraj I. Pawate, Matthew A. Woolsey, Douglas L. Mahlum, Fred J. Reuter, Yoshihide Iwata, Judd E. Heape
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A computer system includes a main processing unit (12) coupled to a DSP/memory module (40). The DSP/memory module (40) includes semiconductor memory (42) and digital signal processor circuitry (44) including one or more digital signal processors (56). The DSP/memory module (40) may be placed in standard main memory sockets, such as a SIMM or DIMM sockets, and used as conventional main memory. The memory module can also be used in a smart mode, wherein the digital signal processor (56) performs operations on data for retrieval by the main processing unit (12).
Claims29
A computer system comprising:
- system processing circuitry including a main processor and
- a memory bus for standard memory modules coupled to said main processor;
- and
- a processor/memory module coupled to said main processor via said memory bus, wherein said processor/memory module is configured as standard memory module adapted to fit a standard memory slot for said memory bus in said systems processing circuitry, said processor/memory module comprising:
- semiconductor memory;
- one or more local processors coupled to said semiconductor memory;
- and
- control circuitry for providing communications between said main processor in said system processing circuitry and said one or more local processors in said processor/memory module by memory addresses such that said system processing circuitry can access said semiconductor memory and can instruct said one or more local processors to transform data and store transformed data in said semiconductor memory for access by said system processing circuitry and such that said one or more local processors relinquishes access to said semiconductor memory when accessed by said main processor.
A computer system comprising:
- system processing circuitry including a main processor
- a processor/memory module coupled to system processing circuitry comprising:
- semiconductor memory;
- one or more local processors coupled to said semiconductor memory;
- and
- control circuitry for providing communications between said systems processing circuitry and said module, such that in a first standard mode of the processor/memory module the main processor accesses the entire memory as a standard memory module, in a second mode the main processor writes to control register to control the local processor functions and can transfer data to and from the local processor through shared memory, and a third mode, configuration mode, wherein the main processor can access the control register and shared memory via index and data register that are in the memory space.
A computer system comprising:
- systems processing circuitry;
- a plurality of processor/memory modules coupled to said system processing circuitry comprising:
- semiconductor memory;
- one or more local processors on said modules coupled to said semiconductor memory;
- and
- control circuitry for providing communications between said system processing circuitry and said one or more local processors such that said system processing circuitry can access said semiconductor memory as main memory and can instruct said one or more local processors to transform data and store transformed data in said semiconductor memory for access by said system processing circuitry;
- and
- means for directly interconnecting said plurality of processor/memory modules such that said local processors can communicate with each other.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.