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US 9,437,172 B2Granted
High-speed low-power access to register files
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsAndrew M. Havlir, Michael A. Geary, Robert Kenney
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Embodiments of a unified shading controller are disclosed. The embodiments may provide a first functional unit configured to send a write request to a second functional unit. The write request may include data and the data may include one or more control bits. Upon receiving the write request, the second functional unit may check the one or more control bits, and hold the data in a given queue dependent upon the control bits.
Claims14
An apparatus, comprising:
- a first functional unit configured to send a write request, wherein the write request includes data to be stored, and wherein the data includes one or more control bits;
- and
- a second functional unit including a plurality of queues, a register file, wherein the register file includes a plurality of banks, and wherein the second functional unit is configured to:
- receive the write request;
- check the one or more control bits;
- hold the data in a given queue of the plurality of queues dependent upon the one or more control bits;
- determine an oldest entry of a subset of entries stored in the given queue responsive to a determination that a number of available entries in the queue is less than a threshold value, wherein the one or more control bits of each entry of the subset of entries indicate the data of each entry should be held in the queue;
- write the oldest entry of the subset of entries to the register file;
- receive a read request for a given bank of the plurality of banks;
- increment a victim count responsive to a determination the given bank of the plurality of banks is being accessed by a third functional unit and
- send a signal to the third functional unit responsive to a determination that a value of the victim count is greater than a threshold value, wherein the signal indicates to the third functional unit to hold further accesses to the given bank of the plurality of banks.
8 more elements
A method, comprising:
- receiving, from a first functional unit, by a second functional unit, data to be stored, wherein the data includes one or more control bits;
- checking the one or more control bits;
- holding the data in a given queue of a plurality of queues, dependent upon the one or more control bits;
- receiving, by the second functional unit, a read request data stored in a given bank of a plurality of banks, wherein each bank of the plurality of banks corresponds to a respective queue of the plurality of queues;
- incrementing a victim count responsive to determining that the given bank of the plurality of banks is currently being accessed by a third functional unit;
- and
- sending a signal to the third functional unit responsive to a determination that a value of the victim count is greater than a threshold value, wherein the signal indicates to the third functional unit to hold further accesses to the given bank of the plurality of bank.
4 more elements
A system, comprising:
- a display;
- and
- a graphics unit including a first functional unit, a second functional unit, and a register file including a plurality of banks, wherein the graphics unit is configured to:
- send a write request from the first functional unit to the second functional unit, wherein the write request includes data to be stored, and wherein the data includes one or more control bits;
- check the one or more control bits;
- hold the data in a given queue of a plurality of queues dependent upon the one or more control bits;
- determine an oldest entry of a subset of entries stored in the given queue responsive to a determination a number of available entries in the queue is less than a threshold value, wherein the one or more control bits of each entry of the subset entries indicate the data of each entry should be held in the queue;
- write the oldest entry of the subset of entries to the register file;
- receive a read request for a given bank of the plurality of banks;
- increment a victim count responsive to a determination the given bank of the plurality of banks is being accessed by a third functional unit;
- and
- send a signal to the third functional unit responsive to a determination that a value of the victim count is greater than a threshold value, wherein the signal indicates to the third functional unit to hold further accesses to the given bank of the plurality of banks.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.