EP0325384A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Data processing and communication
Assignee: Quantel Ltd
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Filing: 1989-01-13
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2009-01-13
Abstract
Abstract A data processing system having a plurality of processing units (C1, C2), a plurality of memory units (M1, M2) and a communication system providing communication between the processing units and the memory units. The processing units each have a plurality of register sets (R1, R2) allowing them to run a plurality of processes. When a process requires data from memory, which it receives over the communication system, its respective processing unit processes another ot its processes until that requires data. Data is transmitted over the communication system, which may be configured as a grid, in the form of packets. The grid is congigured from routing devices which include first-in-first-out devices for the buffering of packets. The system facilitates the construction of circuits integrated onto a single wafer of semiconducting material. Furthermore the grid structure may also be employed as a local area network and computers having a similar architecture may be connected to the network providing a processing facility of considerable power.
Inventors
- 👤 Robin Alexander Cawley
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 15:47
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F9/00; G06F9/06; G06F9/46; G06F9/52; G06F15/00; G06F15/16; G06F15/163; G06F15/173; G06F15/17356; G06F15/17368; G06F9/44; G06F9/448; G06F9/4494; G06F9/461; G06F9/462
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 46
Claim 1
Independent Claim
133 words
Data processing apparatus having two or more processing units (C1, C2), characterised by two or more memory units (M1, M2), and a communication system (A1, R1, R2 ...) providing communication between said processing units and said memory units; wherein each of said processing units includes: a plurality of register sets each capable of receiving data relating to a respective process; and processing means for, processing a first process by accessing a first of said register sets until said first process requires a first datum to be supplied via said communication system, requesting via said communication system a first datum to be supplied back via said communication system and discontinuing the processing of said first process pending the receipt of said first datum, and processing a second process by accessing a second register set.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
133 words
Data processing apparatus having two or more processing units (C1, C2), characterised by two or more memory units (M1, M2), and a communication system (A1, R1, R2 ...) providing communication between said processing units and said memory units; wherein each of said processing units includes: a plurality of register sets each capable of receiving data relating to a respective process; and processing means for, processing a first process by accessing a first of said register sets until said first process requires a first datum to be supplied via said communication system, requesting via said communication system a first datum to be supplied back via said communication system and discontinuing the processing of said first process pending the receipt of said first datum, and processing a second process by accessing a second register set.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
57 words
Data processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the processing means of each processing unit is arranged for, processing said second process until a second datum is required, requesting said second datum via said communication system and discontinuing the processing of said second process, and processing a third process by accessing a third register set.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
38 words
Data processing apparatus according to claim 1 characterised by said processing units including means for identifying whether a process is runnable or awaiting data, wherein said second process is selected for processing from the processes idenified as runnable.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
59 words
Data processing apparatus according to claim 3, characteried in that the processing units include means for supplying data from the communication system to the register set of the process for which said data was requested, and means for identifying the process to which data has been supplied as runnable, whereby said supplied process may then be selected for processing.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
Data processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that each of said processing units includes means for requesting a datum from any of said memory units connected to said communication system.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
38 words
Data processing apparatus according to claim 5, characterised in that a datum supplied to a process is an instruction to the processing unit to be performed as part of a process and is derived from a computer program.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
45 words
Data processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that said memory units include a memory controller, wherein said memory units include a memory controller is arranged to transfer a datum or blocks of data between its said respective memory device and the communication system.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
47 words
Data processing apparatus according to claim 7, characterised in that said memory controller includes locking means arranged to perform an indivisable read/write to prevent said processing units from communication with the memory device via the communicating system while one of said processing devices is given exclusive access.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
37 words
Data processing apparatus according to claim 8, characterised in that a process runnable on one of said processing units controls the locking and unlocking of said locking means in response to requests made by said processing units.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
74 words
Data processing apparatus according to claim 7, characterised in that the memory controllers of said memory units are programmed with details of the instruction set of said processing units, wherein said controllers are arranged to read a block of data form their respective memory divice consisting of processing-unit instructions, and said blcok is terminated on reaching a predetermined size or on reading a datum instructing a process to branch to another area of memory.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
57 words
Data processing apparatus according to claim 7, characterised in that at least one of said processing units is a vector type processor with registers arranged in banks, and blocks of data are supplied form a memory device to a bank of registers within said vector processor in response to a single request made via said communication system.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
26 words
Data processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that each of said processing units includes means for writing data to any of said memory units.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
33 words
Data processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterised by having at least one dedicated processing device wherein communication between said processing units and said dedicated processing device is provided via said communication system.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
31 words
Data processing apparatus according to claim 8, characterised in that said dedicated processing device performs floating point arithmetic calculations and supplies results back to said processing units via said communication system.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
29 words
Data processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that said processing units are 16 bit or 32 bit processors having processing power of similar order to conventional microprocessors.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
41 words
Data processing apparatus according to claim 7, characterised in that said memory controllers includes additional storage means wherein data is transferred to and from said additional storage means when the data processing system is programmed to operate as a dataflow machine.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
34 words
Data processing apparatus according to claim 16 characterised in that said additional storage means includes a flag field, a value field, an output list field, and an operation field to provide supply driven operation.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
48 words
18 Data processing apparatus according to claim 16, characterised in that said additional storage means includes a flag field wherein one of the flags of said flag field is a value wanted flag, a value field, an input list and an operation field to provide demand driven operation.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
124 words
A communication system comprising a plurality of routing means connected by transmission means; characterised by; each of said routing means having at least two input ports and at least two output ports; said input port being arranged to receive data packets via a respective first-in-first-out (FIFO) memory device' said data packets having a plurality of temporally separated words including a local destination word, and each of said words inclding a plurality of spacially separated digits; said routing means including means for selectively directing packets to one of its said at least two output ports in response to the local destination word of the packet, and means for controlling the transmission properties of its respective FIFO to prevent data collision within the said routing means.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
124 words
A communication system comprising a plurality of routing means connected by transmission means; characterised by; each of said routing means having at least two input ports and at least two output ports; said input port being arranged to receive data packets via a respective first-in-first-out (FIFO) memory device' said data packets having a plurality of temporally separated words including a local destination word, and each of said words inclding a plurality of spacially separated digits; said routing means including means for selectively directing packets to one of its said at least two output ports in response to the local destination word of the packet, and means for controlling the transmission properties of its respective FIFO to prevent data collision within the said routing means.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
23 words
A communication system according to claim 19, characterised in that said routing means and its respective FIFOs are fabricated onto a single chip.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
28 words
A communication system according to claim 20, characterised in that the respective FIFOs of a routing means are the FIFOs connected to the input of said routing means.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
28 words
A communication system according to claim 19, characterised in that said FIFOs are randomly addressable devices wherein data is buffered by writing to and reading from different addresses.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
46 words
A communication system according to claim 19, characterised in that said routing means includes means for inhibiting the transfer of data form a FIFO connected to its input port if the data being supplied to said input port cannot be supplied to its destination output port.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
51 words
A communication system according to claim 19, characterised in that said local destination word is the first word of a packet and said routing means includes means for selectively directing words of a packet to an output port while subsequent words of said packet are being recieved at an input port.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
37 words
A communication system according to claim 19, characterised by said routing means including programmable means defining the position of all possible destinations to determine the preferred output port for selection in response to recieving a destination word.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
38 words
A communication system according to claim 19 characterised by said routing means being arranged to direct a first received packet to a first selected output port while simultaneously directing a second received packet to a second selected output.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
31 words
A communication system according to claim 25, characterised by said programmable means including means to determine a second best output port for selection when said preferred output port is in use.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
58 words
A communication system according to claim 19, characterised in that a network is configured from said routing means by connecting an output port of a first routing means to the input port of a second routing means, wherein at least one pair of input and output ports for each routing means are not connected to another routing means.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
48 words
A communication system according to claim 28, characterised in that each packet includes data relating to the time during which the packet has been present in the system and the system includes means for removing packets which have been in the system for longer than a predermined interval.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
31 words
A communication system according to claim 29, characterised in that each routing means receives common clock data to determine the time interval during which a packet has been in the system.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
37 words
A communication system according to claim 28, characterised in that said routing means are configured in a grid with each central routing means connected to four other routing means via a pair of input and output ports.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
31 words
A communication system according to claim 28, characterised in that each connection between an output port and an input port is unidirectional with no branching and includes a said respective FIFO.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
28 words
Data processing apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 18, characterised in that said communication system is a system according to any of claims 19 to 32.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
56 words
Data processing apparatus according to claim 33 when dependent on claim 28, characterised in that each routing means has five pairs of input ports and output ports, wherein four of said pairs are connected to other routing means, and the fifth pair of at least two of said routing means are connected to respective memory units.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
87 words
Data processing apparatus according to claim 33 when dependent on claim 28, characterised in that each routing means includes five pairs of input and output ports, wherein a network of routing means are configured as a hypercube with nodal routing means connected to a processing or memory unit, and the remaining four pairs of ports connected to the fifth pair of ports of respective transfer routing means, and the remaining four pairs of ports of each of said transfer routing means are connected to further routing means.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
68 words
Data processing apparatus according to claim 33, characterised in that a request for a datum from a memory unit is made by applying a packet of data to the communication system, wherein each packet, (a) identifies the processing unit, (b) identifies the process running on said processing unit, (c) identifies the memory unit from which the datum is required, and (d) specifies the address of said required datum.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
24 words
A communication system according to any of claims 19 to 32 characterised in that said routing means are nodes of a local area network.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
80 words
A communication system according to claim 37 when dependant on claim 24 characterised in that a plurality of local area networks are connected by second level nodes of a second level network wherein the first word of each packet distributed over said second level network includes a second level destination word preceeding said local destination word, and said second level nodes include means for removing or inhibiting said second level words before a packet is distributed over a local network.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
27 words
A communication system according to claim 38 characterised in that a datum of said destination words identify whether said words are for second level or local distribution.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
22 words
A communication system according to claim 38 wherein additonal levels of distribution are provided in addition to local and second level distribution.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
28 words
A communication system according to claim 37 characterised in that a data processing apparatus according to claim 1 is connected to a node of said local area network.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
29 words
A communication system according to claim 41 characterised in that nodes of the local area network and routing means of the data processing apparatus are configured from similar circuits.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
21 words
A communication system according to claim 31 characterised int that said grid is fabricated on a single wafer of semiconducting material.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
22 words
A data processing apparatus accordint to claim 33 characterised in that said system is configured on a single wafer of semiconducting material.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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