Method for pipelined data processing with conditioning instructions for controlling execution of instructions without pipeline flushing

Claim 1

A method for pipelined data processing within a data processing device or system including at least one conditional instruction, comprising: decoding a conditional instruction within an instruction pipeline; conditioning the execution of a predetermined set of conditioned instructions following said conditional instruction within said instruction pipeline in response to a condition specified in said conditional instruction; determining which status conditions of a set of predetermined status conditions have been selected by said conditional instruction with mask bits representative of said predetermined status conditions; making a multiple status test in a single cycle by enabling testing of selected status conditions selected by said mask bits and ignoring status conditions not selected by said mask bits; comparing an actual value each of said selected status conditions to a predetermined value contained in corresponding said status bits of the conditional instruction; and determining which values are required by said conditional instruction for said selected set of predetermined status conditions with status bits representative of said predetermined values; and executing said set of conditioned instructions in response to said conditional instruction without flushing said instruction pipeline.

Claim 2

A method for pipelined data processing within a data processing device or system including at least one conditional instruction, comprising: decoding a conditional instruction within an instruction pipeline; conditioning the execution of a predetermined set of conditioned instructions following said conditional instruction within said instruction pipeline in response to a condition specified in said conditional instruction; determining which status conditions of a set of predetermined status conditions have been selected by said conditional instruction with mask bits representative of said predetermined status conditions; making a multiple status test in a single cycle by enabling testing of selected status conditions selected by said mask bits and ignoring status conditions not selected by said mask bits; comparing an actual value each of said selected status conditions to a predetermined value contained in corresponding said status bits of the conditional instruction; and determining which values are required by said conditional instruction for said selected set of predetermined status conditions with status bits representative of said predetermined values; and executing said set of conditioned instructions in response to said conditional instruction without flushing said instruction pipeline.

Claim 5

A method for pipelined data processing within a data processing device or system including at least one conditional instruction, comprising: decoding a conditional instruction within an instruction pipeline; conditioning the execution of a predetermined set of conditioned instructions following said conditional instruction within said instruction pipeline in response to a condition specified in said conditional instruction; determining which status conditions of a set of predetermined status conditions have been selected by said conditional instruction with mask bits representative of said predetermined status conditions; wherein said conditional instruction includes a pair of bits corresponding to each of said status conditions of said set of predetermined status conditions; wherein said determining said condition step further comprises using a first of said pair of bits for determining whether to consider a status condition; wherein said conditioning step further comprises using a second of said pair of bits as a level to test said actual value of said status condition against; and executing said set of conditioned instructions in response to said conditional instruction without flushing said instruction pipeline.

Claim 6

A method for pipelined data processing within a data processing device or system including at least one conditional instruction, comprising: decoding a conditional instruction within an instruction pipeline; conditioning the execution of a predetermined set of conditioned instructions following said conditional instruction within said instruction pipeline in response to a condition specified in said conditional instruction; determining which status conditions of a set of predetermined status conditions have been selected by said conditional instruction with mask bits representative of said predetermined status conditions; wherein said conditional instruction includes a pair of bits corresponding to each of said status conditions of said set of predetermined status conditions; wherein said determining said condition step further comprises using a first of said pair of bits for determining whether to consider a status condition; wherein said conditioning step further comprises using a second of said pair of bits as a level to test said actual value of said status condition against; and executing said set of conditioned instructions in response to said conditional instruction without flushing said instruction pipeline.

Claim 7

A method for pipelined data processing within a data processing device or system including at least one conditional instruction, comprising: a) decoding a conditional instruction within an instruction pipeline; wherein said conditional instruction includes a plurality of pairs of bits corresponding to a set of predetermined status conditions such that each said pair of bits comprises a mask bit and a status bit; b) conditioning the execution of a predetermined set of conditioned instructions following said conditional instruction within said instruction pipeline in response to a condition specified in said conditional instruction; (c) determining which status conditions of said set of predetermined status conditions have been selected by said conditional instruction to form said condition by using a first of said pair of bits as said mask bit representative of said predetermined status conditions for determining whether to consider said status condition; wherein said determining step further comprises making a multiple status test in a single cycle by enabling testing of selected status conditions selected by said mask bits and ignoring status conditions not selected by said mask bits; (d) using a second of said pair of bits as a level to test said actual value of said status condition against by comparing an actual value of each of said selected status conditions to a predetermined value contained in corresponding said status bits of the conditional instruction; and (e) executing said set of conditioned instructions without flushing said instruction pipeline by executing said set of conditioned instructions in a normal manner if said condition specified in said conditional instruction is present, or by changing said conditioned instructions to a no-operation (NOP) instruction if said condition specified in said conditional instruction is not present.

Claim 8

A method for pipelined data processing within a data processing device or system including at least one conditional instruction, comprising: a) decoding a conditional instruction within an instruction pipeline; wherein said conditional instruction includes a plurality of pairs of bits corresponding to a set of predetermined status conditions such that each said pair of bits comprises a mask bit and a status bit; b) conditioning the execution of a predetermined set of conditioned instructions following said conditional instruction within said instruction pipeline in response to a condition specified in said conditional instruction; (c) determining which status conditions of said set of predetermined status conditions have been selected by said conditional instruction to form said condition by using a first of said pair of bits as said mask bit representative of said predetermined status conditions for determining whether to consider said status condition; wherein said determining step further comprises making a multiple status test in a single cycle by enabling testing of selected status conditions selected by said mask bits and ignoring status conditions not selected by said mask bits; (d) using a second of said pair of bits as a level to test said actual value of said status condition against by comparing an actual value of each of said selected status conditions to a predetermined value contained in corresponding said status bits of the conditional instruction; and (e) executing said set of conditioned instructions without flushing said instruction pipeline by executing said set of conditioned instructions in a normal manner if said condition specified in said conditional instruction is present, or by changing said conditioned instructions to a no-operation (NOP) instruction if said condition specified in said conditional instruction is not present.

Claim 10

A method for pipelined data processing within a data processing device or system including at least one conditional instruction, comprising: fetching a conditional instruction from a first address in a memory which is associated with said data processing device; fetching a conditioned instruction from a second address in said memory while said conditional instruction is being processed within an instruction pipeline of said data processing device; fetching a third instruction from a third address in said memory while said conditional instruction and said conditioned instruction are being processed within said instruction pipeline; wherein said first address, said second address and said third address are sequential addresses within said memory; executing said conditional instruction by determining if a condition specified by said conditional instruction is true by enabling testing of selected status conditions selected by a set of mask bits included in said conditional instruction and ignoring status conditions not selected by said mask bits; conditioning the execution of said conditioned instruction within said instruction pipeline in response to said condition, by executing said conditioned instruction in a normal manner if said condition is true and by ignoring any result of said conditioned instruction if said condition is false; and executing said third instruction in a normal manner without regard to the step of executing said conditional instruction, whereby sequential instruction processing proceeds and said conditioned instruction is conditionally executed without flushing said instruction pipeline.

Claim 11

A method for pipelined data processing within a data processing device or system including at least one conditional instruction, comprising: fetching a conditional instruction from a first address in a memory which is associated with said data processing device; fetching a conditioned instruction from a second address in said memory while said conditional instruction is being processed within an instruction pipeline of said data processing device; fetching a third instruction from a third address in said memory while said conditional instruction and said conditioned instruction are being processed within said instruction pipeline; wherein said first address, said second address and said third address are sequential addresses within said memory; executing said conditional instruction by determining if a condition specified by said conditional instruction is true by enabling testing of selected status conditions selected by a set of mask bits included in said conditional instruction and ignoring status conditions not selected by said mask bits; conditioning the execution of said conditioned instruction within said instruction pipeline in response to said condition, by executing said conditioned instruction in a normal manner if said condition is true and by ignoring any result of said conditioned instruction if said condition is false; and executing said third instruction in a normal manner without regard to the step of executing said conditional instruction, whereby sequential instruction processing proceeds and said conditioned instruction is conditionally executed without flushing said instruction pipeline.