Patent · US Expired

Apparatus and method for an extended arithmetic logic unit for expediting selected floating point operations

US4811272A · kind A · utility

12Cited by
4References
17Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 15, 1987
Grant dateMar 7, 1989
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 15, 2007

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F2207/5442
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Apparatus and method for expediting the alignment of the fraction portion of operands in floating point operations. The alignment is performed in the arthmetic logic unit where the argument of the operand A exponent is subtracted from the argument of the operand B exponent. Because the result B-A can be a negative quantity, the result A-B can also be required. The arthmetic logic unit of the present invention provides additional apparatus for simultaneously determining B-A and A-B. The additional apparatus includes components in the propagate bit and generate bit cell for determining an auxiliary generate bit; an additional carry-chain array for combining the carry-in signal, the propagate bit and the auxiliary generate bit; and selection circuits for selecting the appropriate result.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.