Patent · US Expired

System for queuing individual read or write mask and generating respective composite mask for controlling access to general purpose register

US5142631A · kind A · utility

45Cited by
11References
27Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 3, 1989
Grant dateAug 25, 1992
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 3, 2009

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F9/3858
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method is provided for preprocessing multiple instructions prior to execution of such instructions in a digital computer having an instruction decoder, an instruction execution unit, and multiple general purpose registers which are read to produce memory addresses during the preprocessing. The method comprises: (1) avoiding the preprocessing of a current instruction to read a general purpose register to produce a memory address prior to the modification of the contents of that register by a preceding instruction by (a) generating a composite write mask having a bit set for each general purpose register whose contents are to be modified by at least one of a plurality of decoded by not-yet-executed instructions preceding the current instruction, and (b) stalling the preprocessing of the current instruction when a general purpose register to be read by the current instruction is a register having a bit set in the write mask, and/or (2) avoiding the preprocessing of a current instruction which modifies the contents of a general purpose register that is to be read by a preceding instruction by (a) generating a composite read mask having a bit set for each general purpose register to b…

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