Opportunistic use of pre-corrected data to improve processor performance
US5961655A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 5, 1996 |
| Grant date | Oct 5, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 5, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F11/1052
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Disclosed herein are methods and apparatus which provide a processor with raw, uncorrected data. The uncorrected data (or pre-corrected data) is retrieved from memory and then "bypassed" to a processing unit before its error status is known. Concurrently, error correction hardware determines the data's error status. Since the correct/incorrect indication is the first result available from error correction hardware, this result may be used to gate the actions of a processing unit prior to its taking an irrevocable action with possibly incorrect data. If bypassed data is incorrect, processing unit control logic may flag it as such and read corrected data from the output of error correction hardware. If bypassed data is correct (as will usually be the case), bypassed data may be consumed by a processing unit in due course.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.