General purpose processor having a variable bitwidth
US6026486A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 20, 1997 |
| Grant date | Feb 15, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 20, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F9/3885
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A 32-bit processor control unit receives from a memory an instruction. The control unit then determines whether the received instruction is intended for a 32-bit processor or for a 16-bit processor. If the received instruction is analyzed to be a 32-bit processor instruction, the control unit controls the 32-bit processor with the aid of two 16-bit instruction control units. If the received instruction is a 16-bit processor instruction, the 32-bit processor control unit sends a 16-bit processor mode signal to each of the 16-bit instruction control units. One of the two 16-bit instruction control units controls one of two 16-bit processors which are divisions of the 32-bit processor while the other 16-bit instruction control unit controls the other 16-bit processor. The present invention makes it possible to have a single, wide bitwidth processor serve as a plurality of narrow bitwidth processors depending upon the type of processing. Various operations can be performed in parallel, thereby improving processor performance.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.