Efficient bit scan mechanism
US6172623A · kind A · utility
2Cited by
4References
22Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 22, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jan 9, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 22, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03M7/00
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A novel method and apparatus is disclosed for locating the first most, or least, significant set bit in a bit-string. The present invention breaks down the bit-string into a plurality of shorter sub-strings so that boolean operations can be performed directly to the shorter sub-strings for determining the location of the most/least significant set bit. Furthermore, this method can be repeatedly used to reduce the length of the shorter sub-string after the most/least significant sub-string is located. Particularly, this method of repeatedly dividing the bit-string greatly increases the speed of locating the set bit.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.