Various length software breakpoint in a delay slot
US6516408B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 1, 1999 |
| Grant date | Feb 4, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 1, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F9/3891
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A processor (100) is provided that is a programmable digital signal processor (DSP) with variable instruction length, offering both high code density and easy programming. Instructions may be executed during delay slots after program branching while an execution pipeline is being restarted. Architecture and instruction set are optimized for low power consumption and high efficiency execution of DSP algorithms, such as for wireless telephones, as well as pure control tasks. A software breakpoint instruction is provided for debugging purposes. In order to correctly emulate the operation of the instruction pipeline when a software breakpoint instruction is executed during a delay slot, the width (1110-1115) of the software breakpoint is the same as the replaced instruction. A limited number of breakpoint instruction length formats (1100, 1102) are combined with non-operational instructions (NOP, NOP—16) to form a large number of combination instructions that match any instruction length format.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.