Multicore DSP device having shared program memory with conditional write protection
US6895479B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 8, 2001 |
| Grant date | May 17, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 28, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F12/1491
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A multi-core digital signal processor is disclosed having a shared program memory with conditional write protection. In one embodiment, the digital signal processor includes a shared program memory, an emulation logic module, and multiple processor cores each coupled to the shared program memory by corresponding instruction buses. The emulation logic module preferably determines the operating modes of each of the processors, e.g., whether they are operating in a normal mode or an emulation mode. In the emulation mode, the emulation logic can alter the states of various processor hardware and the contents of various registers and memory. The instruction buses each include a read/write signal that, while their corresponding processor cores are in normal mode, is maintained in a read state. On the other hand, when the processor cores are in the emulation mode, the processor cores are allowed to determine the state of the instruction bus read/write signals. Each instruction bus read/write signal is preferably generated by a logic gate that prevents the processor core from affecting the read/write signal value in normal mode, but allows the processor core to determine the read/write sig…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.