Dynamic endian switching
US7139905B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 29, 2004 |
| Grant date | Nov 21, 2006 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 2, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F9/34
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The dynamic switching of a bi-endian processor between endian modes is described. A device having the bi-endian processor may also have an endian select circuit. The endian select circuit may receive a signal from the processor that determines what the endian-ness should be after the processor resets. Special instruction code may be executed by the processor in both little and big endian modes. The special instruction code may, for instance, cause a processor in a first endian mode to output a signal and reset, while the same instruction code may cause a processor in a second endian mode to neither output the signal nor reset. Instead, the processor in the second endian mode may jump to a new instruction address and proceed with normal processing.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.