Data processing system

• US 20020010848A1
• Filed: 05/21/2001
• Published: 01/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Pacific Design Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Pacific Design Incorporated
• Inventors: Sugiura, Yoshihide, Shimogori, Shintaro, Kamano, Shoichi, Yoshimura, Mitsumasa
• Application Number:
  US09/860,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20020010848A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 712/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3836 Instruction issuing, e.g. dynamic instruction scheduling or out of order instruction execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3877 using a slave processor, e.g. coprocessor peripheral processor G06F13/12; vector processor G06F15/8053
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3879 for non-native instruction execution, e.g. executing a command; for Java instruction set
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3897 with adaptable data path

Abstract

A data processing system is provided that includes a special purpose data processing unit (VU) specialized in a specific data processing according to a special purpose instruction, and a general purpose data processing unit (PU) capable of designating processes by general purpose instructions, and an instruction issue unit for supplying signals corresponding to the special purpose instruction and the general purpose instructions to the PU and the VU respectively, the instruction issue unit being an application-specific unit. By replacing the instruction issue unit with a sequencer specialized in the application, a reliable, compact, low-power consumption data processing system is provided in a short period using the resources resulting from optimization with the programmable VUPU processor capable of flexibly dealing with the specification change while maintaining the real-time response.

Claims

1. A data processing system comprising:

a special purpose data processing unit being suitable for specific data processing and performed according to a special purpose instruction;

a general purpose data processing unit for executing processes according to general purpose instructions; and

an instruction issue unit for supplying signals corresponding to the special purpose instruction and the general purpose instructions to the special purpose data processing unit and the general purpose data processing unit respectively, the instruction issue unit being specialized of an application.

2. A data processing system according to claim 1, wherein the instruction issue unit includes a specialized circuit.

3. A data processing system according to claim 1, wherein the instruction issue unit is implemented using a hardware logic circuit.

4. A data processing system according to claim 1, wherein the instruction issue unit is a sequencer.

5. A data processing system according to claim 1, wherein the instruction issue unit supplies the signals equivalent to decoded control signals which are resultant of decoding of the special purpose instruction and the general purpose instructions in a program.

6. A data processing system according to claim 1, wherein the instruction issue unit outputs a signal corresponding to a nop instruction to the general purpose data processing unit when issuing the signal corresponding to the special purpose instruction to the special purpose data processing unit.

7. A data processing system according to claim 1, further comprises a plurality of special purpose data processing units.

8. A data processing system according to claim 1, wherein the special purpose data processing unit includes a specialized circuit.

9. A method for developing a data processing system including a special purpose data processing unit being suitable for specific data processing and performed according to a special purpose instruction;

a general purpose data processing unit for executing processes according to general purpose instructions; and

an instruction issue unit for supplying signals corresponding to the special purpose instruction and the general purpose instructions to the special purpose data processing unit and the general purpose data processing unit respectively, comprises;

a first step in which the instruction issue unit is programmable; and

a second step in which the instruction issue unit is specialized of an application.

10. A method for developing the data processing system according to claim 9, wherein the instruction issue unit of the second step supplies the signals equivalent to decoded control signals which are resultant of decoding of the special purpose instruction and the general purpose instructions of a program by the instruction issue unit of the first step.

11. A method for developing a data processing system including a special purpose data processing unit being suitable for specific data processing and performed according to a special purpose instruction;

a general purpose data processing unit for executing processes according to general purpose instructions; and

an instruction issue unit for supplying signals corresponding to the special purpose instruction and the general purpose instructions to the special purpose data processing unit and the general purpose data processing unit respectively, comprises,

a first optimization for developing the special purpose data processing unit for implementing a part of a specification of an application, and a program for performing the specification using the special purpose instruction and the general purpose instructions, and

a second optimization for optimizing the program using the data processing system in which the instruction issue unit is programmable.

12. A method for developing the data processing system according to claim 11, further comprising;

a third optimization for developing the instruction issue unit implemented using a hardware logic circuit for supplying the signals equivalent to decoded control signals which are resultant of decoding the special purpose instruction and the general purpose instructions of the program by the instruction issue unit of the second optimization.