Data processing performance control
First Claim
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1. Apparatus for processing data, said apparatus comprising:
- a processor operable to perform data processing operations under control of program instructions, said processor being operable under program instruction control to generate a performance level request signal indicative of a desired data processing performance level of said processor; and
a mapping circuit operable to map said performance level request signal into a control signal supplied to one or more further circuits to control operation of said one or more further circuits so as to support said desired data processing performance level of said processor such that said program instructions controlling generation of said performance level request signal are independent of how said one or more further circuits are controlled to meet said desired data processing performance level.
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Abstract
A processor 46 operating under program instruction control generates a desired performance level request. A mapping circuit then maps this to a control signal, such as a thermometer coded control signal, which is supplied to further circuits which require control so as to support the desired data processing performance level. These further circuits can include a clock generator 4 and a voltage controller 6.
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Citations
43 Claims
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1. Apparatus for processing data, said apparatus comprising:
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a processor operable to perform data processing operations under control of program instructions, said processor being operable under program instruction control to generate a performance level request signal indicative of a desired data processing performance level of said processor; and
a mapping circuit operable to map said performance level request signal into a control signal supplied to one or more further circuits to control operation of said one or more further circuits so as to support said desired data processing performance level of said processor such that said program instructions controlling generation of said performance level request signal are independent of how said one or more further circuits are controlled to meet said desired data processing performance level. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of processing data, said method comprising the steps of:
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performing data processing operations with a processor under control of program instructions, said processor being operable under program instruction control to generate a performance level request signal indicative of a desired data processing performance level of said processor; and
mapping with a mapping circuit said performance level request signal into a control signal supplied to one or more further circuits to control operation of said one or more further circuits so as to support said desired data processing performance level of said processor such that said program instructions controlling generation of said performance level request signal are independent of how said one or more further circuits are controlled to meet said desired data processing performance level. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A computer program product containing program instructions for controlling a processor, said program instructions comprising:
program instructions executable by said processor to set a desired data processing performance level to control one or more further circuits to support said desired data processing performance level operate, said desired data processing performance level having value linearly related to said desired data processing performance level. - View Dependent Claims (43)
Specification