System for dynamically providing predicted high/slow speed accessing memory to a processing unit based on instructions

• US 5,113,511 A
• Filed: 06/02/1989
• Issued: 05/12/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Atari Incorporated (Infogrames Entertainment SA)
• Original Assignee: Atari Incorporated (Infogrames Entertainment SA)
• Inventors: Nelson, Craig, Solis, Javier, Needle, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lim,Krisna
• Application Number:
  US07/360,357
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• Field of Search: 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File, 273/85 G, 365/233, 365/230.1
• US Class Current: 711/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0215 with look ahead addressing means

Abstract

A system (60) for predicting CPU addresses includes a CPU (34) connected by bus (62) to page mode address predicting circuit (64). The page mode address predicting circuit (64) is connected to memory arbitration circuits (66) by bus (68). The memory arbitration circuits (66) are connected to RAM (42) by address, data and control busses (44), (46) and (48). The CPU (34), page mode address predicting circuit (64) and the memory arbitration circuits 66 are contained in a microprocessor integrated circuit (32). The page mode predicting circuit 64 examines signals from the CPU (34) to be supplied to the data bus (46) at the time of a SYNC pulse. This operation results in examination of the first byte of a CPU instruction to determine how many of the following memory accesses will be able to be carried out in high speed mode. If it is determined that the next memory access will be able to be carried out in the high speed mode, then the next memory cycle is performed using a high speed access mode of the RAM (42), e.g. page mode access.

Claims

1. A system for predicting processing unit memory addressing and for selectively providing high speed addressing of a random access memory, the system comprising;

a processing unit;

a random access memory connected to supply data and instructions to said processing unit in response to memory accesses from the processing unit, said random access memory being operable in a high speed mode for predetermined sequences of addresses and otherwise operable in a low speed mode;

predicting means coupled to said random access memory for receiving instructions supplied by said random access memory to said processing unit and for providing a first signal in response to received instructions if the next memory access by said processing unit is to an address accessible in the high speed mode; and

means for accessing said random access memory in the high speed mode in response to the first signal, and in the low speed mode otherwise.

2. The system of claim 1 in which the high speed mode is page mode accessing.

3. The system of claim 1 in which said predicting means is coupled to receive a status signal from said processing unit, said predicting means receiving an instruction in response to the status signal.

4. The system of claim 3 in which the status signal is a signal synchronized with the first byte of an instruction.

5. A method for dynamically providing selective high speed memory addressing in a system having a processing unit and a random access memory connected to supply instructions to the processing unit, the random access memory being operable in a high speed mode for predetermined sequences of addresses and otherwise operable in a low speed mode, the method comprising the steps of:

providing instructions from the random access memory to the processing unit;

predicting from the provided instructions if a subsequent memory access is to an address accessible in the high speed mode; and

addressing said random access memory in the high speed mode in response to a prediction and in the low speed mode otherwise.

6. A method for dynamically providing selective high speed memory addressing as in claim 5 wherein the step of predicting is responsive to the first byte of each instruction.

7. A method for dynamically providing selective high speed memory addressing as in claim 5 wherein the step of predicting predicts in response to the provided instructions that multiple subsequent memory accesses are accessible in the high speed mode and the step of addressing is repeated multiple times in response.

8. A method for dynamically providing selective high speed memory addressing as in claim 5 wherein the step of addressing is accomplished by the processing unit.

9. A method for dynamically providing selective high speed memory addressing as in claim 5 wherein the step of addressing accesses said random access memory before an access to the same address by the processing unit.

10. A system for dynamically providing selective high speed memory addressing, the system comprising;

a processing unit;

a random access memory connected to supply instructions to said processing unit in response to memory accesses from said processing unit, said random access memory being operable in a high speed mode for predetermined sequences of addresses and otherwise operable in a low speed mode;

predicting means coupled to receive instructions supplied to said processing unit for providing a first signal in response to received instructions if the next memory access is to an address that accessible in the high speed mode; and

mode selection means for accessing said random access memory in the high speed mode in response to the first signal and in the low speed mode otherwise.

11. A system for dynamically providing selective high speed memory addressing as in claim 10 wherein the predicting means is coupled to receive only the first byte of each instruction.

12. A system for dynamically providing selective high speed memory addressing as in claim 10 wherein the predicting means further provides a second signal in response to received instructions if multiple subsequent memory accesses are accessible in the high speed mode and the mode selection means accesses said random access memory in the high speed mode multiple times in response to the second signal.

13. A system for dynamically providing selective high speed memory addressing as in claim 10 wherein the mode selection means causes the processing unit to access said random access memory in the high speed mode in response to the first signal.

14. A system for dynamically providing selective high speed memory addressing as in claim 10 wherein the mode selection means causes a high speed memory access in response to the first signal before an access to the same address by the processing unit.

15. A system as in claim 10 wherein said predicting means logically includes a table of the processing unit instructions and a number of sequential memory accesses accessible in a high speed mode for each instruction.