Processor system with dual clock

• US 5,381,543 A
• Filed: 03/03/1994
• Issued: 01/10/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Chips and Technologies, Inc. (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Baum, Gary, Luong, Tuan, Blomgren, James S., Semmelmeyer, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, THOMAS C
• Application Number:
  US08/206,563
• Time in Patent Office: 313 Days
• Field of Search: 395/275, 395/550, 395/425
• US Class Current: 710/305
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4217 with synchronous protocol

Abstract

The present invention provides a means for operating the CPU in a single chip microprocessor at a multipe of the cycle speed of the memory bus. With the present invention, first and second timing signals are provided. The frequency of the second timing signal is a multiple of the frequency of the first timing signal. The second or fast timing signal is provided to the CPU and the first or slower timing signal is provided to the memory subsystem. A bus interface unit is interposed between the CPU and the memory bus. This bus interface unit receives the RDY signal (i.e. the ready signal) from the memory subsystem and modifies it before it is provided to the CPU. The "ready" signal from the memory subsystem is in an undefined state for a significant portion of each bus cycle. Since at least two CPU cycles occur during each memory access, the bus interface unit must ensure that the CPU does not misinterpret the ready signal from the memory subsystem. The bus interface unit also must modify the ADS signal (i.e. the address status signal) generated by the CPU. The ADS and RDY signals must be modified in a first way if the CPU calls for a memory cycle at the beginning of a bus cycle and in a second way if the CPU calls for a memory cycle in the middle of a CPU cycle. The use of a CPU clock speed doubler in combination with a write-back cache achieves truly synergistic increases in system speed.

Claims

1. A computer system including,

a system clock sub-system providing signals at first and second speeds, said second speed being a multiple of said first speed,

a memory sub-system operable at said first speed,

said memory sub-system including a synchronous memory bus, said memory sub-system have a plurality of control signal lines,

an iAPX microprocessor, said iAPX microprocessor having a plurality of memory control signal lines,

means responsive to said clock sub-system for driving said memory sub-system at said first speed and said iAPX processor at said second speed,

a bus interface unit for connecting said iAPX microprocessor to said memory sub-system and for modifying the control signal from said memory to conform to the control signals for said iAPX microprocessor and for modifying the control signals from said iAPX microprocessor to conform to the control signals of said memory system.

2. The system recited in claim 1 wherein said single chip microprocessor includes a write-back cache.

3. The system recited in claim 1 including means to generate a signal indicating when data is available on said bus, and said bus interface unit includes means for supply the end portion of said signal to said microprocessor.

4. The system recited in claim 1 herein said iAPX microprocessor operates at 66 Mhz and said memory system operates a 33 Mhz.

5. A computer system including,

a memory system operating at a first speed,

said memory system including a synchronous memory bus operating at said first speed, said memory system have a plurality of control signal lines,

a single chip microprocessor operable at a second speed, said second speed being a multiple of said first speed,

said single chip microprocessor having a plurality of memory control signal lines,

a bus interface unit for connecting said single chip microprocessor to said memory system and for modifying the control signal from said memory to conform to the control signals for said single chip microprocessor and for modifying the control signals from said microprocessor to conform to the control signals of said memory system.

6. The system recited in claim 5 wherein said single chip microprocessor includes a write-back cache.

7. The system recited in claim 5 including means for generating a signal indicating when data is available on said bus, and said bus interface unit includes means for supply the end portion of said signal to said microprocessor.

8. The system recited in claim 5 wherein said microprocessor operates at 66 MHz and said memory system operates a 33 MHz.

9. The system recited in claim 5 wherein said single chip microprocessor includes a phase locked loop to generate a timing signal which is a multiple of the timing signal supplies to said single chip microprocessor.

10. The system recited in claim 8 wherein said microprocessor includes a phase locked loop and wherein said 66 MHz signal is generated by said phase locked loop from said 33 MHz signal.