Method for determining an optimized memory organization of a digital device

• US 6,609,088 B1
• Filed: 07/23/1999
• Issued: 08/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Interuniversitair Micro-Electronica Centrum VZW (IMEC International)
• Original Assignee: Interuniversitair Micro-Electronica Centrum VZW (IMEC International)
• Inventors: Diguet, Jean-Philippe, Man, Hugo De, Wuytack, Sven, Catthoor, Francky
• Primary Examiner(s): Broda, Samuel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thangavelu, K
• Application Number:
  US09/360,042
• Time in Patent Office: 1,488 Days
• Field of Search: 382/236, 382/276, 707/102, 703/22, 703/2, 709/225, 710/60, 711/1, 711/3, 711/103, 711/119, 711/120, 711/141, 711/144, 711/165, 711/153, 711/168, 711/117, 711/170-173, 711/6, 712/34, 712/1, 712/28, 713/324
• US Class Current: 703/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2119/06 Power analysis or power optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/30 Circuit design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/433 Dependency analysis; Data or control flow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/4442 Reducing the number of cache misses; Data prefetching cache prefetching G06F12/0862
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/423 characterised by memory arrangements H04N19/433 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A formalized method for part of the design decisions, related to memory, involved while designing an essentially digital device is presented. The method shows how to traverse through and how to limit the search space being examined while solving these memory related design decisions. The method focuses on power consumption of said essentially digital device. A method for determining an optimized memory organization of an essentially digital device, wherein data reuse possibilities are explored, is described.

Claims

1. A method of determining an optimized memory organization of an essentially digital device, comprising:

loading code describing the functionality of said essentially digital device, wherein said code comprises read instructions on array signals;

determining for at least one array signal and for at least one read instruction on said array signal a hierarchical chain having a plurality of reusable data groupings;

evaluating, for combinations of said reusable data groupings, an evaluation criterion;

selecting the combination of said reusable data groupings with the optimal and/or the lowest evaluation criterion; and

determining from said selected combination of said reusable data groupings said optimized memory organization.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said evaluating and selecting steps being performed on an array-by-array basis.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said code further comprises loop constructs, and said reusable data groupings are determined from said loop constructs.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said evaluation criterion of a combination of reusable data groupings at least comprises an estimate of the power consumption of said essentially digital device with a memory organization, determined from said combination of reusable data groupings.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said evaluation criterion of a combination of reusable data groupings at least comprises an estimate of the power consumption of said essentially digital device with a memory organization, determined by said combination of reusable data groupings, and an estimate of the memory area of said memo organization.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein reusable data groupings with a data reuse factor smaller than or equal to a threshold value are omitted.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said threshold value is one.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein

evaluating for combinations of said reusable data groupings an evaluation criterion comprising:

determining the amount of data-transfers between said reusable data groupings of said combination; and

determining the reading and writing power contribution of each reusable data grouping of said combination.

9. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising determining the physical memories of the essentially digital device in accordance or in dependence upon the output of the determining said optimized memory organization.

10. An automated design system for determining an optimized memory organization of an essentially digital device represented by a code describing the functionality of said digital device, the code comprising read instructions on array signals, the design system comprising:

a first computing device capable of determining for at least one array signal and for at least one read instruction on said array signal a hierarchical chain with a plurality of reusable data groupings;

a second computing device, capable of evaluating for combinations of said reusable data groupings, an evaluation criterion;

a third computing device capable of selecting the combination of said reusable data groupings with the optimal and/or lowest value of the evaluation criterion; and

a fourth computing device capable of outputting said optimized memory organization determined from said selected combination of said reusable data groupings.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first to fourth computing devices together form a computer.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said second and third computing devices are adapted to perform evaluation and selection, respectively, on an array-by-array basis.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein said code further comprises loop constructs, and wherein said first computing device is adapted to determine the reusable data groupings from said loop constructs.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein said evaluation criterion of a combination of reusable data groupings at least comprises an estimate of the power consumption of said essentially digital device with a memory organization, determined from said combination of reusable data groupings.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein said evaluation criterion of a combination of reusable data groupings at least comprises an estimate of the power consumption of said essentially digital device with a memory organization, determined by said combination of reusable data groupings, and an estimate of the memory area of said memory organization.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein reusable data groupings with a data reuse factor smaller than or equal to a threshold value are omitted.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said threshold value is one.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the second computing device is adapted to:

determine the amount of data-transfers between said reusable data groupings of said combination; and

determine the reading and writing power contribution of each reusable data grouping of said combination.