Apparatus for wirelessly managing resources

• US 8,125,950 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2009
• Issued: 02/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rofougaran, Ahmadreza (Reza), Markison, Timothy W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Jianye
• Application Number:
  US12/475,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20090239480A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,004 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40013 Details regarding a bus controller
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 with centralised control, e.g. polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/413 with random access, e.g. carrier-sense multiple-access with collision detection [CSMA-CD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/417 with deterministic access, e.g. token passing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access

Abstract

An integrated circuit includes a millimeter wave transceiver and may include memory and processing resources, each with an associated millimeter wave transceiver. Intra-IC millimeter wave communication links, between resources on a given IC, enables IC-level resource sharing and Inter-IC millimeter wave communication links, between resources on different ICs, enables cross-IC-level resource sharing. A resource sharing method allocates IC resources to tasks based on task requirements, resource capabilities, and resource availability.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprises:

a millimeter wave (MMW) transceiver;

a processing module, wherein;

the processing module is operably coupled to;

determine required resources for one or more upcoming tasks;

determine first available resources within a first topographical circuit area;

compare the first available resources with the required resources;

when the comparison of the first available resources with the required resources is unfavorable, determine second available resources within a second topographical circuit area;

determine whether a combination of first and second available resources compares favorably with the required resources;

when the combination of the first and second available resources compares favorably with the required resources, generate a request message to access at least some of the second available resources;

the MMW transceiver is operably coupled to;

convert the request message into an outbound MMW signal; and

convert an inbound MMW signal into a response message;

the processing module is further operably coupled to allocate at least some of the first available resources and the at least some of the second available resources to the one or more upcoming tasks when the response message grants access to the at least some of the second available resources.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing module is further operably coupled to determine the required resources for the one or more upcoming tasks by at least one of:

access a table that includes a listing of resources needed for each of a plurality of tasks; and

receive a request for additional resources for the one or more upcoming tasks.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing module is further operably coupled to determine the first available resources within the first topographical circuit area by at least one of:

access a task scheduler table that includes a listing of resources within the first topographical circuit area and an indication for each of the resources whether it is currently allocated to execute one of a plurality of tasks or is currently available; and

generate a query message regarding availability and receive a response message regarding availability.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing module is further operably coupled to compare the first available resources with the required resources by:

determine a capacity threshold for the first available resources, wherein the capacity threshold is based on one or more of;

task prioritization, task execution duration, type of resources available, and latency;

determine capacity desired for the one or more upcoming tasks, wherein the capacity is based on one or more of;

the priority of the one or more tasks, execution duration of the one or more tasks, desired resources for the one or more upcoming tasks, and desired latency for the one or more upcoming task; and

compare the capacity with the capacity threshold.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing module is further operably coupled to determine the second available resources within the second topographical circuit area by at least one of:

access a table that includes a listing of resources within the second topographical circuit area and an indication for each of the resources whether it is currently allocated to execute one of a plurality of tasks or is currently available; and

generate a query message regarding availability and receive a response message regarding availability, wherein the MMW transceiver transmits the query message to one or more resources with the second topographical circuit area and receives the response message from at least one of the one or more resources.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprises:

the first topographical circuit area is a first integrated circuit (IC); and

the second topographical circuit is at least one other IC.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprises:

the apparatus is within the first IC.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprises:

the first topographical circuit area is a processing resource or a memory resource within a first integrated circuit (IC); and

the second topographical circuit area is at least one processing resource or memory resource in at least one other IC.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprises:

the apparatus is associated with the processing resource or memory resource in the first IC.

10. An apparatus comprises:

a millimeter wave (MMW) transceiver;

a processing module, wherein;

the processing module is operably coupled to;

determine required resources for one or more upcoming tasks that are scheduled for execution by resources within a first topographical circuit area;

determine available resources within a second topographical circuit area;

determine whether the available resources compares favorably with the required resources;

when the available resources compares favorably with the required resources, generate a request to access to at least some of the second available resources, wherein the MMW transceiver transmits the request; and

when access to the at least some of the second available resources is granted, allocate the at least some of the second available resources to the one or more upcoming tasks, wherein the MMW transceiver received a response granting the access.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processing module is further operably coupled to determine the required resources for the one or more upcoming tasks by at least one of:

access a table that includes a listing of resources needed for each of a plurality of tasks; and

receive a request to off-load at least one of the one or more upcoming tasks.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processing module is further operably coupled to determine the second available resources within the second topographical circuit area by at least one of:

access a table that includes a listing of resources within the second topographical circuit area and an indication for each of the resources whether it is currently allocated to execute one of a plurality of tasks or is currently available; and

generate a query message regarding availability and receive a response message regarding availability, wherein the query message is transmitted by the MMW transceiver and the response message is received by the MMW transceiver.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprises:

the first topographical circuit area is at one of a plurality of resources within a first integrated circuit (IC), wherein the plurality of resources includes at least one of processing resources and memory resources; and

the second topographical circuit area is at least one of the plurality of resources in at least one other IC.

14. An integrated circuit (IC) comprises:

a IC level control module;

a millimeter wave (MMW) transceiver;

a first circuit module; and

a second circuit module, wherein the IC level control module is operably coupled to;

determine required resources for one or more upcoming tasks;

determine first available resources of the first and second circuit modules;

compare the first available resources with the required resources;

when the comparison of the first available resources with the required resources is unfavorable, determine second available resources within at least one other IC;

determine whether a combination of first and second available resources compares favorably with the required resources;

when the combination of the first and second available resources compares favorably with the required resources, generate a request message to access at least some of the second available resources, wherein the MMW transceiver transmits the request message;

allocate at least some of the first available resources and the at least some of the second available resources to the one or more upcoming tasks when the access to the at least some of the second available resources is granted, wherein the MMW transceiver received a message granting the access.

15. The IC of claim 14, wherein the IC level control module is further operably coupled to determine the required resources for the one or more upcoming tasks by at least one of:

access a table that includes a listing of resources needed for each of a plurality of tasks; and

receive a request for additional resources for the one or more upcoming tasks.

16. The IC of claim 14, wherein the IC level control module is further operably coupled to determine the first available resources of the first and second circuit modules by at least one of:

access a task scheduler table that includes a listing of resources of the first and second circuit modules and an indication for each of the resources whether it is currently allocated to execute one of a plurality of tasks or is currently available; and

generate a query message regarding availability and receive a response message regarding availability from the first and second circuit modules.

17. The IC of claim 14, wherein the IC level control module is further operably coupled to compare the first available resources with the required resources by:

determine a capacity threshold for the first available resources, wherein the capacity threshold is based on one or more of;

task prioritization, task execution duration, type of resources available, and latency;

determine capacity desired for the one or more upcoming tasks, wherein the capacity is based on one or more of;

the priority of the one or more tasks, execution duration of the one or more tasks, desired resources for the one or more upcoming tasks, and desired latency for the one or more upcoming task; and

compare the capacity with the capacity threshold.

18. The IC of claim 14, wherein the IC level control module is further operably coupled to determine the second available resources within at least one other IC by at least one of:

access a table that includes a listing of resources within the at least one other IC and an indication for each of the resources whether it is currently allocated to execute one of a plurality of tasks or is currently available; and

generate a query message regarding availability and receive a response message regarding availability, wherein the MMW transceiver transmits the query message to the at least one other IC and receives the response message from the at least one other IC.

19. An integrated circuit (IC) comprises:

a IC level control module;

a millimeter wave (MMW) transceiver;

a first circuit module; and

a second circuit module, wherein the IC level control module is operably coupled to;

determine required resources needed for one or more upcoming tasks that are scheduled for execution by resources of at least one of the first and second circuit modules;

determine available resources within at least more than one other IC;

determine whether the available resources compares favorably with the required resources;

when the available resources compares favorably with the required resources, generate a request to access to at least more than one of the available resources, wherein the MMW transceiver transmits the request; and

when access to the at least more than one of the available resources is granted, allocate the at least more than one of the available resources to the one or more upcoming tasks, wherein the MMW transceiver receives a message granting the access.

20. The IC of claim 19, wherein the IC level control module is further operably coupled to determine the required resources for the one or more upcoming tasks by at least one of:

access a table that includes a listing of resources needed for each of a plurality of tasks; and

receive a request to off-load at least one of the one or more upcoming tasks.

21. The IC of claim 19, wherein the IC level control module is further operably coupled to determine the available resources of the at least one other IC by at least one of:

access a table that includes a listing of resources within the at least one other IC and an indication for each of the resources whether it is currently allocated to execute one of a plurality of tasks or is currently available; and

generate a query message regarding availability and receive a response message regarding availability, wherein the query message is transmitted by the MMW transceiver and the response message is received by the MMW transceiver.