Multi-core synchronization mechanism
First Claim
1. A microprocessor, comprising:
- a control unit, configured to selectively control a respective clock signal to each of a plurality of processing cores;
the plurality of processing cores, each configured to separately write a value to the control unit;
wherein, for each core of the plurality of processing cores, the control unit is configured to turn off the respective clock signal to the core in response to the core writing a value to the control unit;
wherein the control unit is configured to detect a condition has occurred by determining that all of the plurality of processing cores have written a value to the control unit and the control unit has turned off the respective clock signal to all of the plurality of processing cores; and
wherein the control unit is configured to simultaneously turn on the respective clock signal to all of the plurality of processing cores in response to detecting the condition has occurred.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A microprocessor includes a control unit configured to selectively control a respective clock signal to each of a plurality of processing cores. Each of the processing cores is configured to separately write a value to the control unit. For each core of the plurality of processing cores, the control unit is configured to turn off the respective clock signal to the core in response to the core writing a value to the control unit. The control unit is configured to detect a condition has occurred when all of the processing cores have written a value to the control unit and the control unit has turned off the respective clock signal to all of the processing cores. The control unit is configured to simultaneously turn on the respective clock signal to all of the processing cores in response to detecting the condition has occurred.
102 Citations
33 Claims
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1. A microprocessor, comprising:
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a control unit, configured to selectively control a respective clock signal to each of a plurality of processing cores; the plurality of processing cores, each configured to separately write a value to the control unit; wherein, for each core of the plurality of processing cores, the control unit is configured to turn off the respective clock signal to the core in response to the core writing a value to the control unit; wherein the control unit is configured to detect a condition has occurred by determining that all of the plurality of processing cores have written a value to the control unit and the control unit has turned off the respective clock signal to all of the plurality of processing cores; and wherein the control unit is configured to simultaneously turn on the respective clock signal to all of the plurality of processing cores in response to detecting the condition has occurred. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 31, 32, 33)
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15. In a microprocessor having a control unit and a plurality of processing cores, a method for synchronizing operations among the cores, the method comprising:
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writing, by each of the plurality of processing cores, a value to the control unit; turning off, by the control unit for each core of the plurality of processing cores, a respective clock signal to the core in response to the core said writing a value to the control unit; detecting, by the control unit, that a condition has occurred by determining that all of the plurality of processing cores have written a value to the control unit and the control unit has turned off the respective clock signal to all of the plurality of processing cores; and turning on, by the control unit, simultaneously the respective clock signal to all of the plurality of processing cores in response to said detecting the condition has occurred. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A computer program product encoded in at least one non-transitory computer usable medium for use with a computing device, the computer program product comprising:
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computer usable program code embodied in said medium, for specifying a microprocessor, the computer usable program code comprising; first program code for specifying a control unit, configured to selectively control a respective clock signal to each of a plurality of processing cores; and second program code for specifying the plurality of processing cores, each configured to separately write a value to the control unit; wherein, for each core of the plurality of processing cores, the control unit is configured to turn off the respective clock signal to the core in response to the core writing a value to the control unit; wherein the control unit is configured to detect a condition has occurred by determining that all of the plurality of processing cores have written a value to the control unit and the control unit has turned off the respective clock signal to all of the plurality of processing cores; and wherein the control unit is configured to simultaneously turn on the respective clock signal to all of the plurality of processing cores in response to detecting the condition has occurred. - View Dependent Claims (30)
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Specification