Multi-core processing unit

• US 9,612,997 B1
• Filed: 05/17/2016
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2016
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Petrucci, David R., Heiden, David, Massoll, Charles A., Carper, Duane S.
• Primary Examiner(s): PERT, EVAN T
• Application Number:
  US15/156,448
• Time in Patent Office: 322 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/362 with centralised access control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4068 Electrical coupling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4072 Drivers or receivers G06F13/4086 takes precedence; for multistate logic circuits H03K19/0002
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/80 comprising an array of processing units with common control, e.g. single instruction multiple data processors G06F15/82 takes precedence ; for correlation function computation G06F17/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A vehicle communication system that includes a plurality of functional system modules (FSMs) and a master system module (MSM) coupled to the FSMs. The MSM includes a multi-core processing unit that includes multiple functioning core assemblies (FCAs) and a managing core assembly (MCA). Each FCA includes a substrate carrying a core CPU and an optical interface circuit carried by a first edge of the substrate. The MCA includes a substrate having a first and second major surfaces—the first major surface includes a plurality of rows of electrical connections, each of which are adapted to couple with one of the FCAs to enable communication between the core CPU (of MCA) and the core CPUs (of the FCAs). Each of the FCAs may have a second edge that abuts the first major surface at one of the plurality of rows of electrical connections.

Claims

1. A vehicle communication system, comprising:

a plurality of functional system modules; and

a master system module coupled to the plurality of functional system modules, the master system module comprising;

a multi-core processing unit that includes;

a plurality of functioning core assemblies (FCAs), each having a substrate carrying a core central processing unit (CPU) and an optical interface circuit carried by a first edge of the substrate, wherein the optical interface circuit is adapted to enable communication between the respective FCA and at least one of the plurality of functional system modules; and

a managing core assembly (MCA) comprising a substrate having a first major surface and a second major surface,

wherein the first major surface includes a plurality of rows of electrical connections,

wherein each of the plurality of rows of electrical connections is adapted to couple with one of the plurality of FCAs to enable communication between the core CPU of the MCA and the core CPUs of the plurality of FCAs,

wherein each of the plurality of FCAs have a second edge that abuts the first major surface at one of the plurality of rows, wherein the second edge is opposite the first edge through a height of the respective FCA.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each core CPU of each of the plurality of FCAs is suspended by wire bonds within an opening of the respective FCA substrate.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each respective substrate of the plurality of FCAs includes a plurality of electrical pads at the second edge, a plurality of wire bonds proximate to the second edge, or both, wherein the plurality of pads, the plurality of wire bonds, or both are coupled to the plurality of rows of electrical connections on the MCA.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical interface circuit includes a plurality of optical cells, wherein each of the plurality of optical cells are configured to be selectively switched between a transmit mode or a receive mode.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the core CPU of each respective FCA is adapted to control selective switching between the transmit and receive modes of the plurality of optical cells associated with the respective FCA.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical interface circuit includes a plurality of optical cells is adapted to couple to an optical cable comprised of a plurality of optical pipes, each of the plurality of optical cells corresponding to one of the plurality of optical pipes.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the MCA further comprises an electrical matrix circuit carried by the substrate of the MCA that is adapted to selectively enable communication between the core CPUs of the plurality of FCAs.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the MCA further comprises an electrical matrix circuit that includes a plurality of alternatively-enabled driver pairs, wherein, when actuated by the core CPU of the MCA, at least one of the plurality of alternatively-enabled driver pairs is adapted to change a communication direction between a first functioning core assembly (FCA) and a second FCA, between the first FCA and the MCA, or between the first FCA and a circuit card coupled to the multi-core processing unit.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the electrical matrix circuit further comprises a data direction register (DDR), wherein, when the DDR is actuated by the core CPU of the MCA, the DDR enables a first driver and disables a second driver of the at least one of the plurality of alternatively-enabled driver pairs.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the electrical matrix circuit further comprises a control register, wherein, when the control register is actuated by the core CPU of the MCA, the control register enables one driver of the plurality of alternatively-enabled driver pairs thereby permitting communication from the first FCA to pass through to the second FCA, the MCA, or the circuit card.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the master system module further comprises a circuit card, wherein the substrate of the MCA includes a plurality of electrical contacts that electrical couple the core CPUs of the MCA and the plurality of FCAs to the circuit card.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of FCAs are physically isolated from the circuit card.

13. A multi-core processing unit adapted to be carried by a circuit card, comprising:

a managing core assembly (MCA), comprising;

a substrate having a base carrying a core central processing unit (CPU);

an electrical matrix circuit coupled to the core CPU of the MCA; and

a plurality of contacts on the substrate adapted to establish electrical connection with the circuit card;

a first functioning core assembly (FCA); and

a second functioning core assembly (FCA),

wherein each of the first and second FCAs comprise a substrate, each FCA substrate carrying a core CPU,

wherein the substrates of the first and second FCAs are carried by a major surface of the MCA, wherein, via the matrix circuit, the core CPU of the MCA is configured to control communication between the core CPUs of the first and second FCAs.

14. The multi-core processing unit of claim 13, wherein each of the first and second FCAs include an optical interface circuit adapted to enable communication with the first and second FCAs via an optical harness.

15. The multi-core processing unit of claim 13, wherein a first edge of each of the substrates of the first and second FCAs are coupled to the major surface of the MCA, wherein each of the first and second FCAs further comprise a plurality of optical cells at a second edge of the respective substrates, the respective second edges being opposite the respective first edges through a respective height of the first and second FCAs.

16. The multi-core processing unit of claim 13, wherein the first and second FCAs perpendicularly abut the major surface of the MCA and are electrically coupled thereto via a plurality of wire bonds, a plurality of electrical contacts, or both.

17. The multi-core processing unit of claim 13, wherein the electrical matrix circuit includes a plurality of alternatively-enabled driver pairs, wherein, when actuated by the core CPU of the MCA, at least one of the plurality of alternatively-enabled driver pairs is adapted to change a communication direction between the first FCA and the second FCA, between the first FCA and the MCA, or between the first FCA and the circuit card.

18. The multi-core processing unit of claim 17, wherein the electrical matrix circuit further comprises a data direction register (DDR), wherein, when the DDR is actuated by the core CPU of the MCA, the DDR enables a first driver and disables a second driver of the at least one of the plurality of alternatively-enabled driver pairs.

19. The multi-core processing unit of claim 17, wherein the electrical matrix circuit further comprises a control register, wherein, when the control register is actuated by the core CPU of the MCA, the control register enables one driver of the plurality of alternatively-enabled driver pairs thereby permitting communication from the first FCA to pass through to the second FCA, the MCA, or the circuit card.