Patents by Inventor Allan John Skillman
Allan John Skillman has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 11579879Abstract: An apparatus 2 has a processing pipeline 4 supporting at least a first processing mode and a second processing mode with different energy consumption or performance characteristics. A storage structure 22, 30, 36, 50, 40, 64, 44 is accessible in both the first and second processing modes. When the second processing mode is selected, control circuitry 70 triggers a subset 102 of the entries of the storage structure to be placed in a power saving state.Type: GrantFiled: April 7, 2021Date of Patent: February 14, 2023Assignee: ARM LIMITEDInventors: Max John Batley, Simon John Craske, Ian Michael Caulfield, Peter Richard Greenhalgh, Allan John Skillman, Antony John Penton
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Patent number: 11226828Abstract: Apparatuses comprising data processing circuitry and a wakeup interrupt controller and methods of operating the apparatuses are disclosed. Prior to the processing circuitry entering a low power state, indications of pending interrupts are transferred to the wakeup interrupt controller. Further indications of interrupts received whilst the processing circuitry is in the low power state may be accumulated in the wakeup interrupt controller. When the wakeup interrupt controller receives a wakeup signal, the indications of pending interrupts are transferred to the processing circuitry and the processing circuitry exits the low power state.Type: GrantFiled: April 5, 2019Date of Patent: January 18, 2022Assignee: Arm LimitedInventors: Peter Vrabel, Allan John Skillman
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Patent number: 11074080Abstract: A processing pipeline may have first and second execution circuits having different performance or energy consumption characteristics. Instruction supply circuitry may support different instruction supply schemes with different energy consumption or performance characteristics. This can allow a further trade-off between performance and energy efficiency. Architectural state storage can be shared between the execute units to reduce the overhead of switching between the units. In a parallel execution mode, groups of instructions can be executed on both execute units in parallel.Type: GrantFiled: May 1, 2020Date of Patent: July 27, 2021Assignee: ARM LimitedInventors: Peter Richard Greenhalgh, Simon John Craske, Ian Michael Caulfield, Max John Batley, Allan John Skillman, Antony John Penton
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Publication number: 20210224071Abstract: An apparatus 2 has a processing pipeline 4 supporting at least a first processing mode and a second processing mode with different energy consumption or performance characteristics. A storage structure 22, 30, 36, 50, 40, 64, 44 is accessible in both the first and second processing modes. When the second processing mode is selected, control circuitry 70 triggers a subset 102 of the entries of the storage structure to be placed in a power saving state.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 7, 2021Publication date: July 22, 2021Inventors: Max John Batley, Simon John Craske, Ian Michael Caulfield, Peter Richard Greenhalgh, Allan John Skillman, Antony John Penton
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Publication number: 20200319895Abstract: Apparatuses comprising data processing circuitry and a wakeup interrupt controller and methods of operating the apparatuses are disclosed. Prior to the processing circuitry entering a low power state, indications of pending interrupts are transferred to the wakeup interrupt controller. Further indications of interrupts received whilst the processing circuitry is in the low power state may be accumulated in the wakeup interrupt controller. When the wakeup interrupt controller receives a wakeup signal, the indications of pending interrupts are transferred to the processing circuitry and the processing circuitry exits the low power state.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 5, 2019Publication date: October 8, 2020Inventors: Peter VRABEL, Allan John SKILLMAN
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Publication number: 20200257531Abstract: A processing pipeline may have first and second execution circuits having different performance or energy consumption characteristics. Instruction supply circuitry may support different instruction supply schemes with different energy consumption or performance characteristics. This can allow a further trade-off between performance and energy efficiency. Architectural state storage can be shared between the execute units to reduce the overhead of switching between the units. In a parallel execution mode, groups of instructions can be executed on both execute units in parallel.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 1, 2020Publication date: August 13, 2020Inventors: Peter Richard GREENHALGH, Simon John CRASKE, Ian Michael CAULFIELD, Max John BATLEY, Allan John SKILLMAN, Antony John PENTON
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Patent number: 10705587Abstract: Apparatus for processing data is provided with fetch circuitry for fetching program instructions for execution from one or more active threads of instructions having respective program counter values. Pipeline circuitry has a first operating mode and a second operating mode. Mode switching circuitry switches the pipeline circuitry, between the first operating mode and the second operating mode in dependence upon a number of active threads of program instructions having program instructions available to be executed. The first operating mode has a lower average energy consumption per instruction executed than the second operating mode and the second operating mode has a higher average rate of instruction execution for a single thread than the first operating mode. The first operating mode may utilise a barrel processing pipeline to perform interleaved multiple thread processing. The second operating mode may utilise an out-of-order processing pipeline for performing out-of-order processing.Type: GrantFiled: April 20, 2016Date of Patent: July 7, 2020Assignee: ARM LimitedInventors: Peter Richard Greenhalgh, Simon John Craske, Ian Michael Caulfield, Max John Batley, Allan John Skillman, Antony John Penton
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Patent number: 10402203Abstract: An apparatus comprises prediction circuitry (40, 100, 80) for determining, based on current prediction policy information (43, 82, 104), a predicted behavior to be used for processing instructions. The current prediction policy information is updated based on an outcome of processing of instructions. A storage structure (50) stores at least one entry identifying previous prediction policy information (60) for a corresponding block of instructions. In response to an instruction from a block having a corresponding entry in the storage structure (50) which identifies the previous prediction policy information (60), the current prediction policy information (43, 82, 104) can be reset based on the previous prediction policy information 60 identified in the corresponding entry of the storage structure (50).Type: GrantFiled: March 31, 2016Date of Patent: September 3, 2019Assignee: ARM LimitedInventors: Max John Batley, Simon John Craske, Ian Michael Caulfield, Peter Richard Greenhalgh, Allan John Skillman, Antony John Penton
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Publication number: 20180173535Abstract: An apparatus comprises prediction circuitry (40, 100, 80) for determining, based on current prediction policy information (43, 82, 104), a predicted behaviour to be used for processing instructions. The current prediction policy information is updated based on an outcome of processing of instructions. A storage structure (50) stores at least one entry identifying previous prediction policy information (60) for a corresponding block of instructions. In response to an instruction from a block having a corresponding entry in the storage structure (50) which identifies the previous prediction policy information (60), the current prediction policy information (43, 82, 104) can be reset based on the previous prediction policy information 60 identified in the corresponding entry of the storage structure (50).Type: ApplicationFiled: March 31, 2016Publication date: June 21, 2018Inventors: Max John BATLEY, Simon John CRASKE, Ian Michael CAULFIELD, Peter Richard GREENHALGH, Allan John SKILLMAN, Antony John PENTON
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Publication number: 20180150297Abstract: An apparatus (2) has a processing pipeline (4) supporting at least a first processing mode and a second processing mode with different energy consumption or performance characteristics. A storage structure (22, 30, 36, 50, 40, 64, 44) is accessible in both the first and second processing modes. When the second processing mode is selected, control circuitry (70) triggers a subset (102) of the entries of the storage structure to be placed in a power saving state.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 31, 2016Publication date: May 31, 2018Inventors: Max John BATLEY, Simon John CRASKE, Ian Michael CAULFIELD, Peter Richard GREENHALGH, Allan John SKILLMAN, Antony John PENTON
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Patent number: 9952871Abstract: An apparatus comprises a processing pipeline comprising out-of-order execution circuitry and second execution circuitry. Control circuitry monitors at least one reordering metric indicative of an extent to which instructions are executed out of order by the out-of-order execution circuitry, and controls whether instructions are executed using the out-of-order execution circuitry or the second execution circuitry based on the reordering metric. A speculation metric indicative of a fraction of executed instructions that are flushed due to a mis-speculation can also be used to determine whether to execute instructions on first or second execution circuitry having different performance or energy consumption characteristics.Type: GrantFiled: June 5, 2015Date of Patent: April 24, 2018Assignee: ARM LimitedInventors: Ian Michael Caulfield, Peter Richard Greenhalgh, Simon John Craske, Max John Batley, Allan John Skillman, Antony John Penton
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Patent number: 9710359Abstract: A target apparatus 2 for debug includes a processing pipeline 18 for executing a sequence of program instructions. A debug interface 26 receives debug command signals corresponding directly or indirectly to debug program instructions to be executed. An instruction buffer 24 stores both the debug program instructions and non-debug program instructions. An arbiter 30 selects between both the debug program instructions and the non-debug program instructions stored within the instruction buffer to form the sequence of program instructions to be executed by the processing pipeline. A complex coherent memory system 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 32 is shared by the debug program instructions and the non-debug program instructions such that they obtain the same coherent view of memory.Type: GrantFiled: April 14, 2015Date of Patent: July 18, 2017Assignee: ARM LimitedInventors: Chiloda Ashan Senerath Pathirane, Allan John Skillman
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Patent number: 9665494Abstract: A data processing apparatus includes a cache memory supporting parallel data loads involving both a first address and a second address. The first address is compared with TAG values stored within a first value store and the second address is compared in parallel with TAG values stored within a second value store. The second value store contains a proper subset of the data value stored within the first value store.Type: GrantFiled: May 12, 2015Date of Patent: May 30, 2017Assignee: ARM LimitedInventors: Allan John Skillman, Chiloda Ashan Senerath Pathirane
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Patent number: 9658919Abstract: A data processing apparatus includes error detection and correction circuitry with an associated hard-error memory buffer. When a correctable hard-error is detected associated with a memory access to a memory, if the hard-error memory buffer is already full, then this correctable hard-error is escalated to be handled as an uncorrectable hard-error. The escalated uncorrectable hard-error is then handled by uncorrectable error handling circuitry (fatal error circuitry) which may trigger an abort of corresponding processing operations by a processor core and force the relinquishing of resources within other circuit elements such as a store buffer.Type: GrantFiled: April 14, 2015Date of Patent: May 23, 2017Assignee: ARM LimitedInventors: Chiloda Ashan Senerath Pathirane, Allan John Skillman
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Patent number: 9645824Abstract: An integrated circuit incorporates prefetch circuitry for prefetching program instructions from a memory. The prefetch circuitry includes a branch target address cache. The branch target address cache stores data indicative of branch target addresses of previously encountered branch instructions fetched from the memory. For each previously encountered branch instructions, the branch target address cache stores a tag value indicative of a fetch address of that previously encountered branch instruction. The tag values stored are generated by tag value generating circuitry which performs a hashing function upon a portion of the fetch address such that the tag value has a bit length less than the bit length of the portion of the fetch address concerned.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2012Date of Patent: May 9, 2017Assignee: ARM LimitedInventors: Vladimir Vasekin, Allan John Skillman, Chiloda Ashan Senerath Pathirane, Jean-Baptiste Brelot
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Publication number: 20160357554Abstract: An apparatus comprises a processing pipeline comprising out-of-order execution circuitry and second execution circuitry. Control circuitry monitors at least one reordering metric indicative of an extent to which instructions are executed out of order by the out-of-order execution circuitry, and controls whether instructions are executed using the out-of-order execution circuitry or the second execution circuitry based on the reordering metric. A speculation metric indicative of a fraction of executed instructions that are flushed due to a mis-speculation can also be used to determine whether to execute instructions on first or second execution circuitry having different performance or energy consumption characteristics.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 5, 2015Publication date: December 8, 2016Inventors: Ian Michael CAULFIELD, Peter Richard GREENHALGH, Simon John CRASKE, Max John BATLEY, Allan John SKILLMAN, Antony John PENTON
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Publication number: 20160357565Abstract: Apparatus for processing data 2 is provided with fetch circuitry 16 for fetching program instructions for execution from one or more active threads of instructions having respective program counter values. Pipeline circuitry 22, 24 has a first operating mode and a second operating mode. Mode switching circuitry 30 switches the pipeline circuitry 22, 24, between the first operating mode and the second operating mode in dependence upon a number of active threads of program instructions having program instructions available to be executed. The first operating mode has a lower average energy consumption per instruction executed than the second operating mode and the second operating mode has a higher average rate of instruction execution for a single thread than the first operating mode. The first operating mode may utilise a barrel processing pipeline 22 to perform interleaved multiple thread processing.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 20, 2016Publication date: December 8, 2016Inventors: Peter Richard GREENHALGH, Simon John CRASKE, Ian Michael CAULFIELD, Max John BATLEY, Allan John SKILLMAN, Antony John PENTON
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Publication number: 20160357561Abstract: A processing pipeline may have first and second execution circuits having different performance or energy consumption characteristics. Instruction supply circuitry may support different instruction supply schemes with different energy consumption or performance characteristics. This can allow a further trade-off between performance and energy efficiency. Architectural state storage can be shared between the execute units to reduce the overhead of switching between the units. In a parallel execution mode, groups of instructions can be executed on both execute units in parallel.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 13, 2016Publication date: December 8, 2016Inventors: Peter Richard GREENHALGH, Simon John CRASKE, Ian Michael CAULFIELD, Max John BATLEY, Allan John SKILLMAN, Antony John PENTON
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Publication number: 20150363321Abstract: A data processing apparatus 2 includes a cache memory supporting parallel data loads involving both a first address and a second address. The first address is compared with TAG values stored within a first value store 10 and the second address is compared in parallel with TAG values stored within a second value store 14. The second value store 14 contains a proper subset of the data value stored within the first value store 10.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 12, 2015Publication date: December 17, 2015Inventors: Allan John SKILLMAN, Chiloda Ashan Senerath PATHIRANE
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Publication number: 20150363293Abstract: A target apparatus 2 for debug includes a processing pipeline 18 for executing a sequence of program instructions. A debug interface 26 receives debug command signals corresponding directly or indirectly to debug program instructions to be executed. An instruction buffer 24 stores both the debug program instructions and non-debug program instructions. An arbiter 30 selects between both the debug program instructions and the non-debug program instructions stored within the instruction buffer to form the sequence of program instructions to be executed by the processing pipeline. A complex coherent memory system 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 32 is shared by the debug program instructions and the non-debug program instructions such that they obtain the same coherent view of memory.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 14, 2015Publication date: December 17, 2015Inventors: Chiloda Ashan Senerath PATHIRANE, Allan John SKILLMAN