Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for updating one or more pluralities of pointers (i.e. one or more vector pointers) which are used for accessing one or more pluralities of data elements (i.e. one or more vector data elements) in a multi-ported memory. A first register file holds the vector pointers, a second register file holds stride data, and a plurality of functional units combine data from the second register file with data from the first register file. The results of combining the data are transferred to the first register file and represent updated vector pointers. Furthermore, a third register file is provided for holding modulus selector data to specify the size of a circular buffer for circular addressing.

Abstract: A configuration of vector units, digital circuitry and associated instructions is disclosed for the parallel processing of multiple Viterbi decoder butterflies on a programmable digital signal processor (DSP) that is based on single-instruction-multiple-data (SIMD) principles and provides indirect access to vector elements. The disclosed configuration uses a processor with two vector units and associated registers, where the vector units are connected back to back for processing Viterbi decoder state metrics. Viterbi add instructions increment vectors of state metrics from a first register, performing a desired permutation of state metrics while reading them indirectly through vector pointers, and writing intermediate result vectors to a second register.

Abstract: A digital signal processor (DSP) includes a SIMD-based organization wherein operations are executed on a plurality of single-instruction multiple data (SIMD) datapaths or stages connected in cascade. The functionality and data values at each stage may be different, including a different width (e.g., a different number of bits per value) in each stage. The operands and destination for data in a computational datapath are selected indirectly through vector pointer registers in a vector pointers datapath. Each vector pointer register contains a plurality of pointers into a register file of a computational datapath.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for updating one or more pluralities of pointers (i.e. one or more vector pointers) which are used for accessing one or more pluralities of data elements (i.e. one or more vector data elements) in a multi-ported memory. A first register file holds the vector pointers, a second register file holds stride data, and a plurality of functional units combine data from the second register file with data from the first register file. The results of combining the data are transferred to the first register file and represent updated vector pointers. Furthermore, a third register file is provided for holding modulus selector data to specify the size of a circular buffer for circular addressing.

Abstract: A configuration of vector units, digital circuitry and associated instructions is disclosed for the parallel processing of multiple Viterbi decoder butterflies on a programmable digital signal processor (DSP) that is based on single-instruction-multiple-data (SIMD) principles and provides indirect access to vector elements. The disclosed configuration uses a processor with two vector units and associated registers, where the vector units are connected back to back for processing Viterbi decoder state metrics. Viterbi add instructions increment vectors of state metrics from a first register, performing a desired permutation of state metrics while reading them indirectly through vector pointers, and writing intermediate result vectors to a second register.