Abstract: In a particular embodiment, a method is disclosed that includes executing a single instruction to identify a location within a table stored at a memory. The single instruction is executable by a processor to extract bit field data from a first register and insert the bit field data into an index portion of a second register. The second register includes a table address portion and an index portion. The table address portion includes a table address identifying a memory location associated with a table. The table address and the bit field data combine to form an indexed address to an element within the table.

Abstract: A method and system to combine multiple register units within a microprocessor, such as, for example, a digital signal processor, are described. A first register unit and a second register unit are retrieved from a register file structure within a processing unit, the first register unit and the second register unit being non-adjacently located within the register file structure. The first register unit and the second register unit are further combined during execution of a single instruction to form a resulting register unit. Finally, the resulting register unit is stored within the register file structure for further processing. Alternatively, a first half word unit from the first register unit and a second half word unit from the second register unit are retrieved. The first half word unit and the second half word unit are further input into corresponding high and low portions of a resulting register unit to form the resulting register unit during execution of a single instruction.

Abstract: A method and system to perform shifting and rounding operations within a microprocessor, such as, for example, a digital signal processor, during execution of a single instruction are described. An instruction to shift and round data within a source register unit of a register file structure is received within a processing unit. The instruction includes a shifting bit value indicating the bit amount for a right shift operation and is subsequently executed to shift data within the source register unit to the right by an encoded bit value, calculated by subtracting a single bit from the shifting bit value contained within the instruction. A predetermined bit extension is further inserted within the vacated bit positions adjacent to the shifted data. Subsequently, an addition operation is performed on the shifted data and a unitary integer value is added to the shifted data to obtain resulting data.

Abstract: A method and system to combine corresponding half word units from multiple register units within a microprocessor, such as, for example, a digital signal processor, during execution of a single instruction are described. An instruction to combine predetermined disparate source register units from a register file structure is received within a processing unit. The instruction is then executed to combine corresponding half word units from the source register units and to input the half word units into respective portions of a resulting destination register unit. During the execution of the instruction, the predetermined source register units are identified and corresponding most significant half word units and associated data are retrieved from the identified register units. The retrieved half word units are further combined and input into a respective most significant portion of a resulting destination register unit.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for performing two independent sum-of-absolute-difference (SAD) operations when receiving a single instruction (505, 705) is provided. The two operations may be performed in parallel. The operations process values stored in two source registers (405, 410) and the results are stored to a destination register (425). The source and destination registers each have two independently accessible sections, whereby a first SAD operation (401) can access a first section while a second independent SAD operation (402) can simultaneously access a second section of the register. The first SAD operation is performed on values in a first section of the source registers, the result being stored to a first section of the destination register. The second SAD operation is performed on values in a second section of the source registers, the result being stored to a second section of the destination register. The values may comprise pixel values.

Abstract: A Viterbi pack instruction is disclosed that masks the contents of a first predicate register with a first masking value and masks the contents of a second predicate register with a second masking value. The resulting masked data is written to a destination register. The Viterbi pack instruction may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof.

Abstract: Techniques for processing digital signals for a variety of applications, including in a communications (e.g., CDMA) system. A pointer location within a circular buffer is determined by establishing a length of the circular buffer, a start address that is aligned to a power of 2, and an end address located distant from the start address by the length and less than a power of 2 greater than the length. The method and system determine a current pointer location for an address within the circular buffer, a stride value of bits between the start address and the end address, a new pointer location within the circular buffer that is shifted from the current pointer location by the number of bits of the stride value. An adjusted pointer location is within the circular buffer by an arithmetic operation of the new pointer location with the length.