Abstract: Disclosed herein is an expandable introducer for a catheter. The expandable introducer generally includes an elongate, tubular body extending between a proximal end and a distal end along a longitudinal axis. The elongate, tubular body generally includes an inner layer, and an outer layer where the inner layer and the outer layer form a wall structure configured to radially expand and contract as a medical device passes along the axis. At least one of the inner layer and the outer layer includes an elastomer. In some embodiments, the expandable introducer includes a reinforcing strut sandwiched between the inner and outer layers to provide additional mechanical benefits.

Abstract: A method for reducing a number of operations replayed in a processor includes decoding an operation to determine a memory address and a command in the operation. If data is not in a way predictor based on the memory address, a suppress wakeup signal is sent to an operation scheduler, and the operation scheduler suppresses waking up other operations that are dependent on the data.

Abstract: A method and processor are described for implementing programmable priority encoding to track relative age order of operations in a scheduler queue. The processor may comprise a scheduler queue configured to maintain an ancestry table including a plurality of consecutively numbered row entries and a plurality of consecutively numbered columns. Each row entry includes one bit in each of the columns. Pickers are configured to pick an operation that is ready for execution based on the age of the operation as designated by the ancestry table. The column number of each bit having a select logic value indicates an operation that is older than the operation associated with the number of the row entry that the bit resides in.

Abstract: A method for reducing a number of operations replayed in a processor includes decoding an operation to determine a memory address and a command in the operation. If data is not in a way predictor based on the memory address, a suppress wakeup signal is sent to an operation scheduler, and the operation scheduler suppresses waking up other operations that are dependent on the data.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are presented for processing a stream of information, including preprocessing the stream, which includes partitioning the stream into packets of interest; determining boundaries for the packets of interest, wherein a packet boundary is either a start location or an end location for a packet; and making a record of the packet boundaries by setting a hint bit in a hint bit vector, a location of the hint bit within the hint bit vector corresponding to a position of the packet in the stream. The hint bit vector is split into two or more vectors, where the hint bits are assigned to one of the vectors on an alternating basis. The packets of interest are processed corresponding to the hint bits assigned to each vector in parallel over multiple clock cycles, wherein an original order of the packets of interest is maintained in the stream.

Abstract: A method and microprocessor are described for efficiently executing load instructions out-of-order (speculatively). The microprocessor includes an enhanced load store unit (LSU) and an enhanced instruction decoder. The enhanced LSU receives a plurality of out-of-order value addresses, and sends a resync signal to the enhanced instruction decoder when an execution error associated with a particular load instruction occurs. The enhanced instruction decoder stores a specific address associated with the particular load instruction, and increments a counter value that indicates how many times the resync signal was sent by the resync predictor. When the counter value reaches a predetermined threshold, subsequent load instructions from the specific address are executed in order (non-speculatively).

Abstract: A method and processor are described for implementing programmable priority encoding to track relative age order of operations in a scheduler queue. The processor may comprise a scheduler queue configured to maintain an ancestry table including a plurality of consecutively numbered row entries and a plurality of consecutively numbered columns. Each row entry includes one bit in each of the columns. Pickers are configured to pick an operation that is ready for execution based on the age of the operation as designated by the ancestry table. The column number of each bit having a select logic value indicates an operation that is older than the operation associated with the number of the row entry that the bit resides in.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is presented for identifying instructions in a stream of information by preprocessing the stream of information, creating a vector of instructions and breaking the vector of instructions into two or more vectors for picking the identified instructions at a high frequency.

Abstract: A unified scheduler for a processor execution unit and methods are disclosed for providing faster throughput of micro-instruction/operation execution with respect to a multi-pipeline processor execution unit. In one example, an execution unit has a plurality of pipelines that operate at a predetermined clock rate, each pipeline configured to process a selected subset of microinstructions. The execution unit has a scheduler that includes a unified queue configured to queue microinstructions for all of the pipelines and a picker configured to direct a queued microinstruction to an appropriate pipeline for processing based on an indication of readiness for picking. Preferably, when all of the pipelines are ready to receive a microinstruction for processing and there is at least one microinstruction queued that is ready for picking for each pipeline, the picker picks and directs a queued microinstructions to each of the pipelines in a single clock cycle.

Abstract: A method and microprocessor are described for efficiently executing load instructions out-of-order (speculatively). The microprocessor includes an enhanced load store unit (LSU) and an enhanced instruction decoder. The enhanced LSU receives a plurality of out-of-order value addresses, and sends a resync signal to the enhanced instruction decoder when an execution error associated with a particular load instruction occurs. The enhanced instruction decoder stores a specific address associated with the particular load instruction, and increments a counter value that indicates how many times the resync signal was sent by the resync predictor. When the counter value reaches a predetermined threshold, subsequent load instructions from the specific address are executed in order (non-speculatively).

Abstract: Apparatus for remotely programming a radio telephone with identification data. The apparatus receives and decodes DTMF signals indicative of the identification data and controls storage of the identification data at predetermined memory locations in the radio telephone.