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Convex Computer Corporation

Jeffrey H Gruger

Steven Jeffrey Wallach

Thomas M Jones

Harold Wallace Dozier

Gary Belgrave Gostin

David M Chastain

Arthur T Kimmel

John W Clark

James R Weatherford

James E Mankovich

Alan D Gant

David A Nobles

Michael C Harris

Kent A Fuka

Frank J Marshall

Gilbert J Hansen

Harold D Shelton

John M Golenbieski

Gaynel J Lockhart

Gerald Matulka

Michael E Sydow

Larry W Spry

Robert B Kolstad

William H Wallace

Steven M Rowan

An operand processing unit (10) carries out processing of operands in a computer. The unit (10) includes a plurality of operation circuits (12, 14, 16, 18, 20). A source bus (22) provides one operand per clock cycle to the operation circuits (12, 14, 16, 18, 20). A destination bus (24) receives one resultant per clock cycle from the operation circuits (12, 14, 16, 18, 20). Within each operation circuit there is provided an operand processing circuit (80) which performs a selected function with the received operands. These functions include, for example, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction, logical AND, and shift. Logical circuitry provides a priority assignment to the operation circuits (12, 14, 16, 18, 20) for sequencing the loading of operands into the highest priority operation circuit (12, 14, 16, 18, 20) which is not busy processing operands within its corresponding operand processing circuit (80). The operand processing unit (10) provides concurrent processing of operands to enhance processing speed. The operands and resultants are handled in a manner such that there is a uniform and sequential flow of operands from a source, such as main memory, and a uniform and sequential delivery of resultants to a destination, such as a memory or input/output device.

Concurrent processing of data operands

A vector processing computer is configured to operate in a pipelined fashion wherein each of the functional units is essentially independent and is designed to carry out its operational function in the fastest possible manner. Vector elements are transmitted from memory, either main memory, a physical cache unit or a logical cache through a source bus where the elements are alternately loaded into the vector processing units. The vector control unit decodes the vector instructions and generates the required control commands for operating the registers and logical units within the vector processing units. Thus, the vector processing units essentially work in parallel to double the processing rate. The resulting vectors are transmitted through a destination bus to either the physical cache unit, the main memory, the logical cache or to an input/output processor. In a further aspect of the computer there is produced an entry microword from a store for the immediate execution of the first microinstruction within a sequence of microinstructions. The remaining microinstructions are produced from a conventional store. This reduces the delay in the retrieval and execution of the first microinstruction. In a still further aspect of the computer there is included the logical data cache which stores data at logical addresses such that the central processor can store and retrieve data without the necessity of first making a translation from logical to physical address.

Computer system

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Dallas, TX, United States of America

Jeffrey H Gruger