Atmel Corporation

Atmel Corportation

Oyvind Strom

Erik Knutsen Renno

Ronny Pedersen

Andreas Due Engh-Halstvedt

Morten Werner Lund

Havard Skinnemoen

Kristian Monsen

Erik K Renno

Various embodiments include methods and related media for performing operations including a return operation. One such method includes testing a content of a return value register and setting status flags. Testing the content of the return value register and setting the status flags are performed in response to a single instruction.

Method for performing a return operation in parallel with setting status flags based on a return value register test

A microprocessor architecture for executing byte compiled Java programs directly in hardware. The microprocessor targets the lower end of the embedded systems domain and features two orthogonal programming models, a Java model and a RISC model. The entities share a common data path and operate independently, although not in parallel. The microprocessor includes a combined register file in which the Java module sees the elements in the register file as a circular operand stack and the RISC module sees the elements as a conventional register file. The integrated microprocessor architecture facilitates access to hardware-near instructions and provides powerful interrupt and instruction trapping capabilities.

Microprocessor for executing byte compiled java code

A packed half-word addition and subtraction operation is performed by a microprocessor in parallel upon half-word operands obtained from designated top or bottom half-word locations of designated source registers of a register file and the sum and difference results of such operation are packed into respective top and bottom half-word locations of a designated destination register. The microprocessor includes an arithmetic-logic unit (ALU) with adder circuitry that can be selectively split into separate half-word adders that are independently selectable to perform either an addition operation or subtraction operation upon the selected half-word operands. The half-word adders of the ALU access the operands from source registers via a set of multiplexers that select among the top and bottom half-word locations. Operations with halving and saturation modifications to the sum and difference results may also be provided.

Packed add-subtract operation in a microprocessor

Microprocessor for executing byte compiled JAVA code

An apparatus comprises register means for storing a return context upon initiation of a supervisor call instruction and restoring means to restore a privilege level and status register upon execution of a supervisor return instruction. The supervisor call instruction can be called from all contexts.

Microprocessor instruction that allows system routine calls and returns from all contexts

An adaptation of the sum-of-absolute-differences (SAD) calculation is implemented by modifying existing circuitry in a microprocessor. The adaptation yields a reduction of over 30% for a current SAD calculation. The adaptation includes a first and second operand register, each storing respectively a first and second set of 2's complement binary data, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), and a destination register. An add/subtract enable input on the ALU receives a most significant bit (MSB) of the second set of binary data. The ALU adds the first and second data sets if the MSB is a '0' and subtracts the second data set from the first data set if the MSB is a '1.' The add/subtract enable input has the effect of taking the absolute value of the second data set without having to first perform an absolute value determination, thus eliminating processing steps.

System for increasing the speed of a sum-of-absolute-differences operation

An apparatus for scaling numbers comprises register means for storing an operand to be scaled, bit shifting means for performing a right shift operation on the operand, rounding means, and decision means to test for the existence of at least one of an overflow and an underflow condition.

Method and apparatus for formatting numbers in microprocessors

A combined native (RISC or CISC) microprocessor and stack (Java&#x2122;) machine are constructed so that Java&#x2122; VM instructions can be executed in hardware. Most Java&#x2122; instructions are executed directly, while more complex Java&#x2122; instructions, such as those manipulating Java&#x2122; objects, are executed as native microcode. In order for native microcode instructions to access the Java&#x2122; operand stack, a Java&#x2122; operand stack pointer points to the register file location that is the current top of the stack, while a remap bit in the status register indicates that registers specified in native instructions are remapped as the maximum Java&#x2122; operand stack pointer value minus the present value of the Java&#x2122; operand stack pointer.

Microprocessor access of operand stack as a register file using native instructions

A microprocessor circuit useful for indexed addressing of byte-addressable memories includes word-length index, base address, and destination registers designated by an instruction. The instruction also specifies one byte packed within the index register, which is to be extracted. A multiplexer has a word-wide input end accessing all of the bytes of the index register, and responsive to byte selection control passes the specified byte to its output. The extracted byte is provided directly at specific bit positions of a zero-extended address offset word. The offset word is added to the base address, the sum being used to address memory contents that are loaded into the destination register.

Growing community of inventors

Trondheim, Norway

Oyvind Strom