| 摘要 |
<p>A method and apparatus for the data-driven synchronous parallel processing of digital data, which temporally separates the processes of instructions distributions and data requests from the process of actual data processing. The method includes the steps of: dividing the stream of digital data into data packets, distributing instructions to data processing units before their execution, consecutively synchronously processing data packets by multiple data processing units processing in parallel, and synchronization of parallel multiple data processing units by data tokens attached to the data packets. In the preferred embodiment the method comprises one or more of the steps of: storing instructions inside the data processing units, requesting data before the start of data processing, storing records for requested data packets, associating received data with the records of data requests, attaching to each data packet a validity signal (data token) indicating the validity or non-validity of the received data for processing, and extension of data buffers coupled to the data processing units into elastic data buffers capable of absorbing variations in the data rate. In the preferred embodiment a data buffer is provided between adjacent data handling units, and the invention manipulates the timing of the buffer's emptiness and fullness signals, processing each data packet coming into buffer in accordance with its validity signal (data token), and associating a validity signal (data token) with the data packet sent out from buffer. In one embodiment the invention provides method and apparatus for the data-driven processing of digital data using a non-blocking cache, which temporally separates the processes of instructions distributions and data requests from the processes of memory accesses for cache misses and actual data processing, in which the method further includes the steps of checking the requested data against the data previously stored in a data cache, and requesting a cache missed data before the start of data processing. This embodiment of the invention optionally provides a method and apparatus to modify data previously stored in the data cache with data received from the data processing units.</p> |
