JP2014137797A - Information processing device, control method of information processing device, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce power consumption of an information processing device which comprises a plurality of circuit blocks having arithmetic elements and can dynamically reconfigure a circuit structure.SOLUTION: An information processing device determines an arithmetic element to be used on the basis of configuration data among a plurality of arithmetic elements of an arithmetic unit which comprises a plurality of circuit blocks having arithmetic elements and a power supply control unit for controlling power supply to each circuit block, and performs control for setting different timing to start power supply for a plurality of groups including one or more circuit blocks to which the determined arithmetic element belongs.

Description

  The present invention relates to a power supply control technique for an information processing apparatus having a plurality of arithmetic elements capable of controlling supply and cutoff of power according to processing to be executed.

  With the miniaturization of elements due to advances in semiconductor manufacturing technology, information processing apparatuses such as LSI (Large Scale Integration) have been increased in scale, and the number of mounted transistors has increased dramatically. Further, information processing apparatuses such as LSIs are required to improve performance such as high-speed operation and low power consumption. An information processing apparatus can improve processing performance by increasing the number of arithmetic elements such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an arithmetic unit, or an arithmetic unit that are generally mounted. However, increasing the number of computing elements mounted on the information processing apparatus increases power consumption.

  Here, power consumption in the information processing apparatus includes dynamic power consumed by functional operation and static power consumed only by supplying power to the mounted transistor. Static power is power consumed for charge and leakage current charged in the parasitic capacitance of the transistor. In order to reduce the leakage current, a method of reducing the voltage supplied to the transistor or a method of cutting off the power supply to the transistor is effective. For example, in an information processing apparatus, there is a power shut-off technique in which a power supply path to a power shut-off target point and a power source are connected via a power switch, and switching between conduction and shut-off is performed as necessary. In order to efficiently reduce power consumption due to leakage current in an information processing apparatus that has been increased in scale, it is conceivable to apply this power shut-off technology.

  A technique has been proposed in which arithmetic elements are arranged in a grid and circuit blocks that can control power supply for each arithmetic element are set, and fine power management is performed to reduce power consumption (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .

JP 2006-163815 A

  In an information processing device that has a large number of computing elements and can dynamically reconfigure the circuit configuration according to the processing to be executed, it is expected that the circuit block as a unit of power control will be configured in a variety of divided forms Is done. In such an information processing apparatus, in order to minimize the power consumption due to the leakage current, it is necessary to devise a circuit block configuration method and a power supply control method. For example, when a circuit block is configured for each computing element, power supply control can be performed partially and locally, and more power consumption can be suppressed. However, a power switch that controls power supply and shutdown Is provided for each computation element, the circuit area becomes large.

  Further, for example, when power supply is started simultaneously for a large number of circuit blocks configured in the information processing apparatus, a large current flows at the moment when the power supply is started, and noise or the like is generated in the signal. In order to suppress this current, it is possible to intentionally shift the timing of starting power supply for each circuit block. However, when power is supplied to the circuit block, it takes time on the order of microseconds until the power supply is stabilized after the power supply is shut off and the power supply is stabilized. Therefore, if processing is performed with the power supply start time shifted for each circuit block, the time from the start of power supply to the stabilization of power supply becomes longer, increasing the power recovery time and processing time in the entire system. As a result, power consumption due to leakage current also increases.

  An information processing apparatus according to the present invention is an information processing apparatus that includes a plurality of arithmetic elements that execute processing, and that can dynamically reconfigure a circuit configuration according to the processing to be executed, each of which includes at least one arithmetic element And a plurality of arithmetic elements included in the arithmetic means based on configuration data relating to processing to be executed, and arithmetic means having power supply control means for controlling power supply for each circuit block. Determining means for determining an arithmetic element to be used for the processing from among the control means, and a control means for varying the timing of starting power supply for a plurality of groups including at least one circuit block having the arithmetic element determined by the determining means It is characterized by providing.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to control the timing of starting power supply for each grouped circuit block. It is possible to shorten the time from the start of power supply until the power supply becomes stable, shorten the power recovery time and processing time in the entire system, and reduce power consumption.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the information processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the calculating part in this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the operation example of the information processing apparatus in this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the group setting process of the circuit group in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the calculation element number table for every calculating part and a circuit block. It is a figure which shows the example of the power supply to the circuit block according to the change of configuration data. It is a figure for demonstrating the state of the calculating part by config 1 setting. It is a figure for demonstrating the state of the calculating part by config 2 setting. It is a figure for demonstrating the state of the calculating part by config 3 setting. It is a figure which shows the example of the calculation element number table for every circuit block. It is a figure which shows the example of the calculation element number table for every circuit block. It is a figure which shows the example of a setting of the start timing of the power supply in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the calculating part which has a calculation element from which an occupation area differs. It is a figure which shows the example of the calculation element area table for every circuit block. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the apparatus which produces | generates circuit structure information.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The information processing apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment includes an arithmetic unit (semiconductor integrated circuit) 102, an arithmetic element specifying unit 104, a power control information generating unit 105, a correspondence information holding unit 106, a parameter setting unit 107, a group information generating unit 108, And a timing information generation unit 109.

  The calculation unit 102 includes a plurality of calculation elements such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), a calculator, or a calculation unit. The arithmetic unit 102 can dynamically reconfigure the circuit configuration, and the circuit configuration is reconfigured according to the processing to be executed and performs a desired process. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the calculation unit 102. The arithmetic unit 102 includes a plurality of circuit blocks 707 and 709 (partially not shown) and a plurality of power supply control units 701 and 711 (partially not shown).

  The circuit block 707 operates with power supply controlled by the power supply control unit 701, and the circuit block 709 operates with power supply controlled by the power supply control unit 711. The circuit block 707 includes a plurality of arithmetic elements 703, 704, 705, and 706 and a plurality of routers 702. Although not shown, the circuit block 709 similarly includes an arithmetic element and a router. Similarly, other circuit blocks (not shown) also have an arithmetic element and a router, and the power supply control unit controls the power supply. In the following, the circuit block performs processing (arithmetic processing, image processing, etc.) based on the configuration data, and an area where the power supply control unit can individually control the supply and cut-off of power to the circuits constituting the circuit block Will be described.

  The router 702 has a register for setting a connection between arithmetic elements therein, and dynamically switches and transmits a connection destination of processing data to each arithmetic element by writing a setting value in the register. Further, all the routers and all the computing elements (partially not shown) included in the corresponding circuit blocks 707 and 709 based on the power supply control information 708 and 710 input to the power supply control units 701 and 711 that perform power control of each computing element. The power supply to and shutoff can be switched. Accordingly, during operation of the information processing apparatus 101, the power supply control unit controls the power supply and shut-off by each power supply control unit 102, whereas the functional units other than the calculation unit 102 are constantly supplied with power. . 2 shows an example in which the circuit block 707 is configured by four arithmetic elements 703 to 706. In the present embodiment, the number of circuit blocks included in the arithmetic unit 102 and the arithmetic elements included in the circuit block are illustrated. There is no particular limit to the number of

  The configuration data input to the calculation element specifying unit 104 includes calculation contents of each process, types and number of calculation elements necessary, and dependency information of each process. The calculation element specifying unit 104 determines to which calculation element of the calculation unit 102 each process is assigned based on an instruction of calculation contents included in the input configuration data, and physically calculates the calculation element to which the process is assigned. Determine placement information. The calculation element identification unit 104 outputs calculation element identification information including calculation elements used when executing processing and circuit configuration information of the calculation unit 102 to the calculation unit 102 and the power supply control information generation unit 105.

  The correspondence information holding unit 106 holds the number of calculation elements having a correspondence relationship with each circuit block of the calculation unit 102 in advance in a storage unit such as a memory as attribute information. When a circuit block is selected, information on the number of operation elements is read from the circuit block information of the circuit block held in the correspondence information holding unit 106 and output to the power supply control information generation unit 105.

  The parameter setting unit 107 sets attribute information that can start power supply at a time as a threshold value so that each circuit in the information processing apparatus 101 can operate stably. Since this threshold value needs to be matched with the attribute information of the information held in the correspondence information holding unit 106, when the attribute information is set by the number of calculation elements, it is set by the number of calculation elements similarly. . The parameter setting unit 107 sets the time interval when power supply is started to the plurality of circuit block groups determined by the group information generation unit 108 as the minimum power supply time interval. For example, the minimum power supply time interval sets the time from the start of power supply in the first circuit block group to the start of power supply in the next circuit block group. The parameter setting unit 107 outputs the set threshold value to the group information generation unit 108 and outputs the minimum power supply time interval to the timing information generation unit 109.

  The group information generation unit 108 receives the circuit block information output from the power control information generation unit 105, and determines a circuit block group for a circuit block that needs a new power supply based on the circuit block information. The circuit block information from the power supply control information generation unit 105 includes information on a circuit block that requires a new power supply and the number of computing elements. Based on the circuit block information, the group information generation unit 108 selects a circuit block for newly starting power supply so that the number of computing elements that start power supply at a time is equal to or less than the threshold set by the parameter setting unit 107. Organize into one or more groups. The group information generation unit 108 outputs the generated circuit block group information to the power supply control information generation unit 105.

  The timing information generation unit 109 generates timing information indicating the timing of starting power supply for each circuit block group organized by the group information generation unit 108 based on the minimum power supply time interval set by the parameter setting unit 107. When there are a plurality of groups for which power supply is newly started, the timing information generation unit 109 acquires the power supply start time of the first group from the power supply control information generation unit 105. Then, the timing information generation unit 109 generates the power supply start time of the second group by adding the power supply minimum time interval to the power supply start time of the first group. Similarly, the timing information generation unit 109 generates the power supply start time of the next group by adding the power supply minimum time interval to the power supply start time of the previous group.

  In this way, the timing information generation unit 109 generates the power supply start time of each group, and outputs timing information indicating the generated power supply start time to each circuit block group to the power supply control information generation unit 105. Note that the power supply start timing for each circuit block group is a constant interval based on the minimum power supply time interval set by the parameter setting unit 107. However, the power supply is weighted according to the number of computing elements at the time of group determination. The minimum time interval may be variable.

  The power supply control information generation unit 105 receives the calculation element specifying information output from the calculation element specifying unit 104 and the circuit block information output from the correspondence information holding unit 106. Here, the input calculation element specifying information includes physical arrangement information of calculation elements assigned to the process. The power control information generation unit 105 determines a circuit block that needs a new power supply from these pieces of information, and outputs information about the circuit block and the number of operation elements to the group information generation unit 108 as circuit block information. The power supply start time of the first group is the time after determining which circuit block the arithmetic element is included in and determining a circuit block that needs a new power supply. Further, the power control information generation unit 105 uses the circuit block group information generated by the group information generation unit 108 and the power supply start time information generated by the timing information generation unit 109 to supply power control information for the circuit block group. 708 and 710 are generated. The power supply control information generation unit 105 outputs the generated power supply control information of the circuit block group to the calculation unit 102, and manages supply and cutoff of power to the circuit blocks included in the calculation unit 102.

  FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a device that generates circuit configuration information for switching processing in the information processing device from one data flow to another data flow. In FIG. 12, reference numeral 1001 denotes a CPU that controls the entire apparatus. A ROM (Read Only Memory) 1002 stores a boot program and the like. A RAM (Random Access Memory) 1003 is used as a work area of the CPU 1001 and stores an operating system (OS) and applications. Reference numeral 1004 denotes an OS, an application for creating circuit configuration information, and a hard disk drive (HDD) for storing various data. Reference numeral 1005 denotes a keyboard, and reference numeral 1006 denotes a mouse. A keyboard 1005 and a mouse 1006 function as a user interface. Reference numeral 1007 denotes a display control unit having a built-in video memory and display controller. Reference numeral 1008 denotes a display device for receiving and displaying a video signal from the display control unit 1007. Reference numeral 1009 denotes an interface (I / F) that communicates with various external devices. For example, by connecting the external memory 1010 shown in FIG. 12, the circuit configuration information created by this apparatus is written into the external memory 1010. . Reference numeral 101 denotes an information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. When the apparatus shown in FIG. 12 is turned on, the CPU 1001 executes the boot program stored in the ROM 1002 and loads the OS stored in the HDD 1004 into the RAM 1002. After that, by starting an application for creating circuit configuration information, the device shown in FIG. 12 functions as a device for creating circuit configuration information. The created circuit configuration information is input to the information processing device 101, for example. And used for processing in this embodiment.

  Next, the operation of the information processing apparatus in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 3A is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. The information processing apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment starts arithmetic processing by receiving configuration data generated by a parallelizing compiler or the like. Here, the configuration data includes the calculation contents of each process, the type (number of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, etc.) and number of necessary calculation elements, and information on the dependency of each process. There is no specific placement information.

  In step S301, the parameter setting unit 107 sets, as a threshold, attribute information that can start supplying power at a time so that each circuit in the information processing apparatus 101 can stably operate. If the amount of current flowing per unit time due to power supply to the circuit block is large, noise is likely to be generated in the power supply, ground, and signal line. Therefore, the amount of fluctuation in current is limited by a threshold value, thereby realizing stable operation. Therefore, the parameter setting unit 107 sets the number of arithmetic elements that can start power supply at a time as a threshold value so that a large current does not flow when power supply is started. Further, the parameter setting unit 107 sets a time interval when power supply to the circuit block group is started as the minimum power supply time interval. Next, in step S <b> 302, as the attribute information for each circuit block, the number of operation elements having a correspondence relationship with each circuit block is set by the correspondence information holding unit 106.

  Next, in step S303, the calculation element specifying unit 104 analyzes the input configuration data. The calculation element specifying unit 104 extracts which calculation element of the calculation unit 102 is assigned to each process based on the calculation contents included in the configuration data, the type and number of necessary calculation elements, and the dependency information of each process. To do. When assignment of the calculation element is determined, physical position information of the calculation element that is actually processed is determined. In addition, the calculation element specifying unit 104 also generates circuit configuration information necessary for executing the calculation contents to which the calculation element is assigned. Here, the circuit configuration information includes write information to a register that determines which operation element is to be assigned a calculation based on calculation contents and write information to a register that sets a connection between the calculation elements. Through the above-described processing, information on the calculation element used for the processing corresponding to the configuration data is determined.

  In step S304, the power supply control information generation unit 105 determines whether or not there is a circuit block for starting power supply newly in the circuit block that has been cut off from power supply due to the change of the configuration data. Here, if the configuration data is not changed, or if there is no change from the circuit block used in the previous configuration data even if it is changed, there is no need to newly start power supply. As a result of the determination, if there is no circuit block for starting a new power supply, the process proceeds to step S309. On the other hand, when there is a circuit block for starting a new power supply, the process proceeds to step S305, and the power supply control information generating unit 105 determines whether there are a plurality of circuit blocks for starting a new power supply. To do.

  If the result of determination in step S305 is that there is only one circuit block from which power supply is newly started, grouping of circuit blocks is not necessary. In this case, without performing the processing in steps S306 and S307, in step S308, the power supply control information generation unit 105 outputs the power supply control information so as to start supplying power to the one circuit block. Only the circuit block starts to supply power. On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S305, if there are a plurality of circuit blocks for which power supply is newly started, the process proceeds to step S306, and a circuit block group setting process for grouping circuit groups is executed. Details of the circuit block group setting processing will be described later.

  When the circuit block group setting process in step S306 is completed and circuit blocks for which power supply is newly started are grouped, the process proceeds to step S307. In step S307, the power control information generation unit 105 determines the priority order and timing related to the start of power supply for each group of the determined circuit block. For example, the power supply control information generation unit 105 sets priorities according to the determination order of circuit block groups in step S306. Next, in step S308, the power control information generation unit 105 outputs power control information so as to start power supply in accordance with the priority order and timing determined in step S307, and each power supply to be newly started. Power supply to the circuit block is started in order.

  In step S <b> 309, the calculation unit 102 executes configuration for performing calculation processing based on calculation element specifying information from the calculation element specifying unit 104 in a state where power is supplied to a circuit block that requires power supply. To do. The connection between the arithmetic elements that actually perform the arithmetic processing is executed. Next, in step S310, the calculation unit 102 executes an execution process command based on the set configuration setting, and the calculation elements assigned with the processes are the calculation contents (addition) specified by the configuration data. , Subtraction, multiplication, division, etc.). The processing is continued until the calculation is completed. After the calculation is completed, the process returns to step S303, and the next calculation processing is continued by inputting the next new configuration data.

  Next, the circuit block group setting process in step S306 shown in FIG. 3A will be described. In the following, circuit block group setting processing will be described using the arithmetic unit 102 configured as shown in FIG. 4A as an example. That is, the computing unit 102 is assumed to have a plurality of computing elements 201 to 248 having the same size arranged in a grid. Note that in FIG. 4A, the power supply control unit, the router, and the power supply control information are not shown for simplicity.

  The respective arithmetic elements 201 to 248 are assigned to predetermined circuit blocks 251 to 272. As illustrated in FIG. 4A, one circuit block may have only one arithmetic element, or one circuit block may have a plurality of arithmetic elements. In the example illustrated in FIG. 4A, the circuit block 251 includes four arithmetic elements 201 to 204, the circuit block 252 includes four arithmetic elements 205 to 208, and the circuit block 253 includes four arithmetic elements 209 to 209. 212. The circuit block 254 includes four arithmetic elements 213 to 216, the circuit block 255 includes four arithmetic elements 217 to 220, and the circuit block 256 includes four arithmetic elements 221 to 224. The circuit block 257 includes an arithmetic element 225, the circuit block 258 includes an arithmetic element 227, the circuit block 259 includes two arithmetic elements 229 and 231, and the circuit block 260 includes two arithmetic elements 233 and 235. Have The circuit block 261 has an arithmetic element 226, the circuit block 262 has an arithmetic element 228, the circuit block 263 has two arithmetic elements 230 and 232, and the circuit block 264 has two arithmetic elements 234 and 236. . The circuit block 265 includes an arithmetic element 237, the circuit block 266 includes an arithmetic element 239, the circuit block 267 includes two arithmetic elements 241 and 243, and the circuit block 268 includes two arithmetic elements 245 and 247. . The circuit block 269 has an arithmetic element 238, the circuit block 270 has an arithmetic element 240, the circuit block 271 has two arithmetic elements 242, 244, and the circuit block 272 has two arithmetic elements 246, 248. . When the arithmetic unit 102 is configured as shown in FIG. 4A, the correspondence information holding unit 106 stores the number of arithmetic elements for each circuit block as shown in FIG. 4B as attribute information for each circuit block. Table information is set.

  Here, how the power supply of each circuit block changes when the configuration data changes will be described. For example, consider that configuration data for the information processing apparatus 101 having the arithmetic unit 102 shown in FIG. 4A changes in the order of config 1, config 2 and config 3 shown in FIG. FIG. 5 shows calculation elements used from calculation element specifying information, circuit blocks that require power supply when setting each configuration, and circuits that require new power supply when configuration data changes in the above-described order. It shows information with blocks.

  When the configuration data is configuration 1, the calculation elements used in the processing are calculation elements 209 to 212 as shown in FIG. 6A. Therefore, the circuit block 253 is the only circuit block that needs to be supplied with power when executing the process corresponding to the configuration 1. In addition, since the configuration 1 is the first process, the circuit block for starting a new power supply is also the same circuit block 253.

  Next, assume that the configuration data is switched from configuration 1 to configuration 2. When the configuration data is configuration 2, the calculation elements used in the processing are calculation elements 203 to 212, 215, 217, 219, 221, 223, 227, 231, 235, 239, 243 as shown in FIG. 6B. 247. Therefore, circuit blocks that need to be supplied with power when executing processing corresponding to the configuration 2 are circuit blocks 251 to 256, 258 to 260, and 266 to 268. The circuit block that newly starts power supply by changing from the configuration 1 to the configuration 2 is the circuit blocks 251, 252, 254 to 256, 258 to 260, and 266 to 268 excluding the circuit block 253 that is already supplied with power. It becomes.

  The same applies when the configuration data is switched from configuration 2 to configuration 3. When the configuration data is configuration 3, calculation elements used in the processing are calculation elements 203 to 212, 215, 217, 219, 221, 223, 225 to 228, and 237 to 240 as shown in FIG. 6C. . Accordingly, circuit blocks that need to be supplied with power when executing processing corresponding to the configuration 3 are circuit blocks 251 to 258, 261, 262, 265, 266, 269, and 270. Circuit blocks that newly start power supply due to the change from the configuration 2 to the configuration 3 are circuit blocks 257, 261, 262, 265, 269, and 270.

  As described above, when the arrangement position of the arithmetic element used in the processing is determined, the circuit block to which the arithmetic element belongs is determined, and the circuit block that needs to be supplied with power when the processing is executed is determined. Further, by comparing with the information of the circuit block in the previous configuration data, it is possible to determine the power supply and cutoff of each circuit block. That is, it can be divided into a case where the power is continuously supplied, a case where the power is continuously interrupted, a case where a new power supply is required, and a case where a new power supply is required. From the above, as shown in FIG. 5, information on the arithmetic elements to be used, circuit blocks that require power supply, and circuit blocks that require new power supply can be obtained.

  FIG. 3B is a flowchart illustrating an example of circuit block group setting processing in the present embodiment. Here, for easy understanding, in step S301 shown in FIG. 3A, “8” is set as the threshold value at which power supply can be started, and the configuration data shown in FIG. An example of changing to this setting will be described. When the configuration data is configuration 1, only the circuit block 253 is supplied with power as shown in FIG. When the configuration data is switched from the configuration 1 to the configuration 2, the circuit blocks 251 to 256, 258 to 260, and 266 to 268 become circuit block candidates to be supplied with power as shown in FIG. 7B. FIG. 7A shows an example of an arithmetic element number table for each circuit block when setting CONFIG 1, and FIG. 7B shows an example of an arithmetic element number table for each circuit block when setting CONFIG 2. Show.

  In the circuit block group setting process, first, in step S311, the group information generation unit 108 generates power control information for information on a circuit block to be newly supplied with power determined by the analysis in step S303 of FIG. 3A. Obtained from the unit 105. As shown in FIG. 7B, when the configuration data is set to configuration 2, the circuit blocks that need to be supplied with power are circuit blocks 251 to 256, 258 to 260, and 266 to 268. Therefore, when the configuration data is changed from the setting of the configuration 1 to the setting of the configuration 2, the circuit blocks excluding the circuit block 253 to which power has already been supplied become circuit blocks that newly start power supply.

  Next, in step S312, the group information generation unit 108 arbitrarily selects one of the circuit blocks from which power supply is newly started. Here, as a method for selecting a circuit block, in addition to selecting an arbitrary circuit block, if there is an arithmetic element number table for each circuit block as shown in FIG. And a method of selecting in descending order of the number of calculation elements. In addition, if there is a circuit block that has already been supplied with power, there is a method of selecting the circuit block that is closest to or farthest from the existing circuit block that is supplied with power. Furthermore, a method combining a plurality of the above-described selection methods may be used. In this example, it is assumed that the circuit block 252 is selected.

Subsequently, in step S313, the group information generation unit 108 acquires attribute information of the selected circuit block. That is, the calculation element number “4” which is the attribute information of the selected circuit block 252 is acquired. In step S314, the group information generation unit 108 subtracts the number of calculation elements, which is attribute information of the selected circuit block 252 acquired in step S313, from the threshold set in step S301 of FIG. 3A. In this example, “8” is set as the threshold at which power supply can be started.
8-4 = 4 (1)
It becomes.

  In step S315, the group information generation unit 108 performs the result determination of the expression (1) that is the result in step S314. As a result of the determination, if the calculated value is “0”, the process proceeds to step S316. In step S316, the group information generation unit 108 determines a group of circuit blocks, and the process proceeds to step S317. On the other hand, if the calculated value is other than “0”, the process proceeds to step S319.

  In step S319, the group information generation unit 108 performs the result determination of the expression (1) that is the result in step S314, similarly to step S315. As a result of the determination, if the calculated value is smaller than “0”, the threshold value that can supply power is not appropriate, so the process returns to step S301, and the threshold value that can supply power is set again. On the other hand, if the calculated value is larger than “0”, in step S320, the circuit block 253 already supplied with power and the selected circuit block 252 from the power supply circuit block candidates shown in FIG. Is deleted, and the process proceeds to step S321. FIG. 8A shows an example of a calculation element number table for each circuit block when the circuit block 252 is selected. As shown in FIG. 8A, after the circuit block 252 is selected, the circuit blocks 251, 254 to 256, 258 to 260, and 266 to 268 become circuit block candidates.

  In step S321, the group information generation unit 108 determines whether there is a circuit block having attribute information smaller than the calculated value among the circuit block candidates. If there is no circuit block having attribute information smaller than the calculated value among the circuit block candidates, the group information generation unit 108 determines a group of circuit blocks in step S316, and the process proceeds to step S317. On the other hand, when there is a circuit block with attribute information smaller than the calculated value among the circuit block candidates, in step S322, the group information generating unit 108 selects one of the circuit blocks having attribute information smaller than the calculated value. Is selected from the circuit block candidates, and the process returns to step S313.

In this example, since the result of the expression (1) is “4”, the circuit block 259 is selected from the circuit block candidates shown in FIG. 8A in step S322, and the process returns to step S313. And In step S <b> 313 in which the circuit block 259 is selected and returned, the group information generation unit 108 acquires the number “2” of operation elements that is attribute information of the selected circuit block 259. In step S314, the number of calculation elements, which is attribute information of the selected circuit block 259, is subtracted from the result of the previously calculated expression (1).
4-2 = 2 (2)
It becomes.

  Subsequently, in step S315, the group information generation unit 108 performs the result determination of the expression (2) that is the result in step S314. In this example, since the calculated value is other than “0”, the process proceeds to step S319, and since the calculated value is greater than “0”, the process proceeds to step S320. In step S320, the circuit block 259 selected from the circuit block candidates to be supplied shown in FIG. 8A is deleted, and the process proceeds to step S321. FIG. 8B shows an example of a calculation element number table for each circuit block when the circuit block 259 is selected. As shown in FIG. 8B, after the circuit block 259 is selected, the circuit blocks 251, 254 to 256, 258, 260, and 266 to 268 become circuit block candidates.

  In step S321, the group information generation unit 108 determines whether there is a circuit block having attribute information smaller than the calculated value among the circuit block candidates. If there is, the group information generating unit 108 determines from the calculated value in step S322. One of the circuit blocks having smaller attribute information is selected. In this example, since the calculated value that is the result of the expression (2) is “2”, the circuit blocks 251, 254 to 256 whose number of operation elements is “4” that is larger than the calculated value are excluded. It is burned. That is, as shown in FIG. 8C, circuit blocks 258, 260, 266 to 268 are circuit block candidates that can be selected in step S322 after the circuit block 259 is selected.

In this example, it is assumed that the circuit block 267 is selected from the circuit block candidates shown in FIG. 8C and the process returns to step S313. Then, the same processing as described above is repeated. In step S <b> 313 in which the circuit block 267 is selected and returned, the group information generation unit 108 acquires the number “2” of operation elements that is attribute information of the selected circuit block 267. In step S314, the number of calculation elements, which is attribute information of the selected circuit block 267, is subtracted from the result of the previously calculated expression (2),
2-2 = 0 (3)
It becomes.

  Subsequently, in step S315, the group information generation unit 108 performs the result determination of the expression (3) that is the result in step S314. In this example, since the calculated value is “0”, the process proceeds to step S316. In step S316, the group information generation unit 108 determines grouping of the selected circuit block, and the process proceeds to step S317. Grouping is to define a new group so that the number of operation elements of a plurality of circuit blocks is equal to or less than the threshold value at which power supply can be started set in step S301. In the example described above, the circuit blocks 252 259 267 are defined as the first group.

  In step S317, the group information generation unit 108 deletes the circuit block 267 selected from the circuit block candidates to be supplied with power shown in FIG. 8B in the same manner as the process in step S320. Next, in step S318, the group information generation unit 108 determines whether there is a remaining circuit block candidate after the deletion in step S317. When there is a remaining circuit block candidate, the group information generation unit 108 returns to step S312, repeats the same processing, and continues grouping until there are no more circuit block candidates. Define a group. On the other hand, if there are no remaining circuit block candidates after deletion in step S317, the circuit block group setting process is terminated, and the process proceeds to step S307 shown in FIG. 3A.

  As described above, the grouping of circuit blocks is attribute information (the number of operation elements) in which the threshold at which power supply can be started and the total number of operation elements of the circuit blocks in the group match or are smaller than the calculated value. ) Is executed until there are no more circuit block candidates. By repeating the processing from step S312 to step S322 of FIG. 3B described above, a group of circuit blocks is determined. In the above description, the circuit blocks 252, 259, and 267 are defined as the first group (Gr1). However, in this example, the second, third, and fourth groups are similarly defined. For example, the circuit blocks 251 and 254 are defined as the second group (Gr2), the circuit blocks 256, 260 and 268 are defined as the third group (Gr3), and the circuit blocks 255, 258 and 266 are defined as the fourth group. It is defined as (Gr4).

  When determining the fourth group, after the first group, the second group, and the third group are determined, the processing from step S313 to step S322 is repeated twice as in the first group. At this time, the total value of the attribute information of the circuit blocks in the group is “6” with respect to the threshold “8” at which power supply can be started, and the calculated value does not match “0”. Therefore, in step S315, the result in step S314 is determined. However, since the calculated value is other than “0”, the process proceeds to step S319. In subsequent step S320, the circuit block 266 selected last is deleted from the circuit block candidates, and the process proceeds to step S321. In step S321, since there is no circuit block having attribute information smaller than the calculated value among the circuit block candidates, the process proceeds to step S316, and the total value of the threshold value for starting power supply and the attribute information of the circuit blocks in the group is one. Even if you don't do it, it will be grouped.

  As described above, priorities and timings related to the start of power supply for each group of circuit blocks determined after the first to fourth groups have been determined for the circuit block that will newly start power supply. Is determined. For example, when the priority order is set in the order of determination of the circuit block groups in step S306, the first group (Gr1), the second group (Gr2), the third group (Gr3), and the fourth group (Gr4) Power supply processing is performed in order. At this time, the timing for starting power supply to each circuit block group is controlled based on the power supply start time information acquired from the timing information generator 109 by the power control information generator 105. Assuming that the power supply start time of the first group (Gr1) is t1, the power supply start time of the second group (Gr2) is generated by adding the minimum power supply time interval to the time t1 by the timing information generation unit 109. T2. Similarly, the power supply start time of the third group (Gr3) is t3 obtained by adding the minimum power supply time interval to time t2, and the power supply start time of the fourth group (Gr4) is power supply at time t3. It becomes t4 which added the minimum supply time interval.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the power supply start timing set as described above. The power control information for the circuit blocks in each circuit block group determined in step S307 in FIG. 3A corresponds to the power control information 708 and 710 shown in FIG. In the case of level, the power supply to the circuit block is cut off. The power supply control information of the first group (Gr1), the second group (Gr2), the third group (Gr3), and the fourth group (Gr4) is Gr1_ctrl, Gr2_ctrl, Gr3_ctrl, and Gr4_ctrl, respectively. In the circuit blocks 252, 259, and 267 belonging to the first group (Gr1), the power supply is started at the timing of the power supply start time t1. Similarly, in the circuit blocks 251 and 254 belonging to the second group (Gr2), power supply is started at the timing of the power supply start time t2. In the circuit blocks 256, 260, and 268 belonging to the third group (Gr3), power supply is started at the timing of the power supply start time t3. In the circuit blocks 255, 258, and 266 belonging to the fourth group (Gr4), the power supply is started at the timing of the power supply start time t4. Therefore, the power supply to each circuit block of the first group (Gr1), the second group (Gr2), the third group (Gr3), and the fourth group (Gr4) is stabilized within the time 4T. Become. Note that T is the minimum power supply time interval set by the parameter setting unit 107, for example.

  According to the present embodiment, the number of arithmetic elements of each circuit block of the arithmetic unit 102 is used as attribute information, and a plurality of circuit blocks are organized into a plurality of groups based on a threshold at which each circuit can stably operate. The timing of power supply can be controlled every time. This makes it possible to properly control the timing of starting power supply and suppress the occurrence of sudden current fluctuations, while shortening the time from the start of power supply to the stabilization of power supply, and returning power to the entire system Time and processing time can be shortened to reduce power consumption. In the above description, the parameter setting unit 107 is configured to set the setting value from the outside, but may be configured to store the setting value in a storage unit such as a memory in advance.

  In the above description, the case where the number of arithmetic elements included in each circuit block of the arithmetic unit is used as attribute information has been described as an example. However, in this case, the area occupied by each arithmetic element constituting the arithmetic unit is almost as a premise. It must be the same. This is because if the occupied area constituting the logic of each arithmetic element is different, the amount of current during power supply also changes. Therefore, when the occupation area of each computation element constituting the computation unit differs depending on the computation element, for example, the occupation area occupied by the computation element may be used as attribute information instead of the number of computation elements.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a calculation unit having calculation elements having different occupation areas. Among the calculation elements arranged in the calculation unit, the calculation elements 801 to 806 have a larger occupied area than the other calculation elements 201 to 204, 209 to 216, 221 to 228, and 233 to 248 (for example, the occupied area is larger). 2 times). In this case, if the number of computing elements is handled as attribute information as it is, the occupied area varies greatly even with the same number of computing elements. It may be impossible to control. In such a case, the attribute information can be converted from the number of calculation elements to the occupied area of the calculation elements and processed in the same processing flow.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a calculation element area table for each circuit block. When the attribute information is converted from the number of calculation elements to the occupied area of the calculation elements, the attribute information may be calculated using the coefficient for the calculation element as a reference with respect to the number of calculation elements for each circuit block. For example, when the coefficient of the calculation element 201 is set to “1” and the coefficient of the calculation elements 801 to 806 is set to “2”, the value is converted to the area occupied by the calculation element as shown in FIG. Therefore, in FIG. 11, as indicated by 901, in the circuit block 252, the operation element occupation area is defined as “4” by multiplying the number of operation elements “2” by the coefficient “2”. Similarly, as indicated by 902 to 904, values are also defined for circuit blocks 255, 259, and 263 having arithmetic elements 803 to 806.

  When defining the occupation area of the computation element as the attribute information, the occupation area of the computation element that can start power supply is set as a threshold in step S301 shown in FIG. 3A. Further, in step S313 shown in FIG. 3B, the calculation element area table converted to the calculation element occupation area is referred to, and the calculation element occupation area of the selected circuit block is acquired as attribute information. Process. Even in this case, similarly to the case where the number of calculation elements is used as attribute information, a circuit block group is determined using the occupied area of the calculation elements as attribute information, and the power supply timing of each circuit block is controlled by the group to supply power. It becomes possible to start.

(Other embodiments of the present invention)
The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed.

  The above-described embodiments are merely examples of implementation in carrying out the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited thereto. That is, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the technical idea or the main features thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101: Information processing apparatus 102: Calculation part 104: Calculation element specific | specification part 105: Power supply control information generation part 106: Correspondence information holding part 107: Parameter setting part 108: Group information generation part 109: Timing information generation part 701,711: Power supply Supply control units 703 to 706: arithmetic elements 707 and 709: circuit blocks

Claims (11)

An information processing apparatus having a plurality of arithmetic elements for executing processing and capable of dynamically reconfiguring a circuit configuration according to the processing to be executed,
A plurality of circuit blocks each having at least one arithmetic element, and arithmetic means having power supply control means for controlling power supply for each circuit block;
Based on configuration data related to the process to be executed, a determination unit that determines a calculation element to be used for the process from among the plurality of calculation elements of the calculation unit;
An information processing apparatus comprising: control means for varying the timing of starting power supply for a plurality of groups including at least one circuit block having an arithmetic element determined by the determining means.   2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: generating means for generating group information organized into one or a plurality of groups including at least one circuit block having the operation element determined by the determining means based on a threshold value. The information processing apparatus described.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the threshold is the number of the calculation elements or the area of the calculation elements that can be included in one group.   4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising parameter setting means for setting the threshold value. The parameter setting means sets a time interval when starting power supply,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the generation unit generates timing information in which a power supply start timing is changed for each group based on a set time interval.   The generation means includes a circuit block including the arithmetic element determined by the determining means and newly starting power supply, wherein the number of arithmetic elements included in one group or the area of the arithmetic elements is equal to or less than the threshold value. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the group information organized into one or a plurality of groups is generated. A plurality of circuit blocks each having at least one computing element; a computing means having power supply control means for controlling power supply for each of the circuit blocks; and a control means for controlling power supply for each of the plurality of circuit blocks; An information processing apparatus for generating control information in a semiconductor integrated circuit comprising:
Based on configuration data related to the process to be executed, a determination unit that determines the calculation element to be used for the process from among the plurality of calculation elements of the calculation unit;
Group information generating means for generating group information in which the circuit block including the arithmetic element determined by the determining means is organized into one or a plurality of groups;
Timing information generating means for generating timing information indicating timing for starting power supply for each group organized by the group information;
An information processing apparatus comprising: control information generating means for generating control information for controlling power supply and shutoff to the plurality of circuit blocks based on the group information and the timing information. Information processing comprising a plurality of circuit blocks having at least one arithmetic element and arithmetic means having a control means for controlling power supply for each circuit block, and the circuit configuration can be dynamically reconfigured according to the processing to be executed An apparatus control method comprising:
Based on configuration data related to the process to be executed, a determination step for determining a calculation element to be used for the process from among the plurality of calculation elements of the calculation unit;
And a control step of varying the timing of starting power supply for a plurality of groups including at least one circuit block having the arithmetic element determined in the determination step. A control method for an information processing apparatus having a plurality of arithmetic elements for executing processing and capable of dynamically reconfiguring a circuit configuration according to the processing to be executed,
Execute from among the plurality of arithmetic elements included in the arithmetic means of the information processing apparatus having a plurality of circuit blocks each having at least one arithmetic element and power supply control means for controlling power supply for each circuit block. A determination step for determining the arithmetic element to be used for the processing based on configuration data relating to the processing to be performed;
A group information generating step for generating group information in which the circuit block including the arithmetic element determined in the determining step is organized into one or a plurality of groups;
A timing information generating step for generating timing information indicating timing for starting power supply for each group organized by the group information;
And a control information generating step for generating control information for controlling supply and cut-off of power to the plurality of circuit blocks based on the group information and the timing information. . A computer having an information processing device that has a plurality of arithmetic elements for executing processing and that can dynamically reconfigure a circuit configuration according to the processing to be executed,
A plurality of circuit blocks each having at least one arithmetic element, and arithmetic means having power supply control means for controlling power supply for each circuit block;
Based on configuration data related to the process to be executed, a determination unit that determines a calculation element to be used for the process from among the plurality of calculation elements of the calculation unit;
A computer-readable program for causing a plurality of groups including at least one circuit block having an arithmetic element determined by the determining means to function as a control means for varying the timing of starting power supply. A program that causes a computer to execute a control method of an information processing apparatus that has a plurality of arithmetic elements that execute processing and can dynamically reconfigure a circuit configuration according to the processing to be executed,
Execute from among the plurality of arithmetic elements included in the arithmetic means of the information processing apparatus having a plurality of circuit blocks each having at least one arithmetic element and power supply control means for controlling power supply for each circuit block. A determination step for determining the calculation element to be used for the processing based on configuration data relating to the processing to be performed;
A group information generating step for generating group information in which the circuit block including the arithmetic element determined in the determining step is organized into one or a plurality of groups;
A timing information generating step for generating timing information indicating a timing for starting power supply for each group, with different timings for each group organized by the group information;
A program for causing a computer to execute a control information generation step for generating control information for controlling supply and cutoff of power to the plurality of circuit blocks based on the group information and the timing information.

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