CODE COMPRESSION FOR THE EMBEDDED ARM/THUMB PROCESSOR
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47839/ijc.3.2.279Keywords:
ARM, THUMB, Memory, Code, CompressionAbstract
Previous code compression research on embedded systems was based on typical RISC instruction code. THUMB from ARM Ltd is a compacted 16-bits instruction set showing a great code density than its original 32-bits ARM instruction. Our research shows that THUMB code is compressible and a further 10-15% code size reduction on THUMB code can be expected using our proposed new architecture – Code Compressed THUMB Processor. In our proposal, Level 2 cache or additional RAM space is introduced to serve as the temporary storage for decompressed program blocks. A software implementation of the architecture is proposed and we have implemented a software prototype based on ARM922T processor, which runs on the ARMulator.References
A. Wolfe, A. Chanin. Executing Compressed Programs on an Embedded RISC Architecture. Proceedings of 25th Ann. International Symposium on Microarchitecture, pages 81-91, December 1992.
H. Lekatsas, W. Wolf. Code Compression for Embedded Systems. Proceedings of the 35th Design Automation Conference, June 1998.
T. Kemp et. al. A decompression core for PowerPC. IBM Systems Journal. Res. Dev. 42(6), Nov. 1998
C. Lefurgy, P. Bird, I-C. Chen, T. Mudge. Improving code density using compression techniques. Proceedings of the 30th Annual International Symposium on Microarchitecture, December 1997.
S. Liao, S. Devadas, K. Keutzer. Code Density Optimization for Embedded DSP Processors Using Data Compression Techniques. Proceedings of the 15th Conference on Advanced Research in VLSI, March 1995.
Advanced RISC Machines Ltd. An Introduction to THUMB, March 1995.
K. Kissell. MIPS16: High-density MIPS for the Embedded Market, Silicon Graphics MIPS Group, 1997.
G. Held, T.R. Marshall. Data and Image Compression Tools and Techniques. 4th Edition, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, UK, 1996.
J. Nunez, S.R. Jones. The X-MatchPRO 100 Mbytes/second FPGA-based Lossless Data Compressor. Proceedings of Design, Automation and Test in Europe, DATE Conference 2000, Pages 139-142, March 2000.
J.L. Hennessy, D.A. Patterson. Computer Architecture A Quantitative Approach. 2nd Edition, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, Los Altos, CA, 1996.
C. Lefurgy, T. Mudge. Fast Software-managed Code Decompression. Presented at CASES-99 (Computer and Architecture Support for Embedded Systems), pp. 139-143, October 1999, presented at 10th Annual IPoCSE Review, University of Michigan.
D. Seal. ARM Architecture Reference Manual. 2nd Edition, ISBN 0-201-737191, Pearson Education Limited.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
International Journal of Computing is an open access journal. Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:• Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
• Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
• Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.