Search engine device and method for generating output search responses from multiple input search responses
View Patent ↗According to one embodiment, a search engine device ( 100 ) may include an input ( 102 ), search portion ( 106 ), and a vote portion ( 108 ). A vote portion ( 108 ) may receive responses to a search request at inputs. According to precedence information in received responses, a vote portion ( 108 ) may generate an output response having its own precedence information.
1. A search engine system, comprising:
at least one search engine that receives a key value for comparison with data values stored in a plurality of entries; and
at least one voting section that generates an output search status value in response to at least two received search status values generated from a same search request; wherein
the search status values correspond to types of search responses, such responses including a single match response that indicates the key value matches one searched entry of the search engine, and a single free entry response that indicates the key does not match any searched entries of the search engine and at least one entry does not store a valid data value.
2. The search engine system of claim 1 , wherein:
the voting section generates the output search status value based on a predetermined precedence of the received search status values with respect to one another for certain of the received search status values.
3. The search engine system of claim 1 , wherein:
at least one search engine that receives a key value for comparison with data values stored in a plurality of entries; and
the search status values correspond to types of responses selected from the group consisting of: a multiple free entry response that indicates the key does not match any searched entries of the search engine and at least two entries do not store valid data values; a single free sub-block response that indicates the key does not match any searched entries of the search engine and a sub-block of entries does not store valid data values, where a sub-block includes a plurality of entries; a multiple free sub-block response that indicates the key does not match any searched entries of the search engine and at least two sub-blocks do not store valid data values; a single free block response that indicates the key does not match any entries of the search engine and a block of entries does not store valid data values, where a block includes a plurality of sub-blocks; a multiple free block response that indicates the key does not match any searched entries of the search engine and at least two blocks do not store valid data values.
4. The search engine system of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one voting section outputs a corresponding multiple result search status value when the at least two received search status values indicate a same predetermined single result search status value.
5. The search engine system of claim 4 , wherein:
the predetermined single result search status values and corresponding multiple search result status values are selected from the group consisting of: a single free entry response that indicates a key does not match any searched entries of the search engine and at least one entry does not store a valid data value and corresponding multiple free entries response; a single free sub-block response that indicates a key does not match any searched entries of the search engine and a sub-block of entries does not store valid data values, where a sub-block includes a plurality of entries and a corresponding multiple free sub-blocks response; and a single free block response that indicates a key does not match any searched entries of the search engine and a block of entries does not store valid data values, where a block includes a plurality of sub-blocks and a corresponding multiple free blocks response.
6. The search engine system of claim 1 , further including:
a plurality of search engines each having a unique device identification value; and
the at least two received search status values further include different device identification values, and the voting section generates the output search status based on a precedence between device identification values when the at least two responses both include a same predetermined search status value.
7. The search engine system of claim 1 , wherein:
the voting section includes at least one compare circuit for comparing a status value of a first response with a status value of a second response.
8. The search engine system of claim 7 , wherein:
the compare circuit includes at least one magnitude comparator.
9. The search engine system of claim 1 , further including:
a circuit that applies search key values to one of at least two portions of entries in a search engine device and provides a portion indication to the voting section that specifies which portion the search key is compared to.
10. The search engine system of claim 1 , further including:
at least one search engine that includes
at least two groups of entries that store data values for comparison with a search key, and
a priority store associated with each group of entries for storing a priority value for the group of entries, and
the at least one voting section further generates an output priority value in response to at least two received priority values generated from the same search request.
11. The search engine system of claim 10 , wherein:
the at least one search engine includes a first mode and a second mode; and
each priority value corresponds to a physical location of the associated group of entries in the first mode, and is programmable in the second mode.