Interlock (engineering): Difference between revisions
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In [[CPU design|microprocessor architecture]] an interlock is hardware that stalls the [[pipeline (computer)|pipeline]] (inserts [[Bubble (computer architecture)|bubbles]]) when a [[Hazard (computer architecture)|hazard]] is detected until the hazard is cleared. One example of a hazard is if a [[Computer program|software program]] [[Load (computing)|loads]] data from the [[Computer bus|system bus]] and calls for use of that data in the following cycle in a system in which loads take multiple cycles (a load-to-use hazard). |
In [[CPU design|microprocessor architecture]] an interlock is hardware that stalls the [[pipeline (computer)|pipeline]] (inserts [[Bubble (computer architecture)|bubbles]]) when a [[Hazard (computer architecture)|hazard]] is detected until the hazard is cleared. One example of a hazard is if a [[Computer program|software program]] [[Load (computing)|loads]] data from the [[Computer bus|system bus]] and calls for use of that data in the following cycle in a system in which loads take multiple cycles (a load-to-use hazard). |
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==See also== |
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*[[Breath alcohol ignition interlock device]] |
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[[Category:Instruction processing]] |
[[Category:Instruction processing]] |
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Revision as of 22:37, 26 July 2006
An interlock is a device used to help prevent a machine from harming its operator or damaging itself by stopping the machine when tripped. Household microwave ovens are equipped with interlock switches which disable the magnetron if the door is opened. Similarly household washing machines will not enter spin cycle while their lid is open. Interlocks also serve as important safety devices in industrial settings, where they protect employees from more complex devices, like robots. While interlocks can be something as sophisticated as curtains of infrared beams and photodetectors, they are often just switches.
In microprocessor architecture an interlock is hardware that stalls the pipeline (inserts bubbles) when a hazard is detected until the hazard is cleared. One example of a hazard is if a software program loads data from the system bus and calls for use of that data in the following cycle in a system in which loads take multiple cycles (a load-to-use hazard).