Effektiver Vergleich von Zeitstempeln

entity sort_element is

    port (

        clk            : in  std_logic_vector;

        ...

        timestamp1_in  : in  std_logic_vector(31 downto 0); 

        timestamp2_in  : in  std_logic_vector(31 downto 0); 

        ...

        );

architecture sort_element_architecture of sort_element is

    signal timestamp_diff_s       : std_logic_vector(31 downto 0); 

    signal timestamp2_is_older_s  : std_logic_vector;

begin

    -- combinatoric part to find out if timestamp2_in is

    -- earlier in time than timestamp1_in.

    -- (timestamps are derived from a counter that increments  

    --  by clk and wraps back to 0 when 2^32 is reached.

    --

    timestamp_diff_s       := (timestamp1_in - timestamp2_in);

    timestamp2_is_older_s  := timestamp_diff_s(31);

    demo_only : process(clk):

    begin

       if rising_edge(clk)

           ...

           -- pseudo code to say that timestamp2_is_older_s

           -- is only used while both timestamps are valid

           if (both_timestamps_valid) 

               if (timestamp2_is_older_s)

                  :

               end if;

           end if;

           ...

    end demo_only;

end sort_element_architecture;