Integrated circuit, method of circuit configuration and program thereof

• US 20030080776A1
• Filed: 08/19/2002
• Published: 05/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kohno, Ryuji, Sanada, Yukitoshi, Michael, Lachlan, Morelos-Zaragoza, Robert, Akai, Kenichiro
• Granted Patent: US 6,768,337 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 326/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/34 for reconfigurable circuits, e.g. field programmable gate arrays [FPGA] or programmable logic devices [PLD]
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/17748 Structural details of configuration resources
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/17768 for security

Abstract

A plurality of circuit cells, a plurality of matrix switch sections and a plurality of switch sections for connecting between the plurality of circuit cells, all of which form a part of a circuit cell array, and a plurality of input/output cell sections arranged around the circuit cell array all change their circuit configurations in accordance with a configuration data to be supplied. In some of these circuit blocks, at least a part of the circuit thereof is fixed at a predetermined circuit configuration, and a conversion of the configuration data based on proprietary information regarding the fixed circuit is performed at a supplier of the configuration data. Thus, a differential configuration data for portions of the circuit other than the fixed circuit portion is generated and supplied to the integrated circuit.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit including a plurality of circuit blocks having circuit configurations which are alterable in accordance with a supplied configuration data, comprising:

a plurality of types of circuit blocks included in said plurality of circuit blocks, wherein said plurality of types of circuit blocks configure circuits based on predetermined rules which are mutually different for each of said plurality of types of circuit blocks.

2. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of types of circuit blocks comprise:

a first type of circuit block which alters the circuit configuration thereof in accordance with said configuration data; and

a second type of circuit block which is fixed at a predetermined circuit configuration and for which alteration of the circuit configuration thereof in accordance with said configuration data is not possible.

3. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of types of circuit blocks comprise:

a plurality of types of circuit cells for configuring circuits in accordance with said configuration data based on predetermined rules which are different for each type; and

a plurality of types of connection circuits for connecting between said plurality of types of circuit cells in accordance with said configuration data and based on predetermined rules which are different for each type.

4. The integrated circuit according to claim 3, wherein said plurality of types of circuit cells comprise:

a first type of circuit cell which alters the circuit configuration thereof in accordance with said configuration data; and

a second type of circuit cell having the circuit configuration of said first type of circuit cell with at least a part of the circuit thereof fixed at a predetermined circuit configuration.

5. The integrated circuit according to claim 3, wherein said plurality of types of connection circuits comprise:

a first type of connection circuit which alters the connection between said circuit cells in accordance with said configuration data; and

a second type of connection circuit in which at least part of the connections of said first type of connection circuit is fixed at a predetermined connection.

6. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, further comprising a configuration alteration prohibiting circuit for determining whether or not a bit data of a predetermined value is inserted in a predetermined bit in said configuration data, and prohibiting alteration of the circuit configuration of said circuit block depending on a result of said determination.

7. A method of circuit configuration for an integrated circuit having a plurality of circuit blocks with a circuit configuration which is alterable in accordance with a supplied configuration data, comprising the steps of:

generating said configuration data in accordance with information on a circuit to be configured in said integrated circuit;

converting said configuration data thus generated in accordance with information on a circuit configuration rule which differs for each of a plurality of types of circuit blocks included in said plurality of circuit blocks;

supplying said configuration data thus converted to said integrated circuit; and

configuring a circuit in accordance with said configuration data thus supplied in each of said circuit blocks in accordance with said configuration rule corresponding to the respective type of each of said circuit blocks.

8. The method of circuit configuration for said integrated circuit according to claim 7, wherein in said step for generating said configuration data, said configuration data is generated in accordance with said information on said circuit to be configured and said information on said configuration rule.

9. The method of circuit configuration for said integrated circuit according to claim 8, wherein

in said step for generating said configuration data, there is generated, in accordance with said information on said circuit to be generated and said information on said configuration rule, a configuration data for specifying a circuit configuration of a first type of circuit block having an alterable circuit configuration, and for specifying a connection between a second type of circuit block having a fixed circuit configuration and said first type of circuit block, and

in said step for configuring said circuit, a circuit of said first type of circuit block is configured and said first type of circuit block and said second type of circuit block are connected in accordance with said configuration data.

10. The method of circuit configuration for said integrated circuit according to claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

inserting a bit data of a predetermined value in a predetermined bit in said generated configuration data in accordance with predetermined information for lifting the circuit configuration alteration prohibition of said circuit block; and

determining whether or not said bit data of said predetermined value is inserted in said predetermined bit of said configuration data, and prohibiting alteration of the circuit configuration of said circuit block depending on a result of said determination.

11. A program for a data processing apparatus for generating a configuration data of an integrated circuit having a plurality of circuit blocks with a circuit configuration alterable in accordance with said configuration data to be supplied, comprising the steps of:

generating said configuration data in accordance with information on a circuit to be configured in said integrated circuit; and

converting said generated configuration data in accordance with information on a circuit configuration rule which differs for each of a plurality of types of circuit blocks included in said plurality of circuit blocks.

12. The program according to claim 11, wherein in said step for generating said configuration data, said configuration data is generated in accordance with said information on said circuit and said information on said circuit configuration rule.

13. The program according to claim 12, wherein in said step for generating said configuration data, said configuration data is generated in accordance with said information on said circuit and said information on said circuit configuration rule, and

said configuration data specifies a circuit configuration of a first type of circuit block having an alterable circuit configuration and a connection between a second type of circuit block with a fixed circuit configuration and said first type of circuit block.

14. The program according to claim 11, wherein in said step for converting said circuit configuration data, a bit data of a predetermined value is inserted in a predetermined bit in said configuration data in accordance with predetermined information for prohibiting alteration of the circuit configuration of said circuit block.