Re-configurable hardware and its implementation

• US 20040054708A1
• Filed: 09/17/2002
• Published: 03/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Happonen, Aki
• Granted Patent: US 7,194,615 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 708/851
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/5235 using indirect methods, e.g. quarter square method, via logarithmic domain

Abstract

An integrated circuit has a command/control bus and a number of processing elements. The processing elements contain a number of parts, each part being connected to said command/control bus. Each one of the processing elements is re-configurable in response to commands on said command/control bus to provide any one of a plurality of different arithmetic operations.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit, comprising:

a command/control bus;

a plurality of processing elements containing a number of parts, each part being connected to said control bus, each of said plurality of processing elements being re-configurable in response to commands on said command/control bus to provide any one of a plurality of different arithmetic operations.

2. An integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein:

at least one of said number of parts in said processing element being configurable to operate in logarithmic scale.

3. An integrated circuit according to claim 2, wherein:

said number of parts comprise at least element that is capable of performing the function of converting from decimal scale to logarithmic scale.

4. An integrated circuit according to claim 2, wherein:

said number of parts comprise at least one add/subtract element.

5. An integrated circuit according to claim 2, wherein:

said number of parts include a logarithmic scale to decimal scale look up table.

6. An integrated circuit according to claim 3, further comprising a plurality of digital scale to logarithmic scale look up tables, each decimal scale to logarithmic scale look up table having an input connected to a respective data in path and an output connected to a respective input of a add/subtract element.

7. An integrated circuit according to claim 6, wherein an output of said add/subtract element is connected to an input of said logarithmic scale to digital scale look up table.

8. An integrated circuit according to claim 7, wherein each of said processing elements is re-configurable to perform any one of the arithmetic operations of addition, multiplication, division, and square root.

9. An integrated circuit according to claim 8, wherein each of said plurality of processing elements can be configured to perform the addition operation by bypassing the decimal scale to logarithmic scale look up tables and controlling the add/subtract element to operate as a basic adder.

10. An integrated circuit according to claim 9, wherein each of said plurality of processing elements can be configured to perform the multiplication operation by transferring data from digital scale to logarithmic scale in the digital scale to logarithmic scale look up table;

controlling the add/subtract element to operate as an adder; and

transferring the output of the add/subtract element from logarithmic scale to digital scale in the logarithmic scale to digital scale look up table.

11. An integrated circuit according to claim 10, wherein each of said processing elements can be configured to perform the division operation by transferring data from digital scale to logarithmic scale in the logarithmic scale to digital scale look up tables;

controlling the add/subtract element to carry out a subtraction operation; and

transferring the output of the add/subtract element from logarithmic scale to digital scale in the logarithmic scale to digital scale look up table.

12. A integrated circuit according to claim 11, wherein each of said processing elements can be configured to perform the square root operation by transferring data from digital scale to logarithmic scale in the logarithmic scale to digital scale look up tables;

controlling the add/subtract element to carry out a shifting operation; and

transferring the output of the add/subtract element from logarithmic scale to digital scale in the logarithmic scale to digital scale look up table.

13. A wireless communication device, comprising:

a radio frequency circuit receiving and transmitting communication signals; and

an integrated circuit arranged to receive communication signals from said radio frequency circuit and including

a command/control bus; and

a plurality of processing elements receiving containing a number of parts, each part being connected to said command/control bus, each of said plurality of processing elements being re-configurable in response to commands on said command/control bus to provide any one of a plurality of different arithmetic operations.

14. A wireless communication device according to claim 13, wherein:

at least one of said number of parts in said processing element being configurable to operate in logarithmic scale.

15. A wireless communication device according to claim 14, wherein:

said number of parts comprise at least one decimal scale to logarithmic scale look up table.

16. A wireless communication device according to claim 14, wherein:

said number of parts comprise at least one add/subtract element.

17. A wireless communication device according to claim 14, wherein:

said number of parts include a logarithmic scale to decimal scale look up table.

18. A wireless communication device according to claim 15, further comprising a plurality of digital scale to logarithmic scale look up tables, each digital scale to logarithmic scale look up table having an input connected to a respective data in path and an output connected to a respective input of a add/subtract element.

19. A wireless communication device according to claim 18, wherein an output of said add/subtract element is connected to an input of said logarithmic scale to digital scale look up table.

20. A wireless communication device according to claim 19, wherein each of said processing elements is re-configurable to perform any one of the arithmetic operations of addition, multiplication, division, and square root.

21. A wireless communication device according to claim 20, wherein each of said plurality of processing elements can be configured to perform the addition operation by bypassing the decimal scale to logarithmic scale look up tables and controlling the add/subtract element to operate as a basic adder.

22. A wireless communication device according to claim 21, wherein each of said plurality of processing elements can be configured to perform the multiplication operation by transferring data from digital scale to logarithmic scale in the digital scale to logarithmic scale look up table;

controlling the add/subtract element to operate as an adder; and

transferring the output of the add/subtract element from logarithmic scale to digital scale in the logarithmic scale to digital scale look up table.

23. A wireless communication device according to claim 22, wherein each of said processing elements can be configured to perform the division operation by transferring data from digital scale to logarithmic scale in the logarithmic scale to digital scale look up tables;

controlling the add/subtract element to carry out a subtraction operation; and

transferring the output of the add/subtract element from logarithmic scale to digital scale in the logarithmic scale to digital scale look up table.

24. A wireless communication device according to claim 23, wherein each of said processing elements can be configured to perform the square root operation by transferring data from digital scale to logarithmic scale in the logarithmic scale to digital scale look up tables;

controlling the add/subtract element to carry out a shifting operation; and

transferring the output of the add/subtract element from logarithmic scale to digital scale in the logarithmic scale to digital scale look up table.