Configurable electronic device which is compatible with a configuration bitstream of a prior generation configurable electronic device

• US 5,773,993 A
• Filed: 09/26/1996
• Issued: 06/30/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xilinx, Inc. (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Xilinx, Inc. (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.)
• Inventors: Trimberger, Stephen M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Westin, Edward P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROSEEN, RICHARD R
• Application Number:
  US08/721,387
• Time in Patent Office: 642 Days
• Field of Search: 326/38, 326/39, 326/40
• US Class Current: 326/38
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/17748 Structural details of configuration resources
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/17764 for reliability

Abstract

A configurable electronic device which is compatible with a configuration bitstream of a prior generation configurable electronic device. The configurable device has a first configurable domain which is configurable with the configuration bitstream of the prior generation device and a second configurable domain which is optionally configurable. To function as the prior generation configurable device, the configurable device is loaded with the bitstream of the prior generation configurable device. To utilize the second configurable domain, another bitstream is concatenated to the bitstream intended for the first configurable domain. In a first embodiment, a signal is utilized to indicate when the first configurable domain is full of configuration bits, thereby indicating that the second configurable domain may load forthcoming bits. In a second embodiment, the configuration bitstream for the first configurable domain includes a bit to indicate whether a successive configurable domain may load forthcoming bits.

Claims

1. A configurable electronic device which is compatible with a prior generation configurable electronic device, the prior generation configurable device being configurable by a first bitstream, the configurable electronic device comprising:

a first configurable domain which is integrated in the configurable device and configurable by the first bitstream;

a second configurable domain which is integrated in the configurable device and optionally configurable by an optional second bitstream concatenated to the first bitstream; and

configuration means for loading the first bitstream into said first configurable domain and for loading said second configurable domain with the optional second bitstream; and

signal means coupled to said configuration means for indicating when the first bitstream has been loaded into said first configurable domain.

2. The configurable electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

control means coupled to said signal means and coupled to said second configurable domain for loading said second bitstream into said second configurable domain in response to said signal means indicating said first configurable domain has been loaded.

3. The configurable electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

interconnection means for interconnecting the second configurable domain with the first configurable domain in response to the optional second bitstream.

4. A configurable electronic device which is compatible with a prior generation configurable electronic device, the prior generation configurable device being configurable by a first bitstream, the configurable electronic device comprising:

a first configurable domain which is integrated in the configurable device and configurable by the first bitstream, said first configurable domain having;

a first memory array for storing the first bitstream;

a first shift register coupled to said first memory array for receiving the first bitstream and;

first signal means for indicating when the first bitstream has been loaded into said first memory array;

a second configurable domain which is integrated in the configurable device and optionally configurable by an optional second bitstream concatenated to the first bitstream, said second configurable domain having;

a second memory array for storing the optional second bitstream; and

a second shift register coupled to said second memory array for receiving the optional second bitstream;

a first logic gate having a first input coupled to said first signal means, a second input coupled to receive the input configuration bitstream, and an output coupled to said second shift register, whereby the optional second bitstream is transmitted to said second configurable domain when the first bitstream has been loaded into said first configurable domain.

5. The configurable electronic device of claim 4, wherein:

said second configurable domain has a second signal means for indicating when the optional second bitstream has been loaded into said second memory array; and

the configurable electronic device further comprises a second logic gate having a first input coupled to said second signal means, a second input coupled to receive the output of said first logic gate, and an output coupled to an additional configurable domain, whereby an additional bitstream which is concatenated to the second bitstream is transmitted to an additional configurable domain when the second bitstream has been loaded into said second configurable domain.

6. The configurable electronic device of claim 4, further comprising:

interconnection means for interconnecting the second configurable domain with the first configurable domain in response to the optional second bitstream.

7. A configurable electronic device which is compatible with a prior generation configurable electronic device, the prior generation configurable device being configurable by a first bitstream, the configurable electronic device comprising:

a first configurable domain which is integrated in the configurable device and configurable by the first bitstream;

first configuration means for loading the first bitstream into said first configurable domain, the first bitstream having an extension code for indicating whether another configurable domain within the configurable device is to receive bits which follow the first bitstream;

a second configurable domain which is integrated in the configurable device and optionally configurable by an optional second bitstream concatenated to the first bitstream;

second configuration means coupled to said second configurable domain and coupled to said first configuration means for loading said second configurable domain with said second bitstream; and

bypass means coupled to said first configuration means for receiving said extension code and coupled to said second configuration means for transmitting said second bitstream to said second configuration means if directed by said extension code, whereby said second bitstream may optionally bypass said second configurable domain.

8. The configurable electronic device of claim 7, further comprising:

first signal means coupled to said first configuration means for indicating when the first bitstream has been loaded into said first configurable domain;

second signal means coupled to said second configuration means for indicating when said optional second bitstream has been loaded into said second configurable domain; and

overflow means, coupled to said first signal means and said second signal means, for transmitting a third bit stream which is concatenated to the optional second bit stream of the configurable device when said first bitstream has been loaded into said first configurable domain and said second bitstream has been loaded into said second configurable domain, whereby said third bit stream is routed to a daisy-chained configurable device.

9. The configurable electronic device of claim 7, further comprising:

interconnection means for interconnecting the second configurable domain with the first configurable domain in response to the optional second bitstream.

10. A configurable electronic device which is compatible with a prior generation configurable electronic device, the prior generation configurable device being configurable by a first bitstream, the configurable electronic device comprising:

a first configurable domain which is integrated in the configurable device and configurable by the first bitstream, the first bitstream having an extension code for indicating whether another configurable domain within the configurable device is to receive bits which follow the first bitstream, said first configurable domain having;

a first memory array for storing the first bitstream;

a first shift register for receiving the first bitstream and coupled to said first memory array; and

first signal means for indicating when the first bitstream has been loaded into said first memory array and when the extension code indicates that bits which follow the first bitstream are to be transmitted to another configurable domain;

a second configurable domain which is integrated in the configurable device and optionally configurable by an optional second bitstream concatenated to the first bitstream, said second configurable domain having;

a second memory array for storing the optional second bitstream; and

a second shift register for receiving the optional second bitstream and coupled to said second memory array;

a first logic gate having a first input coupled to said first signal means, a second input coupled to receive the input configuration bitstream, and an output coupled to said second shift register, whereby the optional second bitstream is transmitted to said second configurable domain when the first bitstream has been loaded into said first configurable domain and the extension code indicates another configurable domain within the configurable device is to receive bits which follow the first bitstream.

11. The configurable electronic device of claim 10, further comprising bypass means coupled to said first signal means for receiving the input bitstream and transmitting the second bitstream to another configurable domain if said first configurable has been loaded with the first bitstream and the extension code indicates that said second configurable domain should be bypassed.

12. A method for configuring a configurable electronic device with a first bitstream which was used to configure a prior generation configurable device, the configurable device having a first configurable domain and a second configurable domain, the method comprising the steps of:

loading the first bitstream into a first configurable domain in the configurable device;

detecting when the first bitstream has been loaded into the first configurable domain; and

loading a second bitstream into a second configurable domain in the configurable device if a second bitstream is concatenated to the first bitstream.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of interconnecting the first configurable domain and the second configurable domain in response to said second bitstream.

14. A method for configuring a configurable electronic device with a first configuration bitstream which was used to configure a prior generation configurable device, the configurable device having a first configurable domain and a second configurable domain, the method comprising the steps of:

loading the first bitstream into the first configurable domain, the first bitstream having an extension code for indicating whether the second configurable domain is to receive bits which follow the first bitstream; and

if a second bitstream is concatenated to the first bitstream and the extension code indicates that the second configurable domain is to be loaded with bits which follow the first bitstream, loading the second configurable domain.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of transmitting the second bitstream of the configurable device if the second bitstream is concatenated to the first bitstream and the extension code indicates that the second configurable domain is not to be loaded with bits which follow the first bitstream, whereby the second configurable domain is bypassed in loading configuration data.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of interconnecting the first configurable domain with the second configurable domain in response to the second bitstream if the extension code indicates that the second configurable domain is to be loaded with bits which follow the first bitstream.