Method and apparatus for a trace buffer in an emulation system
First Claim
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1. A tracing system for tracing the operation of a digital circuit, the tracing system comprising:
- a digital system for emulating the operation of the digital circuit, the digital system including a clock, inputs, internal signals and one or more state storage means for storing and indicating an electrical state;
implementation means coupled to the digital system for representing the logic of the digital circuit within the digital system;
input tracing means coupled to the digital system for sensing and storing the states of the inputs every clock cycle;
internal state tracing means coupled to the storage means in the digital system, for sensing and storing a state of a state storage means of the digital system every n clock cycles;
analysis means coupled to the digital system for deriving the state of one or more internal signals based on the stored internal states and the stored input states; and
output means coupled to the digital system for outputing the derived states of the internal signals.
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Abstract
A tracing method and apparatus for a digital emulation system. The invention allows trace information to be obtained during the emulation of a digital circuit that includes a clock signal. Input signal states are sensed and stored each clock cycle. The internal state of the emulated digital circuit is also stored. By using the stored input signal states and internal states, the states of other signals in the emulated digital circuit are derived.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. A tracing system for tracing the operation of a digital circuit, the tracing system comprising:
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a digital system for emulating the operation of the digital circuit, the digital system including a clock, inputs, internal signals and one or more state storage means for storing and indicating an electrical state; implementation means coupled to the digital system for representing the logic of the digital circuit within the digital system; input tracing means coupled to the digital system for sensing and storing the states of the inputs every clock cycle; internal state tracing means coupled to the storage means in the digital system, for sensing and storing a state of a state storage means of the digital system every n clock cycles; analysis means coupled to the digital system for deriving the state of one or more internal signals based on the stored internal states and the stored input states; and output means coupled to the digital system for outputing the derived states of the internal signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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Specification