Field programmable gate array with dedicated computer bus interface and method for configuring both
First Claim
1. A field programmable gate array (FPGA) comprising:
- a dedicated bus controller-interface circuit for connecting to an external computer bus; and
a programmable portion coupled to the bus controller-interface circuit, wherein the programmable portion is programmable by implied addressing to implement a logic circuit which is operably coupled to the external computer bus through the controller-interface circuit, wherein the dedicated bus controller-interface circuit and the programmable portion are separately programmable.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A field programmable gate array is provided which has a programmable portion and a dedicated controller-interface circuit. The programmable portion includes conventional input/output (I/O) blocks and configurable logic blocks (CLBs). The controller-interface circuit allows the FPGA to be operably coupled to an external computer bus, such as a PCI bus. The programmable portion and the controller-interface circuit are separately programmable. As a result, after the controller-interface circuit is initialized, the programmable portion can be cleared and reconfigured without having to re-initialize the controller-interface circuit. The programmable portion is programmed in accordance with an implied addressing scheme in response to a configuration bit stream.
336 Citations
13 Claims
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1. A field programmable gate array (FPGA) comprising:
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a dedicated bus controller-interface circuit for connecting to an external computer bus; and a programmable portion coupled to the bus controller-interface circuit, wherein the programmable portion is programmable by implied addressing to implement a logic circuit which is operably coupled to the external computer bus through the controller-interface circuit, wherein the dedicated bus controller-interface circuit and the programmable portion are separately programmable. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A field programmable gate array (FPGA) comprising:
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a dedicated bus controller-interface circuit for connecting to an external computer bus; and a programmable portion coupled to the bus controller-interface circuit, wherein the programmable portion is programmable by implied addressing to implement a logic circuit which is operably coupled to the external computer bus through the controller-interface circuit, wherein the dedicated bus controller-interface circuit and the programmable portion are separately programmable, and wherein the bus controller-interface circuit comprises; a receive first in, first out (FIFO) memory coupled between the external computer bus and the programmable portion; a transmit FIFO memory coupled between the external computer bus and the programmable portion; a state machine for controlling the receive and transmit FIFO memories, the state machine being coupled to the receive FIFO memory, the transmit FIFO memory, the programmable portion and the external computer bus; and a configuration memory coupled to the external computer bus, the configuration memory being programmable to configure the bus controller-interface circuit.
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9. A method of operating a field programmable gate array (FPGA) comprising a dedicated bus controller-interface circuit and a programmable portion coupled to the bus controller-interface circuit, the method comprising the steps of:
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initializing the dedicated bus controller-interface circuit to enable the bus controller-interface circuit to be operably coupled to an external bus; and
thenindependently programming the configuration of the programmable portion using an implied addressing scheme. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification