Bus structure for modularized chip with FPGA modules

• US 6,034,542 A
• Filed: 10/14/1997
• Issued: 03/07/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xilinx, Inc. (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Xilinx, Inc. (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ridgeway, David J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Huan
• Assistant Examiner(s): AUDUONG, GENE NGHIA
• Application Number:
  US08/950,252
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• Field of Search: 326/41, 326/38, 326/39, 326/47
• US Class Current: 326/39
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/177 arranged in matrix form

Abstract

An on-chip bus structure for use in a modularized integrated circuit chip including an FPGA module(s). The bus is intended for memory mapped data transfers between circuit modules, for instance master, slave, master/slave, bus controller, and bus monitor type modules. Each circuit module is an on-chip function block including a bus interface and communicates by a predefined set of bus signals; at least one module is an FPGA (field programmable gate array). Each module acts as a bus master when it initiates data read or write operations, or may be addressed during a bus read/write operation and thereby acts as a bus slave. This bus and module structure allows implementation of a system on a single chip.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit device comprising:

a bus comprising a plurality of bus lines;

a plurality of modules, at least one of the modules comprising an FPGA, the FPGA comprising;

a plurality of configurable logic blocks; and

a plurality of interconnect lines for interconnecting the logic blocks;

for each module, an associated interface structure for driving signals from the module onto the bus lines and for applying signals on the bus lines to the module

means for configuring the bus and the FPGA; and

a bus arbiter coupled to the bus for selecting which of the interface structures can drive signals onto the bus.

2. An integrated circuit device as in claim 1 wherein at least one of the interface structures is programmable.

3. An integrated circuit device as in claim 1 wherein at least one of the interface structures has a fixed function.

4. An integrated circuit device as in claim 1 wherein at least one of the modules is not programmable.

5. An integrated circuit device as in claim 1 wherein the bus arbiter further selects which of the interface structures can receive signals from the bus.

6. An integrated circuit device as in claim 1 wherein:

a plurality of the interface structures are programmable to serve as masters for driving signals onto the bus, and

the arbiter assigns a programmable priority order to the masters.

7. An integrated circuit device as in claim 1, wherein the bus arbiter is programmable in selecting an arbitration scheme.

8. An integrated circuit device as in claim 6, in which the priority order includes a round robin basis.

9. An integrated circuit device as in claim 6, in which the priority order includes a fixed basis.

10. An integrated circuit device as in claim 1 wherein:

the interface structure associated with the FPGA module includes means for accessing configuration memory associated with the FPGA module from the bus; and

the interface structure associated with the FPGA module includes means for recognizing a configuration command for programming the FPGA modules from the bus and responds to the configuration command by passing subsequent data to the configuration memory.

11. An integrated circuit device as in claim 1 wherein the modules each include scan test structures and each of the interface structures includes circuitry for passing scan test information from external terminals of the integrated circuit device to individual modules connected to the bus.

12. An integrated circuit device as in claim 11 wherein the scan test information is one of a JTAG or built-in self-test protocol.

13. An integrated circuit device as in claim 1 wherein one of the modules is programmed to monitor the bus and to provide diagnostic or transaction information associated with the bus to external terminals of the integrated circuit device.

14. An integrated circuit device as in claim 1 further comprising a fixed function monitor coupled to the bus to monitor the bus and to provide diagnostic or transaction information associated with the bus to external terminals of the integrated circuit device.

15. An integrated circuit device as in claim 1, further comprising:

at least one core logic module; and

an interface between the core logic module and the bus.

16. An integrated circuit device comprising:

a bus comprising a plurality of bus lines;

a plurality of modules, at least one of the modules comprising an FPGA, the FPGA comprising;

a plurality of configurable logic blocks, and

a plurality of interconnect lines for interconnecting the logic blocks;

for each module, an associated interface structure for driving signals from the module onto the bus lines and for applying signals on the bus lines to the module; and

means for configuring the bus and the FPGA;

wherein at any time only one master of the interface structures drives signals onto the bus and the master selects which of the interface structures can receive signals from the bus.

17. An integrated circuit device comprising:

a bus comprising a plurality of bus lines;

a plurality of modules, at least one of the modules comprising an FPGA, the FPGA comprising;

a plurality of configurable logic blocks, and

a plurality of interconnect lines for interconnecting the logic blocks;

for each module, an associated interface structure for driving signals from the module onto the bus lines and for applying signals on the bus lines to the module; and

means for configuring the bus and the FPGA;

wherein at any time one of the modules is a master and each of the interface structures decodes a command from the master to detect when the associated interface structure is to receive signals from the bus.

18. An integrated circuit device comprising:

a bus comprising a plurality of bus lines;

a plurality of modules, at least one of the modules comprising an FPGA, the FPGA comprising;

a plurality of configurable logic blocks, and

a plurality of interconnect lines for interconnecting the logic blocks;

for each module, an associated interface structure for driving signals from the module onto the bus lines and for applying signals on the bus lines to the module; and

means for configuring the bus and the FPGA;

wherein the interface structures comprise a plurality of masters and each of the masters determines bus availability upon needing the bus and becomes a driver when the bus is found to be idle.

19. An integrated circuit device comprising:

a plurality of FPGA modules;

a bus interconnecting the FPGA modules; and

a bus arbiter coupled to the bus for selecting which of the FPGA modules can drive signals onto the bus.

20. An integrated circuit device as in claim 19, wherein the bus arbiter further selects which of the FPGA modules can receive signals from the bus.

21. An integrated circuit device as in claim 19, wherein:

a plurality of the interface structures are programmable to serve as masters for driving signals onto the bus, and

the arbiter assigns a programmable priority order to the masters.

22. An integrated circuit device as in claim 21, in which the priority order includes a round robin basis.

23. An integrated circuit device as in claim 21, in which the priority order includes a fixed basis.

24. An integrated circuit device as in claim 19, wherein the bus arbiter is programmable in selecting an arbitration scheme.

25. An integrated circuit device comprising:

a plurality of FPGA modules; and

a bus interconnecting the FPGA modules;

wherein at any time only one master of the FPGA modules structures drives signals onto the bus and the master selects which of the FPGA modules can receive signals from the bus.

26. An integrated circuit device comprising:

a plurality of FPGA modules; and

a bus interconnecting the FPGA modules;

wherein at any time one of the FPGA modules is a master and each of the FPGA modules decodes a command from the master to detect when the associated FPGA module is to receive signals from the bus.

27. An integrated circuit device comprising:

a plurality of FPGA modules; and

a bus interconnecting the FPGA modules;

wherein the FPGA modules comprise a plurality of masters and each of the masters determines bus availability upon needing the bus and becomes a driver when the bus is found to be idle.