Host to FPGA interface in an in-circuit emulation system

• US 7,206,733 B1
• Filed: 10/10/2001
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Nemecek, Craig
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, THAI Q
• Application Number:
  US09/975,105
• Time in Patent Office: 2,015 Days
• Field of Search: 703 22- 28, 710305-313, 710/10, 710/33, 712/227, 716/16, 716/17, 714/47
• US Class Current: 703/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3652 in-circuit-emulation [ICE] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3656 using a specific debug interface

Abstract

A multi-purpose interface between a host computer and an FPGA. This interface uses an IEEE 1284 compliant EPP mode connection. When the host computer is initialized, a reset of the FPGA is carried out to clear the configuration memory of the FPGA. The data lines of the interface are then used to communicate unidirectional configuration data into the FPGA. The data are clocked by the host computer using the data strobe signal line to clock data into the FPGA. When the FPGA has been fully programmed, including programming an IEEE 1284 compliant EPP mode interface into the FPGA, the data lines are used for bidirectional communication between the host computer and the configured FPGA, in this embodiment operating as a virtual microcontroller.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing an interface between a host computer and a general purpose programmable hardware device;

transmitting configuration information over said interface in a first transmission mode to configure the general purpose programmable hardware device to function according to a programmed configuration as virtual device under test; and

transmitting operation information from said virtual device under test emulating operation of an actual device under tests and operation information from said actual device under test over said interface in a second transmission mode.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the programmed configuration comprises operation as the virtual device under test in an In-Circuit Emulation system.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the programmed configuration comprises operation as a virtual microcontroller in an In-Circuit Emulation system.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said interface comprises an IEEE 1284 compliant interface.

5. A method comprising:

communicating configuration information between a host computer and a virtual device under test (DUT) to configure the virtual DUT to emulate a DUT;

executing instructions in synchronization on the DUT and the virtual DUT; and

transmitting operation information, from said executing by the DUT and the virtual DUT, between the host computer and the virtual DUT.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein an interface for said communication and said transmitting comprises an IEEE 1284 compliant interface.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the virtual DUT is further configured to incorporate said interface.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the virtual DUT comprises a general purpose programmable device.

9. The method according to claim 8, where the general purpose programmable device comprises a field programmable gate array.

10. A method comprising:

connecting a host computer to a base station using a communication interface, wherein the base station includes a field programmable gate array (FPGA);

programming an emulator configuration into the FPGA using the communication interface; and

receiving operation information from a device under test (DUT) and the FPGA emulating the DUT using the communication interface.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the communication interface comprises an IEEE 1284 compliant interface.

12. The method according to claim 10, where the emulator configuration further incorporating a virtual microcontroller.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the virtual microcontroller executes instructions in synchronization with the DUT to carry out In-Circuit Emulation functions.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the DUT comprises a microcontroller.

15. A method comprising:

transmitting interface information over a parallel communication interface of a field programmable gate array (FPGA) to configure the FPGA to act as a parallel port;

transmitting emulator information to the FPGA to configure the FPGA to operate as a virtual microcontroller in lock step with a microcontroller under test using the parallel port of the FPGA; and

receiving operation information, generated by the virtual microcontroller and the microcontroller under test operating in lock step, from the parallel port of the FPGA.

16. the method according to claim 15, wherein the parallel port comprises an IEEE 1284 compliant parallel port.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein bidirection IEEE 1284 compliant communication is carried out using extended parallel port (EPP) mode communication over the parallel port.

18. The method according to claim 15, further comprising conducting In-Circuit Emulation functions using the parallel port.