Error detection on programmable logic resources

• US 7,907,460 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2009
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Altera Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Altera Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Ngo, Ninh D., Lee, Andy L., Veenstra, Kerry
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Viet Q
• Application Number:
  US12/503,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20090282306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 608 Days
• Field of Search: 365/201, 365/189.07, 365/189.02
• US Class Current: 365/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1004 to protect a block of data words, e.g. CRC or checksum G06F11/1076 takes precedence; security arrangements for protecting computers or computer systems against unauthorized activity G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/17764 for reliability

Abstract

Error detection circuitry is provided on a programmable logic resource. Programmable logic resource configuration data is loaded into a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) module where a checksum calculation may be performed. In one embodiment, the checksum may be compared to an expected value, which is a precomputed checksum on data prior to being programmed into or while data is being programmed into a programmable logic resource. In another embodiment, the expected value may be included in the checksum calculation. An output indicating whether an error is detected may be generated depending on the relationship between the checksum and the expected value, or on the value of the checksum. This output may be sent to an output pin that is accessible by user logic.

Claims

1. An error detection circuit implemented on a logic device, comprising:

a multiplexer that takes as input an expected value and configuration data stored on the logic device; and

check circuitry coupled to an output of the multiplexer that includes;

an XOR tree to implement a polynomial checksum computation,

a signature register coupled to the XOR tree, and

a logic gate coupled to the signature register, wherein the logic gate takes, as a bit-wise input, content of the signature register.

2. The error detection circuit of claim 1 further comprising a first memory in which the configuration data is stored.

3. The error detection circuit of claim 2 further comprising a second memory coupled to the first memory, wherein the second memory stores a portion of the configuration data to be sent as input to the multiplexer.

4. The error detection circuit of claim 1 further comprising a memory used to store the expected value.

5. The error detection circuit of claim 4 wherein the expected value is calculated from the configuration data used to configure the logic device.

6. The error detection circuit of claim 5 wherein the expected value is calculated prior to configuring the logic device from a remainder that results from dividing a value based on the configuration data prior to being programmed onto the logic device by a predetermined value.

7. The error detection circuit of claim 4 wherein the expected value is computed by the check circuitry while the configuration data is being programmed onto the logic device.

8. The error detection circuit of claim 1 wherein the multiplexer sends first as output the configuration data and sends second as output the expected value.

9. The error detection circuit of claim 1 wherein the XOR tree comprises registers for storing results of the polynomial checksum computation at each clock cycle and further sends the results as input to the XOR tree in a next clock cycle.

10. The error detection circuit of claim 9 wherein the results that are stored in the registers are sent to and stored in the signature register in the next clock cycle.

11. The error detection circuit of claim 1 wherein the XOR tree computes a remainder that results from dividing a value based on the configuration data and the expected value by a predetermined value.

12. The error detection circuit of claim 1 wherein the logic gate sends as output one of:

a first bit when the content of the signature register is a predetermined value; and

a second bit when the content of the signature register is other than the predetermined value.

13. The error detection circuit of claim 1 further comprising an output pin coupled to an output of the logic gate to output a signal that indicates whether an error was detected.

14. The error detection circuit of claim 13 wherein the output pin is accessible by user logic.

15. The error detection circuit of claim 1 wherein the error detection circuit is a hard-wired circuit resident on the logic device.

16. The error detection circuit of claim 1 wherein the error detection circuit is programmed into the logic device.

17. The error detection circuit of claim 1 wherein the error detection circuit is external to the logic device and coupled to the logic device using input/output pins.

18. The error detection circuit of claim 1 wherein the error detection circuit is implemented in software.