Non-sequentially configurable IC

• US 7,948,266 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2010
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tabula Incorporated
• Inventors: Schmit, Herman, Butts, Michael, Hutchings, Brad L., Teig, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Tan, Vibol
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHITE, DYLAN C
• Application Number:
  US12/685,673
• Publication Number:
  US 20100219859A1
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 326 37- 41, 326/47, 716/8, 716/16
• US Class Current: 326/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/39 Circuit design at the physical level physical level design for reconfigurable circuits G06F30/347
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/17748 Structural details of configuration resources
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/17752 for hot reconfiguration
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/17758 for speeding up configuration or reconfiguration

Abstract

Some embodiments provide an integrated circuit (IC) that has a first interface rate for exchanging signals in at least one direction with a circuit outside of the IC. The IC has multiple reconfigurable circuits. Each of the reconfigurable circuits is for reconfiguring at a second rate. The second rate is faster than the first interface rate. Each of the reconfigurable circuits reconfigures when configuration data that specifies an operation of the particular reconfigurable circuit changes from a first configuration data set that is stored in the IC to a second configuration data set that is also stored in the IC.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit (IC) that has a first interface rate for exchanging signals in at least one direction with a circuit outside of the IC, the IC comprising:

a plurality of reconfigurable circuits; and

each particular reconfigurable circuit in the plurality of reconfigurable circuits for reconfiguring at a second rate faster than the first interface rate,

wherein each particular reconfigurable circuit in the plurality of reconfigurable circuits reconfigures when configuration data that specifies an operation of the particular reconfigurable circuit changes from a first configuration data set stored in the IC to a second configuration data set stored in the IC.

2. The IC of claim 1, wherein the exchanging comprises sending and receiving.

3. The IC of claim 1, wherein the exchanging comprises one of sending and receiving.

4. The IC of claim 1 further comprising a signal generator for generating a configuration signal for selecting configuration data for the plurality of reconfigurable circuits.

5. The IC of claim 4, wherein the first interface rate defines an interface cycle, wherein the signal generator is a sub-cycle signal generator that generates a sub-cycle signal that has more than one cycle during an interface cycle.

6. The IC of claim 1, wherein the circuit outside of the IC is a memory.

7. The IC of claim 1, wherein during a plurality of reconfiguration periods at least a plurality of the reconfigurable circuits are reconfigured faster than the first interface rate.

8. The IC of claim 1 further comprising an interface circuit for communicating with the circuit outside of the IC at the first interface rate.

9. The IC of claim 8, wherein the first interface rate is a fastest rate that any interface circuit of the IC exchanges signals with a circuit outside of the IC.

10. The IC of claim 8, wherein the first interface rate is a slowest rate that any interface circuit of the IC exchanges signals with a circuit outside of the IC.

11. The IC of claim 1, wherein the plurality of reconfigurable circuits comprises a plurality of reconfigurable logic circuits and a plurality of reconfigurable interconnect circuits.

12. An electronics system comprising:

an integrated circuit (IC) that has a first interface rate for exchanging signals in at least one direction with a circuit outside of the IC, the IC comprising at least one reconfigurable circuit,

wherein a first reconfigurable circuit is reconfigured at a second rate faster than the first interface rate,

wherein the first reconfigurable circuit reconfigures when configuration data that specifies an operation of the reconfigurable circuit changes from a first configuration data set stored in the IC to a second configuration data set stored in the IC.

13. The electronics system of claim 12 further comprising a memory communicatively coupled to the IC for storing data.

14. The electronics system of claim 12, wherein the IC further comprises multiple interface circuits for communicating with circuitry outside of the IC, wherein at least one of the interface circuits is for communicating with the circuit outside of the IC at the first interface rate.

15. The electronics system of claim 14, wherein the first interface rate is faster than a first operational rate of at least a second interface circuit, but slower than a second operational rate of a third interface circuit.

16. The electronics system of claim 12, wherein the IC further comprises a signal generator for generating a configuration signal that causes a plurality of reconfigurable circuits on the IC to reconfigure at a reconfiguration rate that is faster than the first interface rate.

17. The electronics system of claim 12, wherein the circuit outside of the IC is a memory.

18. A method of operating an integrated circuit (IC) comprising a reconfigurable circuit for reconfigurably performing a plurality of operations, the method comprising:

exchanging signals in at least one direction with a circuit outside of the IC at a first interface rate; and

based on a plurality of different configuration data sets, reconfiguring the reconfigurable circuit at a second rate faster than the first interface rate,

wherein each configuration data set defines an operation, from the plurality of operations, that the reconfigurable circuit performs.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the reconfigurable circuit reconfigures when the configuration data set that specifies the operation of the reconfigurable circuit changes from a first configuration data set to a second configuration data set.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the exchanging comprises at least one of:

sending signals from circuits inside the IC to circuits outside the IC; and

receiving signals from circuits outside the IC to circuits inside the IC.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the first interface rate is a rate that an interface circuit of the IC exchanges signals with circuits outside of the IC.