Efficient rounding circuits and methods in configurable integrated circuit devices

• US 7,948,267 B1
• Filed: 02/09/2010
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Altera Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Altera Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Mauer, Volker, Langhammer, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang; Daniel D
• Application Number:
  US12/702,445
• Time in Patent Office: 469 Days
• Field of Search: 326 38- 41, 326/46, 326/47, 708/497, 708/498, 708/551, 708/553
• US Class Current: 326/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/49947 Rounding

Abstract

A specialized processing block for a configurable integrated circuit device includes circuitry for performing multiplications and sums thereof, as well as circuitry for rounding the result. The rounding circuitry reuses an adder that is also available, in other configurations, for accumulation of the result. Rounding is performed by adding a constant to the result and then truncating at the bit position at which rounding is desired. The constant may be entered by a user, or may be derived based on a desired rounding method from mask data entered by the user to identify the rounding bit position.

Claims

1. A specialized processing block for a configurable integrated circuit device, said specialized processing block comprising:

arithmetic circuitry that provides a result based on arithmetic functions of inputs;

accumulator circuitry including an adder to which said result is applied as a first input; and

rounding circuitry including said adder and a selector that selectably applies as a second input to said adder one of (a) output of said adder, whereby said adder functions as an accumulator, and (b) a rounding constant, whereby output of said adder, truncated to a selected bit position, is a rounded version of said result.

2. The specialized processing block of claim 1 wherein said rounding circuitry further includes memory that stores said rounding constant.

3. The specialized processing block of claim 2 wherein said rounding circuitry further includes user input circuitry whereby a user enters said rounding constant into said memory.

4. The specialized processing block of claim 2 wherein said rounding circuitry further includes:

mask memory that stores mask data entered by a user; and

logic circuitry that derives said rounding constant from said mask data.

5. The specialized processing block of claim 4 wherein said mask data comprises at least one respective mask, each respective mask indicating at least one of (a) a least significant bit position to which said result is to be rounded, (b) a rounding bit position less significant than said least significant bit position, and (c) bits, less significant than said rounding bit position, to be discarded.

6. The specialized processing block of claim 5 wherein:

said at least one respective mask comprises three masks;

a first one of said masks indicates said least significant bit position to which said result is to be rounded;

a second one of said masks indicates said rounding bit position less significant than said least significant bit position; and

a third one of said masks indicates said bits, less significant than said rounding bit position, to be discarded.

7. A configurable integrated circuit device comprising the specialized processing block of claim 1.

8. The configurable integrated circuit device of claim 7 wherein said configurable integrated circuit device is a programmable logic device.

9. A digital processing system comprising:

processing circuitry;

a memory coupled to said processing circuitry; and

a programmable logic device as defined in claim 8 coupled to the processing circuitry and the memory.

10. A printed circuit board on which is mounted a programmable logic device as defined in claim 8.

11. The printed circuit board defined in claim 10 further comprising:

memory circuitry mounted on the printed circuit board and coupled to the programmable logic device.

12. The printed circuit board defined in claim 11 further comprising:

processing circuitry mounted on the printed circuit board and coupled to the memory circuitry.

13. A method of configuring a configurable integrated circuit device that includes a specialized processing block having arithmetic circuitry that provides a result based on arithmetic functions of inputs, accumulator circuitry including an adder to which said result is applied as a first input, and a selector that selectably applies as a second input to said adder one of (a) output of said adder, and (b) a rounding constant, said method comprising:

configuring said selector to apply said rounding constant as said second input of said adder;

whereby;

output of said adder, truncated to a selected bit position, is a rounded version of said result.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising storing said rounding constant in a memory.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising accepting user input of said rounding constant into said memory.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

storing mask data in a mask memory; and

configuring logic circuitry to derive said rounding constant from said mask data.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said mask data comprises at least one respective mask, each respective mask indicating at least one of (a) a least significant bit position to which said result is to be rounded, (b) a rounding bit position less significant than said least significant bit position, and (c) bits, less significant than said rounding bit position, to be discarded.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein:

said at least one respective mask comprises three masks;

a first one of said masks indicates said least significant bit position to which said result is to be rounded;

a second one of said masks indicates said rounding bit position less significant than said least significant bit position; and

a third one of said masks indicates said bits, less significant than said rounding bit position, to be discarded.

19. A machine-readable data storage medium encoded with machine-executable instructions for configuring a configurable device, that includes a specialized processing block having arithmetic circuitry that provides a result based on arithmetic functions of inputs, accumulator circuitry including an adder to which said result is applied as a first input, and a selector that selectably applies as a second input to said adder one of (a) output of said adder, and (b) a rounding constant, to round said result, said instructions comprising:

instructions to configure said selector to apply said rounding constant as said second input of said adder;

whereby;

output of said adder, truncated to a selected bit position, is a rounded version of said result.

20. The machine-readable data storage medium of claim 19 further comprising instructions to configure a memory for storing said rounding constant.

21. The machine-readable data storage medium of claim 20 further comprising instructions to configure said memory for accepting user input of said rounding constant.

22. The machine-readable data storage medium of claim 20 further comprising:

instructions to configure a mask memory for storing mask data; and

instructions to configure logic circuitry to derive said rounding constant from said mask data.

23. The machine-readable data storage medium of claim 22 wherein said mask data comprises at least one respective mask, each respective mask indicating at least one of (a) a least significant bit position to which said result is to be rounded, (b) a rounding bit position less significant than said least significant bit position, and (c) bits, less significant than said rounding bit position, to be discarded.

24. The machine-readable data storage medium of claim 23 wherein:

said at least one respective mask comprises three masks;

a first one of said masks indicates said least significant bit position to which said result is to be rounded;

a second one of said masks indicates said rounding bit position less significant than said least significant bit position; and

a third one of said masks indicates said bits, less significant than said rounding bit position, to be discarded.