Runtime configurable arithmetic and logic cell

• US 7,565,525 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2004
• Issued: 07/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Scientia Sol Mentis AG (PACT XPP Schweiz AG)
• Original Assignee: Pact XPP Technologies, AG
• Inventors: Vorbach, Martin, Münch, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Nitin C
• Application Number:
  US10/791,501
• Publication Number:
  US 20040168099A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,968 Days
• Field of Search: 713/100, 712/15
• US Class Current: 713/100
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/088 giving rise to electric discharges for heating purposes H05B7/00; for the production of ozone C01B13/11, H01T19/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0849 Corona pulse discharge
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 13/11 by electric discharge
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2201/22 Constructional details of the electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2201/24 Composition of the electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2201/32 Constructional details of the dielectrics
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/12 Synchronisation of different clock signals provided by a plurality of clock generators
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3237 by disabling clock generation or distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/7867 with reconfigurable architecture
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/57 Arithmetic logic units [ALU], i.e. arrangements or devices for performing two or more of the operations covered by groups G06F7/483 – G06F7/556 or for performing logical operations G06F7/49, G06F7/491 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3001 Arithmetic instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/30101 Special purpose registers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/30134 Register stacks; shift registers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3885 using a plurality of independent parallel functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3897 with adaptable data path
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 422/907 Corona or glow discharge means

Abstract

A cascadable arithmetic and logic unit (ALU) which is configurable in function and interconnection. No decoding of commands is needed during execution of the algorithm. The ALU can be reconfigured at run time without any effect on surrounding ALUs, processing units or data streams. The volume of configuration data is very small, which has positive effects on the space required and the configuration speed. Broadcasting is supported through the internal bus systems in order to distribute large volumes of data rapidly and efficiently. The ALU is equipped with a power-saving mode to shut down power consumption completely. There is also a clock rate divider which makes it possible to operate the ALU at a slower clock rate. Special mechanisms are available for feedback on the internal states to the external controllers.

Claims

1. A Field Programmable Gate Array device that is configurable during runtime, comprising:

a plurality of configurable cells that are configurable by configuration information;

a configurable interconnect structure adapted to transmit data in an at least two-dimensional way, at least some of the plurality of configurable cells being configurable for connection to said interconnect structure, wherein said at least some configurable cells include units for arithmetic operations, at least one of the configurable cells that include units for arithmetic operations including;

an arithmetic operation unit, the arithmetic operation unit including a multiplier stage and an adder stage;

at least three inputs and at least one output for data;

at least three input registers;

at least one output register;

a return path; and

at least one multiplexer; and

an interconnection selection unit adapted to selectively interconnect said at least one of the configurable cells with others of the configurable cells;

wherein;

the at least three input registers and the at least one output register allow for decoupling of the at least three inputs and the at least one output from said interconnect by storing of operand inputs, the decoupling supporting at least one of pipelining and a decoupling during configuration;

said multiplier stage is connectable to;

(a) at least two of the input registers for receiving an input of two operands; and

(b) said adder stage, said connections to (a) and (b) being such that a selection can be made between at least two of;

(i) adding the two operand inputs;

(ii) adding an output of said multiplier stage and a further operand input;

(iii) adding the output of said multiplier stage and results of the at least one of the configurable cells; and

(iv) adding (a) one of the operand inputs and (b) at least one of the results of the at least one of the configurable cells;

said return path is adapted to return said results of said at least one of the configurable cells from the at least one output register as an operand via said at least one multiplexer, said at least one multiplexer selecting for further processing one of an external operand input and said results; and

said at least one multiplexer is arranged between at least one of said input registers and said adder stage so as to allow said at least one of the configurable cells to selectively have direct access to its own results which are returned as operands for calculations in a serial manner.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the configurable cells is configurable at run time in at least one of its interconnection and its function.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the arithmetic operation unit of the at least one of the configurable cells provides shift capabilities.

4. The device of any one of claims 1 and 3, wherein said units for arithmetic operations include units for logic operations.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an element for configuring and reconfiguring, the element transmitting to the at least one of the configurable cells data relating to a configurable function of the at least one of the configurable cells and data relating to an interconnection of stages within the at least one of the configurable cells.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an element for configuring and reconfiguring, said element for configuring and reconfiguring being adapted for accessing specific registers for at least one of;

storing the data relating to the configurable function;

selectively transferring to said specific registers the data relating to the configurable function; and

selectively transferring to said specific registers the data relating to the configurable interconnection.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the data relating to the configurable function of and the interconnection of stages within the at least one of the configurable cells forms a configuration vector that is set through a function control interface and refers to a number of possible instructions, said possible instructions being such that, for any one of the number of possible instructions, a response of any one of the at least some of the plurality of configurable cells to said data that refers to the number of possible instructions is identical to a response of any other of the at least some of the plurality of configurable cells to said number of possible instructions, said responses remaining the same over time such that transmitted ones of the number of possible instructions statically correspond to a constant one of possible operations.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein:

a function and interconnection of the at least one the configurable cells are programmed in registers specifically accessible by an element for configuring and reconfiguring.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the device is adapted for reconfiguring said plurality of configurable cells in their function and interconnection at run time such that data processing by at least some of said plurality of configurable cells is not inhibited while data relating to a configurable function of and an interconnection of stages within another of said plurality of configurable cells is transferred to ones of the specifically accessible registers.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein a register decoupling from a bus of said another configurable cell when said another configurable cell is reconfigured by the configuration information at runtime allows for the reconfiguration of said another configurable cell without an interfering effect on data transmitters and receivers in the at least some of said plurality of configurable cells, such that the at least some of said plurality of configurable cells are able to continue their data processing during the reconfiguration.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein said at least some configurable cells output, as a status signal, at least one of a carry-over signal, a A<

B signal, and a zero signal, wherein A and B are the two operand inputs.

12. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of configuration registers storing configuration information; and

a configuration multiplexer, wherein at least one of the configuration registers is selected via the configuration multiplexer for a reconfiguration of the plurality of configurable cells at runtime.

13. The device of claim 12, further comprising:

a selection device that outputs selection data that controls a selector setting of the configuration multiplexer, wherein which of the configuration registers is selected depends upon the selector setting.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the selection device is a counter.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the selection device traverses through a data sequence, the selection data that is output by the selection device depending upon a current point within the traversal.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the configuration registers are associated with respective bits, each bit indicating a respective subsequent configuration to be loaded, the selection device outputting the selection data according to the bits.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein the configuration registers are associated with respective flags, each flag indicating a respective subsequent configuration to be loaded, the selection device outputting the selection data according to the flags.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the configurable cells is configurable at run time in its function.

19. The device of claim 3, wherein the function and interconnection of the at least one the configurable cells are programmed in components specifically accessible by an element for configuring and reconfiguring.