Apparatus for programmable circuit and signal switching
US5465056A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 2, 1994 |
| Grant date | Nov 7, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 2, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03K19/1736
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A field programmable interconnect device (FPID) includes a set of ports and an array of switch cells for selectively interconnecting pairs of the ports. The switch cells are organized into a hierarchy of subarrays, and a control cell is provided for each subarray. Each switch cell includes a crosspoint switch and a single-bit memory. A bit stored in the memory indicates whether the switch, when enabled, is to interconnect its pair of FPID I/O ports. A data bit stored in each control cell indicates whether all switching cells of an associated subarray are enabled. In a "rapid connect" mode of operation, the FPID sets the state of the bit stored in any individual switch or control cell in response to parallel input data identifying the cell and indicating the state of the bit to be stored in the cell. In the rapid connect mode, the FPID can be programmed to rapidly switch connections between individual lines or between parallel buses connected to its ports.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.