Patent · US Expired

Field programmable gate array with integrated debugging facilities

US5777489A · kind A · utility

68Cited by
29References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 13, 1995
Grant dateJul 7, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 13, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH03K19/17772
  • WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A number of enhanced logic elements (LEs) are provided to form a FPGA. Each enhanced LE comprises a multiple input-single output truth table, and a complementary pair of master-slave latches having a data, a set and a reset input. Each enhanced LE further comprises a plurality of multiplexers and buffers, and control logic. Additionally, the improved FPGA further comprises a network of crossbars, a context bus, a scan register, and a plurality of trigger circuitry. As a result, each LE may be individually initialized, its signal state frozen momentarily, the frozen state be read, trace data be output, and trigger inputs be conditionally generated. Furthermore, the enhanced LEs may be used for "level sensitive" as well as "edge sensitive" circuit design emulations.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.