Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for identifying gated clocks within a circuit design using a standard optimization tool

US5864487A · kind A · utility

31Cited by
33References
48Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 19, 1996
Grant dateJan 26, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 19, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F30/3312
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and apparatus for identifying gated clocks within a circuit design. In a typical design, each of the number of gated clock signals is uniquely determined by a particular logical combination of a number of raw clock signals and a number of enable signals. In the present invention, the gated clock signals may be identified by: identifying which of the number of raw clock signals is coupled, through combinational logic, to a selected one of the number of state devices, thereby resulting in an identified raw clock signal; identifying which of the number of enable signals is coupled, through combinational logic, to the selected one of the number of state devices, thereby resulting in an identified enable signal; and determining which of the number of gated clock signals is uniquely determined by the particular combination of the identified raw clock signal and the identified enable signal.

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