Method and system for determining a signal that controls the application of operands to a circuit-implemented function for power savings
US6038381A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 25, 1997 |
| Grant date | Mar 14, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 25, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F30/30
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A computer-implemented process for determining a signal function for use in controlling the application of signal operands to a circuit-implemented function for the purpose of power reduction. The present invention receives a netlist represented as a graph data structure having nodes interconnected with signal lines. A node can have one output (single fan-out) or can have more than one output (multiple fan-outs). Termination points of the graph are identified as inputs to registers or primary outputs. From the termination points, and using a breadth-first traversal process, the present invention traverses each node of the netlist. A parent node is not processed in the breadth-first traversal until all of its child nodes have been processed. During traversal, an activation signal function is constructed for each input of a node. If the node has multiple outputs then a disjunctive Boolean expression is used, otherwise a conjunctive Boolean expression is used to determine the activation signal function. Activation signal circuitry is then added to each node if the power savings meet certain specified area and timing considerations. Selected nodes have operand isolation circuitry added…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.