Patent · US Expired

Synchronous circuit synthesis using an asynchronous specification

US6901055B1 · kind B1 · utility

20Cited by
4References
47Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 18, 2000
Grant dateMay 31, 2005
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 26, 2023

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F30/30
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method for specifying and synthesizing a synchronous digital circuit by first accepting a specification of an asynchronous system in which stored values are updated according to a set of state transition rules. For instance, the state transition rules are specified as a Term Rewriting System (TRS) in which each rule specifies a number of allowable state transitions, and includes a logical precondition on the stored values and a functional specification of the stored values after a state transition in terms of the stored values prior to the state transition. The specification of the asynchronous circuit is converted into a specification of a synchronous circuit in which a number of state transitions can occur during each clock period. The method includes identifying sets of state transitions, for example by identifying sets of TRS rules, that can occur during a single clocking period and forming the specification of the synchronous circuit to allow any of the state transitions in a single set to occur during any particular clocking period.

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