Automatic asynchronous signal pipelining
US8832627B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 26, 2013 |
| Grant date | Sep 9, 2014 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 26, 2033 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F2119/12
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An electronic design automation (EDA) tool alters a user's netlist to provide timing success for distribution of asynchronous signals. Distribution networks are used with the addition of pipeline registers before and/or after the distribution buffer. Or, a tree of pipeline registers is inserted between the asynchronous source and the destination registers. Or, any number of distribution networks are stitched together and pipeline stages may be inserted before and/or after each distribution buffer. Or, beneficial skew is utilized by introducing a delay component that skews a clock signal. The skewed clock signal drives a pipeline register that is inserted before a distribution buffer in order to improve timing margin. Any of various compilation techniques may be used within the EDA tool to solve the problem of distributing high-speed, high-fanout asynchronous signals. The technique has utility for high-performance FPGAs and structured ASIC families, as well as for low-cost FPGAs and other types of logic devices.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.