Digital currency mining circuitry with adaptable difficulty compare capabilities
US9942046B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 6, 2015 |
| Grant date | Apr 10, 2018 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 13, 2035 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L2209/56
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Cryptographic hashing circuitry such as mining circuitry used to mine digital currency may be formed on an integrated circuit. The hashing circuitry may include sequential rounds of register and logic circuitry that perform operations of a cryptographic protocol. A final hash output from the hashing circuitry may be checked using a difficulty comparison circuit to determine whether the hash output satisfies predetermined difficulty criteria. The difficulty comparison circuit may be configured as a hardwired comparison circuit having logic gates for checking only a subset of bits in the hash output. The comparison circuit may be adapted to change the number of bits that is checked based on a target number of bits for comparison set by the Bitcoin protocol. Candidate solutions found using the hardwired comparison circuit may then be fed to a host controller that checks the entire hash output to determine whether the candidate solution is valid.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.