IP Library Patent Application 12453236
Patent Application
App. No. 12/453,236

Bus interface design apparatus and bus interface design method

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US None
App. No.
12/453,236
Abstract

A design method of a bus interface that includes an I/F interposed between chips, includes determining a bus width of the bus interface between chips and a type of the bus interface, based on a physical constraint condition between the chips, and automatically generating a bus IP core that comprises a circuit configured in accordance with the determined bus width and the bus interface.

Claims (58)

1 . A design method of a bus interface that includes an I/F interposed between chips, comprising:

determining a bus width of the bus interface between chips and a type of the bus interface, based on a physical constraint condition between the chips; and

automatically generating a bus IP core that comprises a circuit configured in accordance with the determined bus width and the bus interface.

2 . The design method of the bus interface according to claim 1 , further comprising:

reading a bus interface design library in which a plurality of bus interface data of a chip-connecting bus are registered;

determining at least bus width and bus interface data based on the physical constraint conditions between chips;

automatically generating a bus IP core that comprises a circuit configured in accordance with the determined bus width and the bus interface data.

3 . The bus interface design method according to claim 1 , wherein

the bus interface includes one or more bus master modules, one or more bus slave modules, and a bus matrix unit for arbitrarily connecting at least one of the bus master modules and at least one of the bus slave modules.

4 . The bus interface design method according to claim 1 , wherein

the physical constraint condition includes at least one selected from a material of a print circuit board, a number of print circuit board layers, a wiring film thickness and a thickness between layers of the print circuit board, package information of an individual system LSI, a wiring distance between system LSIs, a wiring load model, and a maximum number of links allowed to be wired.

5 . The bus interface design method according to claim 2 , wherein

the logical constraint condition includes at least one selected from route information, which is path information indicating which master accesses which slave, a bus width and a bus clock frequency of an individual port.

6 . A bus interface design method comprising:

reading a logical constraint condition between chips and a physical constraint condition between the chips;

calculating a parameter required for a configuration of a bus interface; and

automatically generating the bus interface by performing the configuration of the bus interface.

7 . The bus interface design method according to claim 6 , wherein

the bus interface includes a transmitting and receiving circuit that drives a bus that connects the chips, and

the parameter is a property parameter of the transmitting and receiving circuit.

8 . The bus interface design method according to claim 6 , wherein

the bus interface includes a serial interface and/or a parallel interface that drives a bus that connects the chips, and

the parameter is a property parameter of the serial interface and/or the parallel interface.

9 . The bus interface design method according to claim 6 , wherein

the parameter is calculated by searching a database, which is configured to output the parameter, with use of the physical constraint condition as a key in a look-up table manner.

10 . The bus interface design method according to claim 6 , wherein

the property parameter is calculated by:

determining a number of master ports and a number of slave ports which are required for generating a bus matrix unit for arbitrarily connecting a plurality of bus master modules with a plurality of bus slave modules;

calculating a logical bandwidth required for an interface, which connects the chips, from the logical constraint condition; and

calculating a number of interfaces capable of realizing the logical bandwidth and the parameter of the transmitting and receiving circuit that drives each interface, from the physical constraint condition.

11 . The bus interface design method according to claim 7 , wherein

the property parameter includes at least one selected from a type of LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signaling) buffer, an amount of deemphasis, an amount of preemphasis, and an amount of equalization in a receiving circuit.

12 . The bus interface design method according to claim 7 , wherein

the parameter of the configurable bus interface is stored in a bus interface design library,

the parameter includes at least one selected from a bus clock frequency, a number of master ports, a number of slave ports, a data bus width of each port, a start address and an end address of an address region for the case of slaves, a number of external interfaces, and a property parameter of a transmitting and receiving circuit of each external interface, and

an internal circuit configuration is reconfigured in accordance with the specified parameter.

13 . A bus interface design apparatus comprising:

a data readout unit that read out a bus interface design library and a physical constraint condition of chips, the bus interface design library being configured by registering a plurality of design purpose bus interfaces, each of the plurality of design purpose bus interfaces being for a bus that connects chips;

a determinator that determines a bus width and the design purpose bus interface based on the physical constraint condition; and

an executor that automatically generates a bus IP core that comprises a circuit configured in accordance with the determined bus width and the design purpose bus interface.

14 . The bus interface design apparatus according to claim 13 , further comprising:

a parameter calculator that calculates a parameter required for a configuration of the bus interface, wherein

the executor executes the configuration of the bus interface based on the parameter calculated by the parameter calculator.

15 . The bus interface design apparatus according to claim 14 , further comprising:

a transmitting and receiving circuit that drives the bus connecting semiconductor integrated circuits, wherein

the parameter is a property parameter of the transmitting and receiving circuit.

16 . The bus interface design apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein

the bus interface includes a serial interface and/or a parallel interface which drive the bus that connects semiconductor integrated circuits, and

the parameter is a property parameter of the serial interface and/or the parallel interface.

17 . The bus interface design apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein

the bus interface includes one or more bus master modules, one or more bus slave modules, and a bus matrix unit for arbitrarily connecting at least one of the bus master modules and at least one of the bus slave modules.

18 . The bus interface design apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein

the parameter calculator calculates the parameter by searching a database, which is configured to output the parameter, with use of the physical constraint condition as a key in a look-up table manner.

19 . The bus interface design apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein

the parameter calculator comprises:

a port number determinator that determines a number of master ports and a number of slave ports which are required for generating a bus matrix unit that is for arbitrarily connecting a plurality of bus master modules with a plurality of bus slave modules;

a bandwidth calculator that calculates a logical bandwidth from the logical constraint condition, the logical bandwidth being required for an interface that connects the semiconductor integrated circuits; and

a parameter output unit that calculates a number of interfaces capable of realizing the logical bandwidth and the parameter of the transmitting and receiving circuit that drives each interface, from the physical constraint condition.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Oct 26, 2010
From: NEC ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
To: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 025193/0174 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 4, 2009
From: KURODA, YASUAKI
To: NEC ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 022676/0187 →