IP Library Granted Patent US 8,959,469
Granted Patent B2
US 8,959,469 · App. 13/369,829 · Granted Feb 17, 2015

Configuring a programmable device using high-level language

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,959,469
App. No.
13/369,829
Granted
Feb 17, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of preparing a programmable integrated circuit device for configuration using a high-level language includes compiling a plurality of virtual programmable devices from descriptions in said high-level language. The compiling includes compiling configurations of configurable routing resources from programmable resources of said programmable integrated circuit device, and compiling configurations of a plurality of complex function blocks from programmable resources of said programmable integrated circuit device. A machine-readable data storage medium may be encoded with a library of such compiled configurations. A virtual programmable device may include a stall signal network and routing switches of the virtual programmable device may include stall signal inputs and outputs.

Claims (49)

1. A method of preparing a programmable integrated circuit device for configuration using a high-level language, said method comprising:

compiling a plurality of virtual programmable devices from descriptions in said high-level language; said compiling comprising:

compiling configurations of configurable routing resources from programmable resources of said programmable integrated circuit device, and

compiling configurations of a plurality of complex function blocks from programmable resources of said programmable integrated circuit device;

storing said compiled plurality of virtual programmable devices; and

providing said stored compiled plurality of virtual programmable devices to a user for selection and configuration of one of said stored compiled plurality of virtual programmable devices.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said high-level language is OpenCL.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said compiling configurations of configurable routing resources comprises compiling a pipelined stall signal network.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said compiling a pipelined stall signal network comprises compiling a bidirectional stall signal network that is pipelined in both directions.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein said compiling a pipelined stall signal network comprises compiling a network including a plurality of routing switches, each of said routing switches having:

an input and at least one output;

a respective register for a stall signal on each of said input and said at least one output;

an output data stall register for storing output data during a stall of any of said at least one output;

a first input data stall register for storing data received at said input prior to a stall of said input; and

a second input data stall register for storing data present at said input when said input stalls.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of complex function blocks comprises at least one of an arithmetic function block, a trigonometric function block, a multiplexing logic block, or a soft processor block.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising configuring input registers for at least one complex function block of said plurality of complex function blocks for balancing said configurable routing resources.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said configuring input registers comprises configuring a respective FIFO on at least one input of said at least one complex function block of said plurality of complex function blocks.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein said configuring input registers comprises configuring a respective FIFO on each input of each complex function block of said plurality of complex function blocks.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein said configuring a respective FIFO comprises configuring a respective FIFO having a respective depth equal to a respective maximum expected pipeline imbalance.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein said compiling a plurality of virtual programmable devices comprises compiling at least one virtual programmable device that is reconfigurable during operation.

12. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium encoded with:

a plurality of pre-compiled configurations for selection by a user to configure a programmable integrated circuit device, each of said compiled configurations, when executed by a processor on said programmable integrated circuit device after selection by the user, causing instantiation, on said programmable integrated circuit device, of a respective virtual programmable device by executing a high-level synthesis language, each said respective virtual programmable device:

comprising a respective routing resource configuration, and

configurations for a plurality of complex function blocks, and

being further configurable by a programmable integrated circuit device configuration bitstream.

13. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein each respective routing resource configuration instantiates a pipelined stall signal network.

14. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein each respective routing resource configuration instantiates a bidirectional stall signal network that is pipelined in both directions.

15. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein each respective routing resource configuration instantiates a pipelined stall signal network including a plurality of routing switches, each of said routing switches having:

an input and at least one output;

a respective register for a stall signal on each of said input and said at least one output;

an output data stall register for storing output data during a stall of any of said at least one output;

a first input data stall register for storing data received at said input prior to a stall of said input; and

a second input data stall register for storing data present at said input when said input stalls.

16. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein said configurations for a plurality of complex function blocks comprise configurations for at least one of an arithmetic function block, a trigonometric function block, a multiplexing logic block, or a soft processor block.

17. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein said configurations for a plurality of complex function blocks comprise configurations for input registers for at least one of said plurality of complex function blocks for balancing said configurable routing resources.

18. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein said configurations for input registers comprise configurations for a respective FIFO on at least one input of said at least one of said plurality of complex function blocks.

19. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 18 , wherein said configurations for input registers comprise configurations for a respective FIFO on each input of each of said plurality of complex function blocks.

20. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 18 , wherein said configurations for a respective FIFO comprise configurations for a respective FIFO having a respective depth equal to a respective maximum expected pipeline imbalance.

21. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein said plurality of compiled configurations for a plurality of virtual programmable devices comprises at least one compiled configuration for a virtual programmable device that is reconfigurable, during operation, by another programmable logic device configuration bitstream.

22. A routing switch for use in a network in which stall signals control flow of signals, said routing switch comprising:

an input for receiving data from a component in said network other than said routing switch;

an input stall signal output for propagating an input stall signal to prevent data from being propagated to said input from said component;

a plurality of respective outputs for propagating data to respective other locations in said network; and

a respective output stall signal input associated with each said respective output for receiving a respective output stall signal from a respective one of said other locations to prevent said respective output from propagating data to said respective one of said other locations.

23. The routing switch of claim 22 , further comprising:

an input stall signal register for said input stall signal; and

a respective output stall signal register for each of said respective output stall signals.

24. The routing switch of claim 22 , further comprising an input data register for holding data received prior to assertion of one of said output stall signals until said data received prior to assertion of said one of said output stall signals can be propagated.

Assignments (2)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 12, 2025
From: ALTERA CORPORATION
To: BARCLAYS BANK PLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 073431/0309 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 30, 2012
From: CHEN, DORIS TZU-LANG; SINGH, DESHANAND
To: ALTERA CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 027965/0698 →