IP Library Granted Patent US 11,085,965
Granted Patent B2
US 11,085,965 · App. 16/670,146 · Granted Aug 10, 2021

Clock gating and scan clock generation for circuit test

Inventor: Jean-Francois Cote (Davie, FL)
Assignee: Siemens Industry Software Inc.
G01R31/3177G01R31/31723G01R31/31725
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,085,965
App. No.
16/670,146
Granted
Aug 10, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

A circuit comprises a clock gating device. The clock gating device comprises a multiplexing device and circuitry for generating multiplexer input signals. The selector input of the multiplexing device is coupled to a clock signal. The multiplexing device selects the first input signal to send to an output of the multiplexing device when the selector input is set to “0” and selects the second input signal to send to the output of the multiplexing device outputted when the selector input is set to “1”. The circuitry for generating multiplexer input signals is configured to ensure the timing of the transitions on the output are derived from the timing of the transitions of the clock signal and not by the timing of the transition of the first and second inputs of the multiplexing device.

Claims (27)

1. A circuit, comprising:

a clock gating device, comprising:

a multiplexing device, wherein a selector input of the multiplexing device is coupled to a clock signal; and

circuitry for generating multiplexer input signals configured to generate, and to send to inputs of the multiplexing device, a first input signal which keeps at “0” or “1” when the selector input is at “0” and a second input signal which keeps at “0” or “1” when the selector input is at “1”, wherein the circuitry for generating multiplexer input signals generates the first input signal and the second input signal based on a third signal, a fourth signal and the clock signal, and wherein the clock gating device is configurable to output, based on the third signal and the fourth signal, clock pulses following the clock signal, one or more pulses with pulse width and location controlled by one or both of the third signal and the fourth signal, or both in different time periods.

2. The circuit recited in claim 1 , wherein the circuitry for generating multiplexer input signals receives two signals, a shift clock enable signal and a capture clock enable signal, and generates the first input signal and the second input signal based at least in part on the shift clock enable signal and the capture clock enable signal, and wherein the multiplexing device outputs a signal comprising clock pulses for scan shift and scan capture, respectively.

3. The circuit recited in claim 1 , wherein the circuitry for generating multiplexer input signals comprises logic gates and latches, and wherein the output of the multiplexing follows the clock signal when the third signal is at “1” and the fourth signal is at either “0” or “1”, is at “0” when both the third signal and the fourth signal are at “0”, and is at “1” when the third signal is at “0” and the fourth signal are at “1”.

4. The circuit recited in claim 3 , further comprising:

a device configured to generate the third signal and the fourth signal based on scan clock control signals, the scan clock control signals comprising a shift clock enable signal and a capture clock enable signal.

5. The circuit recited in claim 4 , wherein the device is in the clock gating device.

6. The circuit recited in claim 4 , wherein the device is outside of the clock gating device and supplies the third signal and the fourth signal to multiple instances of the clock gating device in the circuit.

7. The circuit recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

a plurality of circuit blocks, and

clock mesh circuitry configured to provide the clock signal to each of the plurality of circuit blocks through a plurality of clock entry points,

wherein each of the plurality of clock entry points is coupled to an instance of the clock gating device directly or indirectly.

8. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

creating a clock gating device in a circuit design, the clock gating device comprising:

a multiplexing device, wherein a selector input of the multiplexing device is coupled to a clock signal; and

circuitry for generating multiplexer input signals configured to generate, and to send to inputs of the multiplexing device, a first input signal which keeps at “0” or “1” when the selector input is at “0” and a second input signal which keeps at “0” or “1” when the selector input is at “1”, wherein the circuitry for generating multiplexer input signals generates the first input signal and the second input signal based on a third signal, a fourth signal and the clock signal, and wherein the clock gating device is configurable to output, based on the third signal and the fourth signal, clock pulses following the clock signal, one or more pulses with pulse width and location controlled by one or both of the third signal and the fourth signal, or both in different time periods.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media recited in claim 8 , wherein the circuitry for generating multiplexer input signals receives two signals, a shift clock enable signal and a capture clock enable signal, and generates the first input signal and the second input signal based at least in part on the shift clock enable signal and the capture clock enable signal, and wherein the multiplexing device outputs a signal comprising clock pulses for scan shift and scan capture, respectively.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media recited in claim 8 , wherein the circuitry for generating multiplexer input signals comprises logic gates and latches, and wherein the output of the multiplexing follows the clock signal when the third signal is at “1” and the fourth signal is at either “0” or “1”, is set to “0” when both the third signal and the fourth signal are at “0”, and is at “1” when the third signal is at “0” and the fourth signal are at “1”.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media recited in claim 10 , wherein the circuit design comprises a device configured to generate the third signal and the fourth signal based on scan clock control signals, the scan clock control signals comprising a shift clock enable signal and a capture clock enable signal.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media recited in claim 11 , wherein the device is in the clock gating device.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media recited in claim 11 , wherein the device is outside of the clock gating device and supplies the third signal and the fourth signal to multiple instances of the clock gating device in the circuit.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media recited in claim 8 , wherein the circuit design comprises:

a plurality of circuit blocks, and

clock mesh circuitry configured to provide the clock signal to each of the plurality of circuit blocks through a plurality of clock entry points,

wherein each of the plurality of clock entry points is coupled to an instance of the clock gating device directly or indirectly.

Assignments (3)
MERGER AND CHANGE OF NAME Recorded May 13, 2021
From: MENTOR GRAPHICS CORPORATION; SIEMENS INDUSTRY SOFTWARE INC.
To: SIEMENS INDUSTRY SOFTWARE INC.
Reel/Frame 056232/0251 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 1, 2019
From: MENTOR GRAPHICS (CANADA) ULC
To: MENTOR GRAPHICS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 050886/0737 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 31, 2019
From: COTE, JEAN-FRANCOIS
To: MENTOR GRAPHICS (CANADA) ULC
Reel/Frame 050881/0403 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62754032 · Nov 1, 2018
Related Publication 20200141999A1 · May 7, 2020
Cited By (2)
US 12,455,317 US 12,474,404