IP Library Granted Patent US 11,303,279
Granted Patent B2
US 11,303,279 · App. 16/900,546 · Granted Apr 12, 2022

Programmable logic device virtualization

Inventors: David Alexander Munday (Santa Cruz, CA); Randall Carl Bilbrey, Jr. (San Jose, CA); Evan Custodio (San Jose, CA)
Assignee: Altera Corporation
H03K19/17756G06F8/656G06F9/44505G06F9/5077G06F21/76G06F30/331G06F30/34H03K19/177H03K19/1776H03K19/17728H04L65/403
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,303,279
App. No.
16/900,546
Granted
Apr 12, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A device includes a programmable logic fabric. The programmable logic fabric includes a first area, wherein a first persona is configured to be programmed in the first area. The programmable logic fabric also includes a second area, wherein a second persona is configured to be programmed in the second area in a second persona programming time. The device is configured to be controlled by a host to switch from running the first persona to running the second persona in a time less than the second persona programming time.

Claims (21)

1. A system comprising:

a field programmable gate array comprising a programmable region that holds custom logic circuitry and a peripheral region that holds circuitry to support the custom logic circuitry;

memory that stores a plurality of personas comprising different configurations of the custom logic circuitry; and

a host processor that causes the field programmable gate array to switch from operating with a configuration of a first of the plurality of personas to a configuration of a second of the plurality of personas with reduced loading time at least in part by retaining data associated with the first persona and the second persona in the system during the switch.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the peripheral region of the field programmable gate array provides access to a virtualization of a field programmable gate array component.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the peripheral region remains static while the host processor causes the field programmable gate array to switch from operating with the configuration of a first of the plurality of personas to the configuration of the second of the plurality of personas.

4. A system comprising:

an instance of a field programmable gate array comprising a dynamic first region that implements custom logic and a static second region that supports the custom logic of the dynamic first region;

memory that stores a plurality of different configurations of custom logic; and

a host processor that causes the field programmable gate array to switch from a first configuration of custom logic to a second configuration of custom logic with reduced loading time at least in part by causing data associated with the first configuration and the second configuration to be retained in the system during the switch.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the instance of the field programmable gate array comprises a plurality of partitions.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the peripheral region of the field programmable gate array provides access to a virtualization of a field programmable gate array component.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the peripheral region remains static while the field programmable gate array switches from the first configuration of custom logic to the second configuration of custom logic.

8. A system comprising:

a plurality of partitions of field programmable gate array circuitry configurable to store respective custom logic;

memory that stores a plurality of different configurations of custom logic; and

a host that:

causes a first partition of the plurality of partitions to be configured with a first custom logic configuration;

causes a second partition of the plurality of partitions to be configured with a second custom logic configuration;

uses the first custom logic configuration to perform a first task; and

switches from using the first custom logic configuration to perform the first task to using the second custom logic configuration to perform a second task faster than a configuration time to configure the second partition of the plurality of partitions to be configured with the second custom logic configuration.

Assignments (1)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 12, 2025
From: ALTERA CORPORATION
To: BARCLAYS BANK PLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 073431/0309 →
Continuity (5)
Continuation 16126937 · Sep 10, 2018
Continuation 15818451 · Nov 20, 2017
Continuation 15336640 · Oct 27, 2016
Continuation 14875207 · Oct 5, 2015
Related Publication 20210067162A1 · Mar 4, 2021