Switch coupled function blocks with additional direct coupling and internal data passing from input to output to facilitate more switched inputs to second block
A reconfigurable integrated circuit includes a plurality of function blocks and a plurality of programmable switches to switchably connect between function blocks included in the plurality of function blocks. The plurality of function blocks each includes at least one operation unit or one memory unit. The plurality of function blocks each includes at least one data input port connected to at least on of the plurality of programmable switches and at least one data output port connected to at least one of the plurality of programmable switches. Further, at least a pair of function blocks included in the plurality of function blocks is connected without intervening the programmable switch and data being output from a direct output port included in one of the pair of function blocks can be input to a direct input port included in the other of the pair of function blocks.
1. A reconfigurable integrated circuit, comprising:
a plurality of function blocks each comprising at least one operation unit or memory unit; and
a plurality of programmable switches being configured to switchably connect between function blocks included in the plurality of function blocks,
wherein the plurality of function blocks each includes at least one switchable data input port connected to at least an associated one of the plurality of programmable switches and at least one switchable data output port connected to the associated one of the plurality of programmable switches, each of the at least one switchable data input port providing switchable input data into an operation unit or memory unit of the function block,
wherein at least two of the function blocks included in the plurality of function blocks are further directly connected to each other such that data output from a direct output port included in a one of the at least two function blocks can thereby be input with no switch intervening to a direct input port included in an other of the at least two function blocks, and
wherein the programmable switch connected to the one of the at least two function blocks can thereby be used for selectively switching input data to the one of the at least two function blocks to then be output, via the direct output port included in the one of the at least two function blocks, to the direct input port included in the other of the at least two function blocks.
2. The reconfigurable integrated circuit according to claim 1 ,
wherein the one of the at least two function blocks further inputs data, being supplied from the programmable switch to the data input port included therein, to an operation unit included therein, and
an obtained result from the operation unit is output to the direct output port.
3. The reconfigurable device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of function blocks includes both of the direct input port and the direct output port.
4. The reconfigurable device according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least one of the plurality of function blocks includes a memory unit and the direct input port, the memory unit being able to input data with the programmable switch, and
operations of the memory unit are controlled according to data input to the direct input port.
5. The reconfigurable integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the operation unit comprises an adder/subtracter, a saturation calculation unit, a comparator, a multiplier, a divider, a logic operation unit, a selector, a barrel shifter, a bit mask unit and a Galois field multiplier, or an operation unit of a combination thereof.
6. The reconfigurable integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of function blocks includes a multi-input operation unit to perform an operation of at least two data inputs and an operation unit having a data bit width at least twice as wide as a data bit width of an input port of the function blocks.
7. The reconfigurable integrated circuit according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a configuration memory to store configuration information of the plurality of programmable switches,
wherein a connection relationship between the function blocks is changed by controlling the plurality of programmable switches according to the configuration information stored in the configuration memory.
8. The reconfigurable integrated circuit according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of processor elements arranged in a matrix; and
an instruction memory, an instruction decoder, the function blocks, and a programmable switch formed to each of the processor elements,
wherein processing of the function blocks and switching of connections between the processor elements by the programmable switch are controlled by the instruction decoder decoding an instruction code stored in the instruction memory and supplied to the function block and the programmable switch.