Tool to create a reconfigurable interconnect framework

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10417364-B2
Application number	US-201715423292-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 2, 2017
Priority date	Jan 4, 2017
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

Embodiments are directed towards a method to create a reconfigurable interconnect framework in an integrated circuit. The method includes accessing a configuration template directed toward the reconfigurable interconnect framework, editing parameters of the configuration template, functionally combining the configuration template with a plurality of modules from an IP library to produce a register transfer level (RTL) circuit model, generating at least one automated test-bench function, and generating at least one logic synthesis script. Editing parameters of the configuration template includes confirming a first number of output ports of a reconfigurable stream switch and confirming a second number of input ports of the reconfigurable stream switch. Each output port and each input port has a respective architectural composition. The output port architectural composition is defined by a plurality of N data paths including A data outputs and B control outputs. The input port architectural composition is defined by a plurality of M data paths including A data inputs and B control inputs.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method to create a reconfigurable interconnect framework in an integrated circuit, comprising:
accessing, using processing circuitry, a configuration template directed toward the reconfigurable interconnect framework;
editing, using the processing circuitry, parameters of the configuration template, the editing including:
confirming a first number of output ports of a reconfigurable stream switch, each output port having an output port architectural composition, wherein the output port architectural composition is defined by a plurality of N data paths, the plurality of N data paths including A data outputs and B control outputs, wherein N, A, and B are non-zero integers;
confirming a second number of input ports of the reconfigurable stream switch, each input port having an input port architectural composition, wherein the input port architectural composition is defined by a plurality of M data paths, the plurality of M data paths including A data inputs and B control inputs;
confirming a selected number of convolution accelerators to be arranged in a configurable accelerator framework; and
confirming memory parameters associated with at least some of the selected number of convolution accelerators; and

functionally combining, using the processing circuitry, the configuration template with a plurality of modules from a logic block (IP) library to produce a register transfer level (RTL) circuit model of the reconfigurable interconnect framework.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein editing parameters of the configuration template comprises:
confirming the N data paths of the output port architectural composition;
confirming the A data outputs of the output port architectural composition;
confirming the B control outputs of the output port architectural composition;
confirming the M data paths of the input port architectural composition;
confirming the A data inputs of the input port architectural composition; and
confirming the B control inputs of the input port architectural composition.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein each output port is arranged to unidirectionally pass output data and output control information on a first plurality of output lines, and wherein each input port arranged to unidirectionally receive first input data and first input control information on a second plurality of lines.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein editing parameters of the configuration template comprises:
confirming default values of a set of control registers associated with the reconfigurable stream switch, the set of control registers arranged for programming at run time, the set of control registers arranged to control a reconfigurable coupling of input ports and output ports.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein editing parameters of the configuration template comprises:
confirming a selected number of direct memory access engines to be arranged in the configurable accelerator framework; and
confirming memory parameters associated with at least some of the selected number of direction memory access engines.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein editing parameters of the configuration template comprises:
confirming a selected number of external device interfaces; and
confirming a communication protocol for at least some of the selected number of external device interfaces.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein editing parameters of the configuration template comprises:
confirming a selected number of processing modules; and
confirming operational features of at least some of the selected number of processing modules.

8. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
generating at least one automated test-bench function to test the RTL circuit model of the reconfigurable interconnect framework; and
generating at least one logic synthesis script to fabricate the reconfigurable interconnect framework.

9. The method according to claim 8 , comprising:
performing the at least one automated test-bench function on the RTL circuit model of the reconfigurable interconnect framework; and
generating an integrated circuit RTL to fabricate the integrated circuit including the reconfigurable interconnect framework.

10. The method according to claim 9 , comprising:
fabricating the integrated circuit having the reconfigurable interconnect framework.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium with computer executable instructions stored thereon executed by a processor to perform a method of creating a reconfigurable interconnect framework, the method comprising:
accessing a configuration template that defines design-time parameters of the reconfigurable interconnect framework;
editing parameters of the configuration template, the editing including:
confirming a first number of reconfigurable stream switch output ports, each output port having an output port architectural composition, wherein the output port architectural composition is defined by a plurality of N data paths, the plurality of N data paths including A data outputs and B control outputs, wherein N, A, and B are non-zero integers;
confirming a second number of reconfigurable stream switch input ports, each input port having an input port architectural composition, wherein the input port architectural composition is defined by a plurality of M data paths, the plurality of M data paths including A data inputs and B control inputs;
confirming a selected number of direct memory access engines to be arranged in the reconfigurable interconnect framework;
confirming memory parameters associated with at least some of the selected number of direction memory access engines;
confirming a selected number of convolution accelerators to be arranged in the reconfigurable interconnect framework; and
confirming memory parameters associated with at least some of the selected number of convolution accelerators; and

functionally combining the configuration template with a plurality of modules from a logic block (IP) library to produce a register transfer level (RTL) circuit model of the reconfigurable interconnect framework.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium whose stored contents configure a computing system to perform the method according to claim 11 , the method comprising:
generating at least one automated test-bench function to test the RTL circuit model of the reconfigurable interconnect framework; and
generating at least one logic synthesis script to fabricate the reconfigurable interconnect framework.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 11 whose stored contents configure the computing system to perform the method, wherein the first number of reconfigurable stream switch output ports equals the second number of reconfigurable stream switch input ports.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 11 whose stored contents configure the computing system to perform the method, wherein the memory parameters associated with at least some of the selected number of convolution accelerators includes a feature line buffer size and a kernel buffer size.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 11 whose stored contents configure the computing system to perform the method, wherein the memory parameters associated with at least some of the selected number of convolution accelerators includes a total buffer size, the total buffer size representing memory that is allocated at run time to at least one feature line buffer and at least one kernel buffer.

16. The non-tran

Assignees

• St Microelectronics Srl
• St Microelectronics Int Nv

Inventors

• Boesch Thomas
• Desoli Giuseppe

Classifications

• G06N7/01

  Probabilistic graphical models, e.g. probabilistic networks · CPC title

• G06N3/044

  Recurrent networks, e.g. Hopfield networks · CPC title

• G06N3/045

  Combinations of networks · CPC title

• G06N3/047

  Probabilistic or stochastic networks · CPC title

• G06F2115/08

  Intellectual property [IP] blocks or IP cores · CPC title