Dynamically programmable gate array with multiple contexts
Patent 5742180 Issued on April 21, 1998. Estimated Expiration Date: April 21, 2015. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.
An integrated dynamically programmable gate array comprises a two dimensional array of programmable gates. These gates can be implemented as look up tables but hardwired gates with programmable interconnections are also possible. Each one of the gates receives plural input logic signals from plural other gates. Consequently, a broad range of logic combinations are possible. The gates further include locally stored multiple contexts dictating different combinatorial logic operations performed by the gates. The contexts increase the logic operations performable by the gate and the fact that the contexts are locally stored enables better integration and speed. Only a context instruction needs to be distributed among programmable gates. A context signal generator is included that generates a context signal indicating a change in an active one of the contexts. This active context dictates the logic operations of the gates that commonly receive by the signal. Since the contexts information is stored on the gate array, and specifically locally, the context signal can change as fast as every clock cycle of the programmable gate array. To increase functionality, context memory arrays, which store context programming information, are separately addressable so that a new truth table is storable in a first one of the context memory arrays while a truth table of a second one of the context memory arrays is dictating the logic operations performed by the gates. As a result, the functionality of each programmable gate can be increased by increasing the number of available functions for that programmable gate.
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April 21, 2015. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.
