Inmos Limited

Pilkington Micro-electronics Limited

Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Motorola Corporation

Gordon S Work

Andrew T Ferris

Gareth James Jones

Yukihiro Saeki

Kenneth Austin

Tomohisa Shigematsu

Hiroki Muroga

Gerald R Talbot

Yasuo Kawahara

Toshio Hibi

Darren M Wedgwood

Peter A Albiez

Kazunao Maru

A configurable semi-conductor integrated circuit has an area thereof formed with a plurality of logic circuits at discrete sites or cells respectively defining a matrix array of cells. The matrix array of cells is subdivided at least into zones, each having a matrix array of cells, and further includes a porting arrangement for each zone; and a hierarchical routing resource structure including: (i) global connection paths having selectable connections with the porting arrangement of each zone and which extend continuously across more than one zone, (ii) medium connection paths extending from the porting arrangement and selectably connectable with at least some of the cells in a zone, and (iii) local direct connection paths having for each cell a restricted signal translation system between inputs and outputs of the cells and defining first and second sets of logic circuits.

Programmable logic array with a hierarchical routing resource

A peripheral controller is described which is suitable for connecting a selected one of a plurality of peripheral devices to a computer system. The peripheral controller comprises programmable bidirectional line driver/receiver devices which can be operated in an input only mode, an output only mode or a bidirectional mode and which can be set into an appropriate mode by configuration control data sent from the computer system to the peripheral controller. The peripheral controller also includes a re-configurable logic array which can be configured under the control of the configuration control data to implement a particular interface required for the selected peripheral device. This increases the efficiency of use of a peripheral interface.

Uni and bi-directional signal transfer modes in peripheral controller

A programmable logic unit circuit comprising a data memory circuit, a combinational logic circuit supplied with at least two input signals, two input select circuits for, based on the stored data in the data memory circuit, selecting the two input signals supplied to the combinational logic circuit from more than two input signals, a clock-synchronized circuit for supplying the output signal from the combinational logic circuit in synchronization with a clock signal, and a 3-state-output type output select circuit for selecting either the output signal of the combinational logic circuit or the output signal of the clock-synchronized circuit, depending on the stored data in the data memory circuit.

Configurable logic element with independently clocked outputs and node

A memory circuit comprises a plurality of memory cells (2) arranged in rows and columns, the cells in each row being connected to a common wordline (4) and the cells in each column being connected between a pair of bit lines (6,8) across which a voltage differential is developed when a memory cell is accessed to be read; and a timing circuit (16) for producing a timing signal to control further circuitry in dependence on said voltage differential achieving a predetermined value. The memory circuit has a dummy bit line connected to a column of dummy cells, each dummy cell having the same structure as a memory cell. A plurality of said dummy cells (22) has a bit value stored therein and is connected to a dummy wordline and the remainder of said dummy cells are rendered inactive, whereby on addressing of the dummy wordline simultaneously with the wordline of an accessed cell, a predetermined number of dummy cells discharges via the dummy bit line so that the voltage developed on the dummy bit line bears a predetermined relationship to the voltage differential developed between the bit lines of the accessed cell. The timing circuit (16) is connected to receive the voltage differential on the dummy bit line (18).

Timing control for a memory

A memory circuit comprises a memory array having a plurality of memory cells arranged in rows and columns. Column select circuits enable access to the columns in the array. Each column select circuit is associated with a respective group of the columns and is arranged to access a selected one of the columns in the respective group. At least one spare memory column is provided. Also included are a plurality of read/write circuits associated respectively with the groups, and with the spare memory column, for reading or writing data bits between a data bus and the columns selected by the column selected circuits. Routing circuitry is connected between the read/write circuits and the data bus and is programmable with information identifying at least one faulty column. The routing circuitry is operable in response to an attempted access to the faulty column by disconnecting from the data bus the read/write circuit associated with the group containing the faulty column and connecting to the data bus the read/write circuit associated with the spare column thereby to transfer data between the spare column and the data bus.

Memory circuit capable of replacing a faulty column with a spare column

A color graphics control system for generating red, blue and green analog signals to a raster scan display at a pixel frequency comprises a RAM storing a pluraltiy of digital color values, digital to analog converters for converting the digital color values into analog signals, an interface to permit an external controller to write digital color values into the RAM locations, a timer including a pixel clock and RAM accessing means controlled by the timer to pipeline RAM accessing with a cycle time of more than one pixel period.

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Warrington, United Kingdom

Gordon S Work