Cadence Design Systems, Inc.

Axis Systems, Inc

Quincy Kun-Hsu Shen

Ping-Sheng Tseng

Sharon Sheau-Pyng Lin

Steven Wang

Ren-Song Tsay

Mike Mon Tsai

Richard Yachyang Sun

Mike Mon Yen Tsai

Song Peng

Sharon Sheau-Ping Lin

The debug system described in this patent specification provides a system that generates hardware elements from normally non-synthesizable code elements for placement on an FPGA device. This particular FPGA device is called a Behavior Processor. This Behavior Processor executes in hardware those code constructs that were previously executed in software. When some condition is satisfied (e.g., If . . . then . . . else loop) which requires some intervention by the workstation or the software model, the Behavior Processor works with an Xtrigger device to send a callback signal to the workstation for immediate response.

Common shared memory in a verification system

Method and apparatus for simulating a circuit using timing insensitive glitch-free (TIGF) logic

Method and apparatus for implementing a task-based interface in a logic verification system is described. In some examples, a task server and a context memory are implemented in a hardware accelerator for a task. The task server is configured for communication with the logic design. A task stub configured for execution by a computer for the task is generated. Calls to the task are received from a test bench in the computer at the task stub. Remote procedure call (RPC) channels are established in response to the calls. Values of input arguments for the calls are transferred to the context memory through the RPC channels. Execution of threads of the task in the task server is triggered using the values of the input arguments in the context memory as parametric input.

Method and apparatus for implementing a task-based interface in a logic verification system

The disclosed devices are several forms of a timing insensitive glitch-free (TIGF) logic device. The TIGF logic device can take the form of any latch or edge-triggered flip-flop. In one embodiment, a trigger signal is provided to update the TIGF logic device. The trigger signal is provided during a short trigger period that occurs at adjacent times from the evaluation period. In latch form, the TIGF latch includes a flip-flop that holds the current state of the TIGF latch until a trigger signal is received. A multiplexer is also provided to receive the new input value and the old stored value. The enable signal functions as the selector signal for the multiplexer. Because the trigger signal controls the updating of the TIGF latch, the data at D input to the TIGF latch and the control data at the enable input can arrive in any order without suffering from hold time violations. Also, because the trigger signal controls the TIGF updates, the enable signal can glitch often without negatively affecting the proper operation of the TIGF latch. In flip-flop form the TIGF flip-flop includes a first flip-flop that holds the new input value, a second flip-flop that holds the current stored value, and a clock edge detector. All three of these components are controlled by the trigger signal for updating the TIGF flip-flop. A multiplexer is also provided with the edge detector signal functioning as the selector signal. Because one dedicated first flip-flop stores the new input value which effectively blocks input changes during evaluation, hold time violations are avoided. With the trigger signal controlling the TIGF flip-flop updates, clock glitches do not affect the hardware model of the user design circuit that uses the TIGF flip-flop as the emulated flip-flop.

Timing-insensitive glitch-free logic system and method

The SEmulation system provides four modes of operation: (1) Software Simulation, (2) Simulation via Hardware Acceleration, (3) In-Circuit Emulation (ICE), and (4) Post-Simulation Analysis. At a high level, the present invention may be embodied in each of the above four modes or various combinations of these modes. At the core of these modes is a software kernel which controls the overall operation of this system. The main control loop of the kernel executes the following steps: initialize system, evaluate active test-bench processes/components, evaluate clock components, detect clock edge, update registers and memories, propagate combinational components, advance simulation time, and continue the loop as long as active test-bench processes are present. A Simulation server in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention allows multiple users to access the same reconfigurable hardware unit to effectively simulate and accelerate the same or different user designs in a time-shared manner in both a network and a non-network environment. The server provides the multiple users or processes to access the reconfigurable hardware unit for acceleration and hardware state swapping purposes. The Simulation server includes the scheduler, one or more device drivers, and the reconfigurable hardware unit. The scheduler in the Simulation server is based on a preemptive round robin algorithm. The server scheduler includes a simulation job queue table, a priority sorter, and a job swapper.

Simulation server system and method

The SEmulation system provides four modes of operation: (1) Software Simulation, (2) Simulation via Hardware Acceleration, (3) In-Circuit Emulation (ICE), and (4) Post-Simulation Analysis. At a high level, the present invention may be embodied in each of the above four modes or various combinations of these modes. At the core of these modes is a software kernel which controls the overall operation of this system. The main control loop of the kernel executes the following steps: initialize system, evaluate active test-bench processes/components, evaluate clock components, detect clock edge, update registers and memories, propagate combinational components, advance simulation time, and continue the loop as long as active test-bench processes are present. Each mode or combination of modes provides the following main features or combinations of main features: (1) switching among modes, manually or automatically; (2) compilation process to generate software models and hardware models; (3) component type analysis for generating hardware models; (4) software clock set-up to avoid race conditions through, in one embodiment, gated clock logic analysis and gated data logic analysis; (5) software clock implementation through, in one embodiment, clock edge detection in the software model to trigger an enable signal in the hardware model, send signal from the primary clock to the clock input of the clock edge register in the hardware model via the gated clock logic, send a clock enable signal to the enable input of the hardware model's register, send data from the primary clock register to the hardware model's register via the gated data logic, and reset the clock edge register disabling the clock enable signal to the enable input of the hardware model's registers; (6) log selective data for debug sessions and post-simulation analysis; and (7) combinational logic regeneration.

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Union City, CA, United States of America

Quincy Kun-Hsu Shen