Onespin Solutions Gmbh

Infineon Technologies Ag

Stefan Höreth

Peter Warkentin

Martin Müller-Brahms

Thomas Rudlof

For the verification of digital circuits, which can have multiplier structures in particular, an equivalence test between the digital circuit and a reference description of this digital circuit is proposed, in such a way that firstly for the multiplier structures implemented in the digital circuit the realized implementation alternative of several pre-defined different implementation alternatives is determined in each case and inserted into the reference description in place of the respective multiplication function, in order subsequently to execute the equivalence test with the reference description changed thereby. In this way, the structural equivalence between the reference description and the digital circuit to be verified can be substantially increased, which speeds up the verification process overall.

Method and device for verifying digital circuits

A system and method for locating circuit deviations or circuit faults in a circuit in respect of a reference circuit. The circuit and the reference circuit are respectively describable by signal-flow graphs, the signal-flow graphs being composed of a multiplicity of interconnected function blocks. The function blocks of the circuit are first assigned to corresponding function blocks of the reference circuit. There are then ascertained those function blocks of the circuit and of the reference circuit for which assignment has not been possible, and which have disposed upstream in the signal flow at least one function block for which assignment has been possible. The result is a boundary between an assigned and a non-assigned region of the circuit and the reference circuit, respectively. A representation of the circuit and reference circuit is preferably produced in which the regions corresponding to the non-assigned function blocks are highlighted.

Method and apparatus for locating circuit deviations

The invention permits a comparison of two technical systems, which according to conventional opinion is not possible to carry out, based on a substantially simpler, technically achievable comparison, in which part systems of one or both systems are specifically replaced. The replacements are performed in a controlled manner by monitoring a replacement condition with constraints. The monitoring of the replacement condition and the generation and monitoring of the necessary constraints occur automatically. A comparison of both systems can thus be carried out based on the replacement of the part systems without introducing a loss of precision in the comparison.

Method and arrangement for the comparison of technical system by means of system replacements

In order when designing a digital circuit to be able to determine the minimum or maximum switching activity for estimating the power consumption it is determined according to the invention on the basis of a model of the digital circuit whether there is a disproving operational case, in which the switching activity is less than an estimated value (k) for the minimum switching activity or greater than an estimated value (k) for the maximum switching activity. If the existence of an appropriate disproving operational case (P(k)) can be found, when determining the maximum switching activity the estimated value (k) is increased by one step size and when determining the minimum switching activity the estimated value (k) reduces. After a decrease or increase of the estimated value (k) the process is repeated and in this way the actual value for the maximum or minimum switching activity of the digital circuit is determined iteratively. After an appropriate interruption condition the currently used estimated value (k) is employed as the measure for the minimum or maximum switching activity. Based on the minimum or maximum switching activity on the one hand the minimum or maximum power consumption of the digital circuit can be determined or on the other hand further diagnostic functions can be carried out.

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Glonn, Germany

Stefan Höreth