Integrated Circuit Configuration Delta Compression for Memory Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing amount of configuration data required for integrated circuits due to higher transistor density and partial reconfiguration leads to significant memory size requirements, impacting the cost and efficiency of integrated circuit operations.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a configuration manager that uses decoding and encoding circuitry to compress and decompress configuration data differences, allowing for efficient storage and management of configuration data without affecting the functionality of the integrated circuit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If partial reconfiguration is used to implement multiple circuit designs in the same partition, then adaptability is improved, but the amount of configuration data increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple configuration data sets into a single unified configuration data structure. Instead of storing separate configuration data for each circuit design implementation, the system combines them into one unified data set that can be selectively applied to different partitions, thereby reducing the total amount of configuration data while maintaining support for multiple designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified configuration data structure serves multiple functions: it can configure different circuit designs, support multiple partitions, and enable partial reconfiguration. This single data structure replaces what would otherwise require multiple separate configuration data sets, reducing overall data volume while maintaining versatility.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the size of the integrated circuit increases, then functionality is improved, but the size of the storage circuit increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines configuration data for multiple circuit designs into a unified configuration data structure, which reduces the total storage requirements. This merging allows larger, more functional integrated circuits to be implemented without proportionally increasing storage circuit size.
3Adaptability or versatility
If more circuit design implementations share the same partition through partial reconfiguration, then adaptability is improved, but memory size requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple configuration data sets into a unified configuration data structure that can be selectively applied to different partitions. This approach allows multiple circuit design implementations to share the same partition through partial reconfiguration without proportionally increasing memory size requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified configuration data structure is divided into partition-specific portions that can be selectively loaded and applied. This segmentation allows the system to store a comprehensive set of configuration data in a unified structure while only loading the relevant portions for active partitions, reducing active memory requirements.
Data Source
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AI summary
Circuitry for efficient configuration data management is presented. The circuitry may include an encoding circuit that compares the configuration data of a circuit design with the base configuration data of a base circuit design. The encoding circuit may compress the difference between the configuration data and the base configuration data to produce compressed configuration data. The compressed configuration data may be stored in a storage circuit. For the purpose of implementing the circuit design in an integrated circuit, a decoding circuit may retrieve the compressed configuration data from the storage circuit, decompress the compressed configuration data, and compare the result of the decompression operation with the base configuration data to restore the configuration data. The restored configuration data may serve to program configuration memory bits on the integrated circuit, thereby implementing the circuit design.