Dynamic CDC Verification with Persistent Identifiers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for dynamic Clock Domain Crossing (CDC) verification in digital circuit design are complex, time-consuming, and prone to errors due to the need for manual correlation across multiple analysis environments, leading to inefficiencies and false firings in static and dynamic analysis.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that dynamically verifies CDC paths by extracting information from a static analysis database, binding CDC protocol assertions to the RTL design, generating setup files for formal and simulation analysis, and updating results in a centralized database, allowing for visualization of results across environments and reducing simulation time by turning off proven assertions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If static CDC analysis and dynamic CDC verification are performed separately in different environments, then comprehensive verification coverage is achieved, but the process becomes complex and time-consuming with manual correlation required across multiple environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges static CDC analysis and dynamic CDC verification into a unified workflow by extracting CDC paths from static analysis results and automatically binding them to dynamic verification assertions. This integration eliminates the need for manual correlation between separate environments while maintaining comprehensive verification coverage, directly resolving the contradiction between thorough verification and verification time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism that extracts CDC path information from static analysis databases and uses it to automatically generate and bind assertions for dynamic verification. This intermediary process bridges the gap between static and dynamic verification environments, enabling automatic correlation without manual intervention and reducing overall verification time while maintaining reliability.
2Ease of manufacture
If formal analysis and simulation are run in separate environments with different constraints, then each environment can be optimized independently, but results require lengthy manual correlation and debugging across environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal CDC path representation that can be used across both formal analysis and simulation environments. By extracting CDC paths from static analysis and binding them to a unified assertion framework, the same CDC path information serves both verification approaches, eliminating the need for separate environment-specific analyses and reducing correlation complexity while allowing each environment to maintain its optimization.
3Reliability
If CDC protocol assertions are verified in both formal analysis and simulation environments, then comprehensive protocol verification is achieved, but simulation time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary extraction of CDC paths from static analysis results before running dynamic verification. This pre-processing step identifies and binds only the relevant CDC paths to protocol assertions, allowing the simulation to focus verification efforts on critical paths rather than verifying all assertions. This preliminary action maintains comprehensive protocol verification for critical CDC paths while reducing overall simulation time and improving productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer implemented method of dynamically verifying clock domain crossing (CDC) paths in a register-transfer level (RTL) design is provided. In addition to static analysis, formal analysis, and simulation steps, each CDC path is allocated a persistent unique identifier. This enables the updating of a centralized results database using the persistent unique identifier to label the associated CDC protocol assertions, functional coverage, and results of the formal analysis and simulation. In addition, prior to simulation analysis, CDC protocol assertions that have been proven during formal analysis are turned off, resulting in the simulation run only being carried out for non-proven CDC protocol assertions.