IC Fault Management via Context Tag Data and Priority Assignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fault management systems in integrated circuits face degradation in availability and reliability due to the need to access faulty domains for information retrieval, leading to increased latency and operational failures.
Innovation Solution
A fault management system comprising detection, processing, and recovery circuits that detect faults, generate context tag data, assign priority levels, and perform recovery operations without accessing faulty domains, using predefined policies and storage elements to determine recovery operations based on fault indications and operational states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional fault management systems access faulty domains for information retrieval, then fault information can be obtained, but availability and reliability degrade due to increased latency and operational failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-storing fault information and context data in dedicated storage elements before faults occur. When a fault is detected, the recovery circuit can immediately retrieve pre-stored fault indications, domain identifiers, and context tag data without needing to access the faulty domain, thereby eliminating latency associated with post-fault information retrieval.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary approach by using dedicated storage elements and recovery circuits that act as mediators between the faulty functional circuit and the fault management system. These intermediaries cache essential fault information locally, allowing the system to retrieve fault data without directly accessing the compromised domain, thus improving reliability and reducing latency.
2Reliability
If conventional fault management systems access faulty domains, then fault information can be retrieved, but operational failures increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses dedicated storage elements and recovery circuits as intermediaries to retrieve fault information without accessing the faulty domain. This intermediary layer isolates the fault management system from the compromised functional circuit, preventing the fault from propagating and causing operational failures while still enabling reliable fault information retrieval.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the fault management system into independent components: detection circuits, storage elements, processing circuits, and recovery circuits. This segmentation allows the system to retrieve fault information from dedicated storage without involving the faulty functional circuit, thereby improving availability and preventing operational failures caused by accessing compromised domains.
3Productivity
If detailed context tag data and priority levels are assigned to faults, then recovery operations can be optimized, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-generating and storing context tag data, domain identifiers, and priority levels associated with each fault type before the fault occurs. This pre-processing enables the recovery circuit to quickly determine appropriate recovery operations without complex real-time analysis, thereby improving recovery efficiency while managing system complexity through structured data preparation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses parameter changes by assigning different priority levels and context tags to faults based on their severity and type. This parameter-based classification enables the system to optimize recovery operations by processing high-priority faults first and applying appropriate recovery strategies, improving productivity while maintaining manageable complexity through systematic parameter assignment.
Data Source
AI summary
An integrated circuit includes a functional circuit, a detection circuit, a processing circuit, and a recovery circuit. The detection circuit detects a fault in the functional circuit and generates a fault indication indicative of the detected fault. The processing circuit receives the fault indication and identifies a functional domain identifier (ID) associated with the fault. Based on the fault indication, the processing circuit generates context tag data that is indicative of a type of the fault and an operational state of the functional circuit when the fault is detected therein. Further, the processing circuit assigns a priority level to the fault based on the context tag data and the functional domain ID. The recovery circuit performs, based on the functional domain ID, the context tag data, and the first priority level, a recovery operation to recover the functional circuit from the fault.