Integrated Circuit Pipelining Critical Path Register Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pipelining techniques in integrated circuit devices face exponential runtime growth with the number of paths, assume an infinite number of registers, and often fail to pipeline critical signals, leading to inefficient register usage and potential saturation of available resources in FPGAs.
Innovation Solution
A method that identifies the most critical path in a circuit design, adds pipeline registers to it, and iteratively performs minimum cut operations on a graph to find the minimum number of required registers, interleaving re-placement to optimize register placement and reduce the number of registers needed, while avoiding illegal edges and focusing on critical paths first.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If conventional pipelining techniques are used to improve data transmission speed, then data transmission speed is improved, but runtime grows exponentially with the number of paths
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the pipelining process into iterative steps, handling one critical path at a time rather than solving all paths simultaneously. This divides the complex exponential problem into multiple manageable iterations, each processing a subset of critical paths sequentially.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary identification and processing of the most critical path before other paths. By prioritizing and handling critical paths first in iterative stages, the method avoids the exponential runtime of conventional approaches that attempt to process all paths simultaneously.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional pipelining techniques assume infinite registers are available, then register allocation is simplified, but available registers are saturated before finishing an iteration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by processing only the most critical paths in each iteration rather than attempting to pipeline all paths simultaneously. This partial approach allows the method to complete register allocation for critical paths within available register constraints, avoiding saturation while still achieving significant performance improvement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of register availability from infinite (conventional assumption) to finite (actual FPGA constraints). By explicitly modeling finite register availability and prioritizing critical paths, the method adapts register allocation to actual hardware constraints without requiring infinite registers.
3Device complexity
If conventional pipelining techniques solve the entire problem in one iteration without changing placement intermediately, then the process is simpler, but a larger number of registers are required to meet cycle time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the pipelining process into multiple iterations where placement is updated intermediately. Instead of solving the entire problem in one complex iteration, the method divides the process into smaller steps, each updating placement and register allocation progressively, reducing the total number of registers required.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic placement updates between iterations, allowing the placement to evolve as pipelining progresses. This dynamic approach enables the system to adapt register allocation to changing timing constraints, reducing the total register count compared to static one-iteration approaches.
4Speed
If conventional pipelining techniques are used, then data transmission speed is improved, but critical signals may not be pipelined
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating treatment for critical versus non-critical paths. Critical signals receive prioritized pipelining attention in each iteration, while non-critical paths are processed subsequently. This localized focus ensures critical signals are pipelined effectively without wasting resources on less important paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary identification and prioritization of critical paths before executing pipelining. By pre-identifying which signals are most critical and processing them first in each iteration, the method ensures critical signals are pipelined reliably while maintaining overall data transmission speed improvement.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of pipelining a data path in an integrated circuit is described. The method comprises receiving a circuit design to be implemented in the integrated circuit device; providing a placement of the circuit design in the integrated circuit device; identifying a most critical path of the placement; adding pipeline registers to the most critical path; and adding pipeline registers to all paths that are parallel to the most critical path. A computer program product for pipelining a data path in an integrated circuit is also described.