Multi-core Device Failure Diagnosis via Majority Voting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing multi-core devices face increased test costs and time due to the need for additional test pins to transmit expected values, which is exacerbated by the number of cores, and current diagnosis methods are inefficient in parallel testing.

Innovation Solution

A multi-core device design that includes a majority analyzer to determine core failures based on test response values, using a comparator and XOR gates to diagnose cores without requiring additional test pins or increased test time, even as the number of cores increases.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If additional test pins are used to transmit expected values from inside to outside of chip, then core failure diagnosis accuracy is improved, but test costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecore failure diagnosis accuracyVSAvoidtest costs

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses the test response values from the cores themselves to determine expected values through majority voting, eliminating the need for external test pins to input expected values. The cores serve their own reference function through mutual comparison.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The majority analyzer acts as an intermediary that processes test response values from multiple cores and generates the expected value through majority voting, replacing the need for direct expected value input through test pins.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Power

If the number of cores is increased, then processing power is improved, but test time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing powerVSAvoidtest time

Core Design Contradiction:

PowerVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system combines test response values from multiple cores through majority voting to simultaneously determine both the expected value and identify failed cores in a single parallel operation, rather than testing each core sequentially.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The majority analyzer pre-determines the expected value by analyzing test response values from normal cores before comparing individual core responses, enabling efficient failure identification without retesting.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Power

If the number of cores is increased, then processing power is improved, but test costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing powerVSAvoidtest costs

Core Design Contradiction:

PowerVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The test response values serve multiple functions: they are used both to determine the expected value through majority voting and to identify failed cores by comparison, eliminating the need for separate expected value input channels.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses the collective test response values from the cores themselves to generate reference expected values, making the test system self-sufficient without requiring additional external reference inputs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS9672128B2Multi-core device, test device, and method of diagnosing failure

Publication Date: 2017.06.06 IND ACADEMIC COOP FOUND YONSEI UNIV

AI summary

Provided is a multi-core device. The multi-core device includes: a plurality of cores outputting a test response value by receiving a test pattern value; a majority analyzer outputting a value corresponding to a majority of the test response value by analyzing the test response value; and a determination unit determining a core outputting a test response value different from the value corresponding to the majority among the plurality of cores.