Rewritable Circuit Updates Using Unconfigured Areas
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing techniques for updating reconfigurable circuits often result in unnecessary functions being configured or existing functions being lost, leading to inconvenience and inefficiency, as they require reconfiguration based on design data without considering unused areas or existing circuit functionality.
Innovation Solution
A device with a reconfigurable circuit that generates and transmits circuit information about unconfigured areas and desired functions, allowing for efficient configuration of partial circuits using existing or unconfigured areas, thereby minimizing the need for new circuitry and preserving existing functions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If reconfigurable circuit is updated based on design data without considering current structure, then new function can be implemented, but existing function may be lost or overwritten
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of the current reconfigurable circuit structure before updating. The detection unit identifies which areas are currently configured and which are unconfigured, allowing the update to be planned in advance to avoid overwriting existing functions. This preliminary knowledge enables the system to select appropriate configuration areas strategically.
Solution Approach 2:
The reconfigurable circuit is segmented into configured areas and unconfigured areas. By dividing the circuit space and treating them differently, the system can update only the unconfigured areas while preserving the configured areas that contain existing functions. This segmentation prevents function loss during updates.
2Adaptability or versatility
If reconfigurable circuit is reconfigured every time update is required, then function update is achieved, but resource wastage occurs due to unnecessary reconfiguration
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of reconfiguring the entire reconfigurable circuit, the system performs partial reconfiguration only in the unconfigured areas. This partial action approach updates the necessary functions while avoiding the energy and time costs of reconfiguring the entire circuit, thus reducing resource wastage.
3Ease of manufacture
If design data is applied without considering unconfigured area, then configuration process is simplified, but circuit area utilization is inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates feedback about the current configuration state (which areas are configured and which are unconfigured) into the design data application process. This feedback mechanism allows the system to intelligently select where to apply design data, ensuring efficient utilization of unconfigured areas while maintaining a relatively simple configuration process.
Data Source
AI summary
A problem to be solved is that a conventional device is not equipped with a unit that enables efficient circuit update taking into consideration an unconfigured area in the reconfigurable circuit in the device. A data using device of the present invention transmits, to a design data generation apparatus, device information relating to functions and structures of circuits included in the data using device, and receives design data generated by the design data generation apparatus. The data using device updates the function thereof based on the received design data. With this structure, the present invention can provide the data using device and the design data generation apparatus that are capable of managing the configuration of the circuits in the data using device, and acquiring properly the data to update the function thereof.