Unified PR Region Layout for Multiple FPGA Personas

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Solution Overview

Problem

Designing partial reconfiguration (PR) regions for programmable logic devices is a time-consuming and resource-intensive process, often resulting in suboptimal use of die area due to manual iteration and reliance on intuition, as designers struggle to accommodate multiple personas within a unified PR region.

Innovation Solution

The method involves using design software and compilers to determine an area-efficient PR region with unified boundary ports by identifying hotspots and hardened components, applying convex hull algorithms, and optimizing geometric overlays to accommodate all PR personas, thereby automating the process and reducing manual intervention.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If designers manually define and refine the PR region using intuition and empty persona, then the PR region can accommodate all PR personas, but the process becomes time-consuming and resource-intensive

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccommodation of multiple PR personasVSAvoiddesign process time

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by automatically determining the PR region boundary and unified boundary ports before the actual persona compilation. The method compiles each persona to identify resource requirements and hotspot locations, then uses this information to pre-determine the optimal PR region boundary that accommodates all personas, eliminating the need for iterative manual refinement

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The design system serves itself by automatically determining the PR region boundary and unified boundary ports without requiring manual designer intervention. The compilation process itself generates the necessary information about resource usage and hotspot locations, which the system then uses to automatically define the PR region, making the process self-determining rather than relying on designer intuition

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Adaptability or versatility

If the PR region is designed to fit all PR personas including hardened logic circuits, then all personas can be accommodated, but the die area occupied by the PR region increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccommodation of multiple PR personasVSAvoiddie area of PR region

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies local quality by determining the PR region boundary based on actual resource usage patterns and hotspot locations of each persona. Rather than creating a uniform PR region that accommodates all possible configurations, the boundary is locally optimized to include only the necessary resources and hotspot areas for each specific persona, minimizing the overall die area while ensuring all personas can be accommodated

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The method performs preliminary compilation of each persona to identify exactly which resources and hotspot locations are required before defining the PR region boundary. This preliminary analysis allows the system to precisely delineate the minimum necessary PR region that accommodates all personas without including unnecessary die area

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If designers rely on manual iteration to define the PR region, then flexibility in design is maintained, but the process becomes less predictable and suboptimal

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedesign flexibilityVSAvoidPR region optimization

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses feedback from the compilation process of each persona to automatically adjust and determine the optimal PR region boundary. The compilation generates information about resource usage, hotspot locations, and timing constraints, which feeds back into the boundary determination algorithm to produce an optimized PR region that satisfies all personas' requirements without manual iteration

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The method replaces the mechanical manual iterative design process with an automated computational system. Instead of designers manually adjusting the PR region boundary through intuition and trial-and-error, the system uses algorithmic processing of compilation data to automatically determine the optimal boundary, increasing predictability and optimization while maintaining design flexibility

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS20260050725A1Unified Partial Reconfiguration (PR) Region for Programmable Logic Device

Publication Date: 2026.02.19 ALTERA CORP

AI summary

Systems and methods for determining a partial reconfiguration region and/or boundary ports into or out of the partial reconfiguration region are provided. A system may include a programmable logic device and a data processing system. The programmable logic device may be configurable to be programmed with a plurality of partial reconfiguration personas in a partial reconfiguration region of the programmable logic device. The data processing system may determine a boundary of the partial reconfiguration region based on a superimposition of the plurality of partial reconfiguration personas.