Patents by Inventor Benjamin D. Ralston

Benjamin D. Ralston has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7584448
    Abstract: A processor-implemented method is provided for constructing a model of a programmable logic device (PLD) design. A netlist is input that describes the PLD design. An identification is input of programmable tile modules that include a programmable resource, which is either programmable interconnect or programmable logic. A first characterization data is input for sub-modules of the programmable tile modules for the programmable resource. For each programmable tile module, the routing arcs of each programmable interconnect are generated. A second characterization data is input for a configuration memory cell module of the PLD design. A third characterization data is input for a configuration control module of the PLD design. A first map is generated that links each routing arc to a bit of configuration data for programming the programmable interconnect. A second map is generated that links each logic function to a bit of configuration data for programming the programmable logic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2009
    Assignee: Xilinx, Inc.
    Inventors: Bart Reynolds, Keith R. Bean, Daniel P. Kirkwood, James F. Barei, Benjamin D. Ralston
  • Patent number: 7536668
    Abstract: A processor-implemented method is provided for determining networks of a tile module of a programmable logic device (PLD) design. A netlist describing the PLD design and a tile module identification are input. Characterization data is input for a sub-module of the tile module that specifies modeled pins of the sub-module, which is either a switchbox or a logic site. Connectivity pins of the tile module are determined. Each connectivity pin of one of the tile instances is connected in the netlist to a modeled pin of an instance of the sub-module within a tile instance. Networks of the tile module are determined that connect a first subset of the connectivity pins of the tile module and a second subset of the modeled pins of an instance of the sub-module within the tile module. A specification is output for each of the networks including the first subset and the second subset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2009
    Assignee: Xilinx, Inc.
    Inventors: Bart Reynolds, Keith R. Bean, Daniel P. Kirkwood, James F. Barei, Benjamin D. Ralston
  • Patent number: 7472370
    Abstract: A processor-implemented method is provided for comparing connections in a graphical representation of a programmable logic device (PLD) design to connections in a netlist that describes the PLD design. The netlist and an identification of each tile are input. For each of the tiles, a specification is input of a graphical tile representation and connection representations that terminate at a boundary of the tile representation. A specification is input of an arrayed placement of occurrences of the tile representations. For each abutting pair of occurrences of the tile representations in the arrayed placement, the connection representations are determined that terminate at a shared portion of the boundaries of the tile representations of the abutting pair. For each of a plurality of positions within the shared portion of the boundaries of the tile representations of each abutting pair, a match is checked between the connection representations terminating at the position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Xilinx, Inc.
    Inventors: Bart Reynolds, Keith R. Bean, Daniel P. Kirkwood, James F. Barei, Benjamin D. Ralston
  • Patent number: 7451424
    Abstract: A processor-implemented method is provided for determining programmable connections through a switchbox module of a programmable logic device (PLD) design. A netlist that describes the PLD design and an identification of the switchbox module are input. Characterization data is input for each multiplexer module of the switchbox module. The characterization data specifies input pins and at least one output pin of the multiplexer module. The multiplexer module programmably connects each output pin to one of the input pins. Pins of the switchbox module are determined through which the programmable connections are provided via an instance of a multiplexer module of the switchbox module. Each pair of the pins of the switchbox module is determined that are functionally connected via at least one instance of the at least one multiplexer module, with each pair specifying a programmable connection. A specification of the programmable connections is output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: Xilinx, Inc.
    Inventors: Bart Reynolds, Keith R. Bean, Daniel P. Kirkwood, James F. Barei, Benjamin D. Ralston
  • Patent number: 7451423
    Abstract: A processor-implemented method is provided for determining first and second indices of cell instances of a configuration memory cell of a tile module of a programmable logic device (PLD) design. A netlist is input that describes the PLD design and includes the cell instances of the configuration memory cell. An identification of the tile module is input. Characterization data is input for each configuration memory cell specifying address and data input pins. Characterization data is input for each configuration control module specifying a first ordered set of address output pins and a second ordered set of data output pins. For each of the cell instances, the first index of an address output pin in the first ordered set and the second index of a data output pin in the second ordered set are determined and a specification is output of the cell instance and the first and second indices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: Xilinx, Inc.
    Inventors: Bart Reynolds, Keith R. Bean, Daniel P. Kirkwood, James F. Barei, Benjamin D. Ralston
  • Patent number: 7451425
    Abstract: A processor-implemented method is provided for determining controlling pins of a programmable logic device (PLD) design. A netlist that describes the PLD design and an identification of a tile module are input. Characterization data is input for a sub-module of the tile module that specifies a select input pin controlling a programmable function of the sub-module, which is either a multiplexer or a logic site. Characterization data is input for a configuration memory cell of the tile module that specifies a data output pin of the configuration memory cell. The controlling pin is determined for each select input pin of each instance of the sub-module of the tile module. The controlling pin of a select input pin is the data output pin of an instance of a configuration memory cell of the tile module. A specification is output of the select input pin and corresponding controlling pin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: Xilinx, Inc.
    Inventors: Bart Reynolds, Keith R. Bean, Daniel P. Kirkwood, James F. Barei, Benjamin D. Ralston
  • Patent number: 7451420
    Abstract: A processor-implemented method is provided for determining reachable pins functionally connected to a network of a netlist that describes a programmable logic device (PLD) design. A netlist and an identification of the network in the netlist are input. Characterization data is input for one or more repeater modules that specify a first set of functionally connected pins of the repeater module. A second set is initialized with the pins of the network. For each pin in the second set that is one of the functionally connected pins of a first set, an additional pin may be added to the second set for each of the pins of a network for each of the functionally connected pins. The adding is repeated for each additional pin added to the second set. A specification of the pins from the second set is output as the reachable pins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: Xilinx, Inc.
    Inventors: Bart Reynolds, Keith R. Bean, Daniel P. Kirkwood, James F. Barei, Benjamin D. Ralston