Patents by Inventor Ian Andrew Swarbrick

Ian Andrew Swarbrick 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: 11263169
    Abstract: An example programmable integrated circuit (IC) includes a processor, a plurality of endpoint circuits, a network-on-chip (NoC) having NoC master units (NMUs), NoC slave units (NSUs), NoC programmable switches (NPSs), a plurality of registers, and a NoC programming interface (NPI). The processor is coupled to the NPI and is configured to program the NPSs by loading an image to the registers through the NPI for providing physical channels between NMUs to the NSUs and providing data paths between the plurality of endpoint circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: XILINX, INC.
    Inventors: Ian Andrew Swarbrick, Sagheer Ahmad, Ygal Arbel, Dinesh Gaitonde
  • Publication number: 20210303509
    Abstract: An example programmable integrated circuit (IC) includes a processor, a plurality of endpoint circuits, a network-on-chip (NoC) having NoC master units (NMUs), NoC slave units (NSUs), NoC programmable switches (NPSs), a plurality of registers, and a NoC programming interface (NPI). The processor is coupled to the NPI and is configured to program the NPSs by loading an image to the registers through the NPI for providing physical channels between NMUs to the NSUs and providing data paths between the plurality of endpoint circuits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2020
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Ian Andrew SWARBRICK, Sagheer AHMAD, Ygal ARBEL, Dinesh GAITONDE
  • Patent number: 10062422
    Abstract: An interconnect for an integrated circuit communicating transactions between initiator Intellectual Property (IP) cores and multiple target IP cores coupled to the interconnect is generally described. The interconnect routes the transactions between the target IP cores and initiator IP cores in the integrated circuit. A first aggregate target of the target IP cores includes two or more memory channels that are interleaved in an address space for the first aggregate target in the address map. Each memory channel is divided up in defined memory interleave segments and then interleaved with memory interleave segments from other memory channels. An address map is divided up into two or more regions. Each interleaved memory interleave segment is assigned to at least one of those regions and populates the address space for that region, and parameters associated with the regions and memory interleave segments are configurable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Sonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Drew E. Wingard, Chien-Chun Chou, Stephen W. Hamilton, Ian Andrew Swarbrick, Vida Vakilotojar
  • Publication number: 20170140800
    Abstract: An interconnect for an integrated circuit communicating transactions between initiator Intellectual Property (IP) cores and multiple target IP cores coupled to the interconnect is generally described. The interconnect routes the transactions between the target IP cores and initiator IP cores in the integrated circuit. A first aggregate target of the target IP cores includes two or more memory channels that are interleaved in an address space for the first aggregate target in the address map. Each memory channel is divided up in defined memory interleave segments and then interleaved with memory interleave segments from other memory channels. An address map is divided up into two or more regions. Each interleaved memory interleave segment is assigned to at least one of those regions and populates the address space for that region, and parameters associated with the regions and memory interleave segments are configurable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2016
    Publication date: May 18, 2017
    Applicant: Sonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Drew E. Wingard, Chien-Chun Chou, Stephen W. Hamilton, Ian Andrew Swarbrick, Vida Vakilotojar
  • Patent number: 9495290
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system are described, which generally relate to an integrated circuit having an interconnect that implements internal controls. The interconnect in an integrated circuit communicates transactions between initiator Intellectual Property (IP) cores and target IP cores coupled to the interconnect. The interconnect implements logic configured to support multiple transactions issued from a first initiator IP core to the multiple target IP cores while maintaining an expected execution order within the transactions. The logic supports a second transaction to be issued from the first initiator IP core to a second target IP core before a first transaction issued from the same first initiator IP core to a first target IP core has completed while ensuring that the first transaction completes before the second transaction and while ensuring an expected execution order within the first transaction and second transaction are maintained. The logic does not include any reorder buffering.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: Sonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Drew E. Wingard, Chien-Chun Chou, Stephen W. Hamilton, Ian Andrew Swarbrick, Vida Vakilotojar
  • Patent number: 9292436
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system are described, which generally relate to an interconnect routing transactions to target IP cores, including two or more channels making up a first aggregate target. The two or more channels populate an address space assigned to the first aggregate target and appear as a single target to the initiator IP cores. The interconnect implements chopping logic to chop an individual transaction from a first initiator IP core whose address sequence crosses a channel address boundary from a first channel to a second channel within the first aggregate target into two or more burst transactions. A first chopped burst transaction is chopped to fit within the address boundaries of the first channel and a second chopped burst transaction is chopped to fit within the address boundaries of the second channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Sonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Drew E. Wingard, Chien-Chun Chou, Stephen W. Hamilton, Ian Andrew Swarbrick, Vida Vakilotojar
  • Patent number: 8407433
    Abstract: In an embodiment, an interconnect for an integrated circuit communicates transactions between one or more initiator Intellectual Property (IP) cores and multiple target IP cores coupled to the interconnect. Two or more memory channels make up a first aggregate target of the target IP cores. The two or more memory channels populate an address space assigned to the first aggregate target and appear as a single target to the initiator IP cores. The interconnect implements chopping logic to chop individual two-dimensional (2D) transactions that cross the memory channel address boundaries from a first memory channel to a second memory channel within the first aggregate target into two or more 2D transactions with a height value greater than one, as well as stride and width dimensions, which are chopped to fit within memory channel address boundaries of the first aggregate target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Sonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Drew E. Wingard, Chien-Chun Chou, Stephen W. Hamilton, Ian Andrew Swarbrick, Vida Vakilotojar
  • Publication number: 20120036296
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system are described, which generally relate to an integrated circuit having an interconnect. The flow control logic for the interconnect applies a flow control splitting protocol to permit transactions from each initiator thread and/or each initiator tag stream to be outstanding to multiple channels in a single aggregate target at once, and therefore to multiple individual targets within an aggregate target at once. The combined flow control logic and flow control protocol allows the interconnect to manage simultaneous requests to multiple channels in an aggregate target from the same thread or tag at the same time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2011
    Publication date: February 9, 2012
    Applicant: SONICS, INC.
    Inventors: Drew E. Wingard, Chien-Chun Chou, Stephen W. Hamilton, Ian Andrew Swarbrick, Vida Vakilotojar
  • Patent number: 8024697
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are described for an Intellectual Property (IP) Generator for estimating timing, area, and power characteristics of an electronic system design. The IP Generator receives a user-supplied file having data describing a configuration of an IP design having multiple levels of hierarchy. The IP Generator also receives user-supplied technology parameters and data-flow information. The IP generator correlates estimated timing, area, and power characteristics for each IP sub component based on the user supplied technology parameters, data-flow information and configuration parameters. The IP generator reports the timing, area, and power estimates to a user via a graphic user interface prior to a transformation of a Register Transfer Level (RTL) design into the gate-level circuit design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Sonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen Hamilton, Ian Andrew Swarbrick, Scott Carlton Evans, Wolf-Dietrich Weber, Jay S. Tomlinson
  • Publication number: 20100318946
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are described for an Intellectual Property (IP) Generator for estimating timing, area, and power characteristics of an electronic system design. The IP Generator receives a user-supplied file having data describing a configuration of an IP design having multiple levels of hierarchy. The IP Generator also receives user-supplied technology parameters and data-flow information. The IP generator correlates estimated timing, area, and power characteristics for each IP sub component based on the user supplied technology parameters, data-flow information and configuration parameters. The IP generator reports the timing, area, and power estimates to a user via a graphic user interface prior to a transformation of a Register Transfer Level (RTL) design into the gate-level circuit design.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2010
    Publication date: December 16, 2010
    Applicant: Sonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen Hamilton, Ian Andrew Swarbrick, Scott Carlton Evans, Wolf-Dietrich Weber, Jay S. Tomlinson
  • Patent number: 7694249
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are described for an Intellectual Property (IP) Generator for estimating timing, area, and power characteristics of an electronic system design. The IP Generator receives a user-supplied file having data describing a configuration of an IP design having multiple levels of hierarchy. The IP Generator also receives user-supplied technology parameters and data-flow information. The IP generator correlates estimated timing, area, and power characteristics for each IP sub component based on the user supplied technology parameters, data-flow information and configuration parameters. The IP generator reports the timing, area, and power estimates to a user via a graphic user interface prior to a transformation of a Register Transfer Level (RTL) design into the gate-level circuit design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Sonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen Hamilton, Ian Andrew Swarbrick, Scott Carlton Evans, Wolf-Dietrich Weber, Jay S. Tomlinson
  • Publication number: 20080320268
    Abstract: In an embodiment, an interconnect for an integrated circuit communicates transactions between one or more initiator Intellectual Property (IP) cores and multiple target IP cores coupled to the interconnect. Two or more memory channels make up a first aggregate target of the target IP cores. The two or more memory channels populate an address space assigned to the first aggregate target and appear as a single target to the initiator IP cores. The interconnect implements chopping logic to chop individual two-dimensional (2D) transactions that cross the memory channel address boundaries from a first memory channel to a second memory channel within the first aggregate target into two or more 2D transactions with a height value greater than one, as well as stride and width dimensions, which are chopped to fit within memory channel address boundaries of the first aggregate target.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2008
    Publication date: December 25, 2008
    Applicant: Sonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Drew E. Wingard, Chien-Chun Chou, Ian Andrew Swarbrick, Stephen W. Hamilton, Vida Vakilotojar
  • Publication number: 20080320254
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system are described, which generally relate to an interconnect routing transactions to target IP cores, including two or more channels making up a first aggregate target. The two or more channels populate an address space assigned to the first aggregate target and appear as a single target to the initiator IP cores. The interconnect implements chopping logic to chop an individual transaction from a first initiator IP core whose address sequence crosses a channel address boundary from a first channel to a second channel within the first aggregate target into two or more burst transactions. A first chopped burst transaction is chopped to fit within the address boundaries of the first channel and a second chopped burst transaction is chopped to fit within the address boundaries of the second channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2008
    Publication date: December 25, 2008
    Applicant: Sonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Drew E. Wingard, Chien-Chun Chou, Stephen W. Hamilton, Ian Andrew Swarbrick, Vida Vakilotojar
  • Publication number: 20080320476
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system are described, which generally relate to an integrated circuit having an interconnect that implements internal controls. The interconnect in an integrated circuit communicates transactions between initiator Intellectual Property (IP) cores and target IP cores coupled to the interconnect. The interconnect implements logic configured to support multiple transactions issued from a first initiator IP core to the multiple target IP cores while maintaining an expected execution order within the transactions. The logic supports a second transaction to be issued from the first initiator IP core to a second target IP core before a first transaction issued from the same first initiator IP core to a first target IP core has completed while ensuring that the first transaction completes before the second transaction and while ensuring an expected execution order within the first transaction and second transaction are maintained. The logic does not include any reorder buffering.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2008
    Publication date: December 25, 2008
    Applicant: Sonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Drew E. Wingard, Chien-Chun Chou, Stephen W. Hamilton, Ian Andrew Swarbrick, Vida Vakilotojar
  • Publication number: 20080320255
    Abstract: An interconnect for an integrated circuit communicating transactions between initiator Intellectual Property (IP) cores and multiple target IP cores coupled to the interconnect is generally described. The interconnect routes the transactions between the target IP cores and initiator IP cores in the integrated circuit. A first aggregate target of the target IP cores includes two or more memory channels that are interleaved in an address space for the first aggregate target in the address map. Each memory channel is divided up in defined memory interleave segments and then interleaved with memory interleave segments from other memory channels. An address map is divided up into two or more regions. Each interleaved memory interleave segment is assigned to at least one of those regions and populates the address space for that region, and parameters associated with the regions and memory interleave segments are configurable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2008
    Publication date: December 25, 2008
    Applicant: Sonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Drew E. Wingard, Chien-Chun Chou, Stephen W. Hamilton, Ian Andrew Swarbrick, Vida Vakilotojar
  • Patent number: 7149829
    Abstract: Various methods and apparatuses are described in which an arbitration controller cooperates with arbitration logic. The arbitration controller has a plurality of inputs that receive one or more transactions from a plurality of blocks of functionality. The arbitration controller arbitrates requests for access to a shared resource amongst the plurality of blocks of functionality by implementing an arbitration policy. The arbitration policy groups the transactions from the plurality of blocks of functionality into global groups of transactions for servicing by that shared resource. All of the transactions in a first global group are serviced by that shared resource prior to servicing transactions in a next global group of transactions. The arbitration logic facilitates the arbitration policy. The arbitration logic includes cascaded arbitration units that hierarchically arbitrate for the shared resource.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2006
    Assignee: Sonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Wolf-Dietrich Weber, Ian Andrew Swarbrick, Jay S. Tomlinson
  • Publication number: 20040210695
    Abstract: Various methods and apparatuses are described in which an arbitration controller cooperates with arbitration logic. The arbitration controller has a plurality of inputs that receive one or more transactions from a plurality of blocks of functionality. The arbitration controller arbitrates requests for access to a shared resource amongst the plurality of blocks of functionality by implementing an arbitration policy. The arbitration policy groups the transactions from the plurality of blocks of functionality into global groups of transactions for servicing by that shared resource. All of the transactions in a first global group are serviced by that shared resource prior to servicing transactions in a next global group of transactions. The arbitration logic facilitates the arbitration policy. The arbitration logic includes cascaded arbitration units that hierarchically arbitrate for the shared resource.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2003
    Publication date: October 21, 2004
    Inventors: Wolf-Dietrich Weber, Ian Andrew Swarbrick, Jay S. Tomlinson