Patents Represented by Attorney Lewis and Roca LLP
  • Patent number: 7579895
    Abstract: A programmable system-on-a-chip integrated circuit device comprises at least one of a crystal oscillator circuit, an RC oscillator circuit, and an external oscillator input. A clock conditioning circuit is selectively coupleable to one of the programmable logic block, the crystal oscillator circuit, the RC oscillator circuit, and the external oscillator input. A real-time clock is selectively coupleable to one of the programmable logic block, the crystal oscillator circuit, the RC oscillator circuit, and the external oscillator input. A programmable logic block is coupled to the clock conditioning circuit and the real-time clock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2009
    Assignee: Actel Corporation
    Inventors: Shin-Nan Sun, Limin Zhu, Theodore Speers, Gregory Bakker
  • Patent number: 7579868
    Abstract: A turning structure for routing channels in a field programmable gate array, comprising a first plurality of routing channels having a first direction and a second plurality of routing channels having a second direction. The first plurality of routing channels intersects the second plurality of routing channels to form a plurality of matrices of intersecting interconnect conductors in the routing channels. A first number of reprogrammable elements is disposed at intersections in at least one of the plurality of matrices, a second number of reprogrammable elements disposed at intersections in at least one of the plurality of matrices. The second number of reprogrammable elements is greater than the first number of reprogrammable elements, and a third number of reprogrammable elements disposed at intersections in at least one of the plurality of matrices. The third number of reprogrammable elements is greater than the second number of reprogrammable elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2009
    Assignee: Actel Corporation
    Inventor: Sinan Kaptanoglu
  • Patent number: 7581117
    Abstract: Secure delivery of configuration data of an intellectual property (IP) core includes the steps of loading configuration data for the IP core into IP core space by an IP core provider, masking portions of the IP core space not loaded with configuration data in the loading configuration data step with the value 0 or 1 by the IP core provider, encrypting data in the IP core space by the IP core provider, loading configuration data for system design other than for the IP core into a remainder space and any unused portions of the IP core space by a system designer, masking portions of the IP core space loaded in the loading configuration data step with the value 0 or 1 used by the IP core provider in the masking portions of the IP core space not loaded step, and encrypting data in a configuration space by the system designer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2009
    Assignee: Actel Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth Irving, Jonathan Greene
  • Patent number: 7577139
    Abstract: A star topology platform management bus architecture and system that provides disaggregation of the platform control element portion and the routing element portion of a central management controller, which provides for physical design efficiency as well as other advantages. Such disaggregation is particularly beneficial in the context of modular electronic platforms that are standardized, since standardized boards are often highly constrained in the available backplane connection pins. The platform control element can be implemented on a standardized board and use a small number of pins to communicate via the backplane with a non-standardized board that implements one or more routing elements, which themselves require a large number of pins to communicate with various satellite management controllers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2009
    Assignee: Pigeon Point Systems
    Inventor: Mark D. Overgaard
  • Patent number: 7573093
    Abstract: A two-transistor non-volatile memory cell is formed in a semiconductor body. A memory-transistor well is disposed within the semiconductor body. A switch-transistor well is disposed within the semiconductor body and is electrically isolated from the memory transistor well. A memory transistor including spaced-apart source and drain regions is formed within the memory-transistor well. A switch transistor including spaced-apart source and drain regions is formed within the switch-transistor well region. A floating gate is insulated from and self aligned with the source and drain regions of the memory transistor and switch transistor. A control gate is disposed above and aligned to the floating gate and with the source and drain regions of the memory transistor and the switch transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2009
    Assignee: Actel Corporation
    Inventors: Fethi Dhaoui, John McCollum, Vidyadhara Bellippady, William C. Plants, Zhigang Wang
  • Patent number: 7573746
    Abstract: A method for storing data on nodes in memory cells of a non-volatile memory cell array including steps of setting non-volatile devices of the non-volatile memory cell array to a desired state, biasing pull-up devices and non-volatile devices in a first set of rows of the non-volatile memory cell array to an off state, loading data onto column lines of the non-volatile memory cell array and biasing non-volatile devices in a second set of rows in the memory cells of the non-volatile memory cell array to store data from the column lines on the nodes in the memory cells of the non-volatile memory cell array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2009
    Assignee: Actel Corporation
    Inventors: Jonathan Greene, Robert M. Salter, III
  • Patent number: 7560952
    Abstract: An integrated circuit device has a state-saving feature and includes a programmable logic block, I/O pads, a dedicated register, at least one volatile memory block, a non-volatile memory block, a condition-sensing circuit for detecting at least one condition, A control circuit such as a state machine controls the saving of states of various volatile memories and registers to the non-volatile memory and also controls the initialization of the volatile registers and memories using the saved state data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2009
    Assignee: Actel Corporation
    Inventors: Limin Zhu, Theodore Speers, Gregory Bakker
  • Patent number: 7560954
    Abstract: A programmable system-on-a-chip integrated circuit device includes a programmable logic block, at least one user non-volatile memory block, and temperature sensing and control analog and digital circuits on a single semiconductor integrated circuit chip or a flip chip, face-to-face, or other multiple die configuration. The programmable system-on-a-chip integrated circuit with temperature measuring and control circuitry performs temperature measurement and control functions and can be used to create an on-chip temperature log.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2009
    Assignee: Actel Corporation
    Inventors: Rabindranath Balasubramanian, Limin Zhu, Gregory Bakker
  • Patent number: 7558967
    Abstract: A system for encrypting and decrypting data in a data stream for programming a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The system allows for an enable bit to be set for a gap in the data stream and the data is then encrypted from the beginning of the gap. A gap being bits in said data stream that correspond to unprogrammed addresses of a memory in the field programmable gate array. The data is then decrypted by the FPGA when the bit stream is received and an enable bit is detected in a gap of the data stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2009
    Assignee: Actel Corporation
    Inventor: Wayne Wong
  • Patent number: 7557612
    Abstract: An FPGA architecture has top, middle and low levels. The top level is an array of B16×16 tiles enclosed by I/O blocks. The routing resources in the middle level are expressway routing channels including interconnect conductors. At the lowest level, there are block connect routing channels, local mesh routing channels, and direct connect interconnect conductors to connect the logic elements to further routing resources. Each B1 block includes four clusters of devices. Each of the clusters includes first and second LUT3s, a LUT2, and a DFF. Each of the LUT3s have three inputs and one output. Each of the LUT2s have two inputs and one output. Each DFF has a data input and a data output. In each of the clusters the outputs of the LUT3s are multiplexed to the input of DFF, and symmetrized with the output of the DFF to form two outputs of each of the clusters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2009
    Assignee: Actel Corporation
    Inventor: Sinan Kaptanoglu
  • Patent number: 7558112
    Abstract: First and second complimentary static random-access-memory cell bit lines are coupled to first and second bit nodes through first and second access transistors controlled by a word line. A first inverter has an input coupled to the first bit node and an output coupled to the second bit node. A second inverter has an input coupled to the second bit node and an output coupled to the first bit node through a first transistor switch. A transistor switch is coupled between the output of a non-volatile memory cell and the first bit node. A control circuit coupled to the gate of the transistor switch. Either the drive level of the non-volatile memory cell is selected to overpower the output of the second inverter or the second inverter is decoupled from the first bit node while the output of the non-volatile memory cell is coupled to the first bit node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2009
    Assignee: Actel Corporation
    Inventor: William C. Plants
  • Patent number: 7557611
    Abstract: An FPGA architecture has top, middle and low levels. The top level of the architecture is an array of the B16×16 tiles arranged in a rectangular array and enclosed by I/O blocks on the periphery. On each of the four sides of the B16×16 tile, and also associated with each of the I/O blocks is a freeway routing channel. A B16×16 tile in the middle level of hierarchy is a sixteen by sixteen array of B1 blocks. The routing resources in the middle level of hierarchy is are expressway routing channels M1, M2, and M3 including groups of interconnect conductors. At the lowest level of the semi-hierarchical FPGA architecture, there are block connect (BC) routing channels, local mesh (LM) routing channels, and direct connect (DC) interconnect conductors. Each BC routing channel is coupled to an expressway tab to provide access for each B1 block to the expressway routing channels M1, M2, and M3, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2009
    Assignee: Actel Corporation
    Inventor: Sinan Kaptanoglu
  • Patent number: 7554860
    Abstract: An assembly buffer and bitline driver circuit has two inverters cross-coupled to form an assembly buffer. A high-voltage latch is formed from cross-coupled high-voltage inverters. A first low-voltage n-channel MOS transistors is coupled to the high-voltage latch to selectively ground the output of the first high-voltage inverter and a second low-voltage n-channel MOS transistors is coupled to the high-voltage latch to selectively ground the output of the other high-voltage inverter. The gate of the first low-voltage n-channel MOS transistor is coupled to one output of one of the inverters forming the assembly buffer latch and the gate of the second low-voltage n-channel MOS transistor is coupled to the output of the other one of the inverters forming the assembly buffer latch. A pre-load circuit is used to prevent data in an unselected circuit from being disturbed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Assignee: Actel Corporation
    Inventors: Poongyeub Lee, Ming-Chi Liu
  • Patent number: 7548095
    Abstract: An isolation scheme to permit partial programming of FPGA integrated circuits controlled by Flash memory cells includes a p-type semiconductor region. First and second spaced apart deep n-wells are disposed in the p-type semiconductor region. First and second p-wells are respectively disposed in the first and second deep n-wells. First and second segments of Flash memory are disposed in the in first and second p-wells. N-type regions are disposed in each deep n-well between the outer boundary of the p-wells and the outer boundary of the deep n-wells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Actel Corporation
    Inventors: Zhigang Wang, Fethi Dhaoui, Santosh Yachareni
  • Patent number: 7549138
    Abstract: The present invention comprises apparatus and a method for simultaneously programming multiple antifuses in a multiple tile field programmable gate array (FPGA). The invention comprises an FPGA having a plurality of logic modules with programmable elements. The logic modules are partitioned into a plurality of individually programmable groups and an isolation device may be coupled between the individually programmable groups of logic modules such that each of the programmable elements in each of the plurality of individually programmable logic modules may be programmed concurrently.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Actel Corporation
    Inventors: Shin-Nan Sun, Wayne W. Wong
  • Patent number: 7545166
    Abstract: A low voltage signaling differential signaling driver comprising a first output line coupled to a delay circuit, a first multiplexer and a first output buffer. The first output line is also coupled to an inverter, a second multiplexer and a second output buffer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2009
    Assignee: Actel Corporation
    Inventors: Donald Y. Yu, Wei-Min Kuo
  • Patent number: 7545168
    Abstract: A clock tree distribution network for a field programmable gate array comprises an interface with a root signal chosen from at least one of an external clock signal, an internal clock signal, a plurality of phase lock loop cell output signals and programmable elements. The FPGA includes a logic array with programmable elements coupling the logic array to a programmable routing architecture and the interface. A routed clock network selects a signal from a clock signal from the interface, a local signal from the logic array through the routing architecture, Vcc or ground, and routes the selected signal to the logic array through the clock tree distribution network. A hardwired clock network selects a signal from a clock signal from the interface or a local signal from the routing architecture, and routes the selected signal to a plurality of flip-flops in the logic array through the clock tree distribution network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2009
    Assignee: Actel Corporation
    Inventor: Arunangshu Kundu
  • Patent number: 7545169
    Abstract: An interconnect architecture for a programmable logic device comprises a plurality of interconnect routing lines. The data inputs of a plurality of first-level multiplexers are connected to the plurality of interconnect routing lines such that each interconnect routing line is connected to only one multiplexer. A plurality of second-level multiplexers are organized into multiplexer groups. Each of a plurality of lookup tables is associated with one of the multiplexer groups and has a plurality of lookup table inputs. Each lookup table input is coupled to the output of a different one of the second-level multiplexers in the one of the multiplexer groups with which it is associated. The data inputs of the second-level multiplexers are connected to the outputs of the first-level multiplexers such that each output of each first-level multiplexer is connected to an input of only one second-level multiplexer in each multiplexer group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2009
    Assignee: Actel Corporation
    Inventors: Wenyi Feng, Sinan Kaptanoglu
  • Patent number: 7543216
    Abstract: A method for detecting an error in data stored in configuration SRAM and user assignable SRAM in a FPGA comprises providing serial data stream into the FPGA from an external source, loading data from the serial data stream into the configuration SRAM in response to address signals generated by row column counters, loading data from the serial data stream into the user assignable SRAM in response to address signals generated by row and column counters, loading a seed and signature from the serial data stream into a cyclic redundancy checking circuit, cycling data out of configuration SRAM and user assignable SRAM by the row and column counters, performing error checking on the data that has been cycled out of the configuration SRAM and out of the user assignable SRAM by the cyclic redundancy checking circuit, and generating an error signal when an error is detected by the error checking circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: Actel Corporation
    Inventor: William C. Plants
  • Patent number: 7541627
    Abstract: The invention describes in detail the structure of a CMOS image sensor pixel that senses color of impinging light without having absorbing filters placed on its surface. The color sensing is accomplished by having a vertical stack of three-charge detection nodes placed in the silicon bulk, which collect electrons depending on the depth of their generation. The small charge detection node capacitance and thus high sensitivity with low noise is achieved by using fully depleted, potential well forming, buried layers instead of undepleted junction electrodes. Two embodiments of contacting the buried layers without substantially increasing the node capacitances are presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: Foveon, Inc.
    Inventors: Jaroslav Hynecek, Richard B. Merrill, Russel A. Martin