Patents Assigned to Cadence Design Systems
  • Patent number: 9946831
    Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product for dynamic closed loop testing of an emulated ASIC interfaced to a sensor device. An adapter adjusts non-pre-recorded active sensor device data to be readable by an emulated ASIC design by adjusting data rates and performing formatting per a selected compatible interface. The adapter also adjusts control commands generated by the emulated ASIC design, including those generated in response to received and evaluated sensor device data, to be readable by the sensor device. The control commands dynamically cause changes in the data the sensor device subsequently outputs. Exemplary sensor devices include cameras that generate multimedia data in consumer electronics devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Gavin Walter Zawalski, Wenyong Huang
  • Patent number: 9946624
    Abstract: A system for tracing an operation of an electronic circuit is provided. The system includes an electronic circuit, a trace buffer, and a trigger detection circuit. The trace buffer includes a plurality of segments configured to continually collect and store data signals of the electronic circuit. The data signals are collected in a current segment of the plurality of segments. The trigger detection circuit is adapted to provide a trigger signal when a trigger condition is met. Each time upon generation of the trigger signal when the trigger condition is met, the collection of the data signals is stopped in the current segment and subsequent data signals are collected in a new segment of the plurality of segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Alon Kfir
  • Patent number: 9940288
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for use with a serializer/deserializer comprising. The method may include operatively connecting one or more lane modules of an integrated circuit (IC) to form one or more links. The method may further include associating a FIFO reset generator with each of the one or more lane modules and receiving a signal from the FIFO reset generator at a synchronization FIFO. The method may also include aligning, at the synchronization FIFO, one or more enqueue pointers and dequeue pointers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Loren Blair Reiss, Fred Staples Stivers, Scott Gerald Bare
  • Patent number: 9940260
    Abstract: A memory controller system optimally controls access to a memory device having a plurality of integrated circuit (IC) chips disposed in a non-uniform stack configuration within a three-dimensional stacked (3DS) structure. A memory profiling portion executes to determine the non-uniform stack configuration. A virtual rank mapping portion configured to assign virtual ranks to chip locations actually defined by the non-uniform stack configuration. An address conversion portion executes to convert an unoptimized address definable with reference to a uniform stack configuration to an optimized address defined with reference to the non-uniform stack configuration. The addressing overhead during monitoring of data access operations to the memory device is optimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Anne Hughes, Bikram Banerjee
  • Patent number: 9934354
    Abstract: Disclosed are techniques for implementing a layout-driven, multi-fabric schematic design of an electronic design. These techniques identify a multi-fabric layout spanning across multiple design fabrics and layout connectivity information and determine a device map that correlates a first set of devices in the multi-fabric layout with respective parasitic models. The device map can be identified one or more pre-existing device maps or can be constructed anew. A multi-fabric schematic can be generated by using at least the respective parasitic models and the layout connectivity information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Taranjit Singh Kukal, Balvinder Singh, Steven R. Durrill, Arnold Ginetti, Vikrant Khanna, Abhishek Dabral, Madhur Sharma, Nikhil Gupta, Ritabrata Bhattacharya
  • Patent number: 9934410
    Abstract: A formal verification approach verifies data access and data propagation paths in a circuit design by proving the unreachability of path cover properties of the circuit design. A security path verification system receives an original circuit model of a circuit design, along with parameters identifying a first location within the circuit design that is a source of tainted data and a second location within the circuit design that is coupled to the first location. The security path verification system also receives a selection of portions of the circuit design to be excluded from the verification analysis. Using an abstracted version of the exclude portions, the security verification system generates a second circuit model of the circuit design for use in determining whether the tainted data can reach the second location from the first location within the circuit design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Victor Markus Purri, Caio Araújo Teixeira Campos, Magnus Björk, Lawrence Loh, Claudionor Jose Nunes Coelho
  • Patent number: 9928324
    Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product for modeling a receiver load in static timing analysis of digital circuits. Embodiments separate total receiver charge into static and dynamic components, and extract both from an improved library model. The receiver load is effectively modeled with a static capacitance and a current source connected in parallel. A method of extracting load model characteristics from a standard timing library is also provided. The improved receiver model reflects the physical phenomena not currently modeled, and enables a more accurate description of circuit behavior while still using a simple approximation of the transistor level circuit. The complete circuit switching response is found through a perturbative approach, combining a linear response using constant capacitance values with a correction having time-dependent charges for modeling physical phenomena such as the back-Miller effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: CADENCE DESIGN SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Igor Keller, William Franson Scott
  • Patent number: 9928318
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a system and method for simulating channels in an electronic circuit design. Embodiments may include receiving, at one or more computing devices, an electronic circuit design including at least one channel. Embodiments may further include transmitting two or more inputs from two or more transmitter drivers on two or more wires to the at least one channel. In some embodiments, the inputs may be distributed across the wires based upon a chordal code. Embodiments may also include generating simulated waveforms based upon the inputs. Embodiments may further include transmitting the simulated waveforms from the channel on the wires to a comparator block. Embodiments may also include comparing the simulated waveforms on the wires at the comparator block to produce two or more simulated outputs. Embodiments may include transmitting the simulated outputs from the comparator block on the wires to two or more post-comparator receivers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Taranjit Singh Kukal, Kumar Chidhambara Keshavan, Bradford Chastain Griffin, Kenneth R. Willis, Shivani Sharma, Ambrish Kant Varma, Xuegang Zeng
  • Patent number: 9928328
    Abstract: A method for automated debugging of a design under test (DUT), including using a processor, (a) identifying a value of a signal at a specific time instance in which a user has indicated interest; (b) performing driver tracing based on structural analysis and signal analysis to determine one or a plurality of drivers of the identified value in the signal; (c) if the driver tracing returns a single driver of said one or a plurality of drivers, presenting the returned single driver to the user via an output device; and (d) if the driver tracing returns a plurality of drivers of said one or a plurality of drivers, performing formal analysis on a compiled sub-structure of the DUT to which all of said returned plurality of drivers are related to determine a single driver from said returned plurality of drivers, and presenting the determined single driver from said returned plurality of drivers to the user via the output device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Ynon Cohen, Tal Tabakman, Yonatan Ashkenazi, Chung-Wah Norris IP, Nadav Chazan, Gavriel Leshem
  • Patent number: 9922209
    Abstract: A formal verification approach verifies data access and data propagation paths in a circuit design by proving the unreachability of path cover properties of the circuit design. A security path verification system receives an original circuit model of a circuit design, along with parameters identifying a first location within the circuit design that is a source of tainted data and a second location within the circuit design that is coupled to the first location. The security path verification system also receives a selection of portions of the circuit design to be excluded from the verification analysis. Using an abstracted version of the exclude portions, the security verification system generates a second circuit model of the circuit design for use in determining whether the tainted data can reach the second location from the first location within the circuit design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Victor Markus Purri, Caio Araújo Teixeira Campos, Magnus Björk, Lawrence Loh, Claudionor Jose Nunes Coelho
  • Patent number: 9924466
    Abstract: Methods and systems provide a multiplexing cell and a multiplexing cell system for data serialization. The multiplexing cell may be dynamic D-type flip flop having a single phase clock signal (CLK) and a select input (SEL). An input to the multiplexing cell may be passed to an output if CLK is high and SEL are both high. Otherwise, the output of each multiplexing cell may be in a high impedance state. A multiplexing cell system may include one or more of the multiplexing cells and be configured to provide serialization of input data at high data rates with reduced power consumption. Sub-rate clocks, which may be used by at least a portion of a serialization chain, may reduce power consumption allow for less complex clock generation and distribution circuitry. The multiplexing cell and/or multiplexing cell system find application in, among other things, equalization to offset effects of channel imperfections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: CADENCE DESIGN SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventor: Adrian Luigi Leuciuc
  • Patent number: 9916403
    Abstract: An improved approach is provided for determining differential voltages for driver and receiver pairs as a result of electrostatic discharge (ESD) events including identifying circuits of interest, re-characterizing the circuits of interest into a system for evaluating differential voltages, determining the differential voltages for ESD pin locations, and outputting results after iterating through all the ESD pin locations. In some embodiments, re-characterizing may include performing a resistance only extraction of a net, attaching a resistance to any node in the circuit and to ground, formulating a conductance matrix and distributing the total current I as source points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Nityanand Rai, Hui Zheng, Xin Gu
  • Patent number: 9917655
    Abstract: Physical-layer information is conveyed within a packetized communication network via a timing-modulated side channel to yield low-latency physical interface control without consuming host-layer signaling bandwidth. Multi-modal transceivers at opposite ends of a signaling link optionally communicate to confirm mutual support and signaling headroom for timing-modulated information exchange before transitioning from an in-band feedback mode to a side-channel feedback mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: CADENCE DESIGN SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Athanasios Kasapi, Stefanos Sidiropoulos
  • Patent number: 9910947
    Abstract: The described techniques implement electronic designs with thermal analyses of the electronic design and its surrounding medium by performing thermal modeling that determines at least a thermal RC network for an electronic design. These techniques further generate a thermal network for the electronic design and one or more surrounding media of the electronic design and generate or modify the electronic design with an implementation process at least by guiding the implementation process based in part or in whole upon results of performing one or more thermal analysis on the thermal network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Chun-Teh Kao, An-Yu Kuo
  • Patent number: 9910810
    Abstract: Systems and methods of emulating application-specific integrated circuits using multiple execution phases, where different inputs and outputs are used or produced by components of the emulation system are disclosed. For example, an OMUX may select and transmit different data over a serial bus based on the execution phase of the emulator system. In another example, a processor or cluster may capture outputted data during a first execution phase, execute instructions for a second execution phase, and then return to the capture outputted data for further processing during a next cycle of the first execution phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Mitchell G. Poplack, Yuhei Hayashi, Beshara Elmufdi
  • Patent number: 9904759
    Abstract: A system for concurrent target diagnostics is disclosed. The system comprises dedicated FPGA for generating test data to test target connections between an emulator and a target system. In this way, domains of the emulator may continue to emulate at least a portion of a hardware design during the testing of the target connections. Further, a multiplexer operable to select target connections for testing eliminates errors resulting from manual swapping of target connections during the testing process. The system further comprises multiple paths to a target pod. The paths enable monitoring and reporting on the status of target connections between an emulator and a target system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: CADENCE DESIGN SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Sundar Rajan, Charles R. Berghorn, Mitchell G. Poplack
  • Patent number: 9904756
    Abstract: Disclosed are techniques for implementing DRC clean multi-patterning process nodes with lateral fills. These techniques identify design rules governing multi-patterning and track patterns by accessing a rule deck to retrieve the design rules, identify a first shape and a second shape sandwiching a space and characteristics of the first and second shapes by examining design data of the electronic design, insert one or more lateral fill shapes in the space by implementing the one or more lateral fill shapes along one or more routing tracks of a legal track pattern while automatically complying with the design rules, and perform post-lateral fill or post-layout operations to improve the layout and to prepare the layout for manufacturing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Roland Ruehl, Alexandre Arkhipov, Giles V. Powell, Karun Sharma
  • Patent number: 9891281
    Abstract: A method includes receiving from a user, via a user interface, coverage-event characteristics. Using a processor, output data of test runs executed on a device-under-test is analyzed to identify one or a plurality of coverage events that possess the coverage-event characteristics and to identify one or a plurality of contributing test runs in said test runs that contributed to said one or a plurality of coverage events. Information on said one or a plurality of contributing test runs is outputted via an output device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Yael Kinderman, Erez Bashi, Oded Oren
  • Patent number: 9886538
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a computer-implemented method for electronic design configuration reuse. The process may include providing an electronic design having one or more mixed signal configurations. The process may further include storing at least one digital configuration and at least one analog configuration at an electronic design database. The process may further include allowing the one or more mixed signal configurations to access the at least one digital configuration or the at least one analog configuration from the electronic design database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Xianghui Dong, Chandrashekar Lakshminarayanan Chetput
  • Patent number: 9881123
    Abstract: A method and system are provided for timing analysis of an electronic circuit design. A timing graph defines a plurality of timing paths through different subsections of the electronic circuit design. A timing window is defined for each of the nodes included in a timing path. At least one preliminary round of a predetermined signal integrity analysis is executed on the circuit design based on the timing windows to identify at least one pair of crosstalk-coupled victim and aggressor nodes. Each victim node's timing window is adaptively adjusted according to a predetermined timing property thereof. At least one primary round of the predetermined signal integrity analysis is executed on the electronic circuit design based in part on this adaptively adjusted timing window for each victim node to generate a delay, which is annotated to the timing graph. A predetermined static timing analysis is executed based on the delay-annotated timing graph.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Ratnakar Goyal, Manuj Verma, Igor Keller, Arvind Nembili Veeravalli