Patents by Inventor Chien-Chun Chou

Chien-Chun Chou 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).

  • Publication number: 20120036509
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system in which an integrated circuit comprises an initiator Intellectual Property (IP) core, a target IP core, an interconnect, and a tag and thread logic. The target IP core may include a memory coupled to the initiator IP core. Additionally, the interconnect can allow the integrated circuit to communicate transactions between one or more initiator Intellectual Property (IP) cores and one or more target IP cores coupled to the interconnect. A tag and thread logic can be configured to concurrently perform per-thread and per-tag memory access scheduling within a thread and across multiple threads such that the tag and thread logic manages tags and threads to allow for per-tag and per-thread scheduling of memory accesses requests from the initiator IP core out of order from an initial issue order of the memory accesses requests from the initiator IP core.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2010
    Publication date: February 9, 2012
    Applicant: SONICS, INC
    Inventors: KRISHNAN SRINIVASAN, RUBEN KHAZHAKYAN, HARUTYUN ASLANYAN, DREW E. WINGARD, CHIEN-CHUN CHOU
  • Patent number: 8108648
    Abstract: Various methods and apparatus are described for a memory scheduler. The memory scheduler couples to a target memory core that includes a bank of memories. The memory scheduler contains two or more configurable address tiling functions to transform an incoming address of data requested in a request to the target memory core to determine what physical addresses in the bank of memories will service the first request. The two or more configurable address tiling functions are programmable by a user to create two or more distinctly different memory regions in the target memory core. Each memory region has its own distinct tiling function based on configuration parameters 1) selected by the user and 2) stored in tiling registers in the memory scheduler. The multiple tiling functions are configured to operate concurrently in the integrated circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Sonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Krishnan Srinivasan, Drew E. Wingard, Vida Vakilotojar, Chien-Chun Chou
  • Patent number: 8073820
    Abstract: Various methods and apparatuses are described that provide instrumentation and analysis of an electronic design having one or more bus interconnects. A relational database may have defined tables designed for interconnect analysis of transactions occurring between initiator intellectual property (IP) cores and target IP cores of the electronic design. A query tool may be configured to format input data to be stored in the defined tables, and have application programming interfaces to retrieve data from the defined tables based on performing a query. The query tool executes an algorithm based on the query to provide the interconnect analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Sonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Krishnan Srinivasan, Chien-Chun Chou, Pascal Chauvet
  • Patent number: 8032329
    Abstract: Various methods and apparatuses are described that provide instrumentation and analysis of an electronic design. A performance monitoring apparatus may be located on an interconnect of a fabricated integrated circuit. An event measurement module (EM) includes an event generator sub-module that generates monitoring events and event measurements associated with transactions between initiator intellectual property (IP) cores and target IP cores over the interconnect. The EM further includes a software visible register block that provides software access for controlling the EM on which one or more transactions to monitor and to configure one or more parameters associated with that transaction to track. The EM further includes a filtering sub-module that selects transactions to be monitored based on information received from the software.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Sonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Chien-Chun Chou, Stephen W. Hamilton, Drew E. Wingard, Pascal Chauvet
  • Patent number: 8020124
    Abstract: Various methods and apparatuses are described for generating a model of hardware components making up an interconnect that facilitates communications between Intellectual Property blocks in an integrated circuit coded in a software programming language at a high level of abstraction that is cycle accurate to a corresponding lower level of abstraction description of the hardware components making up the interconnect. The sub-components of the model at the high level of abstraction are tested in a simulation environment in parallel with the same sub-components of a model coded in a hardware description language at the low level of abstraction in order to verify the functional accuracy and cycle timing between the two models. After the sub-components are tested, the sub-components of the model at the high level of abstraction may be aggregated into a single model at the high level of abstraction that is functionally accurate and cycle accurate to the model at the low level of abstraction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Sonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Herve Alexanian, Chien-Chun Chou, Vida Vakilotojar, Grigor Yeghiazaryan
  • Publication number: 20100211935
    Abstract: In general, methods and apparatus for implementing a Quality of Service (QoS) model are disclosed. A Quality of Service (QoS) contract with an initiating network device may be satisfied. A request may be received from the initiating network device in a first time less than or equal to an ordinal number times an arrival interval. The ordinal number signifies a position of the request among a group of requests. The request that has been serviced may be returned to the initiator in a second time less than or equal to a constant term plus the ordinal number times a service interval.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2010
    Publication date: August 19, 2010
    Applicant: SONICS, INC.
    Inventors: Wolf-Dietrich Weber, Chien-Chun Chou, Drew E. Wingard
  • Publication number: 20100057400
    Abstract: Various methods and apparatuses are described that provide instrumentation and analysis of an electronic design. A performance monitoring apparatus may be located on an interconnect of a fabricated integrated circuit. An event measurement module (EM) includes an event generator sub-module that generates monitoring events and event measurements associated with transactions between initiator intellectual property (IP) cores and target IP cores over the interconnect. The EM further includes a software visible register block that provides software access for controlling the EM on which one or more transactions to monitor and to configure one or more parameters associated with that transaction to track. The EM further includes a filtering sub-module that selects transactions to be monitored based on information received from the software.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2008
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Applicant: Sonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Chien-Chun Chou, Stephen W. Hamilton, Drew E. Wingard, Pascal Chauvet
  • Publication number: 20100042759
    Abstract: Various methods and apparatus are described for a target with multiple channels. Address decoding logic is configured to implement a distribution of requests from individual burst requests to two or more memory channels making up an aggregate target. The address decoding logic implements a channel-selection hash function to allow requests from each individual burst request to be distributed amongst the two or more channels in a non-linear sequential pattern in channel round order that make up the aggregate target.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2009
    Publication date: February 18, 2010
    Applicant: SONICS, INC.
    Inventors: Krishnan Srinivasan, Drew E. Wingard, Chien-Chun Chou
  • Patent number: 7660932
    Abstract: Embodiments of apparatuses, systems, and methods are described for a machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a machine, to cause the machine to generate a representation of an apparatus. The apparatus includes a bridge agent, a first interconnect, and a second interconnect. The bridge agent is configured by bridge control signals to control transmission of a communication between the first interconnect and the second interconnect. The representation may be a sequence of instructions written in a programming language to mimic in a computer simulation environment attributes derived from a projected fabricated hardware instance of the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2010
    Assignee: Sonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Chien Chun Chou, Wolf-Dietrich Weber, Drew E. Wingard
  • Patent number: 7603441
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for automatic configuration of multiple on-chip interconnects have been described. In one embodiment, the invention reduces the configuration time of several on-chip network features, and also ensures that these features are configured correctly to minimize errors in a design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2009
    Assignee: Sonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Kamil Synek, Chien-Chun Chou, Wolf-Dietrich Weber
  • Publication number: 20090254525
    Abstract: Various methods and apparatuses are described that provide instrumentation and analysis of an electronic design having one or more bus interconnects. A relational database may have defined tables designed for interconnect analysis of transactions occurring between initiator intellectual property (IP) cores and target IP cores of the electronic design. A query tool may be configured to format input data to be stored in the defined tables, and have application programming interfaces to retrieve data from the defined tables based on performing a query. The query tool executes an algorithm based on the query to provide the interconnect analysis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2008
    Publication date: October 8, 2009
    Inventors: Krishnan Srinivasan, Chien-Chun Chou, Pascal Chauvet
  • Publication number: 20090235020
    Abstract: Various methods and apparatus are described for a memory scheduler. The memory scheduler couples to a target memory core that includes a bank of memories. The memory scheduler contains two or more configurable address tiling functions to transform an incoming address of data requested in a request to the target memory core to determine what physical addresses in the bank of memories will service the first request. The two or more configurable address tiling functions are programmable by a user to create two or more distinctly different memory regions in the target memory core. Each memory region has its own distinct tiling function based on configuration parameters 1) selected by the user and 2) stored in tiling registers in the memory scheduler. The multiple tiling functions are configured to operate concurrently in the integrated circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2009
    Publication date: September 17, 2009
    Applicant: SONICS, INC.
    Inventors: Krishnan Srinivasan, Drew E. Wingard, Vida Vakilotojar, Chien-Chun Chou
  • Publication number: 20090150857
    Abstract: Various methods and apparatuses are described that provide instrumentation and analysis of an electronic design. A method for providing performance instrumentation and analysis of the electronic design includes defining a first and second set of intended software instrumentation test points and an associated first and second set of performance analysis units. The method further includes instrumenting the first and second sets of software instrumentation test points and the associated first and second sets of performance analysis units to a first model and a second model, respectively. The method further includes creating a first and a second set of software instances associated with the first and second sets of intended software instrumentation test points and associated sets of performance analysis units during run time of a first simulation and a second simulation of the electronic design associated with the first model and second model, respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2007
    Publication date: June 11, 2009
    Inventors: KRISHNAN SRINIVASAN, Chien-Chun Chou, Drew Wingard
  • 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
  • Publication number: 20080263486
    Abstract: Various methods and apparatuses are described for generating a model of hardware components making up an interconnect that facilitates communications between Intellectual Property blocks in an integrated circuit coded in a software programming language at a high level of abstraction that is cycle accurate to a corresponding lower level of abstraction description of the hardware components making up the interconnect. The sub-components of the model at the high level of abstraction are tested in a simulation environment in parallel with the same sub-components of a model coded in a hardware description language at the low level of abstraction in order to verify the functional accuracy and cycle timing between the two models. After the sub-components are tested, the sub-components of the model at the high level of abstraction may be aggregated into a single model at the high level of abstraction that is functionally accurate and cycle accurate to the model at the low level of abstraction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2008
    Publication date: October 23, 2008
    Applicant: Sonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Herve Alexanian, Chien-Chun Chou, Vida Vakilotojar, Grigor Yeghiazaryan
  • Publication number: 20080140903
    Abstract: Embodiments of apparatuses, systems, and methods are described for a machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a machine, to cause the machine to generate a representation of an apparatus. The apparatus includes a bridge agent, a first interconnect, and a second interconnect. The bridge agent is configured by bridge control signals to control transmission of a communication between the first interconnect and the second interconnect. The representation may be a sequence of instructions written in a programming language to mimic in a computer simulation environment attributes derived from a projected fabricated hardware instance of the apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2008
    Publication date: June 12, 2008
    Inventors: Chien-Chun Chou, Wolf-Dietrich Weber, Drew E. Wingard
  • Publication number: 20080120085
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system in which a modeling tool made up of a testbench executable program validates behavior of one or more sub-components of an electronic system design modeled as one or more executable behavioral models and a transactor translates a behavior of the sub-components between one or more different levels of abstraction derived from a same design.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2007
    Publication date: May 22, 2008
    Inventors: Herve Jacques Alexanian, Chien Chun Chou