Abstract: The invention relates to a method of testing an integrated circuit comprising memory cells arranged around a core whose clock input is subjected to a conditional inhibition in the test mode. The method in accordance with the invention includes the following steps: configuration of the circuit in the test mode (T/R=1, TM, En=0), selection of a virtual address (Sel(DV)), canceling the inhibition (En=1) of the clock input of the core following said selection. The invention enables to transfer to the core enough clock pulses to allow the core to properly achieve the operating sequence that it should emulate, without resorting to prior storage of the number of pulses necessary for this operating sequence. The inhibition of the clock input of the core can be controlled by means of JTAG-compliant series of instructions. Application: Validation of the functioning of integrated circuits.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for optimization of temporal performances of a network of electronic cells, comprising a plurality of cells which are taken from a library (LIB), comprising several categories of cells, the cells of a same category all having the same functionality, and being arranged in increasing order of power.

Abstract: A system for transferring data in a single clock cycle between a digital signal processor (DSP) and an external memory unit and method of same. The system includes a data transfer element coupled between the external memory unit and the DSP, where the data transfer element is adapted to transfer the data between the external memory unit and the DSP in a single clock cycle. In one embodiment, the data transfer element is a coprocessor including a plurality of latch devices coupled to buses between the DSP and the memory unit. A first set of data are transferred from a first memory unit (e.g., from either the DSP internal memory unit or the external memory unit, depending on the direction of the data transfer) into the coprocessor during a first clock cycle and out of the coprocessor to a second memory unit in a second clock cycle occurring immediately after the first clock cycle.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of testing an integrated circuit comprising memory cells arranged around a core whose clock input is subjected to a conditional inhibition in the test mode.

Abstract: An interface system for testing and verifying the design of an ASIC at different levels of abstraction, wherein the ASIC includes a logic entity and a processor entity. The system of the present invention is embodied as software which executes within a computer system. The software, when executed by the computer system, causes the computer system to implement a model of the ASIC, a simulator, and a test interface. The model of the ASIC is embodied in HDL (Hardware Description Language) and includes a logic entity and a processor entity. The simulator is adapted to test the model. The test interface interfaces the model with the simulator. The test interface includes a simulator portion and a model portion. The simulator portion is coupled to the simulator. The model portion is embodied in HDL and is coupled to both the logic entity and the processor entity. The model portion and the simulator portion are coupled to exchange information.