Patents by Inventor Eric J. Thorne

Eric J. Thorne 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: 9372956
    Abstract: A method of enabling the use of a programmable device having impaired circuitry includes determining one or more locations of the impaired circuitry of the programmable device; generating a defect map for the programmable device based on the determined locations of the impaired circuitry; generating a plurality of configuration bitstreams to implement a circuit in the programmable device; selecting one of the plurality of configuration bitstreams that does not use the impaired circuitry indicated by the defect map; and programming the programmable device with the selected configuration bitstream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: XILINX, INC.
    Inventors: Yuezhen Fan, Eric J. Thorne, Xiao-Yu Li, Glenn O'Rourke, Stephen M. Trimberger
  • Patent number: 9341668
    Abstract: A testable circuit arrangement includes an integrated circuit (IC) package. The IC package includes a package substrate, an interposer mounted directly on the package substrate with level 1 interconnects, and at least one IC die mounted directly on the interposer with level 0 interconnects. The package substrate of the IC package is mounted directly on a connector board with a soldered ball grid array of level 2 interconnects. The level 0, level 1, and level 2 interconnects include respective power, configuration, and test interconnects. Power, configuration, and test terminals of the connector board are coupled to the power, configuration, and test interconnects of the level 2 interconnects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: XILNIX, INC.
    Inventors: Ganesh Hariharan, Raghunandan Chaware, Glenn O'Rourke, Inderjit Singh, Eric J. Thorne, David E. Schweigler
  • Patent number: 7080300
    Abstract: A circuit that includes a core device that is embedded within fixed interfacing logic circuitry that, in turn, is embedded in an FPGA fabric. The FPGA fabric may be configured into a test mode of operation to test either the embedded device or fixed logic devices formed within the fixed interfacing logic. While the FPGA is configured in a test mode, test circuitry and communication paths are made present within the fixed interfacing logic circuitry to facilitate the testing. Additionally, the test circuitry comprises isolation circuitry that is formed between various modules and circuits that are to be tested to isolate the device under test and to produce test signals thereto and there from during testing operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2006
    Assignee: Xilinx, Inc.
    Inventors: Nigel G. Herron, Eric J. Thorne, Qingqi Wang, Anthony Correale, Jr., Thomas Anderson Dick
  • Patent number: 6996758
    Abstract: A circuit that includes a core device that is embedded within fixed interfacing logic circuitry that, in turn, is embedded in an FPGA fabric. The FPGA fabric may be configured into a test mode of operation to test either the embedded device or fixed logic devices formed within the fixed interfacing logic. While the FPGA is configured in a test mode, test circuitry and communication paths are made present within the fixed interfacing logic circuitry to facilitate the testing. Additionally, the test circuitry comprises isolation circuitry that is formed between various modules and circuits that are to be tested to isolate the device under test and to produce test signals thereto and there from during testing operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2006
    Assignee: Xilinx, Inc.
    Inventors: Nigel G. Herron, Eric J. Thorne, Qingqi Wang
  • Patent number: 6983405
    Abstract: A circuit that includes a core device that is embedded within fixed interfacing logic circuitry that, in turn, is embedded in an FPGA fabric. The FPGA fabric may be configured into a test mode of operation to test either the embedded device or fixed logic devices formed within the fixed interfacing logic. While the FPGA is configured in a test mode, test circuitry and communication paths are made present within the fixed interfacing logic circuitry to facilitate the testing. Additionally, the test circuitry comprises isolation circuitry that is formed between various modules and circuits that are to be tested to isolate the device under test and to produce test signals thereto and therefrom during testing operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2006
    Assignee: Xilinx, Inc.,
    Inventors: Nigel G. Herron, Eric J. Thorne, Qingqi Wang
  • Patent number: 6651238
    Abstract: Fault coverage for the programmable interconnect of a programmable logic device (PLD) is provided. A user's design is modeled, thereby determining the programmable interconnect path in the device. The user's logic design is then modified, thereby facilitating the detection of faults. Specifically, any function generators in the PLD are implemented as predetermined logic gates, thereby forming a logic gate tree design. The synchronous elements in the user's design are preserved and transformed, if necessary, to provide controllability. Then, a vector can be exercised in the new design. A first readback of the PLD can be compared to a second readback of a fault-free model of the design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: Xilinx, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert W. Wells, Robert D. Patrie, Eric J. Thorne, Michael M. Matera
  • Patent number: 6594610
    Abstract: A new testing method uses a field programmable gate array to emulate faults, instead of using a separate computer to simulate faults. In one embodiment, a few (e.g., two or three) known good FPGAs are selected. A fault is introduced into the design of a FPGA configuration. The configuration is loaded into the FPGAs. A test vector is applied and the result is evaluated. If the result is different from that of a fault-free configuration, the fault is caught. One application of this method is to evaluate fault coverage. A fault model that can be used in the present invention is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2003
    Assignee: Xilinx, Inc.
    Inventors: Shahin Toutounchi, Anthony P. Calderone, Zhi-Min Ling, Robert D. Patrie, Eric J. Thorne, Robert W. Wells