Patents by Inventor Robert L. Kanzelman

Robert L. Kanzelman 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: 8122403
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for producing more efficient digital circuitry designs by identifying trace-containment for a sequential circuitry design netlist through the use of constraint-based uncorrelated equivalence checking. A set of candidate input netlist sets n1 and n2 is first uncorrelated and then submitted for equivalence checking. Mismatches discovered during the equivalence checking are avoided by imposing constraint to the input set until discovering an equivalency relationship between the input sets n1 and n2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jason R. Baumgartner, Robert L. Kanzelman, Hari Mony, Viresh Paruthi
  • Publication number: 20110276930
    Abstract: Mechanisms are provided in a design environment for minimizing memory array representations for enhanced synthesis and verification. The design environment comprises one mechanism to compress the width of arrays using disconnected pin information. The design environment comprises another mechanism to simplify the enable conditions of array ports using “don't care” computations. The design environment comprises yet another mechanism to reduce address pins from an array through analysis of limitations of readable addresses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2010
    Publication date: November 10, 2011
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jason R. Baumgartner, Michael L. Case, Robert L. Kanzelman, Hari Mony
  • Publication number: 20110276932
    Abstract: Mechanisms are provided in a design environment for array concatenation. The design environment comprises one mechanism to concatenate arrays with enable- and address-compatible ports, thereby reducing the number of arrays in a netlist. The design environment comprises another mechanism to migrate read ports from one array to another based upon compatible enable-, address-, and data-compatible write ports, thereby reducing the number of arrays in a netlist. The design environment comprises yet another mechanism to eliminate unnecessary arrays.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2010
    Publication date: November 10, 2011
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jason R. Baumgartner, Michael L. Case, Robert L. Kanzelman, Hari Mony
  • Publication number: 20110276931
    Abstract: Mechanisms are provided in a design environment for eliminating, coalescing, or bypassing ports. The design environment comprises one mechanism to eliminate unnecessary ports in arrays using disabled and disconnected pin information. The design environment may comprise another mechanism to combine and reduce the number of array ports using address comparisons. The design environment may comprise another mechanism to combine and reduce the number of array ports using disjoint enable comparisons. The design environment may comprise one mechanism to combine and reduce the number of array ports using “don't care” computations. The design environment may comprise another mechanism to reduce the number of array ports through bypassing write-to-read paths around arrays.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2010
    Publication date: November 10, 2011
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jason R. Baumgartner, Michael L. Case, Robert L. Kanzelman, Hari Mony
  • Publication number: 20110271244
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided for increasing the scalability of formal verification solutions through enabling the use of input reparameterization on logic models that include memory arrays. A pre-processing mechanism enables the selection of a cut-based design partition which enables optimal reductions though input reparameterization given a netlist with constraints. A post-processing mechanism next prevents input reparameterization from creating topologically inconsistent models in the presence of arrays. Additionally, this technique may be used to rectify inconsistent topologies that may arise when reparameterizing even netlists without arrays, namely false sequential dependencies across initialization constructs. Furthermore, a mechanism is provided to undo the effects of memory array based input reparameterization on verification results.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2010
    Publication date: November 3, 2011
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jason R. Baumgartner, Michael L. Case, Robert L. Kanzelman, Hari Mony
  • Publication number: 20110271242
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided for efficient redundancy identification, redundancy removal, and sequential equivalence checking with designs including memory arrays. The mechanism includes an array merging component to optimally merge an array output such that if the address is out-of-bounds or the port is not asserted, the array output is converted to a random output. The mechanism also includes a component for determining the equivalence of enabled array outputs rather than the array outputs directly and creating an enabled array output. The mechanism also includes a component that precludes potentially-redundant array cells from participating in the sequential redundancy removal determination. This component first checks for compatibility of the corresponding arrays, then the corresponding read port enables and addresses, then the corresponding initial values, and finally checking that writes to the corresponding columns yield a compatible set of values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2010
    Publication date: November 3, 2011
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jason R. Baumgartner, Michael L. Case, Robert L. Kanzelman, Hari Mony
  • Publication number: 20110270597
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided in an integrated circuit simulator for tracking array data contents across three-value read and write operations. The mechanism accounts for write operations with data values and address values having X symbols. The mechanism performs writes to a tree data structure that is used to store the three-valued contents to the array. The simulator includes functionality for updating the array contents for a three-valued write and to read data for a three-valued read. The simulator also includes optimizations for dynamically reducing the size of the data structure when possible in order to save memory in the logic simulator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2010
    Publication date: November 3, 2011
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jason R. Baumgartner, Michael L. Case, Robert L. Kanzelman, Hari Mony
  • Patent number: 8042075
    Abstract: Methods, systems and computer products are provided for reducing the design size of an integrated circuit while preserving the behavior of the design with respect to verification results. A multiplexer is inserted at the gate being analyzed, and the multiplexer selector is controlled to provide a predetermined output for one frame at the point being analyzed. It is then determined whether the circuit remains equivalent during application of the predetermined output in order to decide whether the gate being analyzed is a candidate for replacement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jason R. Baumgartner, Robert L. Kanzelman, Hari Mony, Viresh Paruthi
  • Patent number: 8015523
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for sequential netlist reduction through trace-containment for a circuitry design netlist by first identifying a cut of the netlist and enumerating a set of mismatch traces. Perform time-bounded unfolding of a cofactored version of the cut to reflect the sequential cofactor for a specific input i and temporal uncorrelation constraints for the set of inputs ‘J’. Determine whether there is trace containment by performing equivalence checking with respect to the cut of the netlist under temporal uncorrelation constraints for the set of inputs ‘J’. In response to detecting trace containment, simplify the netlist by merging the input ‘i’ to a constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jason R. Baumgartner, Robert L. Kanzelman, Hari Mony, Viresh Paruthi
  • Patent number: 8015528
    Abstract: A method, system and computer program product are disclosed. The method includes initializing a first variable to limit a rewrite time for rewrite operations with respect to an initial design by a rewriting module, a second variable to limit a time for satisfiability solver operations with respect to said initial design by a satisfiability solver module and a third variable to limit a maximum number of rewrite iterations with respect to said initial design. A timer is called to track said rewrite time and a local logic rewriting operation is run on said initial design with said rewrite module. In response to determining that all of all targets for said initial design netlist are not solved, whether a rewrite time is expired is determined. In response to determining that said rewrite time is not expired, AND refactoring is run. In response to determining that said rewrite time is not expired, XOR refactoring is run.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jason R. Baumgartner, Robert L. Kanzelman, Hari Mony, Viresh Paruthi
  • Patent number: 7996803
    Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for automated use of uninterpreted functions in sequential equivalence checking. A first netlist and a second netlist may be received and be included in an original model, and from the original model, logic to be abstracted may be determined. A condition for functional consistency may be determined, and an abstract model may be created by replacing the logic with abstracted logic using one or more uninterpreted functions. One or more functions may be performed on the abstract model. For example, the one or more functions may include one or more of a bounded model checking (BMC) algorithm, an interpolation algorithm, a Boolean satisfiability-based analysis algorithm, and a binary decision diagram (BDD) based reachability analysis algorithm, among others.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jason R. Baumgartner, Robert L. Kanzelman, Hari Mony, Viresh Paruthi
  • Publication number: 20110093825
    Abstract: A technique for performing an analysis of a logic design includes detecting an initial transient behavior in a logic design embodied in a netlist. A duration of the initial transient behavior is also determined. Reduction information on the logic design is gathered based on the initial transient behavior. The netlist is then modified based on the reduction information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2009
    Publication date: April 21, 2011
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jason R. Baumgartner, Michael L. Case, Robert L. Kanzelman, Hari Mony
  • Patent number: 7917884
    Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for performing verification are disclosed. A first abstraction of an initial design netlist containing a first target is created and designated as a current abstraction, and the current abstraction is unfolded by a selectable depth. A composite target is verified using a satisfiability solver, and in response to determining that the verifying step has hit the composite target, a counterexample to is examined to identify one or more reasons for the first target to be asserted. One or more refinement pairs are built by examining the counterexample, and a second abstraction is built by composing the refinement pairs. One or more learned clauses and one or more invariants to the second abstraction and the second abstraction is chosen as the current abstraction. The current abstraction is verified with the satisfiability solver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jason R. Baumgartner, Robert L. Kanzelman, Hari Mony, Viresh Paruthi
  • Publication number: 20100293513
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for reducing an original circuit design into a simplified circuit design by merging gates that may not be equivalent but can be demonstrated to preserve target assertability with respect to the original circuitry design. A composite netlist is created from the simplified netlist and the original netlist. The composite netlist includes a number of targets that imply the existence of a target in the simplified netlist and a corresponding target in the original netlist. The implications are verified and then validated to ensure the simplied circuit design is a suitable replacement for the original circuit design.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2009
    Publication date: November 18, 2010
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: JASON R. BAUMGARTNER, MICHAEL L. CASE, GEERT JANSSEN, ROBERT L. KANZELMAN
  • Publication number: 20100269077
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for producing more efficient digital circuitry designs by identifying trace-containment for a sequential circuitry design netlist through the use of constraint-based uncorrelated equivalence checking. A set of candidate input netlist sets n1 and n2 is first uncorrelated and then submitted for equivalence checking. Mismatches discovered during the equivalence checking are avoided by imposing constraint to the input set until discovering an equivalency relationship between the input sets n1 and n2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2009
    Publication date: October 21, 2010
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jason R. Baumgartner, Robert L. Kanzelman, Hari Mony, Viresh Paruthi
  • Publication number: 20100251197
    Abstract: Methods, systems and computer products are provided for reducing the design size of an integrated circuit while preserving the behavior of the design with respect to verification results. A multiplexer is inserted at the gate being analyzed, and the multiplexer selector is controlled to provide a predetermined output for one frame at the point being analyzed. It is then determined whether the circuit remains equivalent during application of the predetermined output in order to decide whether the gate being analyzed is a candidate for replacement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: JASON R. BAUMGARTNER, ROBERT L. KANZELMAN, HARI MONY, VIRESH PARUTHI
  • Patent number: 7793242
    Abstract: A method for performing verification is disclosed. The method includes selecting a first computer-design constraint for simplification and applying structural reparamaterization to simplify the first computer-design constraint. In response to determining that the first computer-design constraint is not eliminated, the first computer-design constraint is set equal to a dead-end state of the constraint. A structural preimage of the first computer-design constraint is created, in response to determining that a combination of a target and the dead-end state of the first computer-design constraint is equal to a combination of the target and the structural preimage of the first computer-design constraint, the first computer-design constraint is set equal to the structural preimage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jason R. Baumgartner, Robert L. Kanzelman, Hari Mony, Viresh Paruthi
  • Patent number: 7788616
    Abstract: A method for performing verification is disclosed. The method includes selecting a first computer-design constraint for simplification and applying structural reparamaterization to simplify the first computer-design constraint. In response to determining that the first computer-design constraint is not eliminated, the first computer-design constraint is set equal to a dead-end state of the constraint. A structural preimage of the first computer-design constraint is created, in response to determining that a combination of a target and the dead-end state of the first computer-design constraint is equal to a combination of the target and the structural preimage of the first computer-design constraint, the first computer-design constraint is set equal to the structural preimage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jason R. Baumgartner, Robert L. Kanzelman, Hari Mony, Viresh Paruthi
  • Publication number: 20100218148
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for sequential netlist reduction through trace-containment for a circuitry design netlist by first identifying a cut of the netlist and enumerating a set of mismatch traces. Perform time-bounded unfolding of a cofactored version of the cut to reflect the sequential cofactor for a specific input i and temporal uncorrelation constraints for the set of inputs ‘J’. Determine whether there is trace containment by performing equivalence checking with respect to the cut of the netlist under temporal uncorrelation constraints for the set of inputs ‘J’. In response to detecting trace containment, simplify the netlist by merging the input ‘i’ to a constant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2009
    Publication date: August 26, 2010
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jason R. Baumgartner, Robert L. Kanzelman, Hari Mony, Viresh Paruth
  • Publication number: 20100199241
    Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for automated use of uninterpreted functions in sequential equivalence checking. A first netlist and a second netlist may be received and be included in an original model, and from the original model, logic to be abstracted may be determined. A condition for functional consistency may be determined, and an abstract model may be created by replacing the logic with abstracted logic using one or more uninterpreted functions. One or more functions may be performed on the abstract model. For example, the one or more functions may include one or more of a bounded model checking (BMC) algorithm, an interpolation algorithm, a Boolean satisfiability-based analysis algorithm, and a binary decision diagram (BDD) based reachability analysis algorithm, among others.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2009
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jason R. Baumgartner, Robert L. Kanzelman, Hari Mony, Viresh Paruthi