Patents by Inventor Theo Alan Drane

Theo Alan Drane 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: 11861323
    Abstract: Hardware logic arranged to normalise (or renormalise) an n-bit input number is described in which at least a proportion of a left shifting operation is performed in parallel with a leading zero count operation. In various embodiments the left shifting and the leading zero count are performed independently. In various other embodiments, a subset of the bits output by a leading zero counter are input to a left shifter and the output from the left shifter is input to a renormalisation block which completes the remainder of the left shifting operation independently of any further input from the leading zero counter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventor: Theo Alan Drane
  • Publication number: 20230409284
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for manufacturing integrated circuits performing invariant integer division x/d. A desired rounding mode is provided and an integer triple (a,b,k) for this rounding mode is derived. Furthermore, a set of conditions for the rounding mode is derived. An RTL representation is then derived using the integer triple. From this a hardware layout can be derived and an integrated circuit manufactured with the derived hardware layout. When the integer triple is derived a minimum value of k for the desired rounding mode and set of conditions is also derived.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2023
    Publication date: December 21, 2023
    Inventors: Theo Alan Drane, Wai-Chuen Cheung
  • Patent number: 11836460
    Abstract: A hardware logic representation of a circuit to implement an operation to perform multiplication by an invariant rational is generated by truncating an infinite single summation array (which is represented in a finite way). The truncation is performed by identifying a repeating section and then discarding all but a finite number of the repeating sections whilst still satisfying a defined error bound. To further reduce the size of the summation array, the binary representation of the invariant rational is converted into canonical signed digit notation prior to creating the finite representation of the infinite array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventor: Theo Alan Drane
  • Patent number: 11809795
    Abstract: A method implements fixed-point polynomials in hardware logic. In an embodiment the method comprises distributing a defined error bound for the whole polynomial between operators in a data-flow graph for the polynomial and optimizing each operator to satisfy the part of the error bound allocated to that operator. The distribution of errors between operators is updated in an iterative process until a stop condition (such as a maximum number of iterations) is reached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventor: Theo Alan Drane
  • Publication number: 20230305812
    Abstract: Methods and leading zero anticipators for estimating the number of leading zeros in a result of a fixed point arithmetic operation which is accurate to within one bit for any signed fixed point numbers. The leading zero anticipator includes an input encoding circuit which generates an encoded input string from the fixed point numbers; a window-based surrogate string generation circuit which generates a surrogate string whose leading one is an estimate of the leading one in the result of the arithmetic operation by examining consecutive windows of the encoded input string and setting corresponding bits of the surrogate string based on the examinations; and a counter circuit configured to estimate the number of leading zeros in the result of the arithmetic operation based on the leading one in the surrogate string.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2023
    Publication date: September 28, 2023
    Inventors: Freddie Rupert Exall, Theo Alan Drane, Joe Buckingham
  • Patent number: 11748060
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for manufacturing integrated circuits performing invariant integer division x/d. A desired rounding mode is provided and an integer triple (a,b,k) for this rounding mode is derived. Furthermore, a set of conditions for the rounding mode is derived. An RTL representation is then derived using the integer triple. From this a hardware layout can be derived and an integrated circuit manufactured with the derived hardware layout. When the integer triple is derived a minimum value of k for the desired rounding mode and set of conditions is also derived.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Theo Alan Drane, Wai-Chuen Cheung
  • Patent number: 11669305
    Abstract: Methods and leading zero anticipators for estimating the number of leading zeros in a result of a fixed point arithmetic operation which is accurate to within one bit for any signed fixed point numbers. The leading zero anticipator includes an input encoding circuit which generates an encoded input string from the fixed point numbers; a window-based surrogate string generation circuit which generates a surrogate string whose leading one is an estimate of the leading one in the result of the arithmetic operation by examining consecutive windows of the encoded input string and setting corresponding bits of the surrogate string based on the examinations; and a counter circuit configured to estimate the number of leading zeros in the result of the arithmetic operation based on the leading one in the surrogate string.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Freddie Rupert Exall, Theo Alan Drane, Joe Buckingham
  • Publication number: 20210271795
    Abstract: A method implements fixed-point polynomials in hardware logic. In an embodiment the method comprises distributing a defined error bound for the whole polynomial between operators in a data-flow graph for the polynomial and optimizing each operator to satisfy the part of the error bound allocated to that operator. The distribution of errors between operators is updated in an iterative process until a stop condition (such as a maximum number of iterations) is reached.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2021
    Publication date: September 2, 2021
    Inventor: Theo Alan Drane
  • Publication number: 20210200511
    Abstract: Hardware logic arranged to normalise (or renormalise) an n-bit input number is described in which at least a proportion of a left shifting operation is performed in parallel with a leading zero count operation. In various embodiments the left shifting and the leading zero count are performed independently. In various other embodiments, a subset of the bits output by a leading zero counter are input to a left shifter and the output from the left shifter is input to a renormalisation block which completes the remainder of the left shifting operation independently of any further input from the leading zero counter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2021
    Publication date: July 1, 2021
    Inventor: Theo Alan Drane
  • Publication number: 20210182028
    Abstract: Methods and leading zero anticipators for estimating the number of leading zeros in a result of a fixed point arithmetic operation which is accurate to within one bit for any signed fixed point numbers. The leading zero anticipator includes an input encoding circuit which generates an encoded input string from the fixed point numbers; a window-based surrogate string generation circuit which generates a surrogate string whose leading one is an estimate of the leading one in the result of the arithmetic operation by examining consecutive windows of the encoded input string and setting corresponding bits of the surrogate string based on the examinations; and a counter circuit configured to estimate the number of leading zeros in the result of the arithmetic operation based on the leading one in the surrogate string.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2021
    Publication date: June 17, 2021
    Inventors: Freddie Rupert Exall, Theo Alan Drane, Joe Buckingham
  • Publication number: 20210165634
    Abstract: A hardware logic representation of a circuit to implement an operation to perform multiplication by an invariant rational is generated by truncating an infinite single summation array (which is represented in a finite way). The truncation is performed by identifying a repeating section and then discarding all but a finite number of the repeating sections whilst still satisfying a defined error bound. To further reduce the size of the summation array, the binary representation of the invariant rational is converted into canonical signed digit notation prior to creating the finite representation of the infinite array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2021
    Publication date: June 3, 2021
    Inventor: Theo Alan Drane
  • Patent number: 11010515
    Abstract: A method implements fixed-point polynomials in hardware logic. In an embodiment the method comprises distributing a defined error bound for the whole polynomial between operators in a data-flow graph for the polynomial and optimizing each operator to satisfy the part of the error bound allocated to that operator. The distribution of errors between operators is updated in an iterative process until a stop condition (such as a maximum number of iterations) is reached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventor: Theo Alan Drane
  • Patent number: 10977000
    Abstract: Hardware logic arranged to normalise (or renormalise) an n-bit input number is described in which at least a proportion of a left shifting operation is performed in parallel with a leading zero count operation. In various embodiments the left shifting and the leading zero count are performed independently. In various other embodiments, a subset of the bits output by a leading zero counter are input to a left shifter and the output from the left shifter is input to a renormalisation block which completes the remainder of the left shifting operation independently of any further input from the leading zero counter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventor: Theo Alan Drane
  • Patent number: 10949167
    Abstract: A hardware logic representation of a circuit to implement an operation to perform multiplication by an invariant rational is generated by truncating an infinite single summation array (which is represented in a finite way). The truncation is performed by identifying a repeating section and then discarding all but a finite number of the repeating sections whilst still satisfying a defined error bound. To further reduce the size of the summation array, the binary representation of the invariant rational is converted into canonical signed digit notation prior to creating the finite representation of the infinite array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventor: Theo Alan Drane
  • Patent number: 10949169
    Abstract: Methods and leading zero anticipators for estimating the number of leading zeros in a result of a fixed point arithmetic operation which is accurate to within one bit for any signed fixed point numbers. The leading zero anticipator includes an input encoding circuit which generates an encoded input string from the fixed point numbers; a window-based surrogate string generation circuit which generates a surrogate string whose leading one is an estimate of the leading one in the result of the arithmetic operation by examining consecutive windows of the encoded input string and setting corresponding bits of the surrogate string based on the examinations; and a counter circuit configured to estimate the number of leading zeros in the result of the arithmetic operation based on the leading one in the surrogate string.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Freddie Rupert Exall, Theo Alan Drane, Joe Buckingham
  • Publication number: 20200293277
    Abstract: Hardware logic arranged to normalise (or renormalise) an n-bit input number is described in which at least a proportion of a left shifting operation is performed in parallel with a leading zero count operation. In various embodiments the left shifting and the leading zero count are performed independently. In various other embodiments, a subset of the bits output by a leading zero counter are input to a left shifter and the output from the left shifter is input to a renormalisation block which completes the remainder of the left shifting operation independently of any further input from the leading zero counter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2020
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Inventor: Theo Alan Drane
  • Patent number: 10698660
    Abstract: Methods and leading zero anticipators for estimating the number of leading zeros in a result of a fixed point arithmetic operation which is accurate to within one bit for any signed fixed point numbers. The leading zero anticipator includes an input encoding circuit which generates an encoded input string from the fixed point numbers; a window-based surrogate string generation circuit which generates a surrogate string whose leading one is an estimate of the leading one in the result of the arithmetic operation by examining consecutive windows of the encoded input string and setting corresponding bits of the surrogate string based on the examinations; and a counter circuit configured to estimate the number of leading zeros in the result of the arithmetic operation based on the leading one in the surrogate string.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Freddie Rupert Exall, Theo Alan Drane, Joe Buckingham
  • Patent number: 10698655
    Abstract: Hardware logic arranged to normalise (or renormalise) an n-bit input number is described in which at least a proportion of a left shifting operation is performed in parallel with a leading zero count operation. In various embodiments the left shifting and the leading zero count are performed independently. In various other embodiments, a subset of the bits output by a leading zero counter are input to a left shifter and the output from the left shifter is input to a renormalisation block which completes the remainder of the left shifting operation independently of any further input from the leading zero counter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventor: Theo Alan Drane
  • Publication number: 20200192634
    Abstract: A hardware logic representation of a circuit to implement an operation to perform multiplication by an invariant rational is generated by truncating an infinite single summation array (which is represented in a finite way). The truncation is performed by identifying a repeating section and then discarding all but a finite number of the repeating sections whilst still satisfying a defined error bound. To further reduce the size of the summation array, the binary representation of the invariant rational is converted into canonical signed digit notation prior to creating the finite representation of the infinite array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2020
    Publication date: June 18, 2020
    Inventor: Theo Alan Drane
  • Publication number: 20200183651
    Abstract: Methods and leading zero anticipators for estimating the number of leading zeros in a result of a fixed point arithmetic operation which is accurate to within one bit for any signed fixed point numbers. The leading zero anticipator includes an input encoding circuit which generates an encoded input string from the fixed point numbers; a window-based surrogate string generation circuit which generates a surrogate string whose leading one is an estimate of the leading one in the result of the arithmetic operation by examining consecutive windows of the encoded input string and setting corresponding bits of the surrogate string based on the examinations; and a counter circuit configured to estimate the number of leading zeros in the result of the arithmetic operation based on the leading one in the surrogate string.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2020
    Publication date: June 11, 2020
    Inventors: Freddie Rupert Exall, Theo Alan Drane, Joe Buckingham