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US 4,935,734 AGranted
Semi-conductor integrated circuits/systems
AssigneePilkington Micro-Electronics Limited
InventorKenneth Austin
Life of this patent
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AssigneePilkington Micro-Electronics Limited
InventorKenneth Austin
Estimating the term…
Configurable semiconductor integrated circuits as-made each have a plurality of logic circuits formed at discrete sites. For each logic circuit, direct selectably conducting/non-conducting connection paths extend from its output to input of a first set of other logic circuits and to its inputs from outputs of a second set of other logic circuits. All of the sets for all of the logic circuits are each different. Other direct connection paths are selectably connectable to inputs and outputs of the logic circuits. Selection can be irreversible or reversible and involves coincident signal addressing of the sites and coded configuring of the paths at that site. Reversible selection can be via field effect transistors or bipolar transistors and can be at or near normal logic signal levels and speeds. Versatile configurable input/output arrangements are described also reconfigurable data processing systems using the reversible transistor provisions.
A configurable semiconductor integrated circuit which, as-made, comprises an area thereof formed with a plurality of logic circuits at discrete sites, respectively, wherein each said logic circuit is only capable of performing a simple logic function, and wherein each said logic circuit comprises at least one logic circuit input and at least one logic circuit output, and
An electronic system comprising a reconfigurable semiconductor integrated circuit having a plurality of logic circuits for which alternative configurations involving selection of different interconnections for operative conduction relative to inputs and outputs of the logic circuits enable different performance of some overall system function to generate processing signals, wherein each said logic circuit is only capable of performing a simple logic function, means for presenting to the reconfigurable integrated circuit configuration - defining signals, means in the reconfigurable integrated circuit responsive to the configuration-defining signals to select and thus adopt a desired reconfigurable configuration, and means for utilising processing signals from the reconfigurable integrated circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.