Apparatus and method for flexible visibility in integrated circuits with minimal package impact
AssigneeSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
InventorWilliam M. Hurley
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method for flexible visibility in an integrated circuit are disclosed. As one example, an apparatus for flexible visibility in an integrated circuit is disclosed. The apparatus includes a switch unit disposed in the integrated circuit, the switch unit configured to receive a plurality of signals associated with a plurality of visibility points in the integrated circuit, and output the received plurality of signals in a serial form. Also, the apparatus includes a formatter unit disposed in the integrated circuit and coupled to the switch unit, the formatter unit configured to receive the plurality of signals in the serial form, and output a plurality of formatted signals including the received plurality of signals.
Claims20
An apparatus for flexible visibility in an integrated circuit, comprising:
- a switch unit disposed in the integrated circuit, the switch unit configured to receive a plurality of signals associated with a plurality of visibility points in the integrated circuit and a select input signal, and output a selected subset of the plurality of signals in a serial form based on the select input signal, the selected subset comprising a plurality of bits of a multi-bit binary value representing a waveform;
- and
- a formatter unit disposed in the integrated circuit and coupled to the switch unit, the formatter unit configured to receive the selected subset of the plurality of signals in the serial form, and alternatively output multiple portions of the plurality of bits comprising the multi-bit binary value.
An apparatus for flexible visibility in an integrated circuit, comprising:
- a multiplexer configured to receive a plurality of signals associated with a plurality of visibility points in the integrated circuit and a select input signal, and output a selected subset of the plurality of signals in a serial form based on the select input signal, the selected subset comprising a plurality of bits of a multi-bit binary value representing a waveform;
- and
- a formatter coupled to the output of the multiplexer, the formatter configured to receive the selected subset of the plurality of signals in the serial form, format the selected subset of the plurality of signals into a plurality of frames each comprising a portion of the plurality of bits, and alternatively output the plurality of frames.
A method for providing flexible visibility in an integrated circuit, comprising the steps of:
- receiving a plurality of signals associated with a plurality of visibility points in the integrated circuit;
- selecting a subset of the plurality of signals, the selected subset comprising a plurality of bits of a multi-bit binary value representing a waveform;
- formatting the selected subset of the plurality of signals into a plurality of frames, each frame comprising a portion of the plurality of bits;
- and
- alternatively outputting the plurality of frames.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.