Integrated circuit with error repair and fault tolerance
AssigneeArm Limited
InventorsShidhartha Das, David Michael Bull, Emre Ozer
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Abstract
An integrated circuit is provided with error detection circuitry and error repair circuitry. Error tolerance circuitry is responsive to a control parameter to selectively disable the error repair circuitry. The control parameter is dependent on the processing performed within the circuit. For example, the control parameter may be generated in dependence upon the program instruction being executed, the output signal value which is in error, the previous behavior of the circuit or in other ways.
Claims43
An integrated circuit comprising:
- first processing circuitry responsive to an input signal to perform processing to generate an output signal;
- second processing circuitry coupled to said first processing circuitry and responsive to said output signal to perform further processing;
- error detecting circuitry responsive to said output signal to detect errors in said output signal at a time after said second processing circuitry has started to perform said further processing using said output signal;
- error repair circuitry responsive to an error in said output signal detected by said error detecting circuitry to perform an error repair operation;
- and
- error tolerance circuitry coupled to said error repair circuitry and responsive to a control parameter selectively to disable said error repair circuitry such that said error repair operation is not performed;
- wherein
- said control parameter is dependent on at least one of said processing performed by said first processing circuitry and said further processing performed by said second processing circuitry.
An integrated circuit comprising:
- first processing means for performing processing to generate an output signal in response to an input signal;
- second processing means for performing further processing in response to said output signal, said second processing means being coupled to said first processing means;
- error detecting means for detecting errors in said output signal at a time after said second processing means has started to perform said further processing using said output signal;
- error repair means for performing an error repair operation in response to an error in said output signal detected by said error detecting means;
- and
- error tolerance means for selectively disabling said error repair circuitry in response to a control parameter such that said error repair operation is not performed;
- wherein
- said control parameter is dependent on at least one of said processing performed by said first processing means and said further processing performed by said second processing means.
A method of operating an integrated circuit comprising the steps of:
- performing processing to generate an output signal in response to an input signal using first processing circuitry;
- performing further processing in response to said output signal using second processing circuitry coupled to said first processing circuitry;
- detecting errors in said output signal at a time after said second processing circuitry has started to perform said further processing using said output signal;
- performing an error repair operation in response to an error in said output signal using error repair circuitry;
- and
- in response to a control parameter, selectively disabling said error repair circuitry such that said error repair operation is not performed;
- wherein
- said control parameter is dependent on at least one of said processing performed by said first processing circuitry and said further processing performed by said second processing circuitry.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.