Encrypted digital circuit description allowing circuit simulation

摘要

A system for creating protected functional descriptions of integrated circuits provides an encrypted functional description that allows the integrated circuit to be simulated with respect to producing outputs for given sets of inputs without identification of the constituent components of the integrated circuit such as the logical gates making up the integrated circuit. The encrypted functional description may include encrypted truth-tables describing the generic gates of the integrated circuit, the encrypted truth-tables securing the function of each logical gate by including multiple redundant table entries mapped to alias values of Boolean logical states and erroneous table entries.

主权项

1. An encryptor for digital circuit description files comprising:
an electronic computer executing a program stored in non-transient medium to: (a) receive electronically readable input data defining a digital circuit having multiple interconnected nodes implementing standard Boolean functions, the input data describing the interconnection of the nodes and the functions of the nodes, the function of the nodes described by an unencrypted truth table having entries that link input values to outputs values from the nodes according to the functions of the nodes; (b) create encrypted output data describing interconnection of the nodes and encrypting the function of the nodes as encrypted truth tables permitting computation of node outputs from node inputs according to the function of the nodes where the encrypted truth tables are different from corresponding unencrypted truth tables by having at least one row in the encrypted truth table whose pattern of input values and output values is not in the corresponding unencrypted truth table; and (c) output the encrypted output data in a form adapted to permit a simulation of the digital circuit using the encrypted truth tables without decryption to receive inputs and provide outputs for the nodes: the simulation receiving unencrypted simulation inputs to provide simulation outputs identical to output of the digital circuit receiving the unencrypted simulation inputs.