Configuration context switcher with a latch

摘要

Some embodiments provide an IC with configuration context switchers. The IC includes several configurable circuits, each of which configurably performs one of several operations at any given time, based on the configuration data set that it receives at that time. The IC includes several storage circuits for storing several configuration data sets for each of the configurable circuits. The IC also includes a context switching interconnect circuit for switchably connecting the configurable circuit to different sets of storage circuits to receive different sets of configuration data sets. The context switcher includes one or more stages for re-timing the data coming from the configuration storage elements. The stages can include interconnect circuitry or storage circuitry. Some embodiments build one of the stages in the configuration data storage elements. Some embodiments encode the configuration data bits and hence utilize a decoder in the context switcher to decode the encoded configuration data.

主权项

1. An integrated circuit (“IC”) comprising:
a configurable circuit for configurably performing one of a plurality of operations based on configuration data; a plurality of storage circuits for storing a plurality of configuration data sets for the configurable circuit; and an interconnect circuit for switchably connecting the configurable circuit to different subsets of the plurality of storage circuits to receive different subsets of the plurality of configuration data sets, said interconnect circuit comprising a set of latches for temporarily storing configuration data sets.