Semiconductor device

Abstract

An arithmetic unit capable of reconfiguring circuitry in accordance with configuration data supplied includes a data processing unit performing a processing using input data; an output data maintenance unit maintaining the result of the processing to output it as an output data; and an output valid signal control unit outputting an output valid signal indicating whether or not the output data is valid, in which an output timing of a valid data to outside the arithmetic unit can be controlled optionally by controlling the output timing of the output valid signal.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a reconfigurable circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2A, FIG. 2B, FIG. 2C, FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are timing charts showing output timings of data from an arithmetic unit according to the present embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a view showing a configuration example of an output data maintenance unit;

FIG. 5 is a view showing a configuration example of an output valid signal control unit;

FIG. 6 is a view to illustrate a function of a comparison unit in the output valid signal control unit;

FIG. 7 is a view showing a configuration example of a radio communication system using the reconfigurable circuit according to the present embodiment;

FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B are views to illustrate a processing of spreading code using an n-bits spread code; and

FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B are views to illustrate a data transfer processing between circuits operating at different frequencies.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device comprising: a configuration memory storing configuration information; anda plurality of arithmetic units capable of reconfiguring circuitry dynamically in accordance with the configuration information supplied by said configuration memory,wherein said arithmetic unit includes;a data processing unit performing a processing in accordance with the configuration information using input data;an output data maintenance unit maintaining a processing result of the data processing unit and outputting the processing result maintained as output data; andan output valid signal control unit outputting an output valid signal indicating whether or not the output data outputted by the output data maintenance unit is valid.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the output valid signal control unit outputs the output valid signal at a timing specified by the configuration information.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the data processing unit performs the processing based on an internal valid signal generated based on a signal indicating whether or not the input data is valid, andwherein the output data maintenance unit updates from the processing result maintained to the processing result supplied by the data processing unit when the internal valid signal indicates the data validity.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the output data maintenance unit comprises:a data maintenance unit temporarily maintaining the inputted data and outputting the inputted data as the output data; anda selector unit being inputted the processing result of the data processing unit and the output of the data maintenance unit to supply any one thereof to an input of the data maintenance unit.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the output valid signal control unit comprises:a counter unit counting a number of cycle(s) or a number of data;a comparison unit comparing a counted value of the counter unit and a value related to an output timing of the output valid signal specified by the configuration information; andan output valid signal generation unit generating and outputting the output valid signal based on a comparison result of the comparison unit.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein the counter unit is capable of counting a number of valid input data, the number of cycle(s) from when a predetermined output momentum is generated to when a valid output data is outputted, the number of cycle(s) related to a time interval of outputting the valid output data; and a number of the valid output data.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the output data maintenance unit and the output valid signal control unit output a first valid output data after a predetermined time has passed since an operation in accordance with the configuration information is started, and, subsequently, control so that a specified number of valid output data being specified by the configuration information is outputted at certain time intervals.

8. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the output data maintenance unit and the output valid signal control unit output a first valid output data after a predetermined time has passed since a valid input data is inputted, and, subsequently, control so that a specified number of valid output data being specified by the configuration information is outputted at certain time intervals.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the output data maintenance unit and the output valid signal control unit output a first valid output data after a specified number of valid data being specified by the configuration information is inputted, and, subsequently, control so that a specified number of output data being specified by the configuration information is outputted at certain time intervals.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the output data maintenance unit and the output valid signal control unit control so that valid output data is outputted only once after a specified number of valid input data being specified by the configuration information is inputted.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the output data maintenance unit and the output valid signal control unit control so that valid output data is outputted only when a first valid input data, with respect to a specified number of valid input data being specified by the configuration information, is inputted.

12. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein a part of said plurality of arithmetic units includes the data processing unit, the output data maintenance unit and the output valid control unit.

13. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein all of said plurality of arithmetic units include the data processing unit, the output data maintenance unit and the output valid control unit, respectively.

14. A radio communication system executing all or a part of functions related to a baseband processing using a semiconductor device described in claim 1.