Device for putting an integrated circuit into operation

Details Device for putting an integrated circuit into operation Device for putting an integrated circuit into operation

1999-08-10

2001-11-20

Follansbee, John A. (Department: 2154)

Electrical computers and digital processing systems: processing

Processing architecture

Microprocessor or multichip or multimodule processor having...

C706S001000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06321324

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for the putting into use of an integrated circuit, especially an integrated circuit provided with a logic processor and a fuzzy logic coprocessor. The invention is aimed in fact at enabling the making of an integrated circuit of this kind that would comprise, on one and the same circuit, a single chip that is both the processor and the fuzzy logic coprocessor.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
There are known integrated circuits provided with a processor. These circuits normally include the input/output means of the integrated circuit, the processor itself constituted for example by a set of logic gates), a program memory, working registers and, possibly, associated non-volatile type memories, namely EPROMS or EEPROMs or else FLASH EPROMs. A fuzzy logic processor corresponds to the same definition and includes the same elements.
The value of fuzzy logic processors lies in the specific characteristics of this technique. Normally, to be able to manage a phenomenon, it is necessary, in a program comprising a main program as well as a set of sub-programs, to have foreseen and organized all the steps to be performed in the light of the quantity of information elements that may be received on the state of the system. A program of this kind is generally demanding in terms of memory bytes to be stored in the program memory of the integrated circuit. For example, to manage a suction hood system with three inputs and one output, for a standard logic processor, it is necessary to have available twelve kilobytes in the program memory in order to store the corresponding program. It can be shown that in fuzzy logic, with a sufficiently precise approach, this management task could require only the recording of thirty-two rules taking up less than 500 bytes in a programme memory of the fuzzy logic processor. Consequently, the combination of a logic processor and a fuzzy logic processor on one and the same integrated circuit is quite worthwhile because, without necessitating a large additional memory, it enables the integration of a particularly efficient function (namely the fuzzy logic function).
However, this association proves to be impracticable in reality. There is a problem of cohabitation between the program memory of the logic processor and the program memory of the fuzzy logic processor. Indeed, in a circuit of the type sold to professionals, it is necessary to plan for a program memory of the fuzzy logic processor that could contain a large number of rules in order to manage a complex phenomenon, given that there is no a priori knowledge of what the user will do with it. Consequently, it is necessary in this case to provide the fuzzy logic processor with a large memory. The same situation applies in regard to the memory of the standard processor: it too must be large.
This means that it is necessary then to make an integrated circuit with two large memory arrays. This cannot be done at low cost. Nor it is possible to use the approach in which a single memory is made and shared between the needs of the logic processor and those of the fuzzy logic processor, for the address buses, the data buses and the control buses of the two processors are not structured in the same way. Indeed, an integrated circuit comprising a processor is represented, for its manufacture, by drawings and masks whose definition is linked furthermore to the operating protocol of this logic processor. This is also the case with a fuzzy logic processor. These drawings and masks are based on different designs and cannot truly be associated with each other. However, this is what is sought to be done in order to avoid having to entirely re-design a processor provided with a fuzzy logic coprocessor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the invention, the difficulty is circumvented by storing the programs of the logic processor and of the fuzzy logic processor in one and the same program memory, and by prompting the loading of a volatile random-access memory (RAM) of the fuzzy logic processor by means of the program of this fuzzy logic processor when the integrated circuit is started up. In other words, in the invention, a problem of space in the integrated circuit is resolved by deferring the action of putting each of the components of this integrated circuit into use.
In view of the fact that the starting up does not take place often, i.e. once a day for a heating installation and once an hour for a suction hood, and given the speed with which the initialization will take place (in a period of time equal to or smaller than one second), it is easy to reach the desired goal which is to combine two different types of circuit on one and the same monolithic integrated circuit.
Therefore, an object of the invention therefore is a device for putting into use an integrated circuit that comprises a program memory, a first logic processor and a fuzzy logic coprocessor, wherein said device comprises a volatile random-access memory linked with this coprocessor to store instructions from this coprocessor, a circuit for loading of this random-access memory, this loading circuit comprising means to prompt this loading when the integrated circuit is put into use.


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