1. An integrated circuit, comprising:
a plurality of synchronous modules, each synchronous module having an associated clock domain characterized by a data rate, the data rates comprising a plurality of different data rates;
a plurality of clock domain converters, each clock domain converter being coupled to a corresponding one of the synchronous modules, and being operable to convert data between the clock domain of the corresponding synchronous module and an asynchronous domain characterized by transmission of data according to an asynchronous handshake protocol, each clock domain converter comprising a datapath operable to transfer a data token between the corresponding clock domain and the asynchronous domain, each clock domain converter further comprising control circuitry operable to enable transfer of the data token via the datapath in response to at least one transition of a clock signal associated with the corresponding clock domain and at least one completion of the asynchronous handshake protocol; and
an asynchronous crossbar coupled to the plurality of clock domain converters, and operable in the asynchronous domain to implement a first-in-first-out (FIFO) channel between any two of the clock domain converters, thereby facilitating communication between any two of the synchronous modules.
2. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein the datapath of each clock domain converter is operable to transfer the data token from the asynchronous domain to the corresponding clock domain, and the at least one completion of the asynchronous handshake protocol corresponds to receipt of the data token.
3. The integrated circuit of claim 2 wherein the data token comprises one of parallel and serial data.
4. The integrated circuit of claim 2 wherein a particular one of the clock domains requires a data transfer to comprise a block of consecutive data, the datapath of the corresponding clock domain converter further being operable to accumulate data tokens generated in the asynchronous domain to form the block of consecutive data, and wherein the control circuitry of the corresponding clock domain converter is operable to facilitate transfer of the accumulated data tokens to the particular clock domain via the corresponding datapath in response to a synchronous handshake with the particular clock domain and consecutive transitions of the clock signal, and after completion of the asynchronous handshake protocol for the data token.
5. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein the datapath of each clock domain converter is operable to transfer the data token from the corresponding clock domain to the asynchronous domain, and the at least one completion of the asynchronous handshake protocol corresponds to a previously transferred data token.
6. The integrated circuit of claim 5 wherein each of the data token and the previously transferred data token comprises one of parallel and serial data.
7. The integrated circuit of claim 5 wherein a particular one of the clock domains requires a data transfer to comprise a block of consecutive data, the control circuitry of the corresponding clock domain converter further being operable to facilitate transfer of a plurality of data tokens as the block of consecutive data to the asynchronous domain via the corresponding datapath in response to a synchronous handshake with the particular clock domain, consecutive transitions of the clock signal, and an enable signal generated in accordance with the asynchronous handshake protocol and indicating that the asynchronous domain has sufficient memory to receive the plurality of data tokens.
8. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein at least one of the clock domain converters is operable to transfer bursts of data tokens between the corresponding clock domain and the asynchronous domain.
9. The integrated circuit of claim 8 wherein the bursts of data tokens are variable in size.
10. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein the asynchronous crossbar is operable to route the data from any of a first number of input channels to any of a second number of output channels according to routing control information, each combination of an input channel and an output channel comprising one of a plurality of links, the crossbar being operable to route the data in a deterministic manner on each of the links thereby preserving a partial ordering represented by the routing control information, wherein events on different links are uncorrelated.
11. The integrated circuit of claim 10 wherein the crossbar is operable to transfer the data on at least one of the links based on at least one timing assumption.
12. The integrated circuit of clam 11 wherein the at least one timing assumption comprises any of a pulse timing assumption, an interference timing assumption, and an implied-data-neutrality timing assumption.
13. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein the asynchronous handshake protocol between a first sender and a first receiver comprises:
the first sender sets a data signal valid when an enable signal from the first receiver goes high;
the first receiver lowers the enable signal upon receiving the valid data signal;
the first sender sets the data signal neutral upon receiving the low enable signal; and
the first receiver raises the enable signal upon receiving the neutral data signal.
14. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein the asynchronous handshake protocol is delay-insensitive.
15. The integrated circuit of claim 1 further comprising at least one repeater, each repeater being coupled between a selected one of the clock domain converters and the asynchronous crossbar.
16. The integrated circuit of claim 15 wherein each repeater comprises an asynchronous half-buffer circuit.
17. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein the asynchronous crossbar is operable to arbitrate among multiple requests corresponding to a same destination synchronous module.
18. The integrated circuit of claim 17 wherein the asynchronous crossbar comprises arbitration circuitry to effect arbitration, the arbitration circuitry comprising at least one Seitz arbiter.
19. The integrated circuit of claim 1 further comprising a rate throttling circuit associated with a specific one of the synchronous modules which is operable to control transmission of the data to the corresponding clock domain converter.
20. The integrated circuit of claim 19 wherein the rate throttling circuit is operable to control transmission of the data by delaying transmission of the data in accordance with a priority associated with the specific synchronous module.
21. The integrated circuit of claim 19 wherein the rate throttling circuit is operable to control transmission of the data in response to congestion between the corresponding clock domain converter and the asynchronous crossbar.
22. The integrated circuit of claim 21 wherein the rate throttling circuit is operable to determine the congestion with reference to the asynchronous handshake protocol between the corresponding clock domain converter and the asynchronous crossbar.
23. The integrated circuit of claim 1 further comprising a built-in-self-test (BIST) module between one of the clock domain converters and the asynchronous crossbar, the BIST module being operable to transmit test vectors to and receive result vectors from each of the synchronous modules via the asynchronous crossbar.
24. The integrated circuit of claim 23 wherein the BIST module comprises a scan register for receiving the test vectors from external test equipment.
25. The integrated circuit of claim 23 wherein the BIST module is operable to transmit a first test vector to a first one of the synchronous modules via the asynchronous crossbar, the first synchronous module being operable to transmit a first result vector corresponding to the first test vector to a second one of the synchronous modules via the asynchronous crossbar, the second synchronous module being operable to transmit a second result vector to the BIST module via the asynchronous crossbar, the BIST module being further operable to verify the second result vector.
26. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein the integrated circuit comprises a multi-processor system, the plurality of synchronous modules comprising at least two central processing units with associated cache memory, at least one memory controller, at least one internal peripheral device, and at least one IO interface.
27. The integrated circuit of claim 26 further comprising at least one repeater, each repeater being coupled between a selected one of the clock domain converters and the asynchronous crossbar.
28. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein the integrated circuit comprises a synchronous optical network (SONET) interconnect switch, the plurality of synchronous modules comprising a plurality of SONET interfaces.
29. The integrated circuit of claim 28 further comprising at least one repeater, each repeater being coupled between a selected one of the clock domain converters and the asynchronous crossbar.
30. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein the integrated circuit comprises any of a CMOS integrated circuit, a GaAs integrated circuit, and a SiGe integrated circuit.
31. At least one computer-readable medium having data structures stored therein representative of the integrated circuit of claim 1.
32. The at least one computer-readable medium of claim 31 wherein the data structures comprise a simulatable representation of the integrated circuit.
33. The at least one computer-readable medium of claim 32 wherein the simulatable representation comprises a netlist.
34. The at least one computer-readable medium of claim 31 wherein the data structures comprise a code description of the integrated circuit.
35. The at least one computer-readable medium of claim 34 wherein the code description corresponds to a hardware description language.
36. A set of semiconductor processing masks representing the integrated circuit of claim 1.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A method for analyzing the chemical or physical properties of a fluid in a reaction flow stream comprising the steps of
(a) providing a tap line in a chemical process line for tapping off a sample of fluid from a reaction flow stream
(b) directing said sample of fluid to an analyzer for testing the physical andor chemical properties of said fluid
(c) collecting data on the physical andor chemical properties of a fluid from said analyzer and storing said data in a computer, and
(d) using said computer to control the parameters of the chemical reaction process
in said reaction flow stream, wherein the analyzer data is used by the computer to determine current reaction conditions and to control the reaction parameters to maintain or achieve preselected reaction conditions.
2. The method of claim 1 comprising the further step of selecting the analyzer of step (b) to be a rheometer whereby the rheological viscoelastic properties of the reaction flow stream are analyzed.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein step (d) further comprises the step of controlling parameters of the reaction selected from the group comprising temperature, flow rate, ratio of ingredients and mixtures thereof.
4. The method of claim 2 further comprising the steps of directing the sample of fluid through said rheometer where the fluid is trapped between two opposed moving surfaces in the rheometer, wherein one of the surfaces is connected to a transducer which measures the forces associated with the movement of the surface.
5. The method of claim 1 comprising the steps of
(a) closing the tap line when a sample is within the analyzer and obtaining data on said sample while isolated from the reaction flow stream
(b) opening said tap line to obtain a second sample and to return the first sample to said reaction flow stream
(c) closing the tap line to obtain data on said second sample, and
(d) continuing the process to substantially continuously monitor the properties of the reaction flow stream.
6. The method of claim 2 comprising the steps of
(a) closing the tap line when a sample is within the analyzer and obtaining data on said sample while isolated from the reaction flow stream,
(b) opening said tap line to obtain a second sample and to return the first sample to said reaction flow stream,
(c) closing the tap line to obtain data on said second sample, and
(d) continuing the process to substantially continuously monitor properties of the reaction flow stream.
7. An apparatus 40 for inline testing of properties of a fluid in a reaction flow stream comprising
(a) container walls 58 connected to container ends 64, 66,
(b) an actuator shaft 42 associated with a first end 64, said actuator shaft 42 being connected to a shear block 50 and being adapted for moving a shear block 50 within said container walls 58, and
(c) a force transducer 44 being associated with said actuator shaft 42 for measuring torque forces on said actuator shaft.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 which further comprises an outcropping 59 in container walls 58 and a step 51 on shearing block 50, separated by shearing gap 52, said outcropping 59 and said step 51 being adapted to be in close proximity to one another when shearing block 50 is positioned within apparatus 40 for obtaining test data.
9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein shearing block 50 has a cross-sectional shape different from the cross-sectional shape of outcropping 59, wherein recirculation gaps 60 are provided between outcropping 59 and step 51 when apparatus 40 is in testing mode.
10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the actuator shaft 42 and transducer 44 are protected from a sample by bellows 48, 54, said bellows 48, 54 permitting movement of actuator shaft 42 within apparatus 40.
11. The apparatus of claim 7 which is adapted to be connected to a reaction flow stream by a tap line whereby a sample enters apparatus 40 through a first end 64 through portal 46 and exits apparatus 40 through portal 56 at second end 66.
12. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein stopping means are provided for isolating a sample from a reaction flow stream by stopping sample flow through portals 46 and 56 when data is being obtained on said sample.
13. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein stopping means are provided for isolating a sample from a reaction flow stream by stopping sample flow through portals 46 and 56 when data is being obtained from said sample.
14. An apparatus 110 for inline testing of properties of a fluid in a reaction flow stream comprising
(a) a container 122 consisting of container ends 122B, 122C and ring 122A connected to each other by bellows 120,
(b) an actuator shaft 124 within container 122 being connected to a shearing ring 126 and being adapted for moving shearing ring 126 within said container 122, and
(c) a force transducer 128 being associated with said ring 122A for measuring torque forces on said ring 122A.
15. The apparatus of claim 14 in which a shearing gap 116 separates ring 122A and shearing ring 126 when shearing ring 126 is positioned within container 122 for obtaining test data.
16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein shearing ring 126 has a cross-sectional shape which includes recirculation gaps 118.
17. The apparatus of claim 14 which is adapted to be connected to a reaction flow stream by a tap line whereby a sample enters apparatus 110 through a first end 122B through portal 112 and exits apparatus 110 through portal 112A in second end 122C.