Patent ID: 7502879
Filing Date: 2009-03-10
Classification: H03K

Abstract:
1. An integrated circuit chip pertaining to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), the integrated circuit chip comprising: at least a pair of external terminals for communicating with other components or circuits; an internal circuit providing main functions of the chip; an interchangeable circuit, provided between the terminals and the internal circuit, including at least first, second, third and fourth signal pins for signal transference and a selecting pin, the first and second signal pins connecting with the external terminals, the third and fourth signal pins connecting with the internal circuit, wherein the external terminals of the chip remain unchanged via the interchangeable circuit despite of different layouts of the internal circuit causing changes to the third and fourth signal pins so that the integrated circuit chip remains compatible despite changes to the terminals thereof, wherein the interchangeable circuit includes first and second gates, each of the gates having first and second inputs and one output, the first input of the first gate and the second input of the second gate are coupled to the first signal pin, the second input of the first gate and the first input of the second gate are coupled to the second signal pin, the output of the first gate is coupled to the third signal pin and the output of the second gate is coupled to the fourth signal pin, further, a control node of the gates is coupled to the selecting pin, and wherein the selecting pin is applied to a control signal to cause the first signal pin to be electrically connected with the third signal pin and the second signal pin to be electrically connected with the fourth signal pin to interchange the external terminals of the chip through an operation of the gates controlled by the control signal.