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Models and Abstractions (1991)
| Venue: | in Design, Design Studies |
| Citations: | 3 - 0 self |
BibTeX
@INPROCEEDINGS{Hoover91modelsand,
author = {Greg Hoover},
title = {Models and Abstractions},
booktitle = {in Design, Design Studies},
year = {1991}
}
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Abstract
Architectural advances of modern systems has often been at odds with control complexity, requiring significant effort in both design and verification. This is particularly true for sequential controllers, where machine complexity can quickly surpass designer ability. Traditional solutions to this problem require elaborate specifications that are difficult to maintain and extend. Further, the logic generated from these specifications bares no resemblance to the intended behavior and often fails to meet design performance constraints. In the process of designing a multi-threaded, dynamically-pipelined microcontroller, we encountered a number of common difficulties that arise from the inadequacies of traditional pipeline design methodologies. Through the use of a novel nondeterministic finite automata (NFA) specification model, we were able to implement an extensible control structure with minimal design effort. In this paper we present a viable pipeline controller specification methodology using the pyPBS language, which enables minimal effort control partitioning and compact behavioral representation. The structure of the language encourages design decisions that promote efficient modular constructions which can be easily integrated and extended. We present an overview of the our methodology including background on the pyPBS synthesis model, an architectural overview of our multi-threaded microcontroller, and implementation details for the control structure of the design including the complete control specifications. In addition, we show that the applicative nature of the pyPBS language allows for addition of a multi-cycle multiplication unit with minimal effort.
Keyphrases
pypbs language compact behavioral representation specification model implementation detail modern system machine complexity traditional solution common difficulty efficient modular construction control structure design performance constraint applicative nature dynamically-pipelined microcontroller architectural overview novel nondeterministic finite automaton minimal effort control pypbs synthesis model minimal design effort significant effort complete control specification designer ability viable pipeline controller specification methodology control complexity architectural advance problem require elaborate specification multi-threaded microcontroller sequential controller extensible control structure traditional pipeline design methodology design decision multi-cycle multiplication unit minimal effort
