ConcurrenC: A New Approach towards Effective Abstraction of C-Based SLDLs
Weiwei Chen, Rainer Dömer · IFIP advances in information and communication technology · 2009
Embedded system design in general can only be successful if it is based on a suitable Model of Computation (MoC) that can be well represented in an executable System-level Description Language (SLDL) and is supported by a matching set of design tools. While C-based SLDLs, such as SystemC and SpecC, are popular in system-level modeling and validation, current tool flows impose serious restrictions on the synthesizable subset of the supported SLDL. A properly aligned and clean system-level MoC is often neglected or even ignored. In this paper, we motivate the need for a well-defined MoC in embedded system design. We discuss the close relationship between SLDLs and the abstract models they can represent, in contrast to the smaller set of models the tools can support. Based on these findings, we then outline a new approach, called ConcurrenC , that defines a true system level of abstraction, aptly fits system modeling requirements, and can be expressed precisely in both SystemC and SpecC. Using the case study of a H.264 video decoder, we demonstrate how the ConcurrenC approach meets the needs and characteristics of a industry size embedded application. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.