Implementing Modal Software in Data Flow for Heterogeneous Architectures
J.W. Steed, Kerry B. Barnes, William Lundgren · Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) · 2004
Software for embedded systems is often based on distinct processing modes. A simple example of such modal behavior is a radar system that switches between search mode and tracking mode as targets are located. In complex software systems, the system may have dozens of modes, including sub-modes, forming a deep hierarchy. Such large embedded systems often must be implemented on boards of multiple digital signal processors (DSP). Increasingly, field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) are being used alongside DSPs as a method for meeting the throughput and latency requirements of these systems. Gedae is an integrated design environment for deployed systems and advanced demonstrators based on DSPs (e.g., AltiVec, PowerPC, TigerSHARC) or distributed networks (e.g., Linux clusters). This paper describes extensions to Gedae's language that empower developers to easily develop modal software and enable them to port that software to heterogeneous architectures, including a new class of boards that contain both DSPs and FPGAs.