Object-oriented techniques in hardware design

We focus on using object-oriented techniques to improve the hardware design process. The advantages of these techniques for hardware design include: improved modifiability and maintainability of models; easy component instantiation with different parameters; quick composition of new components; the ability to identify and reuse common components; the ability to tailor general-purpose components to more specialized components; support of dynamic object creation and destruction; and the possibility of employing existing software synthesis and verification techniques. We illustrate the application of object-oriented techniques using a load-store, reduced instruction-set processor that contains a local memory. The instruction set consists of 22 instructions, which require one or two 16-bit words. Arithmetic is performed in two's complement. We use C++ to demonstrate the usefulness of object-oriented techniques, not to provide arguments for or against its use in hardware modeling and design     

The Monarch parallel processor hardware design

The Monarch architecture team took advantage of custom VLSI in the design of a shared-memory parallel processor. The simple structure eases the task of programming a massively parallel machine     

防爆静电在线测量仪硬件设计

针对静电危险场所静电累计电压难以测量的现状,给出了一种防爆静电在线测量仪硬件设计,该硬件结合对应的软件,构建了一款防爆静电在线测量仪,其为静电危险场所累计电压的在线连续实时测量奠定了一定基础,具有实用价值。     

硬件实时操作系统的设计与实现

在阐述了硬件实时操作系统的结构和运行机制的基础上,着重论述了基于FPGA设计实现的硬件实时操作系统,并在Actel公司的APA075上实现了任务调度、中断管理、定时器管理等实时操作系统基本功能。该硬件实时操作系统具有强实时性、高确定性和低系统开销等优点。     

一种神经网络硬件实现的可重构设计

以BP网络为例,提出了一种可重构神经网络硬件实现方法。通过可重构体系结构、可重构部件的设计,可以灵活地实现不同规模、传递函数及学习方法的神经网络,从而搭建起神经网络快速硬件实现的平台。经过对一个模式识别问题的实现和测试,证明了这种设计方法的可行性。     

Evolvable hardware: using evolutionary computation to design and optimize hardware systems

Evolvable hardware lies at the intersection of evolutionary computation and physical design. Through the use of evolutionary computation methods, the field seeks to develop a variety of technologies that enable automatic design, adaptation, and reconfiguration of electrical and mechanical hardware systems in ways that outperform conventional techniques. This article surveys evolvable hardware with emphasis on some of the latest developments, many of which deliver performance exceeding traditional methods. As such, the field of evolvable hardware is just now starting to emerge from the research laboratory and into mainstream hardware applications.     

PXA255处理器最小系统的硬件设计

本设计采用的Xscale架构处理器是为新一代无线手持应用产品开发的嵌入式处理器,是PCA()开发式平台构架中的应用子系统与通信子系统的嵌入式处理器。本文根据作者的实际开发,针对IntelXSale架构处理器芯片PXA255结构特点,主要研究了该芯片最小系统硬件电路设计的方法,系统由JTAG仿真接口电路,电源电路,复位电路,以及外围存储器接口电路组成。并结合实际应用情况,给出了相应电路。     

JPEG图像硬件解码低功耗设计

分析了JPEG标准的压缩/解压缩算法,以VLSI方式实现了基于JPEG标准的解码流程,在关键模块--Huffman解码、IDCT上进行了算法级、结构级和电路级等层次的综合考虑,使其有更好的功耗代价,使其能够在图像传感器上得到应用.通过测试平台对其VLSI进行了RTL级和门级的仿真.结果表明,功能符合需求.     

Conceptual design of industrial process displays

Today, process displays used in industry are often designed on the basis of piping and instrumentation diagrams without any method of ensuring that the needs of the operators are fulfilled. Therefore, a method for a systematic approach to the design of process displays is needed. This paper discusses aspects of process display design taking into account both the designer's and the operator's points of view. Three aspects are emphasized: the operator tasks, the display content and the display form. The distinction between these three aspects is the basis for proposing an outline for a display design method that matches the industrial practice of modular plant design and satisfies the needs of reusability of display design solutions. The main considerations in display design in the industry are to specify the operator's activities in detail, to extract the information the operators need from the plant design specification and documentation, and finally to present this information. The form of the display is selected from existing standardized display elements such as trend curves, mimic diagrams, ecological interfaces, etc. Further knowledge is required to invent new display elements. That is, knowledge about basic visual means of presenting information and how humans perceive and interpret these means and combinations. This knowledge is required in the systematic selection of graphical items for a given display content. The industrial part of the method is first illustrated in the paper by a simple example from a plant with batch processes. Later the method is applied to develop a supervisory display for a condenser system in a nuclear power plant. The differences between the continuous plant domain of power production and the batch processes from the example are analysed and broad categories of display types are proposed. The problems involved in specification and invention of a supervisory display are analysed and conclusions from these problems are made. It is concluded that the design method proposed provides a framework for the progress of the display design and is useful in pin-pointing the actual problems. The method was useful in reducing the number of existing displays that could fulfil the requirements of the supervision task. The method provided at the same time a framework for dealing with the problems involved in inventing new displays based on structured analysis. However the problems in a systematic approach to display invention still need consideration.     

Extraction of characteristic features of images with the help of the radon transform and its hardware implementation in terms of cellular automata

Principles of implementation of cellular automata with hexagonal coverage are considered as applied to pattern recognition and image processing based on the Radon transform. Software and hardware implementations of the developed structure are simulated in the Active-HDL environment. The results of finding straight lines and segments and also of image recognition are presented.     

State-of-the-art virtual reality hardware for computer-aided design

Virtual reality is an exciting new field, which may offer significant improvements in the efficiency of human-computer interface for a wide variety of computer applications. This paper serves to identify technology developments in virtual reality hardware devices that may allow for development of a more efficient user interface for computer-aided design packages for mechanical design functions. Presented is a survey of the current state of the art in the rapidly changing field of virtual reality hardware devices. The devices are broken down into classes that are related to user interface features that may improve the efficiency of computer-aided design functions. Classes of virtual reality hardware devices are identified needing future research and development to implement the most effective virtual reality computer-aided design interface.     

面向敏捷硬件设计的符号模拟器设计与实现

敏捷硬件设计方法中,RTL建模常使用自定义的描述语言,并将设计转换为某种中间格式,为设计验证带来了新挑战。符号模拟技术是(限界)模型检验、等价性检查和测试生成等验证技术的基础,为构建敏捷硬件设计方法验证技术基础,针对PyRTL语言及其中间格式,设计并实现了一个符号模拟器。介绍了符号模拟器的设计原理、转换规则等关键技术。实验结果表明了所实现的符号模拟器的正确性。     

多参数空气质量检测仪的硬件电路设计

在分析公共场合空气质量的基础上,研究开发了一款以MSP430为核心的气体检测仪。介绍了该系统的硬件电路实现方法。该系统以低功耗MSP430F2252单片机为核心,选择高精密传感探头,多种传感探头协同工作,可完成多种污染源的检测;对检测电路、信号处理电路以及反馈电路进行了设计和改造;系统检测的数据可通过液晶显示,通过存储电路存储及查询,数据超限时还可通过报警电路声光报警。经实验验证,系统具有低功耗、数据精确可靠、性能稳定、方便携带以及价格低廉等优点。     

高精度实验室温度检测系统的硬件设计

针对计量实验室的控温要求,提出了一种高智能的温度测量系统。运用数字温度传感器DS18B20作为温度传感器。以AT89S51单片机为核心来构成温度检测系统,给出了该温度测量系统的硬件设计方案,并介绍了若干关键环节芯片的选择。     

双目图像校正VLSI硬件电路结构设计

针对已有立体视觉中双目图像校正算法计算复杂度较高,不适合硬件实现的问题,提出了一种双目图像几何校正模型,并设计了VLSI硬件电路结构。利用网格模板标定法获取畸变校正模型参数,进行单目畸变图像的校正;再借助双目标定算法获得双目图像校正外部参数,得到立体校正模型,进行立体校正。结合畸变校正模型和立体校正模型,设计一个新的双目图像几何校正模型,并基于此模型设计双目图像几何校正VLSI硬件电路结构,具有较好的几何校正效果,也能够保证校正后的双目图像分辨率。     

Reliability and accuracy requires detailed hardware design

It is often asserted that microcomputer-based products require less experience and effort in hardware design than alternative electronic approaches. Using as an example of a small computer designed for educational purposes this paper outlines some of the detail of hardware design essential for even simple peripheral equipment.     

Model checking: a hardware design perspective

Current practices in the verification of commercial hardware designs (digital, synchronous, and sequential semiconductors) are described. Recent advances in verification by the mathematical technique called model checking are described, and requirements for the successful application of model checking in commercial design are discussed.