Patent ID: 6904398
Filing Date: 2005-06-07
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method of simulating an application specific processor (ASP) comprising: defining a functional model in a high level language for simulating the architectural behaviour of the ASP, wherein in the functional model a CPU and a set of peripherals are defined; generating for each peripheral an interface functions file which defines the communication attributes of the peripheral with the processor and the functional attributes of the peripheral in a manner independent of any particular data structure, and a test functions file which defines the communication attributes of the processor with the peripheral in a manner independent of any particular data structure; simulating in the high level language as part of the functional model an application executable by the CPU and operations of the set of peripherals for a predetermined simulation phase, the application executable by the CPU including the test functions file and the operations of the set of peripherals including the interface functions file; outputting the state of the application and the state of the peripherals at the end of the predetermined phase to a modelling file in the high level language; converting the modelling file in the high level language to a simulation language for simulating the ASP at circuit level; and simulating the ASP at circuit level using the simulation language for a subsequent simulation phase.