Patent EP-1065611-A3 (EP)
Inventor: VAN ROMPAEY
IPC: H04B1/707
Filed: 1996-10-03
Abstract: The present invention is related to a design apparatus compiled on a computer environment for generating from a heterogeneous specification a heterogeneous implementation of a system, said system comprising at least one digital system part, said heterogeneous specification comprising a number of paradigms having associated behavioural and structural languages, said heterogeneous implementation comprising hardware parts and software parts, said apparatus comprising:
     a database compiled on said computer environment, adapted for access by executable programs on said computer environment for generating the implementation of said system, said database comprising a plurality of objects representing aspects of said system wherein said objects comprise primitive objects representing the specification of said system and hierarchical objects being created by said executable programs while generating the implementation of said system, said hierarchical objects being refinements of said primitive objects and having more detail and preserving any one or all of said aspects to thereby generate said implementation of said system; and said database further comprising relations in-between said primitive objects and in-between said hierarchical objects and between said primitive objects and said hierarchical objects; and further comprising functions for manipulating said objects and said relations;   means for simulating said system comprising a plurality of simulators for said behavioural and structural languages;   means for implementing said system comprising a plurality of compilers for said behavioural and structural languages; means for allocating hardware components for an implementation of said system;   means for assigning hardware subsystems and software subsystems to allocated hardware components;   means for implementing the communication between said software subsystems and said hardware subsystems, one of the aspects of said communication being represented by ports; characterized in that said apparatus further comprises:   means for creating processor models of said allocated hardware components as primitive objects in said database, said models comprising software models representing the software views on said hardware components and hardware models representing the hardware views on said hardware components,   means for specifying said system in said apparatus, the specification in said apparatus comprising processes being primitive objects and comprising ports, said ports structuring the communication between said processes and being primitive objects, said process comprising a description of each of the different parts of said system in a specific host language encapsulation, said encapsulation comprising threads and context, a plurality of behavioural and structural languages being supported in said apparatus, and   
means for encapsulating said simulators, said compilers, said hardware components, said hardware subsystems and said software subsystems in said apparatus to thereby create a consistent communication between said encapsulation and said encapsulated simulators, compilers, hardware components, hardware subsystems and software subsystems, thereby enabling the refinement process of said primitive objects while generating the implementation of said system.