IEEE Standard 1500 Compliance Verification for Embedded Cores

Core-based design and reuse are the two key elements for an efficient system-on-chip (SoC) development. Unfortunately, they also introduce new challenges in SoC testing, such as core test reuse and the need of a common test infrastructure working with cores originating from different vendors. The IEEE 1500 Standard for Embedded Core Testing addresses these issues by proposing a flexible hardware test wrapper architecture for embedded cores, together with a core test language (CTL) used to describe the implemented wrapper functionalities. Several intellectual property providers have already announced IEEE Standard 1500 compliance in both existing and future design blocks. In this paper, we address the problem of guaranteeing the compliance of a wrapper architecture and its CTL description to the IEEE Standard 1500. This step is mandatory to fully trust the wrapper functionalities in applying the test sequences to the core. We present a systematic methodology to build a verification framework for IEEE Standard 1500 compliant cores, allowing core providers and/or integrators to verify the compliance of their products (sold or purchased) to the standar

Modeling, Simulation and Emulation of Intelligent Domotic Environments

Intelligent Domotic Environments are a promising approach, based on semantic models and commercially off-the-shelf domotic technologies, to realize new intelligent buildings, but such complexity requires innovative design methodologies and tools for ensuring correctness. Suitable simulation and emulation approaches and tools must be adopted to allow designers to experiment with their ideas and to incrementally verify designed policies in a scenario where the environment is partly emulated and partly composed of real devices. This paper describes a framework, which exploits UML2.0 state diagrams for automatic generation of device simulators from ontology-based descriptions of domotic environments. The DogSim simulator may simulate a complete building automation system in software, or may be integrated in the Dog Gateway, allowing partial simulation of virtual devices alongside with real devices. Experiments on a real home show that the approach is feasible and can easily address both simulation and emulation requirement

From MARTE to Reconfigurable NoCs: A model driven design methodology

Due to the continuous exponential rise in SoC's design complexity, there is a critical need to find new seamless methodologies and tools to handle the SoC co-design aspects. We address this issue and propose a novel SoC co-design methodology based on Model Driven Engineering and the MARTE (Modeling and Analysis of Real-Time and Embedded Systems) standard proposed by Object Management Group, to raise the design abstraction levels. Extensions of this standard have enabled us to move from high level specifications to execution platforms such as reconfigurable FPGAs. In this paper, we present a high level modeling approach that targets modern Network on Chips systems. The overall objective: to perform system modeling at a high abstraction level expressed in Unified Modeling Language (UML); and afterwards, transform these high level models into detailed enriched lower level models in order to automatically generate the necessary code for final FPGA synthesis

Using the Internet of Things to Teach Good Software Engineering Practice to High School Students

This paper describes a course to introduce high school students to software engineering in practice using the Internet Of Things (IoT). IoT devices allow students to get quick, visible results without watering down technical aspects of programming and networking. The course has three broad goals: (1) to make software engineering fun and applicable, with the aim of recruiting traditionally underrepresented groups into computing; (2) to make young students begin to approach problems with a design mindset; and (3) to show students that computer science, generally, and software engineering, specifically, is about much more than programming. The course unfolds in three segments. The first is a whirlwind introduction to a subset of IoT technologies. Students complete a specific task (or set of tasks) using each technology. This segment culminates in a “do-it-yourself” project, in which the students implement a simple IoT application using their basic knowledge of the technologies. The course’s second segment introduces software engineering practices, again primarily via hands-on practical tutorials. In the third segment of the course, the students conceive of, design, and implement a project that uses the technologies introduced in the first segment, all while being attentive to the good software engineering practices acquired in the second segment. In addition to presenting the course curriculum, the paper also discusses a first offering of the course in a threeweek summer intensive program in 2017, including assessments done to evaluate the curriculum.Cockrell School of Engineerin

System-level object-orientation in the specification and validation of embedded systems

The main aim of this paper is to present how the Unified Modeling Language (UML) can be used as the notation to specify the requirements of an embedded system. By using a relatively small, but real, system (a supervision application) as a running example, the paper illustrates the design flow that can be followed during the analysis phase of complex control applications. To assure the continuous mapping of the models, the authors propose some guidelines to transform the use case diagrams into a single object diagram, which is the main diagram for the next development phases (design and implementation). The Java programming language is used for developing a system’s prototype, to allow the system’s validation by the customers

Models for Co-Design of Heterogeneous Dynamically Reconfigurable SoCs

International audienceThe design of Systems-on-Chip is becoming an increasing difficult challenge due to the continuous exponential evolution of the targeted complex architectures and applications. Thus, seamless methodologies and tools are required to resolve the SoC design issues. This chapter presents a high level component based approach for expressing system reconfigurability in SoC co-design. A generic model of reactive control is presented for Gaspard2, a SoC co-design framework. Control integration in different levels of the framework is explored along with a comparison of their advantages and disadvantages. Afterwards, control integration at another high abstraction level is investigated which proves to be more beneficial then the other alternatives. This integration allows to integrate reconfigurability features in modern SoCs. Finally a case study is presented for validation purposes. The presented works are based on Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) and UML MARTE profile for modeling and analysis of real-time embedded systems

CONTREX: Design of embedded mixed-criticality CONTRol systems under consideration of EXtra-functional properties

The increasing processing power of today’s HW/SW platforms leads to the integration of more and more functions in a single device. Additional design challenges arise when these functions share computing resources and belong to different criticality levels. The paper presents the CONTREX European project and its preliminary results. CONTREX complements current activities in the area of predictable computing platforms and segregation mechanisms with techniques to consider the extra-functional properties, i.e., timing constraints, power, and temperature. CONTREX enables energy efficient and cost aware design through analysis and optimization of these properties with regard to application demands at different criticality levels

Building Blocks for Control System Software

Software implementation of control laws for industrial systems seem straightforward, but is not. The computer code stemming from the control laws is mostly not more than 10 to 30% of the total. A building-block approach for embedded control system development is advocated to enable a fast and efficient software design process.\ud We have developed the CTJ library, Communicating Threads for Java¿,\ud resulting in fundamental elements for creating building blocks to implement communication using channels. Due to the simulate-ability, our building block method is suitable for a concurrent engineering design approach. Furthermore, via a stepwise refinement process, using verification by simulation, the implementation trajectory can be done efficiently

Technological adaptation for an electric wheelchair, applying a modular approach

Los productos de apoyo, como las sillas de ruedas eléctricas, ayudan a que las personas en situación de discapacidad se integren en la sociedad. Sin embargo, frecuentemente, en países en desarrollo, como Colombia, la industria en este campo aún está en proceso de consolidación abasteciendo de la demanda mediante importación. Adicionalmente, la situación socioeconómica de algunos usuarios demanda, comúnmente, el re-uso de este tipo de productos. En este contexto, es frecuente la realización de adaptaciones tecnológicas a estos productos. Considerando las graves consecuencias físicas que pueden inducir una inadecuada adaptación tecnológica a sillas de ruedas eléctricas, se hace necesario avanzar en la definición de acertados procedimientos que integren sinérgicamente teorías y herramientas de diseño en diferentes dominios, tales como: mecánica, electrónica y ciencias de la computación. Así, este articulo presenta la integración de herramientas de modelado, formales y semiformales, tales como: diseño centrado en usuario, IDEF0, UML, Red de Petri, CAD, CAE, entre otras, para asegurar adaptaciones tecnológicas usando un abordaje modular en una silla de ruedas eléctrica usada que permitiera su re-uso a las nuevas condiciones de operación impuestas por otro usuario. La flexibilidad estructural evidenciada por el abordaje utilizado favorece el cumplimiento de futuros requisitos por un posible re-uso de otro usuario.Supporting products, such as electric wheelchairs, help people with disabilities integrate into society. However, often, in developing countries such as Colombia, the industry in this field it is still in the process of supplying consolidation of demand through imports. In addition, the socioeconomic situations of some users commonly demand the re-use of these products. In this context, the technological realization of adaptations to these products is common. Considering the serious physical consequences that could induce an inadequate technological adaptation to electric wheelchairs, it is necessary to advance in the definition of successful procedures that integrate synergistically theories and design tools in different domains, such as: mechanical, electronic and science computing. Thus, this paper presents the integration of modeling tools, formal and semi-formal, such as user-centered, IDEF0, UML, Petri Network, CAD, CAE, among others, to ensure technological adaptations using a modular approach in a chair design used electric wheelchair that would allow their re-use to new operating conditions imposed by another user. The structural flexibility as evidenced by the approach used promotes compliance with future requirements for possible re-use of another user