A Simulation Tool Chain for Investigating Future V2X-based Automotive E/E Architectures

Due to the evermore rising number of functions, current E/E architectures are more and more a vulnerable source for faults and a barrier to innovation. This situation is aggravated by the integration of new technologies like Vehicle-to-X Communication (V2XC) which form the basis for a large number of future services and applications. At the same time, this “opening” of the E/E architecture to the outside world increases potential for non-deterministic disturbances. In order to overcome the limitations of current E/E architectures, application of new design principles and methodologies is necessary. Platform-based design (PBD) is a promising solution for the development of safety-critical functions, to increase reliability and to reduce development cost. Within this context, we propose a novel extensible tool chain that targets the facilitation of exploration, validation and verification of future V2X-based automotive E/E architectures. The tool chain supports composition of heterogeneous domain-specific models by integrating a heterogeneous modeling tool with a simulation middleware and serves as starting point for the investigation of PBD concepts in the V2X context. We believe that the tool chain can support modeling and validation of future V2X-based E/E architectures. In the final paper, we will evaluate the proposed approach by means of a case study regarding validation capabilities as well as execution performance

Weighted p-bits for FPGA implementation of probabilistic circuits

Probabilistic spin logic (PSL) is a recently proposed computing paradigm based on unstable stochastic units called probabilistic bits (p-bits) that can be correlated to form probabilistic circuits (p-circuits). These p-circuits can be used to solve problems of optimization, inference and also to implement precise Boolean functions in an "inverted" mode, where a given Boolean circuit can operate in reverse to find the input combinations that are consistent with a given output. In this paper we present a scalable FPGA implementation of such invertible p-circuits. We implement a "weighted" p-bit that combines stochastic units with localized memory structures. We also present a generalized tile of weighted p-bits to which a large class of problems beyond invertible Boolean logic can be mapped, and how invertibility can be applied to interesting problems such as the NP-complete Subset Sum Problem by solving a small instance of this problem in hardware

Compilation for heterogeneous SoCs : bridging the gap between software and target-specific mechanisms

International audienceCurrent applications constraints are pushing for higher computation power while reducing energy consumption, driving the development of increasingly specialized socs. In the mean time, these socs are still programmed in assembly language to make use of their specific hardware mechanisms. The constraints on hardware development bringing specialization, hence heterogeneity, it is essential to support these new mechanisms using high-level programming. In this work, we use a parametric data flow formalism to abstract the application from any hardware platform. From this premise, we propose to contribute to the compilation of target independent programs on heterogeneous platforms. These developments are threefold, with 1) the support of hardware accelerators for computation using actor fusion, 2) the automatic generation of communications on complex memory layouts and 3) the synchronization of distributed cores using hardware mechanisms for scheduling. The code generation is illustrated on a telecommunication dedicated heterogeneous soc

ReSCon '09, Research Student Conference: Book of Abstracts

The second SED Research Student Conference (ReSCon2009) was hosted over three days, 22-24 June 2009, in the Lecture Centre at Brunel University. The conference consisted of technical presentations, a poster session and social events. The abstracts and presentations were the result of ongoing research by postgraduate research students from the School of Engineering and Design at Brunel University. The conference is held annually, and ReSCon plays a key role in contributing to research and innovations within the School

Design synthesis for dynamically reconfigurable logic systems

Dynamic reconfiguration of logic circuits has been a research problem for over four decades. While applications using logic reconfiguration in practical scenarios have been demonstrated, the design of these systems has proved to be a difficult process demanding the skills of an experienced reconfigurable logic design expert. This thesis proposes an automatic synthesis method which relieves designers of some of the difficulties associated with designing partially dynamically reconfigurable systems. A new design abstraction model for reconfigurable systems is proposed in order to support design exploration using the presented method. Given an input behavioural model, a technology server and a set of design constraints, the method will generate a reconfigurable design solution in the form of a 3D floorplan and a configuration schedule. The approach makes use of genetic algorithms. It facilitates global optimisation to accommodate multiple design objectives common in reconfigurable system design, while making realistic estimates of configuration overheads and of the potential for resource sharing between configurations. A set of custom evolutionary operators has been developed to cope with a multiple-objective search space. Furthermore, the application of a simulation technique verifying the lll results of such an automatic exploration is outlined in the thesis. The qualities of the proposed method are evaluated using a set of benchmark designs taking data from a real reconfigurable logic technology. Finally, some extensions to the proposed method and possible research directions are discussed

Aeronautical engineering: A continuing bibliography with indexes (supplement 238)

This bibliography lists 458 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in March, 1989. Subject coverage includes: design, construction and testing of aircraft and aircraft engines; aircraft components, equipment and systems; ground support systems; and theoretical and applied aspects of aerodynamics and general fluid dynamics

High-speed dynamic partial reconfiguration for field programmable gate arrays

With dynamically and partially reconfigurable designs, it is necessary that the speed of the reconfiguration be accomplished in a time that is sufficiently small such that the operation of reconfiguration is not the limiting factor in the process. Therefore, the communication between the source of configuration and the configurable unit must be made as fast as possible. The aim of this work is to use an embedded controller internal to the FPGA to control the reconfiguration process and obtain the maximum speed at which reconfiguration can occur, with current FPGA technology. The use of Direct Memory Access (DMA) driven operations instead of the current arbitrated bus architectures yielded a 30% increase in the speed of reconfiguration compared to other methods such as OPB_HWICAP and PLB_HWICAP [1]. The use of interrupt driven partial reconfiguration was also introduced, allowing the processor to switch to other tasks during the reconfiguration operation. All of these contributions lead to significant performance improvements over current partial reconfiguration subsystems. The configuration controller was tested using four partially reconfigurable system implementations: (i) one targeting the Hard IP PowerPC405 on Virtex-4, (ii) a second targeting the Soft IP MicroBlaze on Virtex-5, (iii) a third targeting the Hard IP PowerPC440 on Virtex-5, and (iv) a fourth system targets the Hard IP PowerPC440 on Virtex-5 capable of adaptive feedback. The adaptive feedback Virtex-5 system can use internal voltage and temperature measurements from the Xilinx System Monitor IP to dynamically increase or decrease the speed of reconfiguration and/or change other reconfigurable aspects of the system to better match the environment

Aeronautical engineering: A continuing bibliography with indexes (supplement 254)

This bibliography lists 538 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in June 1990. Subject coverage includes: design, construction and testing of aircraft and aircraft engines; aircraft components, equipment and systems; ground support systems; and theoretical and applied aspects of aerodynamics and general fluid dynamics