Application of bit-slice microprocessors to digital correlation in spread spectrum communication systems

This thesis describes the application of commercially available microprocessors and other VLSI devices to high-speed real-time digital correlation in spread spectrum and related communication applications. Spread spectrum communications are a wide-band secure communication system that generate a very broad spectral bandwidth signal that is therefore hard to detect in noise. They are capable of rejecting intentional or unintentional jamming, and are insensitive to the multipath and fading that affects conventional high frequency systems. The bandwidth of spread spectrum systems must be large to obtain a significant performance improvement. This means that the sequence rate must be fast and therefore very fast microprocessors will be required when they are used to perform spread spectrum correlation. Since multiplication cannot be performed efficiently by microprocessors considerable work, since 1974, has been published in the literature which is devoted to minimising the requirement of multiplications in digital correlation and other signal processing algorithms. These fast techniques are investigated and implemented using general-purpose microprocessors. The restricted-bandwidth problem in microprocessor-based digital correlator has been discussed. A new implementation is suggested which uses bit-slice devices to maintain the flexibility of microprocessor-based digital correlation without sacrificing speed. This microprocessor-based system has been found to be efficient in implementing the correlation process at the baseband in the digital domain as well as the post-correlation signal processing- demodulation, detection and tracking, especiaJIy for low rate signals. A charge coupled-device is used to obtain spectral density function. An all-digital technique which is programmable for any binary waveform and can be used for achieving initial acquisition and maintaining synchronisation in spread spectrum communications is described. Many of the practical implementation problems are discussed. The receiver performance, which is measured in terms of the acquisition time and the bit-error rate, is also presented and results are obtained which are close to those predicted in the system simulations

Research in the effective implementation of guidance computers with large scale arrays Interim report

Functional logic character implementation in breadboard design of NASA modular compute

Embedded Firmware Solutions

Computer scienc

Conception, optimisation, et vérification formelle de techniques de tolérance aux fautes pour circuits

Technology shrinking and voltage scaling increase the risk of fault occurrences in digital circuits. To address this challenge, engineers use fault-tolerance techniques to mask or, at least, to detect faults. These techniques are especially needed in safety critical domains (e.g., aerospace, medical, nuclear, etc.), where ensuring the circuit functionality and fault-tolerance is crucial. However, the verification of functional and fault-tolerance properties is a complex problem that cannot be solved with simulation-based methodologies due to the need to check a huge number of executions and fault occurrence scenarios. The optimization of the overheads imposed by fault-tolerance techniques also requires the proof that the circuit keeps its fault-tolerance properties after the optimization.In this work, we propose a verification-based optimization of existing fault-tolerance techniques as well as the design of new techniques and their formal verification using theorem proving. We first investigate how some majority voters can be removed from Triple-Modular Redundant (TMR) circuits without violating their fault-tolerance properties. The developed methodology clarifies how to take into account circuit native error-masking capabilities that may exist due to the structure of the combinational part or due to the way the circuit is used and communicates with the surrounding device.Second, we propose a family of time-redundant fault-tolerance techniques as automatic circuit transformations. They require less hardware resources than TMR alternatives and could be easily integrated in EDA tools. The transformations are based on the novel idea of dynamic time redundancy that allows the redundancy level to be changed "on-the-fly" without interrupting the computation. Therefore, time-redundancy can be used only in critical situations (e.g., above Earth poles where the radiation level is increased), during the processing of crucial data (e.g., the encryption of selected data), or during critical processes (e.g., a satellite computer reboot).Third, merging dynamic time redundancy with a micro-checkpointing mechanism, we have created a double-time redundancy transformation capable of masking transient faults. Our technique makes the recovery procedure transparent and the circuit input/output behavior remains unchanged even under faults. Due to the complexity of that method and the need to provide full assurance of its fault-tolerance capabilities, we have formally certified the technique using the Coq proof assistant. The developed proof methodology can be applied to certify other fault-tolerance techniques implemented through circuit transformations at the netlist level.La miniaturisation de la gravure et l'ajustement dynamique du voltage augmentent le risque de fautes dans les circuits intégrés. Pour pallier cet inconvénient, les ingénieurs utilisent des techniques de tolérance aux fautes pour masquer ou, au moins, détecter les fautes. Ces techniques sont particulièrement utilisées dans les domaines critiques (aérospatial, médical, nucléaire, etc.) où les garanties de bon fonctionnement des circuits et leurs tolérance aux fautes sont cruciales. Cependant, la vérification de propriétés fonctionnelles et de tolérance aux fautes est un problème complexe qui ne peut être résolu par simulation en raison du grand nombre d'exécutions possibles et de scénarios d'occurrence des fautes. De même, l'optimisation des surcoûts matériels ou temporels imposés par ces techniques demande de garantir que le circuit conserve ses propriétés de tolérance aux fautes après optimisation.Dans cette thèse, nous décrivons une optimisation de techniques de tolérance aux fautes classiques basée sur des analyses statiques, ainsi que de nouvelles techniques basées sur la redondance temporelle. Nous présentons comment leur correction peut être vérifiée formellement à l'aide d'un assistant de preuves.Nous étudions d'abord comment certains voteurs majoritaires peuvent être supprimés des circuits basés sur la redondance matérielle triple (TMR) sans violer leurs propriétés de tolérance. La méthodologie développée prend en compte les particularités des circuits (par ex. masquage logique d'erreurs) et des entrées/sorties pour optimiser la technique TMR.Deuxièmement, nous proposons une famille de techniques utilisant la redondance temporelle comme des transformations automatiques de circuits. Elles demandent moins de ressources matérielles que TMR et peuvent être facilement intégrés dans les outils de CAO. Les transformations sont basées sur une nouvelle idée de redondance temporelle dynamique qui permet de modifier le niveau de redondance «à la volée» sans interrompre le calcul. Le niveau de redondance peut être augmenté uniquement dans les situations critiques (par exemple, au-dessus des pôles où le niveau de rayonnement est élevé), lors du traitement de données cruciales (par exemple, le cryptage de données sensibles), ou pendant des processus critiques (par exemple, le redémarrage de l'ordinateur d'un satellite).Troisièmement, en associant la redondance temporelle dynamique avec un mécanisme de micro-points de reprise, nous proposons une transformation avec redondance temporelle double capable de masquer les fautes transitoires. La procédure de recouvrement est transparente et le comportement entrée/sortie du circuit reste identique même lors d'occurrences de fautes. En raison de la complexité de cette méthode, la garantie totale de sa correction a nécessité une certification formelle en utilisant l'assistant de preuves Coq. La méthodologie développée peut être appliquée pour certifier d'autres techniques de tolérance aux fautes exprimées comme des transformations de circuits