Cycle Accurate Simulation Scheduler for Circuit Design
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing simulation methods for digital systems face a tradeoff between execution speed and the amount of information generated, with event-driven simulations providing detailed but slow results and transaction-level simulations offering faster but less detailed information, necessitating a technique that balances speed and detail in circuit design simulation.
Innovation Solution
A cycle accurate simulation system utilizing software objects to represent hardware functions, executed by a scheduler at clock cycle boundaries, with synchronous and asynchronous input/output functions, and an API for debugging, to provide efficient and detailed simulation results.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If event driven simulation is used to provide detailed signal values at every moment in time, then measurement precision is improved, but execution speed deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The simulation is segmented into distinct levels: cycle-accurate simulation for control signals and transaction-level simulation for data signals. This segmentation allows each level to be simulated with appropriate detail and speed, avoiding the need for event-driven simulation at all levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The simulation system dynamically switches between different simulation granularities based on the type of signal being simulated. Control signals are simulated at cycle-accurate level while data signals are simulated at transaction level, optimizing both detail and speed for different signal types.
2Productivity
If transaction level simulation is used to increase execution speed, then productivity is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The simulation is segmented into distinct levels: cycle-accurate simulation for control signals and transaction-level simulation for data signals. This segmentation allows each level to be simulated with appropriate detail and speed, avoiding the need for event-driven simulation at all levels.
Solution Approach 2:
Different levels of simulation detail are applied to different parts of the system based on local requirements. Control signals requiring precise timing are simulated at cycle-accurate level, while data signals are simulated at transaction level, optimizing the overall simulation.
3Quantity of substance
If event driven simulation is used to provide comprehensive signal information, then quantity of information is improved, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The simulation is segmented into distinct levels: cycle-accurate simulation for control signals and transaction-level simulation for data signals. This segmentation allows each level to be simulated with appropriate detail and speed, avoiding the need for event-driven simulation at all levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The simulation provides partial detail where appropriate - cycle-accurate information for control signals and transaction-level information for data signals. This partial action approach provides sufficient information for verification without the excessive detail that would slow down the simulation.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for performing cycle accurate simulation of a circuit design can include a plurality of cycle accurate models, wherein each cycle accurate model is a software object representation of a hardware function, and a scheduler configured to execute each cycle accurate model at clock cycle boundaries determined during a simulation session.