Hybrid Emulation Time Correlation via Co-Simulation Interface
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Solution Overview
Problem
In hybrid emulation systems, debugging system behavior is challenging due to the lack of correlation between simulation and emulation time domains, making it difficult to understand the relationship between activities in the simulation and emulation environments.
Innovation Solution
A co-simulation interface captures transaction and event times in the emulation time domain and stores them in the simulation time domain, allowing for correlation between activities in both domains, enabling a user interface to display both emulation and simulation times for each event and transaction, facilitating easier validation and debugging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If simulation and emulation run in free-running mode with independent time domains, then concurrency and independence are improved, but time correlation and debugging capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a time domain correlation mechanism that acts as an intermediary between the simulation time domain and emulation time domain. This mechanism captures transaction times in the emulation time domain, stores them in the simulation time domain, and enables correlation between activities in both domains without disrupting the independent free-running operation of simulation and emulation engines.
2Adaptability or versatility
If simulation and emulation operate in separate time domains, then system independence and flexibility are improved, but debugging efficiency and activity correlation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where transaction times captured from the emulation time domain are stored and made accessible in the simulation time domain. This feedback loop enables the user interface to display both emulation and simulation times for each event and transaction, providing correlation information that enhances debugging efficiency while preserving time domain independence.
Data Source
AI summary
A hybrid emulation system includes a hardware emulation system, a simulation system, and a co-simulation interface. The hardware emulation system emulates a first portion of a design under test (DUT) during a hybrid emulation. The emulation runs in a first time domain local to the hardware emulation system. The simulation system simulates a second portion of the DUT during the hybrid emulation. The simulation runs in a second time domain local to the simulation system. The first time domain and the second time domain are unsynchronized. The co-simulation interface is coupled to the simulation system and the hardware emulation system. The co-simulation interface communicates transactions and events between the hardware emulation system and the simulation system. For each transaction, the co-simulation interface captures a transaction time in the first time domain, and for each event, the co-simulation interface captures an event time in the first time domain.