Synthesis of Mixed Software-Hardware Implementations from CFSM Specifications

Embedded controllers for reactive real-time applications are implemented as mixed softwarehardware systems. In [CGH + 93], a formal specification model called Co-design Finite State Machine (CFSM) is introduced. In this paper we present a methodology for partitioning and automatic synthesis of software-hardware systems specified with CFSMs. CFSM networks are partitioned into software and hardware domains. Interfaces between hardware and/or software partitions are defined. An implementation of the entire system is automatically generated and optimization techniques are applied to both software and hardware. To reduce the complexity of the design and the representation, library modules can be predefined and reused. An example from the automotive industry is used to demonstrate the method. 1 Introduction Embedded controllers are used more and more frequently in the design of electronic systems as the increasing complexity of the applications requires the development of software to im..