Object-oriented technology transfer to multiprocessor system-level synthesis

Technology transfers between software and hardware engineering date back to a decade and a half. Object-oriented technology from software engineering is one such successful transfer to hardware design. There is a natural correspondence between object-oriented concepts and hardware design. The work presented in this paper extends the basic application of object-oriented technology to system-level synthesis such that not only system modeling uses object-oriented technology, but the synthesis process itself is object-oriented. The basic object-oriented structures required for synthesis are defined. How designs can be reused by storing them in a design database and then retrieving them is explained. A simple implementation along with application example illustrates how object-oriented technology increases component design manageability, enforces synthesis efficiency, and saves design time and effort through the reuse of complete subsystems.