Automated processor specification and task allocation for embedded multicomputer systems: The packing-based approaches

This paper considers the coupled design problems of processor specification and task allocation for embedded multicomputer systems. A packing-based representation is proposed that allows the problems to be solved concurrently. An algorithm based on this representation is described that utilizes a new heuristic packing technique coupled with an incremental design advisor. This algorithm, named IDAT, was benchmarked against three baseline algorithms on a combination of real and synthetic test cases with respect to two figures of merit: hardware cost and run-time. The real test cases are based on commercially developed automotive electronic applications and the baseline algorithms represent a mixture of search, heuristic and simulated annealing approaches. For all test cases, the IDAT algorithm was found to generate near-optimal solutions with up to three orders of magnitude improvement in run-time compared to the baseline algorithms.