Xylon Demonstrates Hot Swapping of Programmable FPGA/SoC Chip Parts

March 17, 2022 -- Xylon is proud to present a new addition to its reference design portfolio - the Dynamic Function eXchange Design Framework with Isolation Design Flow, or logiREF-DFX-IDF for short. The logiREF-DFX-IDF Design Framework is prepared for use with Xylon's logiVID-ZU-GMSL2 kit. The design is fully prepared for the new Xilinx Vitis Unified Software Platform 2021.1 and Xilinx Vivado® Design Suite 2021.1.

The design framework is intended to build upon our existing logiADAK-VDF-ZU design by incorporating multiple new features to showcase their advantages and new opportunities they open up for developers. The basis of the design is the Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC ZCU102 evaluation board that processes four HD video streams from four Maxim Integrated GMSL2 video interface automotive cameras. Each camera is reconfigurable on the fly with three different filters, on the programmable logic level due to the use of Dynamic Function eXchange (DFX).

DFX is the ability to reconfigure blocks of programmable logic while they are continually operating, with the use of partial bit files. DFX is working in tandem with the used Isolation Design Flow (IDF) methodology, which isolates potential faults to a single region on the chip, to ensure functional safety for safety-critical applications.

Another layer in this drive towards functional safety is the implementation of the Soft Error Mitigation (SEM) IP Core in the design. SEM provides the ability to detect and correct single errors in the configuration memory of the programmable logic, as well as detection of multiple configuration errors, in which case it triggers reconfiguration for the affected isolated chip region. A demo application of error correction is included in the design framework.

The logiREF-DFX-IDF reference design, including the Xylon IP Cores, is available for a free evaluation to all registered users on Xylon's website: https://www.logicbricks.com/logicBRICKS/Reference-logicBRICKS-Design/Xylon-Reference-Designs-Navigation-Page.aspx .

For the datasheet, please refer to the following link: https://www.logicbricks.com/Documentation/Datasheets/IP/logiREF-DFX-IDF_hds.pdf .

Xylon offers design services, consultations and other forms of support for any developer looking to implement DFX or IDF into their products. For more information regarding this, please contact Xylon at info@logicbricks.com .