System-level design of mixed-signal ASICs using simulink: Efficient transitions to EDA environments

Andreas Mauderer, Jan-Hendrik Oetjens Robert Bosch GmbH, Wolfgang Rosenstiel, University of Tuebingen
EETimes (5/28/2012 10:29 AM EDT)

Simulink models are used as executable specifications in commonly used design flows for mixed-signal ASICs. Based on these specifications, analog and digital components are directly implemented in mixed-signal design environments. This step constitutes a large leap of abstraction. In this work, we address this aspect by showing and discussing an approach for automated transitions from Simulink models representing analog and digital components to HDL descriptions using HDL Coder. On the one hand, we translate analog Simulink components into continuous-value discrete-time HDL descriptions that can serve as reference behavioral models in the mixed-signal design environment. On the other hand, for digital Simulink components, we developed optimizations for Simulink models in order to achieve resource-efficient HDL descriptions. Both solutions in the analog and digital domain were integrated into Simulink Model Advisor. An evaluation of the presented design flow, as applied to an automotive hardware design, is shown.

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