Visualization of Memory Map Information in Embedded System Design
Data compression is a common requirement for displaying large amounts of information. The goal is to reduce visual clutter. The approach given in this paper uses an analysis of a data set to construct a visual representation. The visualization is compressed using the address ranges of the memory structure. This method produces a compressed version of the initial visualization, retaining the same information as the original. The presented method has been implemented as a Memory Designer tool for ASIC, FPGA and embedded systems using IP-XACT. The Memory Designer is a user-friendly tool for model based embedded system design, providing access and adjustment of the memory layout from a single v…
Analysis and Visualization of Product Memory Layout in IP-XACT
Modern ASIC and FPGA based embedded products use model based design, in which both hardware and software are developed in parallel. Previously HW was completed first and the information handed over to SW team, typically in the form of register tables. The information was even manually copied to SW code, making any changes error-prone and laborious. IP-XACT is the most feasible standard to model HW also for the SW needs. The HW design connectivity and overall memory layout may change due to component instantiations, configurations and conditional operation states, which makes it difficult to create register tables even for documentation. Current register design tools fall short in serving th…