Design and testing methodologies for signal processing systems using DICE

Abstract

The design and integration of embedded systems in heterogeneous programming environments is still largely done in an ad hoc fashion making the overall development process more complicated, tedious and error-prone. In this work, we propose enhancements to existing design flows that utilize model-based design to verify cross-platform correctness of individual actors. The DSPCAD Integrative Command Line Environment (DICE) is a realization of managing these enhancements.

We demonstrate this design flow with two case studies. By using DICE's novel test framework on modules of a triggering system in the Large Hadron Collider, we demonstrate how the cross-platform model-based approach, automatic testbench creation and integration of testing in the design process alleviate the rigors of developing such a complex digital system. The second case study is an exploration study into the required precision for eigenvalue decomposition using the Jacobi algorithm. This case study is a demonstration of the use of dataflow modeling in early stage application exploration and the use of DICE in the overall design flow.