High-Level State Machine Specification and Synthesis

Current synthesis methodologies based on hardwaredescription languages focus mainly on two distinct levels: behavior and register-transfer levels. In many practical cases, however, the initial specification lies between a pure behavioral description and a completely structural one. This paper presents a method and algorithms for exploring the design space between the register-transfer and behavioral levels. The method consists of the specification of a high-level state machine, which combines the advantages of a specific control structure, by means of states and transitions, with the flexibility of behavioral descriptions inside each high-level state. High-level synthesis techniques are used for synthesizing this machine. As a result, the user has control over the final controller implementation and is able to perform high-level trade-offs between control and data-path.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1992
• Where: ICCD
• Authors: Andreas Kuehlmann, Reinaldo A. Bergamaschi
• Keywords: Behavioral Descriptions, Current Synthesis Methodologies, Hardware, ICCD 1992, Pure Behavioral Description