System and method for converting graphical programs into hardware implementations which utilize probe insertion

• US 6,584,601 B1
• Filed: 02/07/2000
• Issued: 06/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: National Instruments Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: National Instruments Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Mihal, Andrew, Kodosky, Jeffrey L., Odom, Brian Keith, Butler, Cary Paul, Andrade, Hugo
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): GARBOWSKI, LEIGH M
• Application Number:
  US09/500,187
• Time in Patent Office: 1,233 Days
• Field of Search: 716/1, 716/11, 716/4, 716/18, 703/1, 703/20, 324/537, 324/750, 324/751, 324/752, 324/753, 324/754, 324/755, 324/756, 324/757, 324/758, 324/759, 345/771
• US Class Current: 716/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/34 for reconfigurable circuits, e.g. field programmable gate arrays [FPGA] or programmable logic devices [PLD]

Abstract

A computer-implemented system and method for generating a hardware implementation of graphical code. The method may operate to configure an instrument to perform measurement functions, wherein the instrument includes a programmable hardware element. The method comprises first creating a graphical program, wherein the graphical program may implement a measurement function. A portion of the graphical program may optionally be compiled into machine code for execution by a CPU, and another portion of the graphical program may be converted into a hardware implementation on a programmable hardware element. The programmable hardware element is configured utilizing a hardware description to produce a configured hardware element. The configured hardware element thus implements a hardware implementation of the second portion of the graphical program. During generation of the hardware implementation, the computer system may operate to estimate and/or display one or more of size and cost of a hardware implementation of the graphical program. In one embodiment, the graphical program manipulates one or more hardware resources of an instrument, and an indication of usage of the one or more hardware resources are displayed during creation of the graphical program. Probes may also be inserted into the graphical program, wherein corresponding probe elements are placed in the hardware implementation to implement the probe function.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for generating a hardware implementation of a graphical program, the method comprising:

creating a graphical program in the memory of a computer system, wherein said creating includes;

inserting a probe at a location in the graphical program, wherein the probe is operable to display data generated at the location during execution of the graphical program;

generating a hardware description in response to the graphical program, wherein the hardware description indicates use of a probe element;

configuring a hardware element utilizing the hardware description, wherein the configured hardware element includes the probe element for implementing probing in the configured hardware element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said inserting the probe comprises inserting a graphical probe image in the graphical program.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the probe element comprises a time stamp generation circuit.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the time stamp generation circuit is operable to generate a value for a memory in the hardware element associated with the location in the graphical program where the probe was inserted;

wherein the time stamp generation circuit generates the value for the memory when the value changes.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

executing the hardware element after said configuring;

the time stamp generation circuit generating a value for a memory in the hardware element associated with the location in the graphical program where the probe was inserted;

wherein the time stamp generation circuit generates the value for the memory when the value changes.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the time stamp generation circuit is operable to generate a value/time pair of a memory in the hardware element associated with the location in the graphical program where the probe was inserted, wherein the value of the value/time pair is generated when the value changes.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the probe element comprises a register;

wherein the register stores a value in the hardware element associated with the location in the graphical program where the probe was inserted.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing the hardware element after said configuring;

the probe element generating a value for a memory in the hardware element associated with the location in the graphical program where the probe was inserted;

displaying the value on a display of the computer system.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing the hardware element after said configuring;

the probe element generating a value for a memory in the hardware element associated with the location in the graphical program where the probe was inserted;

providing the value to the computer system;

displaying the value on the graphical program displayed on a display of the computer system.

10. The method of claim 1,

wherein the graphical program comprises a data flow diagram.

19. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

executing the configured hardware element after said configuring;

the probe element generating a value for a memory in the configured hardware element associated with the location in the graphical program where the probe was inserted;

displaying the value on a display of the computer system.

11. A computer-implemented method for generating a hardware implementation of a graphical program, the method comprising:

creating a graphical program in the memory of a computer system, wherein said creating includes;

inserting one or more probes at one or more locations into the graphical program, wherein the one or more probes are operable to display data generated at said one or more locations during execution of the graphical program;

generating a hardware description in response to the graphical program, wherein the hardware description indicates use of a time stamp generation circuit;

configuring a hardware element utilizing the hardware description, wherein the configured hardware element includes at least one time stamp generation circuit for implementing probing in the configured hardware element.

12. A computer-implemented method for configuring an instrument to perform measurement functions, wherein the instrument includes a programmable hardware element, the method comprising:

creating a graphical program, wherein the graphical program implements a measurement function, wherein said creating includes;

inserting a probe at a location in the graphical program, wherein the probe is operable to display data generated at the location during execution of the graphical program;

generating a hardware description based on at least a portion of the graphical program, wherein the hardware description describes a hardware implementation of the at least a portion of the graphical program, wherein the hardware description indicates use of a probe element;

configuring the programmable hardware element in the instrument utilizing the hardware description to produce a configured hardware element, wherein the configured hardware element implements a hardware implementation of the at least a portion of the graphical program, wherein the configured hardware element includes the probe element for implementing probing in the configured hardware element;

the instrument acquiring a signal from an external source after said configuring;

the configured hardware element in the instrument executing to perform the measurement function on the signal, wherein the probe element executes to implement probing.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said inserting the probe comprises inserting a graphical probe image in the graphical program.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the probe element comprises a register;

wherein the register stores a value in the configured hardware element associated with the location in the graphical program where the probe was inserted.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the probe element comprises a time stamp generation circuit.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the time stamp generation circuit is operable to generate a value for a memory in the configured hardware element associated with the location in the graphical program where the probe was inserted;

wherein the time stamp generation circuit generates the value for the memory when the value changes.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

executing the configured hardware element after said configuring;

the time stamp generation circuit generating a value for a memory in the configured hardware element associated with the location in the graphical program where the probe was inserted;

wherein the time stamp generation circuit generates the value for the memory when the value changes.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the time stamp generation circuit is operable to generate a value/time pair of a memory in the configured hardware element associated with the location in the graphical program where the probe was inserted, wherein the value of the value/time pair is generated when the value changes.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

executing the configured hardware element after said configuring;

the probe element generating a value for a memory in the configured hardware element associated with the location in the graphical program where the probe was inserted;

providing the value to the computer system;

displaying the value on the graphical program displayed on a display of the computer system.

21. A memory medium comprising program instructions for generating a hardware implementation of a graphical program, wherein the program instructions are executable by a computer to implement:

creating a graphical program in the memory of a computer system, wherein said creating includes;

inserting a probe at a location in the graphical program, wherein the probe is operable to display data generated at the location during execution of the graphical program;

generating a hardware description in response to the graphical program, wherein the hardware description indicates use of a probe element;

configuring a programmable hardware element utilizing the hardware description, wherein the configured programmable hardware element includes the probe element for implementing probing in the configured programmable hardware element.

22. The memory medium of claim 21, wherein said inserting the probe comprises inserting a graphical probe image in the graphical program.

23. The memory medium of claim 22, wherein the probe element comprises a register;

wherein the register is operable to store a value in the configured programmable hardware element associated with the location in the graphical program where the probe was inserted.

24. The memory medium of claim 21, wherein the probe element comprises a time stamp generation circuit.

25. The memory medium of claim 24, wherein the time stamp generation circuit is operable to generate a value for a memory in the configured programmable hardware element associated with the location in the graphical program where the probe was inserted;

wherein the time stamp generation circuit generates the value for the memory when the value changes.

26. The memory medium of claim 24,

wherein the hardware element is operable to execute after said configuring;

wherein the time stamp generation circuit is operable to generate a value for a memory in the configured programmable hardware element associated with the location in the graphical program where the probe was inserted;

wherein the time stamp generation circuit generates the value for the memory when the value changes.

27. The memory medium of claim 24, wherein the time stamp generation circuit is operable to generate a value/time pair of a memory in the hardware element associated with the location in the graphical program where the probe was inserted, wherein the value of the value/time pair is generated when the value changes.

28. The memory medium of claim 21,

wherein the hardware element is operable to execute after said configuring;

wherein the probe element is operable to generate a value for a memory in the configured programmable hardware element associated with the location in the graphical program where the probe was inserted;

wherein the value is displayed on a display of the computer system.

29. The memory medium of claim 21, wherein the graphical program comprises a data flow diagram.

30. A memory medium comprising program instructions for generating a hardware implementation of a graphical program, wherein the program instructions are executable by a computer to implement:

creating a graphical program in the memory of a computer system, wherein said creating includes;

inserting one or more probes at one or more locations into the graphical program, wherein the one or more probes are operable to display data generated at said one or more locations during execution of the graphical program;

generating a hardware description in response to the graphical program, wherein the hardware description indicates use of a time stamp generation circuit;

configuring a programmable hardware element utilizing the hardware description, wherein the configured programmable hardware element includes at least one time stamp generation circuit for implementing probing in the configured programmable hardware element.

31. A memory medium comprising program instructions for configuring an instrument to perform measurement functions, wherein the instrument includes a programmable hardware element, wherein the program instructions are executable by a computer to implement:

creating a graphical program, wherein the graphical program implements a measurement function, wherein said creating includes;

inserting a probe at a location in the graphical program, wherein the probe is operable to display data generated at the location during execution of the graphical program;

generating a hardware description based on at least a portion of the graphical program, wherein the hardware description describes a hardware implementation of the at least a portion of the graphical program, wherein the hardware description indicates use of a probe element; and

configuring the programmable hardware element in the instrument utilizing the hardware description to produce a configured programmable hardware element, wherein the configured programmable hardware element implements a hardware implementation of the at least a portion of the graphical program, wherein the configured programmable hardware element includes the probe element for implementing probing in the configured programmable hardware element.

32. The memory medium of claim 31,

wherein the instrument is operable to acquire a signal from an external source after said configuring;

wherein the configured programmable hardware element in the instrument is operable to execute to perform the measurement function on the signal, wherein the probe element executes to implement probing.

33. The memory medium of claim 32, wherein said inserting the probe comprises inserting a graphical probe image in the graphical program.

34. The memory medium of claim 33, wherein the time stamp generation circuit is operable to generate a value/time pair of a memory in the configured programmable hardware element associated with the location in the graphical program where the probe was inserted, wherein the value of the value/time pair is generated when the value changes.

35. The memory medium of claim 32, wherein the probe element comprises a time stamp generation circuit.

36. The memory medium of claim 35,

wherein the time stamp generation circuit is operable to generate a value for a memory in the configured programmable hardware element associated with the location in the graphical program where the probe was inserted;

wherein the time stamp generation circuit generates the value for the memory when the value changes.

37. The memory medium of claim 32,

wherein the probe element comprises a register;

wherein the register stores a value in the configured programmable hardware element associated with the location in the graphical program where the probe was inserted.

38. The memory medium of claim 31, further comprising:

wherein the configured programmable hardware element is operable to execute after said configuring;

wherein the probe element is operable to generate a value for a memory in the configured programmable hardware element associated with the location in the graphical program where the probe was inserted;

wherein the value is displayed on a display of the computer system.

39. The memory medium of claim 31, wherein the graphical program comprises a data flow diagram.