Interactive memory allocation in a behavioral synthesis tool

• US 6,611,952 B1
• Filed: 04/20/2001
• Issued: 08/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Industry Software Limited (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Mentor Graphics Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Prakash, Shiv, Waters, Simon, Burnette, David Gaines
• Primary Examiner(s): CRANE, SARA W
• Application Number:
  US09/839,376
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 716/18, 716/1, 716/11, 716/5, 716/6, 716/12, 716/17
• US Class Current: 716/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/30 Circuit design

Abstract

A behavioral synthesis tool for generating an integrated circuit design is described. The behavioral synthesis tool allows a designer to interactively allocate variables or arrays to memory resources without having to modify a source code description of the integrated circuit. The behavioral synthesis tool reads the source code description and generates a synthesis intermediate format stored in memory. The synthesis tool searches the in-memory synthesis intermediate format to find arrays for each process. The arrays are then listed in a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI allows the designer to create memory resources, specifying the type of memory, the packing mode, etc. The designer can then drag and drop the array variables listed in the GUI onto the memory resources. Upon completion of modifying the memory allocation, the designer saves the changes illustrated in the GUI and such changes are effectuated by automatically updating the synthesis intermediate format.

Claims

1. A method of allocating memory in a behavioral synthesis tool used to design an integrated circuit, comprising:

reading a source code description associated with the integrated circuit into the behavioral synthesis tool, the source code description having at least one array;

storing the source code description as a data structure within the behavioral synthesis tool; and

using a graphical user interface to map the array to a memory to be used by the integrated circuit by modifying the data structure within the behavioral synthesis tool.

2. The method of claim 1, further including searching the data structure for arrays listed in the source code description and listing the arrays in the graphical user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, further including displaying a memory map on the graphical user interface.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the memory map is a graphical representation of the memory showing locations of the arrays in memory.

5. The method of claim 4, further including graphically displaying on the memory map unused memory locations.

6. The method of claim 1, further including creating one or more memory resources using the graphical user interface and moving one or more arrays into the memory resources.

7. The method of claim 6, further including automatically calculating address ranges for the arrays in the one or more memory resources.

8. The method of claim 6, further including modifying parameters associated with the memory resources using the graphical user interface, the parameters including a type of memory and a packing mode.

9. The method of claim 8, further including automatically calculating address ranges for a memory resource, the calculation taking into account the packing mode.

10. The method of claim 1, further including:

using the graphical user interface, creating a memory resource to be used by the integrated circuit; and

using the graphical user interface, creating an association between an array with the memory resource using a drag-and-drop operation.

11. The method of claim 10, further including dragging the graphical object representation of the array to the memory resource and dropping the object on the memory resource.

12. The method of claim 1, further including displaying an association between arrays and memories using a hierarchical representation.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface is used to assign arrays to memory resources and further including automatically updating the data structure in response to user input indicating that memory allocation is complete.

14. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

15. A synthesis tool that allows for interactive memory allocation in the design of integrated circuits, comprising:

a source code description file that describes functionality of an integrated circuit;

memory that stores an intermediate database associated with a source code description file of the integrated circuit; and

a graphical user interface that allows a designer to interactively allocate memory for the integrated circuit by modifying the database and without modifying the source code description file.

16. The tool of claim 15, wherein the graphical user interface includes a window listing array variables used in the source code description file.

17. The tool of claim 15, wherein the graphical user interface includes a memory mapping window that provides a graphical display of a mapping of addresses for a memory resource.

18. The tool of claim 15, wherein the database is used to generate RTL code.

19. A behavioral synthesis tool, comprising:

means for generating a synthesis intermediate format associated with a source code description of an integrated circuit; and

means for allowing a user to interactively modify memory allocation by modifying the synthesis intermediate format.

20. The behavioral synthesis tool of claim 19, further including means for generating RTL code from the synthesis intermediate format.

21. The behavioral synthesis tool of claim 19, further including means for displaying a memory map showing a graphical representation of array variables and memory addresses associated with the arrays.

22. A method of allocating memory in a behavioral synthesis tool used to design an integrated circuit, comprising:

displaying, in a graphical user interface, array variables associated with a source code description of the integrated circuit;

displaying, in the graphical user interface, memory resources associated with the integrated circuit; and

assigning the array variables to the memory resources using the graphical user interface.

23. The method of claim 22, further including creating a memory resource, not identified in the source code description, using the graphical user interface.

24. The method of claim 22, further including modifying a data structure generated from the source code description based on the variables assigned to the memory resources.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the memory resources have a packing mode associated therewith, and the packing modes are modifiable interactively using the graphical user interface.

26. The method of claim 22, further including reading the source code description into the behavioral synthesis tool and wherein the assigning is accomplished using the behavioral synthesis tool without modifying the source code description.

27. The method of claim 22, further including displaying a memory map for a memory resource, the memory map including a graphical representation of the variables associated with the memory resource, and memory addresses where the variables are stored.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein the assigning of the array variables includes dragging the array variables to the memory resources.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein the assigning of the array variables includes using a pull-down menu listing the memory resources.