Method and an apparatus to design a processing system using a graphical user interface

• US 8,082,531 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2005
• Issued: 12/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Monterey Research, LLC (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Anderson, Douglas, Pearson, Jon, Ogami, Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Siek, Vuthe
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lin, Aric
• Application Number:
  US11/201,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20060036973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,323 Days
• Field of Search: 716/16, 716 30-139, 713/1, 713/100, 717/106, 717/110, 717/136
• US Class Current: 716/117
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming

Abstract

A method and an apparatus to design a processing system using a graphical user interface (GUI) are described. The method includes allowing a user to define a transfer function via a GUI. The method may further include submitting the transfer function to a processing device maker associated with a processing device. The processing device maker may generate processing device code without intervention by the user. Furthermore, the processing device may execute the processing device code to perform the transfer function defined.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

creating a graphical user interface (GUI) to allow a user to define a transfer function via the GUI, the transfer function performable by a processing device when executing a processing device code therefor, said creating comprising;

presenting a display of a plurality of selectable transfer function types and a display of a plurality of selectable transfer function inputs, and a display of a plurality of selectable output state definitions for the transfer function;

providing;

a first user interface control in the GUI to allow the user to select a transfer function type from the display of the plurality of transfer function types,

a second user interface control to allow the user to select one or more transfer function inputs from the display of the plurality of transfer function inputs, and

a third user interface control to allow the user to select one or more transfer function output states; and

making selections of a transfer function type, one or more inputs, and one or more output states; and

submitting the selections to a processing device maker associated with a processing device to cause the processing device maker to generate the processing device code for the processing device based only on the selections without intervention by the user, wherein the processing device code when executed by the processing device is configured to cause the processing device to perform the transfer function.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said creating the GUI further comprises:

displaying a plurality of permutations of the one or more transfer function'"'"' inputs selected and the output states defined;

providing a fourth user interface control to allow the user to select one or more of the plurality of permutations to define input-output dependency of the transfer function.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

inputting the processing device code to a processing device design engine to generate a read-only memory (ROM) image.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

loading the ROM image into the processing device to enable the processing device to perform the transfer function.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

allowing the user to modify the transfer function via the GUI; and

in response to modification of the transfer function by the user, automatically regenerating the processing device code using processing device maker.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

validating the transfer function; and

simulating the transfer function without running the processing device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the transfer function comprises a truth table transfer function.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transfer function comprises a setpoint transfer function.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

means for allowing a user to program a processing device to cause the processing device to perform a transfer function without the user writing processing device code, wherein the means comprises;

means for allowing a user to define the transfer function via a graphical user interface (GUI), said means for allowing the user to define the transfer function comprising;

means for presenting a display of a plurality of transfer function types and a display of a plurality of transfer function inputs, and a display of transfer function output states;

means for providing first user interface control in the GUI to allow the user to select a transfer function type from the display of the plurality of transfer function types;

means for providing a second user interface control to allow the user to select one or more transfer function inputs from the display of the plurality of transfer function inputs;

means for providing a third user interface control to allow the user to select one or more output states for the transfer function; and

means for submitting the transfer function to a processing device maker associated with a processing device in response to the user selecting the transfer function type, the one or more inputs, and the one or more output states, to cause the processing device maker to generate processing device code, based only on the selection of the one or more transfer function types, inputs and output states without intervention by the user, wherein the processing device code when executed by the processing device is configured to cause the processing device to perform the transfer function; and

means for allowing the user to modify the transfer function without the user editing the processing device code.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the means for allowing the user to program the processing device comprises:

means for displaying a plurality of permutations of the one or more transfer function inputs selected and the output states defined;

means for providing a fourth user interface control to allow the user to additionaly select one or more of the plurality of permutations to define input-output dependency of the transfer function.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the means for allowing the user to program the processing device further comprises:

means for automatically generating the processing device code based on the transfer function.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

a graphical user interface (GUI) to allow a user to define a transfer function via the GUI, said GUI comprising;

a display of a plurality of transfer function types;

a display of a plurality of transfer function inputs;

a display of a plurality of transfer function output states;

a first user interface control to allow the user to select one or more transfer function types from the display of the plurality of transfer function types,

a second user interface control to allow the user to select one or more transfer function inputs from the display of the plurality of transfer function inputs; and

a third user interface control to allow the user to select one or more transfer function output states; and

a processing device maker logically coupled to the GUI to generate processing device code, based only on the one or more transfer function types, inputs and output states selected on the respective first, second and third GUIs, without intervention by the user, wherein the processing device code causes the a processing device to perform the transfer function when executed by the processing device.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

a processing device design engine logically coupled to the processing device maker to generate a read-only memory (ROM) image based on the processing device code, the ROM image to be loaded into the processing device.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the GUI further comprises:

a user interface control to allow the user to modify the transfer function, wherein the processing device maker automatically regenerates the processing device code in response to modification of the transfer function by the user.

15. A tangible machine readable medium comprising instructions that, if executed by a machine, performs operations comprising:

creating a graphical user interface (GUI) to allow a user to define a transfer function via the GUI, said creating comprising;

presenting a display of a plurality of transfer function types and a display of a plurality of transfer function inputs, and

providing a first, user interface control in the GUI to allow the user to select a transfer function type from the display of the plurality of transfer function types, a second user interface control to allow the user to select one or more transfer function inputs from the display of the plurality of transfer function inputs, and a third user interface control to allow the user to select one or more output states for the transfer function; and

submitting the transfer function selection, the inputs and output states to a processing device maker associated with a processing device to cause the processing device maker to generate, based only on the selections. the processing device code, which when executed by the processing device, will cause the processing device to perform the transfer function.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein said creating the GUI further comprises:

displaying a plurality of permutations of the one or more transfer function types, inputs selected and the output states defined;

providing a fourth user interface control to allow the user to select one or more of the plurality of permutations; and

a predetermined pattern based on the permutations.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

inputting the processing device code to a processing device design engine to generate a read-only memory (ROM) image.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

loading the ROM image into the processing device to enable the processing device to perform the transfer function.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

allowing the user to modify the transfer function via the GUI; and

in response to modification of the transfer function by the user, automatically regenerating the processing device code using processing device maker.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

validating the transfer function;

simulating the transfer function using the processing device maker without running the process device.