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-
- Complete list of collected requirements
- for the Analog extention to VHDL.
-
- Mart Altmae/Kevin Nolan
-
-
- The purpose of this document is to summarize all requirements
- submitted to the sub-par 1076.1 for analog extentions to VHDL.
- It includes the ones relating to analog matters, which were already
- submitted to the VHDL'92 restandardization effort, as presented by
- Kevin Nolan in his document on consolidated North American and European
- Analog VHDL Requirements, the additional ones collected by Mart
- Altmae, and finally a few new North American requirements, presented
- by Kevin Nolan at the VHDL-Forum meeting in Santander last April.
-
- VHDL'92 requirements, collected by Kevin Nolan:
- ==============================================
-
- 1. Support for Continuous Time
-
- Generated by: NA1, E48
-
- Summary: The execution of a VHDL model must be extended from the
- notion of the evaluation of events at discrete points in time to the
- notion of continuous evaluation over continuous time.
-
- 2. Mixed mode support: conversion between analog and digital domains
-
- Generated by: NA2, E48
-
- Summary: Objects defined using discrete time semantics (signals)
- and continuous time semantics (waveforms) must be able to com-
- municate with one another to provide the ability to perform mixed-mode
- simulation.
-
- 3. Support for analog pins and a way to connect them
-
- Generated by: NA3, E13, E16
-
- Summary: Electrical circuits are typically described as an
- interconnection of elements that exhibit some electrical behavior.
- The connection points at the elements are defined in terms of ports.
- Each electrical port consists of two physical connection points that
- are defined as terminals (N-Port Theory).
-
- 4. Analog pin behavior conforming to conservation laws
-
- Generated by: NA4, E16
-
- Summary: The objective is to describe the physical operation of
- circuits. The most common method is the use of Kirchoffs current and
- voltage laws. We therefore speak of electrical behavior in terms of
- currents flowing through the branches and the voltages across nodes
- of a network
-
- 5. New operators and intrinsics to support domain conversion and the
- specification of derivatives
-
- Generated by: NA5
-
- Summary: To support the conversion from analog domain to digital
- domain a threshold function is needed in order to schedule events on
- the digital side. Conversely, a analog waveform generator function is
- needed to support the conversion of digital signals to analog
- waveforms. In order to model certain analog devices, a time-derivative
- operator is required.
-
- 6. Specification of error tolerances to be used by numerical algorithms
- used to solve the analog system
-
- Generated by: NA6, E16
-
- Summary: Since analog simulation employs numerical methods in order
- to solve a system of ordinary differential equations, an error
- tolerance must be specified to bound the numerical errors generated
- by these methods.
-
- 7. New data types and associated operators
-
- Generated by: NA7
-
- Summary: Several new data types are required to model various
- systems. Complex numbers and/or phasors (polar coordinates) are
- needed to model filter networks, etc. Similarly, transcendental
- functions are required to model semiconductors.
-
- 8. Specification of generics whose value can be dependent on time or
- other system variables
-
- Generated by: E13, E16
-
- Summary: It is necessary for modeling non-linear devices (e.g.
- semiconductors) to define models having the value of certain parame-
- ters vary as a function of time or the state of other simulation
- variables.
-
- 9. Definition of new pin types and semantics to be specified by users
-
- Generated by: E16, E24, E48
-
- Summary: To model systems containing non-electrical or hybrid
- devices, it must be possible to define custom pin types. For example,
- rotational pins would be used to model motors, thermal pins to
- describe self-heating electrical systems, etc. The conserved
- properties of these custom pin types most also be specified.
-
- 10. Ability to reference the through, (e.g. current) and across (e.g.
- voltage) components of analog entities
-
- Generated by: NA5, E16
-
- Summary: In conserved systems, behavior is described by specifying
- the relationship between dependent variables of the system to the
- independent variables. In electrical systems, onemight specify how the
- current through a device is a related to the voltage across its
- terminals. This requires access to the current through terminals and
- the voltage across them.
-
- 11. Ability to specify the conservation laws associated with a user
- defined pin type
-
- Generated by: E16
-
- Summary: For every type of pin that can be connected to other pins
- in a network, the properties of that pin which must be conserved has
- to be supplied. In electrical systems, the usual conservation laws
- are given by KCL, and KCL. Analogous conservation laws must be
- specified for non-electrical systems.
-
- 12. Specification of error tolerances for a specific node
-
- Generated by: E16
-
- Summary: It is desireable to be able to specify the maximum
- relative error when using KCL to calculate the current through a spe-
- cific node. According to KCL the current through any node will always
- sum to zero. The maximum relative error at that node would be the
- ratio of the difference between the currents flowing into the node to
- the currents flowing out.
-
- 13. Specification of and event trigger threshold to cause evaluation
- of a event driven process body
-
- Generated by: E16
-
- Summary: In order to determine whether an digital event has
- occurred as a result of an analog state change, it is desirable to
- allow the specification of the minimum analog change threshold to con-
- trol the evaluation of a process body. A higher value for this
- parameter would cause fewer evaluations of the process body and
- therefore faster simulation, a lower value would result in more
- evaluations, longer simulations, and possibly greater simulation
- accuracy at the analog transition points.
-
- 14. Allow specification of a foreign simulator interface
-
- Generated by: E24, E46
-
- Summary: To allow VHDL to communicate with foreign (non-VHDL)
- simulators, it is required to allow the specification of a foreign
- simulator interface.
-
- 15. Inclusion of DC operating point analysis as part of time-zero
- initialization and a way to conditionaly execute blocks based upon the
- initialization state.
-
- Generated by: E47
-
- Summary: Electrical systems have what is called a dc operating
- point. This describes the quiescent state of the system at time-zero.
- Usually, before the simulation of a transient behavior, the dc
- operating point must be computed. To accommodate this, the
- initialization semantics of VHDL must be extended to include dc
- analysis. It is also necessary to control the execution of behavior
- blocks based upon the initialization state. In other words, it must be
- possible to only execute certain blocks at the dc operating point and
- at no other time.
-
- The following requirements were also submitted to VHDL'92.
- =========================================================
-
- 16. Analog Modeling
-
- Generated by: A17
-
- Summary: To allow the description of analog system/circuit
- behavior from the following perspectives: discrete-event models of
- digital circuits, continous-time descriptions of analog circuits,
- frequency-domain descriptions of analog circuits and wave-domain
- descriptions of microwave circuits.
-
- 17. Physical quantities
-
- Generated by: A18, E62
-
- Summary: Support for dimensional analysis of physical quantities.
-
- 18. Introduction of simultaneous equations
-
- Generated by: E12, E63
-
- 19. Access to current value crossing an electrical component
-
- Generated by: E64
-
- New Requirements, collected by Mart Altmae
- ==========================================
-
- 20. At least two labels
-
- Provisional number : E65
- Summary :
- Description of requirement :
-
- Concerning whether or not any given simulator is conformant with IEEE-1076,it is
- desirable to have at least two different labels :
-
- - one for purely digital circuits : "VHDL-1076-92" ;
- - one for mixed, analog-digital, circuits : "AHDL-1076.1-93" ;
- - and possibly one for purely analog circuits, depending on how
- 1076.1 is specified.
-
- Also it is desirable to have a clear (static) criterion to identify a circuit
- (configuration, or entity plus architecture) as being digital, analog, or mixed.
-
- VHDL 92 solution :
- Suggested strategy :
- Consistent with :
- Different from :
- Opposed to :
-
- 21. Re-use digital constructs
-
- Provisional number : E66
- Summary :
- Description of requirement :
-
- Whenever an analog (or mixed) model uses the same kind of construct as a
- digital one, it is desirable to use exactly the same syntax and semantics as
- already defined in IEEE-1076-92, to avoid misunderstandings.
-
- Examples of constructs which can be shared by digital and analog :
-
- - type definition, function definition, sequential procedure
- definition,
-
- - function or procedure call, ... ...
-
- Examples of constructs which are different in syntax and in semantics :
-
- - connection of several ports to a signal versus connection of
- several pins to a node ;
- - relation (or analog procedural model) versus digital process.
-
- VHDL 92 solution :
- Suggested strategy :
- Consistent with : E12, E13, E14, E16.
- Different from :
- Opposed to :
-
- 22. Definition of analog time
-
- Provisional number : E67
- Summary :
- Description of requirement :
-
- Obviously, to perform mixed (analog-digital) descriptions and simulations, clear
- definitions are needed for the digital time (this already exists) and for the
- analog time (to be defined). Moreover the definition of the analog time should
- not be completely opposed to that of the digital time, to allow conversion and
- synchronisation.
-
- VHDL 92 solution :
-
- Suggested strategy :
-
- Digital time is defined in a very precise way by the LRM. In any given
- simulation, digital time may be viewed as the list of dates (each one expressed
- as an integer number of femto-seconds) at which at least one event occurred.
- Between two successive dates, nothing happens and signals keep their last value.
-
- Analog time could be defined in a similar way : it is the list of dates at which
- the simulator decided to compute new values for (some of) the voltages and
- currents. Between two successive dates, currents and voltages are, strictly
- speaking, unknown, but can be evaluated by interpolation. Whether each of the
- dates in the list is expressed by a real number (in seconds) or by an integer
- number (in femto- seconds) is not crucial : in fact most existing simulators
- could input and output dates using a VHDL-like format (integer number of
- femto-seconds) even if real numbers are used internally.
-
- Following this line, the opposition between "discrete" time and "continuous"
- time disappears.
-
- VHDL 92 solution :
- Suggested strategy :
- Consistent with :
- Different from : NA1
- Opposed to :
-
- 23. Time synchronisation
-
- Provisional number : E68
- Summary :
- Description of requirement :
-
- Obviously, to perform mixed (analog-digital) descriptions and simulations, clear
- definitions are needed for the conversion between analog and digital times. This
- problem is often cited and sometimes viewed as a simple problem of "type
- conversion" : converting a digital date (an integer number of Femto-seconds) to
- and from an analog date (viewed as some kind of real number, possibly in
- seconds). See for example "Functionnal modelling of analog blocks in VHDL ;
- Bernt Arbegard ; Euro-Vhdl-91, Stockholm".
-
- This conversion is necessary but not sufficient ; a definition of how digital
- dates and analog dates will be intermixed along the (unique) time axis is also
- needed. This is the problem of time synchronisation, which requires that at
- least a broad model of a complete mixed simulator be described : digital kernel
- (conformant with 1076-92, plus "hooks"), analog kernel (to be defined) and
- interactions between analog and digital (also to be defined).
-
- VHDL 92 solution :
-
- Suggested strategy :
-
- Assume a definition of analog time such as the one proposed in a companion
- requirement (provisional number rqr-ana-4 ) ; use a template of the mixed
- simulator (see next page) ; define a general strategy for running and suspending
- the analog and digital parts ; this is linked to the definition of "hooks" in
- the digital part (see next page) ; address the problem of fine synchronisation
- (see for example "Mixed VHDL - Analog Simulation, Mart Altmae, Euro-Vhdl-91,
- Stockholm").
-
- Proposed sketch of the mixed simulator :
-
- ------------- --------------
- | Processes | | Relations |
- ------------- --------------
- ------ -------
- | DK | <--> GK <--> | AK |
- ------ -------
- ------------- --------------
- | Signals | | ".U",".I" |
- ------------- --------------
-
- On the left-hand side is the digital part, compliant with VHDL-92. It is
- composed of processes, signals, and the digital kernel (or DK for short). It
- knows the list of "analogue relevant signals" : those signals which are used, in
- one way or another, in the analogue part (see companion requirement rqr-ana-8).
-
- On the right-hand side is the electrical part. It is composed of differential
- equations, nodes and pins, and an electrical kernel (or AK for short). It knows
- the list of "digital relevant voltages (or currents)" : those voltages (or
- currents) which are used, in one way or another, in the digital part (see
- companion requirement rqr-ana-9).
-
- The general kernel (GK) is in charge of synchronisation between the analog part
- and the digital part.
-
- It is desirable to introduce as few new features as possible in the DK, and to
- place as few assumptions as possible on the AK.
-
- Step 1 : the DK performs normally, for some date t1, as specified in IEE1076-87;
- when it reaches the step where "time may advance", instead of advancing time
- (to t2), it suspends and reports to the GK with the following information : list
- of (new) values of analogue relevant signals, date of next digital event (here
- t2) ;
-
- Step 2 : the GK forwards this information to the AK, and starts it ; the AK
- should not go beyond t2 ; it may suspend before t2 (let us say at time t3) if
- some of the digital relevant voltage has crossed one of its relevant threshold ;
- the AK then suspends and reports to the GK with the following information : list
- of (new) values of digital relevent voltages, list of those voltages which have
- crossed a threshold, present date (t2 or possibly t3).
-
- step 3 : the GK forwards this information to the DK and starts it ; we can go
- back to step 1.
-
- New features in the DK : when it reaches the situation where "time may
- adavance", the DK must be capable of being suspended and restarted, possibly at
- some earlier date with "unforeseen" events triggered by the analogue part.
-
- Assumptions on the AK : it must be capable of calling user-supplied thresholding
- functions on the digital relevant voltages and of adjusting its time-step to
- halt before t2.
-
- Dissymmetry of the interaction : this sketch is not symmetrical : the DK may be
- re-started "earlier than foreseen" (at t3) while the AK is only instructed "not
- to go beyond t2" ; the reason is that digital signals do not change between
- events, while analogue voltages must be viewed as continuous.
-
- NOTE : what to do at time 0 is also to be defined. See for example requirement
- E47.
-
- Consistent with : NA2, E47
-
- 24. Portability of analog models
-
- Provisional number : E69
- Summary :
- Description of requirement :
-
- In the digital domain, the semantics is defined in such a way that models are
- portable : the same simulation leads to the same events happening at the same
- dates, whichever simulator is used. Portability is also desirable for analog
- (and mixed) models, but must be defined in a different way, to account for the
- fact that solving a set of differential equations is not an exact science !
-
- VHDL 92 solution :
- Suggested strategy :
-
- Define a "precision" and state that two analog simulations are equivalent if the
- values of any voltage or current at any date (whether actually computed or
- interpolated) are the same (within that precision) ;
-
- Normalize the way the equation-set is built : Starting from the structural and
- functionnal description of the different parts of the circuit, a single equation
- set will be built (at compilation or elaboration time) and solved (at simulation
- time) ; the contents of this equation set must be normalised.
-
- Specify the computation accuracy used for solving the equation set ;
-
- Normalize the interactions between the digital and analog parts ;
-
- Leave the rest to the implementation (detailed method used for solving the
- equation set, time-step management, ...).
-
- (Define a "validation suite" ?)
-
- Consistent with : NA1
- Different from :
- Opposed to :
-
- 25. Use of existing methods
-
- Provisional number : E70
- Summary :
- Description of requirement :
-
- The structural constructs (pins and nodes, or others) and the functionnal
- constructs (relations, or others) used in analog models, and the implied
- semantics (KCL, equations, others, ...), must be such that the building and
- solving of the set of differential equations may be performed using existing,
- proven methods.
-
- VHDL 92 solution :
- Suggested strategy :
-
- Review existing methods, as implemented in existing simulators ; choose a
- minimum set of features to be specified and normalised.
-
- Possible items :
- - modified nodal method for building the equation set ;
- - procedural models providing the branch current as a function of
- voltages ;
- - implicit states (one more equation) when the analytical solution
- is unknown ;
- - access to "old" value of a variable, and to the corresponding
- time-step ;
- - use of time derivative ;
- - others ...
-
- Consistent with : NA4
- Different from : (E12 ?)
- Opposed to :
-
- 26. User control over Digital to Analog interactions
-
- Provisional number : E71
- Summary :
- Description of requirement :
-
- Interactions from the digital part to the analog part should be user-definable ;
- this will allow technology-specific or application-specific interactions to be
- modelled at the desired level of abstraction ; it will not prevent from using
- "standard" packages for standard cases.
-
- VHDL 92 solution :
- Suggested strategy :
-
- As soon as the principles of analog functionnal modeling are defined
- ("relations", or procedural models) it will be easy to specify how the
- (up-dated) values of signals may be used inside analog models ;
-
- possible interactions :
-
- - the value of an enumerated-type (digital) signal may be used
- within an "if" or "case" statement to choose between several forms
- of a differential equation ;
-
- - the value of a real or integer signal may be used as a parameter
- within a differential equation ;
-
- - both may be used in the (sequential) computations taking place
- within a procedural model (if such a modeling technique is used).
-
- The problem of discontinuity must be addressed (i.e. a controlled voltage source
- which suddenly swtiches from 0V to 5V may disturb the analogue simulator).
-
- Consistent with : NA5, E48
- Different from :
- Opposed to :
-
- 27. User control over Analog to Digital interactions
-
- Provisional number : E72
- Summary :
- Description of requirement :
-
- Interactions from the analog part to the digital part should be user-definable ;
- this will allow technology-specific or application-specific interactions to be
- modelled at the desired level of abstraction ; it will not prevent from using
- "standard" packages for standard cases.
-
- VHDL 92 solution :
- Suggested strategy :
-
- The values of any node voltage or any pin current should be usable in the
- right-hand side of signal (or variable) assignement statements in the digital
- part ; they should also be usable in boolean expressions.
-
- The digital processes (or equivalent processes) which make use of such current
- or voltage values will have to be triggered when the digital conditions are met
- (e.g. event on a signal in the sensitivity list), and in addition they will have
- to be triggered also when a "significant" change occurs on one of the current or
- voltage they use.
-
- To avoid a great number of unnecessary calls to these processes, some form of
- thresholding, with user-provided functions, should be included in the analog
- kernel.
-
- The problem of "time-step adjustment" must be addressed (see for example "Mixed
- VHDL-Analog Simulation, Mart Altmae, Euro-Vhdl-91, Stockholm").
-
- Consistent with : NA5, E48
- Different from :
- Opposed to :
-
- 28. Dimensional analysis of physical types
-
- Provisional number : E73
- Summary: Extend the VHDL type model to support the dimensional
- analysis of physical quantities
-
- DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT:
-
- It should be possible to write expressions involving physical quantities
- without having to overload the standard arithmetic operators. For
- example, it should be possible to multiply a variable of `type' voltage
- by one of `type' current and assign the result to something of `type'
- power without having to define an overloaded multiplication operator.
-
- This requirement re-states two requirements from the 1076 requirements
- ballot. Specifically E62 by D. Rodriguez and D. Rouqier
- and A18 by Alfred S. Gilman.
-
- SUGGESTED STRATEGIES:
-
- All physical quantities or units of measurement have dimensions
- defined in terms of seven basic physical units (metre, kilogramme,
- second, ampere, kelvin, candela and mole). These units are termed the
- `SI' units and are defined by the standard ISO-1000.
-
- For example, the unit of power, the watt, can be defined:
-
- 2 -3
- 1 W = 1 kg m s (Kilogramme, metre squared, per second cubed)
-
- If, when any physical type is defined, the dimensions of the type (in
- terms of the 7 basic SI units, which are perhaps defined using some
- standard package) are also specified then any assignment operations in
- the language can be checked for dimensional equivalence.
-
- The dimension specification could be added to the declaration of
- a physical type, using some suitable syntactic convention for expressing
- the various numerators and demoninators.
-
- Some rules for arithmetic operations (such as those in 1076 requirement
- E62) would be required to define how dimensioned quantities are
- arithmetically combined.
-
- 29. Domain of application
-
- Provisional number : E74
- Summary :
- Description of requirement :
-
- The mixed language to be specified in IEEE1076.1 should enable the user to
- perform not only electrical simulation of digital circuits, but also analog
- simulation of "truely" analog circuits.
-
- In the first case, the electrical (and timing) performances of a digital
- circuit (e.g. adder, register) may be checked, and simplified simulation
- techniques may be used.
-
- In the second case, the behavior of an analog circuit (e.g. operational
- amplifier) may be checked, and precise simulation my be necessary.
-
- Clearly both styles must be possible when using IEEE1076.1
-
- VHDL 92 solution :
- Suggested strategy :
-
- Check that no language feature prevents from modeling truely analog circuits.
-
- Possible problems :
- - definition of (analog) time (variable time-step must be possible) ;
- - definition of "DC" analysis to be performed at time 0.
-
- Consistent with :
- Different from :
- Opposed to :
-
- 30. Several modeling techniques
-
- Provisional number : E75
- Summary :
- Description of requirement :
-
- The mixed language to be specified in IEEE1076.1 should provide the user
- several modeling techniques for the analog parts.
-
- Modeling by equations has already been proposed (see requirement E12). This
- method is simple and, in some cases, necessary. But it is well known that it
- leads to a greater number of equations in the equation-set.
-
- Procedural description should also be provided. In this method, analog
- blocks are seen as controlling their branch currents as functions of the node
- voltages (the node voltages are iteratively proposed by the analog kernel when
- solving the equation set, until the branch currents returned by analog blocks
- statisfy KCL).
-
- The "equation" method must be maintained and specified, because it is the
- only applicable method in some cases, but the "procedural" method must be
- added, because it will enable faster simulations.
-
- VHDL 92 solution :
- Suggested strategy :
-
- Study and specify the "analog procedural model" :
-
- - semantics (sequence of computation, with node voltages being read as input
- parameters, and branch current being returned as results) ;
-
- - instants at which the analog procedural model will be called by the analog
- "kernel" ;
-
- - syntax (could re-use most of the syntax of the digital process) ;
-
- Consistent with :
- Different from :
- Opposed to :
-
- 31. Consistency check for excitations and results in different
- analogue simulators
-
- Provisional number : E76
- Summary: Signal typing and comparison possibility would be needed to
- be sure that input and output signals of different type of
- analogue simulators are consistent.
-
- Description of the requirement:
-
- In analog design, variety of simulation tools must usually be used
- (high-level programming languages for system behavioural verification,
- linear ac simulators for frequency responses and time domain simulators
- for non-linear effects) and the main problem seems not be the actual
- simulation but being sure that what you have simulated is what you have
- in the schematics. Simulating small sub-blocks, either linear or non-linear,
- is possible by describing appropriate input signals by hand to that particular
- simulator, but verifying the correctness of the whole circuit cannot usually
- be done: you cannot be sure that connections between sub-blocks (especially
- between analog and digital parts) have the right polarity and so on.
-
- It seems obvious, that VHDL itself is useful only in very simplified
- behavioural time domain analysis of analog circuits. What I would consider
- very useful is that different architecture descriptions of VHDL could be
- used as links or source code to different analog simulators that may run
- parallel with digital VHDL simulation. VHDL itself would be used as a
- design framework which takes care that the types and waveforms of input
- and output signals remain consistent, no matter what simulator is used.
-
-
- Suggested strategies:
-
- Firstly, I'm sorry to confess that I have no practical experience of using
- VHDL, so these are mere guesses which may not be practical at all.
-
- The strong signal typing capability of VHDL could be used to distinguish
- which signals are clocks, which ac-inputs or outputs and which mere dc
- voltage or current references. VHDL would check that current reference
- type signal is described by dc type source IBIAS in Spice, for example.
-
- Due to different accuracies of simulators, perhaps a visual comparison
- would be best. The framework would show e.g. transient results of a
- behavioural model to be used in VHDL simulation and from a Spice simulation
- on same time scale, and the designer's job is to verify that they agree
- close enough. Thus VHDL could be used to write spesifications of the
- function and to test that specs are fullfilled.
-
- 32. Analogue Modelling Requirements in VHDL
-
- Provisional number : E77
- Descripiton:
-
- The following items would be required to give adequate analogue
- support in VHDL.
-
- 1/ Differential Equation specification for physical units
-
- eg di/dt, dv/dt
-
- 2/ New standard physical type definitions to cover current and power units
-
- 3/ A standard set of functions for often-used analogue sources
-
- eg sine, cosine, voltage/current controlled sources
-
- 4/ New VHDL signal type definitions that can contain current, voltage and phase
- angle information.
-
- 5/ Overloading of standard operators to support real and imaginary
- numbers (ie to handle phase-angle summations)
-
- Summary:
-
- By inventing some functions and new types many analogue issues can be addressed
- in the current 1076 standard. The most important issue is that
- their should be agreement on the names and definitions so that
- everyone adopts them.
-
- 33. Mixed entities required
-
- Provisional number : E78
- Summary :
- Description of requirement :
-
- When using 1076.1, it should be possible to describe and simulate mixed (analog
- plus digital) circuits, circuits having digital I/Os (e.g. bits or bit-vectors,
- whether input, output or three-state) and analog I/Os (e.g. analog input or
- analog output).
-
- Thus it should be possible to declare an entity as having, at the same time,
- (digital) PORTS and (analog) PINS (and possibly GENERICS and PARAMETERS).
-
- VHDL 92 solution :
- Suggested strategy :
- Consistent with :
- Different from :
- Opposed to :
-
- 34. Implementation issues
-
- Provisional number : E79
- Summary :
- Description of requirement :
-
- When defining 1076.1, attention should be paid to what is (easily ?)
- implemented and what is impossible (or nearly impossible) to implement. This
- should be done with the cooperation of people having an experience in the
- implementation of mixed simulators.
-
- Example of feasible things :
- - model an analog black box by a set of equations
- - model an analog black box by a procedural model
- - read a digital signal and use it in the analog behavior
- (with visibilty rules)
- - read an analog voltage and use it in the digital behavior
- (with visibilty rules)
-
- Examples of things which should be forbidden (by the syntax)
- - overwrite a digital signal from within an analog black box
- - overwrite an analog voltage from within a process
- - turn a voltage-source into a current-source and vice-versa
-
- VHDL 92 solution :
- Suggested strategy :
- Consistent with :
- Different from :
- Opposed to :
-
- 35. Single Timing Semantic
-
- Provisional number : A176
-
- Description:
- Any extensions to the semantic timing model of VHDL should be incorporated
- into the existing timing model of the 92 standard or should handle the
- model used in the 92 standard. In particular, the evaluation of
- continuous-time models should be integrated with the evaluation of
- event-driven models into a single "simulation cycle" mechanism.
-
- 36. Pass Through of Analog Values
-
- Provisional number : A177
-
- Description:
- The transferal of analog values through a communication channel which
- passes through a mixed component which contains digital elements but
- does not involve mixed digital/analog operations on those values
- should not require a conversion to the digital domain.
-
- 37. Fully Intermixed Designs
-
- Provisional number : A178
-
- Description:
- Any extended language should allow the intermixing of any runtime
- statements, structural elements, or declarative statements within
- any of the structural blocks of the language. There should be no
- distinction between analog blocks/components/entities and digital
- blocks/components/entities.
-
- Consider the following case:
-
- Mixed Component
- ---------------
- +----------------->Mixed Interface-----------------+
- | Digital Behavior |
- | |
- | Analog Component Analog Component |
- | ---------------- ---------------- |
- +-- Analog Source Analog Reader <----+
-
-
- The analog reader should see the exact value generated by the analog
- source.
-
- 38. Specification of Initial Analog Conditions
-
- Provisional number : A179
-
- Summary: The initialization of a VHDL model must be extended from the
- current procedural notation to something that allows the
- inclusion of initial analog characteristics.
-
- DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM: A method for specifying the initial (time-zero)
- conditions of analog models must be provided. Examples of possible initial
- conditions are the charge on a capacitor, the flux of an inductor. More
- generally, an initial condition can be some voltage across or some current
- though a branch. If an initial condition is not specified, the simulator
- will use the value calculated from the DC solution of the circuit as the
- value for time-zero at a branch when transient analysis is performed.
-
- VHDL 87 SOLUTION: None
-
- 39. Specification of Non-conserved analog systems
-
- Provisional number : A180
-
- Summary: It should be possible to specify non-conserved analog systems |
- in VHDL. This would extend the applicability of VHDL to |
- incude control system design. |
-
- DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM: It should be possible to specify a non-conserved
- analog system to VHDL. A non-conserved (e.g. control) system use signal
- flow semantics to interconnect functional blocks. In other words, the
- signals form a directed graph of functional blocks. A functional block
- implements some function on the input signal(s), relating them to the
- output signal(s).
-
- VHDL 87 SOLUTION: None
-
- The following additional requirements were presented at VHDL-Forum
- ==================================================================
-
- 40.VDHL must facilitate a top down design methodology for analog systems
- from very high levels of abstraction (e.g. H(s), Control Loops, etc.)
- down through their physical implementations. The must include the
- specification of S domain expressions and related transfer functions.
-
- 41.VHDL must support the simulation of Sampled Data Systems and other DSP
- applications. The must include the specification of Z domain
- expressions and related transfer functions.
-
- 42.VHDL must be able to model analog noise sources and allow them to be
- conditionally injected into the behavior of a model.
-
- 43.VHDL must be able to model an ideal analog delay.
-
- 44.VHDL must be able to model ideal voltage and current sources.
-
- 45.VHDL must allow the specification, from within a model, of the next
- time step the simulator is guaranteed to evaluate.
-
- 46. VHDL must support the following functions and operators:
-
- * an intergal operator which allows the specificating of an
- initial condition
- * power of operator (** in FORTRAN)
- * random number function
- * transfer function whose arguments are the coefficients of S or Z
- poly's
-