WP6-ESDE
ESL embedded Software Design Environment (ESDE)
| ID | WP6-ESDE |
| Contributor | ACORDE |
| Levels | Tool, Platform |
| Require | Linux, Virtual Platform Development Platform |
| Provide | Executable System-Level modelling, automated embedded software generation, Virtual Platform based validation |
| Input | SystemC models, RTOS API target, Platform target, Platform model |
| Output | Functional and time performance validation. Close to production firmware generation and validation. |
| C4D tooling | n.a. |
| TRL | 4 |
For the design and development of a complete positioning and attitude solution like GLAD, ACORDE relied on a conventional design flow where a former hih-level model using Matlab was used. Then a manual translation was done to C++, which was tested on the final physical prototype. While proven, this approach had also some important disadvantages:
- Enforces a sequential HW/SW development. HW/SW platform availability is a pre-condition for application development.
- Long simulation times and lacks on the modelling language (e.g., no time modelling)
- High translation effort from the high-level model (in Matlab) to the implementation language.
Detailed Description
In COMP4DRONES, ACORDE is developing and evaluating a newer approach to overcome those drawbacks. It is sketched in Figure 69. The ESDE framework developed in WP6 [33], is encrusted in at a top level layer, for a system-level approach to embedded software design and development, to encompass the conventional HW/SW platform development capabilities and processes of ACORDE.
Contribution and Improvements
Some key aspects of the ESDE flow for productivity improvement are:
- The fast functional models that can be built at the top lever, able to significantly speed-up functional validation vs Matlab model execution.
- The automated embedded software generation mechanisms that avoid a significant translation effort from the system model to the implementation C/C++ code.
- The possibility to parallelize of the development of firmware (binary or object file), or very close version of it with HW development, by relying on a high-fidelity virtual platform.
- The possibility to validate firmware (without availability of the physical platform), eventually using several virtual platforms for test parallelization
Interoperability with other C4D tools
TBC
Current Status (Demo)
In C4D the tool has been further developped to support the especification a core functionality for attitude estimation (multi-baseline attitude estimation), in SystemC, i.e., which can be easily compiled into an executable model for its validation.
See https://youtu.be/qkNS-dlBnR0
Moreover, ESDE allows the targeting of this SystemC specification onto C++ based implementation, which can be automatically produced to different targets. The targetting to a Linux-based platform supporting posix threads is illustrated on the following videos:
TBC