User-driven Behavioral Transformations

The input HardwareC description is parsed and translated first into an abstract syntax tree representation, which provides the underlying model for semantic analysis and behavioral transformations. The transformations are categorized into user-driven and automatic transformations. User-driven transformations are optional, and allow the designer the capability of modifying the model calls and hierarchy of the input description. They include the following ... 

This chapter is organized as follows. Section 3.1 describes the BIF model. Sections 3.2 and 3.3 present the user-driven and automatic behavioral transformations, respectively. Finally, Section 3.4 summarizes the behavioral transformations applied in Hercules. 

The calling hierarchy of the input description can be modified by the designer using user-driven behavioral transformations. These transformations include inline expansion of model calls and mcqtping of operators to models. 

The Hercules system provides an integrated environment for the behavioral synthesis and optimization of hardware behavior. It performs both user-driven and automatic behavioral transformations, and produces as output one or more sequencing graph abstractions of the optimized behavior, described in SIF. The flow of operation in Hercules is described below. 

Perform automatic behavioral optimizations. In-line expansion and operator to library mapping are transformations that are guided by the designer. Upon completion of these optional user-driven transformations, a suite of automatic behavioral transformations is performed to optimize the behavior. Note that these optimizations caimot be applied to a block model because of its declarative semantics (the list of optimizations is described in Section 3.3). Optimizations include compilo -like optimizations such as dead-code elimination and variable unfolding. 

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