Title: A framework of embedded reconfigurable systems based on re-locatable virtual components

Authors: Victor Dumitriu, Lev Kirischian

Addresses: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada. ' Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada

Abstract: The use of modern field-programmable logic devices can help system designers achieve better cost-performance characteristics, in particular in the case of multi-task and multi-modal workloads. This is particularly true when the embedded systems are based on run-time and partially reconfigurable FPGA devices. Such devices permit a system to implement part of its functionality in virtual form, by storing circuits as configuration bit-streams. The use of such virtual components, however, imposes certain requirements on both the behaviour of the system as well as the components themselves. The work presented here analyses some of these requirements, and proposes a potential framework for designing embedded systems using virtual resources. Two examples of a system using virtual components are presented and the infrastructure overhead for supporting virtual components is analysed. It is found that such systems can be implemented efficiently, both in terms of hardware resources as well as timing performance.

Keywords: dynamic reconfiguration; embedded systems; field programmable gate arrays; reconfigurable FPGA; system design; video processing; virtual hardware; component virtualisation; virtual components.

DOI: 10.1504/IJES.2010.039022

International Journal of Embedded Systems, 2010 Vol.4 No.3/4, pp.182 - 194

Published online: 11 Mar 2011 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article