[vhdl-200x] Transmission gate mechanism and new parameter mechanism wanted


Subject: [vhdl-200x] Transmission gate mechanism and new parameter mechanism wanted
From: Jonas Nilsson (jonas@hardi.se)
Date: Thu Mar 20 2003 - 02:18:36 PST


Hi,

Two enhancement proposals that I can't find in the list:

1) Transmission gate
   The ability to connect two PORTS in an architecture, effectively
   making them the same net. This probably requires a change to the
   way PORTs are handled in 12.6 in the LRM. Maybe the addition of
   a new PORT mode?

2) Upward propagation of values during elaboration.
   Currently elaboration is performed Top-down, and Generics are passed
   from the instantiating module to the instantated one. Sometimes it
   is advantageous to pass information "the other way": from the
   instantiated component/entity to the instantiating architecture.
   (A testbench could know the intended latency of a DUV, a datapath
   could adapt to the latency of an operational module, or an architecture
   could adapt to the bus width of an instantiated IP-block...)
   One method doing this today is by inluding packages that are created
   alongside with the entity, and USEd in instantiating designs. But this
   prevents propagation of these values through several levels of hierarchy.
   I would prefer another method, where the information is encapsulated in
   the ENTITY/ARCHITECTURE itself. For example, an ENTITY could declare
   attribute-like values, which would be visible from other design units by
   writing for instance
      constant latency: INTEGER := LIB.E(arc)'latency;
   The order and mechanism of parameter propagation has to be considered,
   since an attribute value could depend on a GENERIC parameter, which
   could in turn depend on an attribute value.
   This could perhaps be part of some OO extensions to design units?

Jonas

-- 
Jonas Nilsson
HARDI Electronics AB
Dalbyvagen 22
SE-224 60 LUND
SWEDEN

Phone : +46-46-16 29 00 Fax : +46-46-16 29 01



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