FPGAs : Fundamentals, advanced features, and applications in industrial electronics

267 Pages·2017·4.07 MB·English

by  Rodríguez Andina

FPGAs
Fundamentals, Advanced Features,
and Applications in Industrial
Electronics

FPGAs
Fundamentals, Advanced Features,
and Applications in Industrial
Electronics
Juan José Rodríguez Andina,
Eduardo de la Torre Arnanz, and
María Dolores Valdés Peña
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Contents
Preface ......................................................................................................................ix
Acknowledgments ..............................................................................................xiii
Authors ...................................................................................................................xv
1. FPGAs and Their Role in the Design of Electronic Systems.................1
1.1 Introduction ...........................................................................................1
1.2 Embedded Control Systems: A Wide Concept .................................2
1.3 Implementation Options for Embedded Systems ............................4
1.3.1 Technological Improvements and Complexity Growth .....4
1.3.2 Toward Energy-Efficient Improved Computing
Performance ..............................................................................6
1.3.3 A Battle for the Target Technology? ......................................7
1.3.4 Design Techniques and Tools for the Different
Technologies .............................................................................8
1.3.4.1 General-Purpose Processors and
Microcontrollers .......................................................9
1.3.4.2 DSP Processors .......................................................10
1.3.4.3 Multicore Processors and GPGPUs .....................11
1.3.4.4 FPGAs ......................................................................12
1.3.4.5 ASICs ........................................................................12
1.4 How Does Configurable Logic Work? ..............................................13
1.5 Applications and Uses of FPGAs ......................................................18
References .......................................................................................................19
2. Main Architectures and Hardware Resources of FPGAs ....................21
2.1 Introduction .........................................................................................21
2.2 Main FPGA Architectures .................................................................22
2.3 Basic Hardware Resources ................................................................25
2.3.1 Logic Blocks ............................................................................25
2.3.2 I/O Blocks ...............................................................................29
2.3.2.1 SerDes Blocks ..........................................................31
2.3.2.2 FIFO Memories .......................................................32
2.3.3 Interconnection Resources ...................................................32
2.4 Specialized Hardware Blocks ...........................................................34
2.4.1 Clock Management Blocks ...................................................34
2.4.2 Memory Blocks .......................................................................41
v
vi Contents
2.4.3 Hard Memory Controllers ....................................................45
2.4.4 Transceivers ............................................................................47
2.4.4.1 PCIe Blocks ..............................................................51
2.4.5 Serial Communication Interfaces ........................................53
References .......................................................................................................56
3. Embedded Processors in FPGA Architectures .......................................59
3.1 Introduction .........................................................................................59
3.1.1 Multicore Processors .............................................................61
3.1.1.1 Main Hardware Issues ..........................................61
3.1.1.2 Main Software Issues.............................................64
3.1.2 Many-Core Processors ..........................................................66
3.1.3 FPSoCs .....................................................................................66
3.2 Soft Processors .....................................................................................67
3.2.1 Proprietary Cores ...................................................................69
3.2.2 Open-Source Cores ................................................................76
3.3 Hard Processors ..................................................................................78
3.4 Other “Configurable” SoC Solutions ...............................................85
3.4.1 Sensor Hubs ............................................................................85
3.4.2 Customizable Processors ......................................................90
3.5 On-Chip Buses .....................................................................................91
3.5.1 AMBA ......................................................................................92
3.5.1.1 AHB ..........................................................................92
3.5.1.2 Multilayer AHB ......................................................94
3.5.1.3 AXI............................................................................95
3.5.2 Avalon ....................................................................................100
3.5.3 CoreConnect .........................................................................108
3.5.4 WishBone ..............................................................................109
References .....................................................................................................111
4. Advanced Signal Processing Resources in FPGAs .............................115
4.1 Introduction .......................................................................................115
4.2 Embedded Multipliers ......................................................................117
4.3 DSP Blocks .........................................................................................118
4.4 Floating-Point Hardware Operators ...............................................121
References .....................................................................................................125
5. Mixed-Signal FPGAs .................................................................................127
5.1 Introduction .......................................................................................127
5.2 ADC Blocks ........................................................................................128
5.3 Analog Sensors ..................................................................................133
5.4 Analog Data Acquisition and Processing Interfaces ...................134
5.5 Hybrid FPGA–FPAA Solutions .......................................................138
References .....................................................................................................142
Contents vii
6. Tools and Methodologies for FPGA-Based Design .............................143
6.1 Introduction .......................................................................................143
6.2 Basic Design Flow Based on RTL Synthesis and
Implementation Tools .......................................................................145
6.2.1 Design Entry .........................................................................147
6.2.2 Simulation Tools ...................................................................149
6.2.2.1 Interactive Simulation ..........................................152
6.2.2.2 Mixed-Mode Simulation .....................................152
6.2.2.3 HIL Verification ....................................................152
6.2.3 RTL Synthesis and Back-End Tools ...................................153
6.2.3.1 RTL Synthesis .......................................................153
6.2.3.2 Translation .............................................................156
6.2.3.3 Placement and Routing .......................................156
6.2.3.4 Bitstream Generation ...........................................158
6.3 Design of SoPC Systems ...................................................................160
6.3.1 Hardware Design Tools for SoPCs ....................................160
6.3.2 Software Design Tools for SoPCs ......................................164
6.3.3 Core Libraries and Core Generation Tools .......................167
6.4 HLS Tools ...........................................................................................169
6.5 Design of HPC Multithread Accelerators ......................................171
6.6 Debugging and Other Auxiliary Tools ..........................................173
6.6.1 Hardware/Software Debugging for SoPC Systems........173
6.6.1.1 Software Debugging ............................................174
6.6.1.2 Hardware Debugging ..........................................175
6.6.1.3 Hardware/Software Co-Debugging .................177
6.6.2 Auxiliary Tools .....................................................................177
6.6.2.1 Pin Planning Tools ...............................................177
6.6.2.2 FPGA Selection Advisory Tools .........................178
6.6.2.3 Power Estimation Tools .......................................178
References .....................................................................................................179
7. Off-Chip and In-Chip Communications for FPGA Systems ............181
7.1 Introduction .......................................................................................181
7.2 Off-Chip Communications ..............................................................182
7.2.1 Low-Speed Interfaces ..........................................................182
7.2.2 High-Speed Interfaces .........................................................183
7.3 In-Chip Communications ................................................................185
7.3.1 Point-to-Point Connections .................................................185
7.3.2 Bus-Based Connections .......................................................186
7.3.3 Networks on Chip................................................................192
References .....................................................................................................195
8. Building Reconfigurable Systems Using Commercial FPGAs .........197
8.1 Introduction .......................................................................................197
8.2 Main Reconfiguration-Related Concepts .......................................198
8.2.1 Reconfigurable Architectures ............................................201
viii Contents
8.3 FPGAs as Reconfigurable Elements ...............................................202
8.3.1 Commercial FPGAs with Reconfiguration Support .......203
8.3.2 Setting Up an Architecture for Partial Reconfiguration ...204
8.3.3 Scalable Architectures .........................................................206
8.3.4 Tool Support for Partial Reconfiguration .........................208
8.3.5 On-Chip Communications for Reconfigurable
System Support ....................................................................210
8.4 RTR Support .......................................................................................211
8.4.1 Self-Managing Systems .......................................................213
8.4.2 Adaptive Multithread Execution with
Reconfigurable Hardware Accelerators ............................216
8.4.3 Evolvable Hardware ............................................................219
References .....................................................................................................227
9. Industrial Electronics Applications of FPGAs .....................................229
9.1 Introduction .......................................................................................229
9.2 FPGA Application Domains in Industrial Electronics ................231
9.2.1 Digital Real-Time Simulation of Power Systems .............231
9.2.2 Advanced Control Techniques ...........................................232
9.2.2.1 Power Systems ......................................................232
9.2.2.2 Robotics and Automotive Electronics ...............233
9.2.2.3 Use of Floating-Point Operations .......................233
9.2.3 Electronic Instrumentation.................................................234
9.3 Conclusion ..........................................................................................234
References .....................................................................................................235
Index .....................................................................................................................241
Preface
This book intends to contribute to a wider use of field-programmable gate
arrays (FPGAs) in industry by presenting the concepts associated with this
technology in a way accessible for nonspecialists in hardware design so that
they can analyze if and when these devices are the best (or at least a possible)
solution to efficiently address the needs of their target industrial applications.
This is not a trivial issue because of the many different (but related) factors
involved in the selection of the most suitable hardware platform to solve a
specific digital design problem. The possibilities enabled by current FPGA
devices are highlighted, with particular emphasis on the combination of tra-
ditional FPGA architectures and powerful embedded processors, resulting
in the so-called field-programmable systems-on-chip (FPSoCs) or systems-
on-programmable-chip (SoPCs). Discussions and analyses are focused on
the context of embedded systems, but they are also valid and can be easily
extrapolated to other areas.
The book is structured into nine chapters:
• Chapter 1 analyzes the different existing design approaches for
embedded systems, putting FPGA-based design in perspective with
its direct competitors in the field. In addition, the basic concept of
FPGA “programmability” or “configurability” is discussed, and the
main elements of FPGA architectures are introduced.
• From the brief presentation in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 describes in detail
the main characteristics, structure, and generic hardware resources
of modern FPGAs (logic blocks, I/O blocks, and interconnection
resources). Some specialized hardware blocks (clock management
blocks, memory blocks, hard memory controllers, transceivers, and
serial communication interfaces) are also analyzed in this chapter.
• Embedded soft and hard processors are analyzed in Chapter 3,
because of their special significance and the design paradigm shift
they caused as they transformed FPGAs from hardware accelerators
to FPSoC platforms. As shown in this chapter, devices have evolved
from simple ones, including one general-purpose microcontroller, to
the most recent ones, which integrate several (more than 10 in some
cases) complex processor cores operating concurrently, opening the
door for the implementation of homogeneous or heterogeneous mul-
ticore architectures. The efficient communication between processors
and their peripherals is a key factor to successfully develop embedded
systems. Because of this, the currently available on-chip buses and
their historical evolution are also analyzed in detail in this chapter.
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