Abstract: Now, Digital Age’s core power is the monolithic integrated circuit, DSP, PLD/EDA, has met each kind of needs by its respective characteristic, is promoting the information technology fast development. Here will perform to these three kind of electronic products to introduce separately that and makes the comparison and the analysis.
Key word: Monolithic integrated circuit (Single - chip Microcomputer); Digital signal processing (DSP); Programmable logical component (PLD)/electronic design automation (EDA)
Introduction
The information technology is developing fast, its application already penetrated into each domain each aspect. Now more and more electronic products turn toward the intellectualization, the microminiaturization, the low power loss direction to develop, the including products also need the real-time control and the signal processing. The electronic system’s complexity is increasing unceasingly, its urgent need electron design technique also has the corresponding transformation and the leap. Uses the pure SSI digital circuit to design the system work load to be big, the flexibility is low, moreover the system reliability is bad. The widespread use monolithic integrated circuit (MCU) design system has overcome pure SSI digital circuit system many insurmountable difficulties, is one has the milestone significance leap. But DSP has won the broad market by its greatly strengthened signal processing function, obtained widely has applied. In recent years, the PLD component rapidly expand, CPLD/FPGA marched particularly to the deep submicron domain, the PLD component obtained the widespread application, as the material base EDA technology is born take CPLD/FPGA. It has the electronic technology highly intellectualization, the automated characteristic, has broken the software and hardware final barrier, causes the hardware design is similar to the software design is equally simple. It takes one kind of innovation technology to change number system’s design method, the design process and the design idea. The monolithic integrated circuit, DSP, PLD/EDA has met each kind of needs by its respective characteristic, is changing the world from each domain each stratification plane, they already became the Digital Age the core power, is promoting the information technology fast development.
Following, we to the monolithic integrated circuit, DSP, PLD/EDA will perform to introduce separately that and makes the comparison and the analysis.
Monolithic integrated circuit
The monolithic integrated circuit integrated CPU, ROM, RAM and the I/O microcomputer. It has the very strong connection performance, very suitably in industrial control, therefore calls micro controller (MCU). It is different with the general processor, it is by industry characteristics and so on observation object, environment, connection embarks, turns toward the enhancement control function, enhances under the industry environment the reliability, to constitute conveniently nimbly using computer system’s contact surface connection direction develops. Therefore, the monolithic integrated circuit has own characteristic.
The great variety of goods, the model is diverse
Promotes 51 series monolithic integrated circuits since INTEL, many companies make the improvement to it, develops into the enlargement mode 51 series, moreover the new monolithic integrated circuit type also unceasingly emerges. If MOTOROLA and PHIL IPS have several dozens series, several hundred products. CPU from 8, 16, 32 to 64, uses the RISC technology, on the piece I/O is rich, some monolithic integrated circuit integration has A/D, “the watch-dog”, PWM, demonstrates the actuation, the function generator, the keyboard control and so on, their price also height different, has satisfied exploiter’s choice freedom like this enormously.
Low voltage and low power loss
Along with the ultra large scale integrated circuit’s development, the NMOS craft monolithic integrated circuit is replaced by CMOS, and starts to the HMOS transition. The power line voltage falls 3V from 5V, 2V even arrives at 1V, the operating current drops to by mA μA, this has the opportunity greatly in the portable product.
DSP chip
DSP is called the digital signal processor. As the name suggests, DSP mainly uses in the digital signal processing domain, very suitable high density, redundant operation and big data capacity signal processing. Now already widely applied in domains and so on correspondence, portable computer and portable appliance, radar, image, aviation, domestic electric appliances, medical equipment, the common handset, the digital television and the digital camera cannot leave DSP. DSP uses in the handset and the base depot makes the significant contributions for the mobile communication development, in 2. in 5G and 3G plays the strong character. It can be said that DSP already integrated to the life aspects.
DSP was opposite in the common microprocessor has made the very big expansion and the enhancement, was mainly:
a) revises Harvard structure, multi-bussing technique as well as running water line structure. Separate the procedure and the data-carrier storage, use the multi-main lines, takes the instruction and takes the data also to carry on, as well as the assembly line technology, this enabled the speed to have the big enhancement.
b) hardware multiplier as well as special instruction. This is distinguishes between the common microprocessor’s important symbol. Generally the microprocessor realizes the multiplication with the software, the executive order, the speed is one by one slow. But the DSP dependence hardware multiplier monocycle completes the multiply operation, moreover also has the special signal processing instruction, like TM320 series FIRS, LMS, MACD instruction and so on.
EDA technology
Now the electronic system’s complexity unceasingly is increasing, but electronic products’ renewal is getting quicker and quicker, the traditional design method adapts with difficulty. Along with computer technology’s development, ECAD reduced designers’ working pressure to a certain extent, but its intellectualization, the automated level were still unsatisfactory. Therefore the EDA technology took one kind of brand-new technology to be born. It is changing the number system and the design method, the design process and the design idea.
EDA (i.e. Electronic Design Automation) is the electronic design automation, it is take the computer as the tool, in the EDA software platform, to uses the design document logic translation which, logic hardware description language HDL completes to simplify, the logical division, the logic synthesis and optimized, the logical layout wiring, the logic simulation automatically, until carries on the adaptive translation, the logical counterfeit and programming downloading regarding the specific goal chip and so on. The designer only needs the HDL language to complete the system function the description, may obtain the design result with the aid of the EDA tool, after will translate the code downloads to the goal chip may realize on the hardware. Here goal chip is the PLD component (FPGA/CPLD). FPGA/CPLD is the EDA technology material base, this both are cannot separate. May say that does not have the PLD component, the EDA technology to become the water without a source.
The EDA technology takes one modern electron system development way, has two aspect characteristics.
The revision software routine then changes the hardware
Because FPGA/CPLD may carries on restructuring through the software programming to this hardware’s structure and the working, revised the software routine quite to change the hardware, this was very useful. The software may use the design proposal from the top, moreover may the many individual division of labor multi-tasking, these year IP nuclear industry rising, unify certain soft nuclei may constitute a complete system, this all reduced the development cycle and the going on the market time enormously, is advantageous in seizes in the intense market competition takes the initiative.
The speed is quick, the reliability is high
MCU and DSP are realize the specific function through the serial executive order, inevitable low speed, but FPGA/CPLD may realize on hardware’s multi-tasking, is broad in the real-time observation and the high speed application domain prospect; On the other hand, the FPGA/CPLD component is the software realizes in the function development, but the physical mechanism actually and the pure hardware circuit is the same, is very reliable. But MCU and the DSP chip under the strong jamming condition, under the strong electromagnetic interference, very possibly exceeds the normal work flow particularly, presents PC to run flies the phenomenon. The EDA redundant reliability happen to overcame them this to be congenitally deficient.
Concluding remark
The monolithic integrated circuit, DSP and FPGA/CPLD were unique, has met the different needs, already became the Digital Age the core power. To display their superiority fully, a three union into recent trend of development.
MCU and DSP union
The MCU price bottom, can complete the correspondence and the intelligent control duty well, but signal processing ability is bad. DSP is exactly opposite. Both union, can satisfy at the same time needs the intelligent control and the digital signal processing situation, like the honeycomb telephone, the non-rope network product and so on, this is advantageous in reduces the volume, reduces the power loss and the cost.
DSP and FPGA/CPLD union
Because FPGA/CPLD has at the same time the string/multi-tasking way, characteristics and so on high velocity and wide aperture serviceability, DSP and the FPGA integration on a chip, may realize wideband signal processing, raises the signal processing speed enormously. Moreover, FPGA may carry on hardware restructuring, the function expands or the performance improvement is easy. In brief, the monolithic integrated circuit, DSP, PLD/EDA promoted the information technology development enormously. Must take an engineer, must grasp from the system design level, realizes the level entire process analysis designed capacity the circuit design level to physics, can use the new component skilled, the new development kit, and renews the idea unceasingly, only then like this, can adapt the time development, can grasp the present, the creation future!
