Method for re-using system-on-chip verification software in an operating system
US6868545B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 31, 2000 |
| Grant date | Mar 15, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 31, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F2117/08
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The time, effort and expense required to develop verification software for testing and de-bugging system-on-chip (SOC) designs represents a considerable investment. According to the method of the present invention, a portion of such verification software may be re-used in an operating system (OS) (i.e., a system used for, e.g., general business, technical or scientific applications as opposed to software testing) to capitalize on the investment.The verification software includes low-level device drivers (LLDDs) which were coded for and paired with specific device designs (“cores”) throughout the verification process, and were consequently also verified (i.e., de-bugged) in the process. Thus, the low-level device drivers represent reliable software with detailed knowledge of the corresponding devices.By developing a thin middle-level device driver layer of software to interface between a particular OS and the lower-level device drivers, the LLDDs can be re-used in an OS that uses devices that the LLDDs were designed for. This frees SOC customers from having to develop low-level software and instead allows them to concentrate on developing their particular applications, or “value-add…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.