Systemc refinement of abstract adaptive processes for implementation into Dynamically Reconfigurable Hardware

Adaptivity is a key feature in current embedded systems which requires a explicit support in Electronic System-Level (ESL) design methodologies. It means support for abstract specification of the adaptive parts of a system, and suitable implementation flows. In this sense, Dynamically Recon-figurable Hardware (DRHW) enables a cost efficient implementation of adaptive functionality in contexts where a software implementation does not fulfil time performance demands. This paper presents a SystemC-based refinement flow to convert the abstract specification of the adaptive parts of a system, into a functionally equivalent refined description which can be automatically synthesised as DRHW. The flow is based on two existing SystemC-based specification methodologies, and supports multi-level simulation through a seamless connection of the refined adaptive parts to the rest of the specification. The refinement of an adaptive inverse transform module, as part of an adaptive video decoder (AVD), is used as a demonstrative example.