Model based verification using intelligent connectors
The described embodiments concern verifying operation of a device, where the device may have one or more inputs and/or one or more outputs. At least one input and/or output is associated with an intelligent connector. An intelligent connector is a combination of a signal transport path and a data structure. The signal transport path may be electrical conductors leading to the device or a physical connector associated with the device. The data structure contains the name of a variable transported by the associated physical connector, an address of the variable itself as a value in memory, and further information of a source device that produces the variable, at least in the form of address or pointer to the source device data structure and the addresses of all destination devices that consume the variable.
1. An apparatus for verifying operation of a device under verification, comprising:
a signal transport path configured to couple a signal to one or more inputs, or from one or more outputs, of the device under verification;
a processing platform configured to support a data structure, the processing platform further configured to combine the signal transport path and a data structure to form an intelligent connector;
the intelligent connector being capable of at least one of (i) demoting a signal form within the device toward an input side of the device and (ii) promoting the signal form within the device toward an output side of the device.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the data structure include information corresponding to one or more connected devices in addition to the device under verification, the one or more connected devices and the device under verification being associated with the signal transport path.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the information corresponding to the one or more connected devices includes at least one of pointers and addresses.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the data structure contains at least one of (i) a name of a variable transported by the associated signal transport path, (ii) an address of the variable itself as a value in memory, and (iii) further information of a source device that produces the variable.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the further information of the source device is in the form of an address or a pointer to the source device data structure and the addresses of all destination devices that consume the variable.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the signal form is one or more Intelligent points.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein demoting a signal form includes considering effects of other devices between the signal form and the input side of the device under verification.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein promoting a signal form includes considering effects of other devices between the signal form and the output side of the device under verification.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the signal transport path includes at least one of an electrical conductor and (ii) a physical connector.
10. A method of verifying operation of a device under verification, comprising:
identifying, by a processor, a signal transport path configured to couple a signal to one or more inputs, or from one or more outputs, of the device under verification;
combining, by a processor, a data structure with the signal transport path to form an intelligent connector;
moving through the intelligent connector, a signal form within the device under verification toward an external boundary of the device under verification.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein moving the signal form includes demoting the signal form within the device toward an input boundary of the device.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein moving the signal form includes promoting the signal form within the device toward an output boundary of the device.