Integrated circuits, from general purpose microprocessors to application specific designs (ASICs), have become ubiquitous in modern technology. As our applications have become more complex, so too have the circuits used to drive them. Moore's law predicts that the number of transistors on a chip doubles every 18-24 months. This explosion in circuit size has also lead to significant growth in testing effort required to verify the design. In order to cope with the required effort, the testing problem must be approached from several different design levels. In particular, exploiting the Register Transfer Level for test generation allows for the use of relational information unavailable at the structural level. This dissertation demonstrates several novel methods for generating tests applicable for both structural and functional tests. These testing methods allow for significantly faster test generation for functional tests as well as providing high levels of fault coverage during structural test, typically outperforming previous state of the art methods. First, a semi-formal method for functional verification is presented. The approach utilizes a SMT-based bounded model checker in combination with an ant colony optimization based search engine to generate tests with high branch coverage. Additionally, the method is utilized to identify unreachable code paths within the RTL. Compared to previous methods, the experimental results show increased levels of coverage and improved performance. Then, an ant colony optimization algorithm is used to generate high quality tests for fault coverage. By utilizing co-simulation at the RTL and gate level, tests are generated for both levels simultaneously. This method is shown to reach previously unseen levels of fault coverage with significantly lower computational effort. Additionally, the engine was also shown to be effective for behavioral level test generation. Next, an abstraction method for functional test generation is presented utilizing program slicing and data mining. The abstraction allows us to generate high quality test vectors that navigate extremely narrow paths in the state space. The method reaches previously unseen levels of coverage and is able to justify very difficult to reach control states within the circuit. Then, a new method of fault grading test vectors is introduced based on the concept of operator coverage. Operator coverage measures the behavioral coverage in each synthesizable statement in the RTL by creating a set of coverage points for each arithmetic and logical operator. The metric shows a strong relationship with fault coverage for coverage forecasting and vector comparison. Additionally, it provides significant reductions in computation time compared to other vector grading methods. Finally, the prior metric is utilized for creating a framework of automatic test pattern generation for defect coverage at the RTL. This framework provides the unique ability to automatically generate high quality test vectors for functional and defect level testing at the RTL without the need for synthesis. In summary, We present a set of tools for the analysis and test of circuits at the RTL. By leveraging information available at HDL, we can generate tests to exercise particular properties that are extremely difficult to extract at the gate level. / Ph. D. / Digital circuits and modern microprocessors are pervasive in modern life. The complexity and scope of these devices has dramatically increased to meet new demands and applications, from entertainment devices to advanced automotive applications. Rising complexity causes design errors and manufacturing defects are more difficult to detect and increases testing costs. To cope with rising test costs, significant effort has been directed towards automating test generation early in development when defects are less expensive to correct. Modern digital circuits are designed using Hardware Description Languages (HDL) to describe their behavior at a high logical level. Then, the behavioral description is translated to a chip level implementation. Most automated test tools use the implementation description since it is a more direct representation of the manufactured circuit. This dissertation demonstrates several methods to utilize available logical information in behavioral descriptions for generating tests early in development that maintain applicability throughout the design process. The proposed algorithms utilize a biologically-inspired search, the ant colony optimization, abstracting test generation as an ant colony hunting for food. In the abstraction, a sequence of inputs to a circuit is represented by the walked path of an individual ant and untested portions of the circuit description are modelled as food sources. The final test is a collection of paths that efficiently reach the most food sources. Each algorithm also explores different software analysis techniques, which have been adapted to handle unique constraints of HDLs, to learn about the target circuits. The ant colony optimization uses the analysis to help guide and direct the search, yielding more efficient execution than prior techniques and reducing the time required for test generation. Additionally, the described methods can automatically generate tests in cases previously requiring manual generation, improving overall test quality.

Os sistemas eletrônicos digitais estão sendo cada vez mais utilizados em aplicações de telecomunicações, processamento de voz, instrumentação, biomedicina e multimídia. A maioria dessas aplicações requer algum tipo de processamento de sinal, sendo que essa função normalmente é executada em grande parte por um bloco digital. Além disso, considerando-se os diversos tipos de circuitos existentes num sistema, tais como memórias RAM (Random Access Memory) e ROM (Read Only Memory), partes operativas e partes de controle complexas, é cada vez mais importante a preocupação com o teste desses sistemas complexos. O aumento da complexidade dos circuitos a serem testados exige também um aumento na complexidade dos circuitos testadores (teste externo), tornando estes últimos muito caros. Uma alternativa viável é integrar algumas ou todas as funções de teste no próprio chip a ser testado. Por outro lado, essa estratégia pode resultar em um custo proibitivo em termos de área em silício.É interessante observar, no entanto, que se os testes e a função de processamento de sinal não necessitarem ser executados em paralelo, então é possível utilizar uma única área reconfigurável para realizar essas funções de uma maneira sequencial. Logo, este trabalho propõe uma arquitetura reconfigurável otimizada para a implementação desses dois tipos de circuitos (processamento digital de sinais e teste). Com esta abordagem pretende-se ter ganhos de área em relação tanto a uma implementação dedicada (full-custom) quanto a uma implementação em dispositivos reconfiguráveis comerciais. Para validar essas idéias, a arquitetura proposta é descrita em uma linguagem de descrição de hardware, e são mapeados e simulados algoritmos de teste e de processamento de sinais nessa arquitetura. S˜ao feitas estimativas da área ocupada pelas três abordagens (dedicada, dispositivo reconfigurável comercial e nova arquitetura proposta), bem como uma análise comparativa entre as mesmas. Também são feitas estimativas de atraso e frequência máxima de operação. / Digital electronic systems have been increasingly used in a large spectrum of applications, such as communication, voice processing, instrumentation, biomedicine, and multimedia. Most of these applications require some kind of signal processing. Most of this task is usually performed by a digital block. Moreover, these complex systems are composed of different kinds of circuits, such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory) memories, complex datapaths and control parts. This way, the test of such systems is ever more important. Likewise, the increasingly complexity of the circuits to be tested requires more complex testers (external test), making the latter more expensive. An approach to address this problem is to embbed the test functions onto the chip to be tested itself. Nevertheless, this approach may bring a prohibitive cost in terms of area on silicon. However, if the test and the signal processing functions are not required to run in parallel, then it is possible to use the same reconfigurable area to implement these functions one after another. Thus, this work proposes an optimized reconfigurable architecture to implement this kind of circuits (digital signal processing and test). This approach intends to decrease the occupied area in comparison to a dedicated and also to a comercial reconfigurable device implementation. To validate these ideas, the proposed architecture is described using a hardware description language and some test and digital signal processing applications are mapped and simulated on this architecture. In this work an estimative of the occupied area by the three approaches (dedicated, comercial reconfigurable device, and the new proposed architecture) as well as a comparison analysis between them are performed. Likewise, a delay estimate is performed and the maximum operation frequency is evaluated.

Os sistemas eletrônicos digitais estão sendo cada vez mais utilizados em aplicações de telecomunicações, processamento de voz, instrumentação, biomedicina e multimídia. A maioria dessas aplicações requer algum tipo de processamento de sinal, sendo que essa função normalmente é executada em grande parte por um bloco digital. Além disso, considerando-se os diversos tipos de circuitos existentes num sistema, tais como memórias RAM (Random Access Memory) e ROM (Read Only Memory), partes operativas e partes de controle complexas, é cada vez mais importante a preocupação com o teste desses sistemas complexos. O aumento da complexidade dos circuitos a serem testados exige também um aumento na complexidade dos circuitos testadores (teste externo), tornando estes últimos muito caros. Uma alternativa viável é integrar algumas ou todas as funções de teste no próprio chip a ser testado. Por outro lado, essa estratégia pode resultar em um custo proibitivo em termos de área em silício.É interessante observar, no entanto, que se os testes e a função de processamento de sinal não necessitarem ser executados em paralelo, então é possível utilizar uma única área reconfigurável para realizar essas funções de uma maneira sequencial. Logo, este trabalho propõe uma arquitetura reconfigurável otimizada para a implementação desses dois tipos de circuitos (processamento digital de sinais e teste). Com esta abordagem pretende-se ter ganhos de área em relação tanto a uma implementação dedicada (full-custom) quanto a uma implementação em dispositivos reconfiguráveis comerciais. Para validar essas idéias, a arquitetura proposta é descrita em uma linguagem de descrição de hardware, e são mapeados e simulados algoritmos de teste e de processamento de sinais nessa arquitetura. S˜ao feitas estimativas da área ocupada pelas três abordagens (dedicada, dispositivo reconfigurável comercial e nova arquitetura proposta), bem como uma análise comparativa entre as mesmas. Também são feitas estimativas de atraso e frequência máxima de operação. / Digital electronic systems have been increasingly used in a large spectrum of applications, such as communication, voice processing, instrumentation, biomedicine, and multimedia. Most of these applications require some kind of signal processing. Most of this task is usually performed by a digital block. Moreover, these complex systems are composed of different kinds of circuits, such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory) memories, complex datapaths and control parts. This way, the test of such systems is ever more important. Likewise, the increasingly complexity of the circuits to be tested requires more complex testers (external test), making the latter more expensive. An approach to address this problem is to embbed the test functions onto the chip to be tested itself. Nevertheless, this approach may bring a prohibitive cost in terms of area on silicon. However, if the test and the signal processing functions are not required to run in parallel, then it is possible to use the same reconfigurable area to implement these functions one after another. Thus, this work proposes an optimized reconfigurable architecture to implement this kind of circuits (digital signal processing and test). This approach intends to decrease the occupied area in comparison to a dedicated and also to a comercial reconfigurable device implementation. To validate these ideas, the proposed architecture is described using a hardware description language and some test and digital signal processing applications are mapped and simulated on this architecture. In this work an estimative of the occupied area by the three approaches (dedicated, comercial reconfigurable device, and the new proposed architecture) as well as a comparison analysis between them are performed. Likewise, a delay estimate is performed and the maximum operation frequency is evaluated.

Os sistemas eletrônicos digitais estão sendo cada vez mais utilizados em aplicações de telecomunicações, processamento de voz, instrumentação, biomedicina e multimídia. A maioria dessas aplicações requer algum tipo de processamento de sinal, sendo que essa função normalmente é executada em grande parte por um bloco digital. Além disso, considerando-se os diversos tipos de circuitos existentes num sistema, tais como memórias RAM (Random Access Memory) e ROM (Read Only Memory), partes operativas e partes de controle complexas, é cada vez mais importante a preocupação com o teste desses sistemas complexos. O aumento da complexidade dos circuitos a serem testados exige também um aumento na complexidade dos circuitos testadores (teste externo), tornando estes últimos muito caros. Uma alternativa viável é integrar algumas ou todas as funções de teste no próprio chip a ser testado. Por outro lado, essa estratégia pode resultar em um custo proibitivo em termos de área em silício.É interessante observar, no entanto, que se os testes e a função de processamento de sinal não necessitarem ser executados em paralelo, então é possível utilizar uma única área reconfigurável para realizar essas funções de uma maneira sequencial. Logo, este trabalho propõe uma arquitetura reconfigurável otimizada para a implementação desses dois tipos de circuitos (processamento digital de sinais e teste). Com esta abordagem pretende-se ter ganhos de área em relação tanto a uma implementação dedicada (full-custom) quanto a uma implementação em dispositivos reconfiguráveis comerciais. Para validar essas idéias, a arquitetura proposta é descrita em uma linguagem de descrição de hardware, e são mapeados e simulados algoritmos de teste e de processamento de sinais nessa arquitetura. S˜ao feitas estimativas da área ocupada pelas três abordagens (dedicada, dispositivo reconfigurável comercial e nova arquitetura proposta), bem como uma análise comparativa entre as mesmas. Também são feitas estimativas de atraso e frequência máxima de operação. / Digital electronic systems have been increasingly used in a large spectrum of applications, such as communication, voice processing, instrumentation, biomedicine, and multimedia. Most of these applications require some kind of signal processing. Most of this task is usually performed by a digital block. Moreover, these complex systems are composed of different kinds of circuits, such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory) memories, complex datapaths and control parts. This way, the test of such systems is ever more important. Likewise, the increasingly complexity of the circuits to be tested requires more complex testers (external test), making the latter more expensive. An approach to address this problem is to embbed the test functions onto the chip to be tested itself. Nevertheless, this approach may bring a prohibitive cost in terms of area on silicon. However, if the test and the signal processing functions are not required to run in parallel, then it is possible to use the same reconfigurable area to implement these functions one after another. Thus, this work proposes an optimized reconfigurable architecture to implement this kind of circuits (digital signal processing and test). This approach intends to decrease the occupied area in comparison to a dedicated and also to a comercial reconfigurable device implementation. To validate these ideas, the proposed architecture is described using a hardware description language and some test and digital signal processing applications are mapped and simulated on this architecture. In this work an estimative of the occupied area by the three approaches (dedicated, comercial reconfigurable device, and the new proposed architecture) as well as a comparison analysis between them are performed. Likewise, a delay estimate is performed and the maximum operation frequency is evaluated.

This thesis is done by two students from Blekinge Institute of Technology as an end of the master of engineering program with emphasis on applied mechanics. The thesis is done in cooperation with Axis Communications AB in Lund which develop surveillance cameras. The task was to design and implement an Angular Vibration Testing Equipment. Axis needs this to test their surveillance cameras for angular vibrations. These vibrations occur usually on cameras located on poles placed at roads and at train stations. The thesis has been carried out in three different phases where the first phase handled a deeper understanding of the problem, planning and investigating of related works. Axis has a solution for smaller cameras called Shakespeare MK I and this was used as an inspiration for us. The second phase included concept generation and concept evaluation. This has been done with brainstorming, workshop and concept scoring. At the last phase a prototype was built and tested and a detailed design was made. Two versions of the prototype were made and they showed that the concept works well. The project resulted in a working prototype that can transform linear motion to rotation around two axes. A drawing and a cost calculation were made for the final concept. The final construction is still not completely optimized and has improvement and adjustment possibilities that might be needed.