Hardware-software partitioning for real-time embedded systems

In this paper, we present an approach to hardware-software partitioning for real-time embedded systems. Hardware and software components are modeled at the system level, so that cost and performance tradeoffs can be studied early in the design process and a large design space can be explored. Feasibility factor is introduced to measure the possibility of a real-time system being feasible, and is used as both a constraint and an attribute during the optimization process. An imprecise value function is employed to model the tradeoffs among multiple performance attributes. Optimal partitioning is achieved through the use of an existing computer-aided design tool. We demonstrate the application of our approach through the design of an example embedded system.