RecDEVS: A Comprehensive Model of Computation for Dynamically Reconfigurable Hardware Systems

This paper introduces a novel formal model of computation denoted as RecDEVS. It is targeted to the development of dynamically reconfigurable hardware systems, a domain that still misses a formal design methodology. RecDEVS supports the description of hardware reconfiguration as a native part of a system model and thus can be used as a foundation of new design methodologies.Reconfiguration is addressed by means of a small set of reconfiguration commands and a dedicated executive component. Special care has been taken to support the flexible communication network of dynamically changeable hardware structures. We describe how RecDEVS benefits from the Dynamic Structure Discrete Event Specified Systems (DSDEVS) model that has been generalized. To illustrate the feasibility of the proposed approach the implementation of RecDEVS inside on top of SystemC based simulation engine is demonstrated.