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An Automatic Functional Coverage for Digital Systems Through a Binary Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm with a Reinitialization Mechanism

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Abstract

At present, functional verification represents the most expensive part of the digital systems design. Moreover, different problems such as: clock synchronization, code compatibility, simulation automation, new design methodologies, proper use of coverage metrics, among others represent challenges in this area. The automated test vector generation is involved in these problems. In this work, an automated functional test sequences generation for digital systems based on the use of coverage models and a binary Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm with a reinitialization mechanism (BPSOr) is described. Also, a comparison with other meta-heuristic algorithms such as: Genetic algorithms (GA) and pseudo-random generation is presented using different fitness functions, coverage models and devices under verification. The main strategy is based on the combination of the simulation and meta-heuristic algorithms to test the device behavior through the generation of test vector sequences. According to the results, the proposed test generation method represents a good alternative to increase the functional coverage during the automated functional verification of block-level digital systems verification.

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Acknowledgements

This work has been partially supported by grants under agreements SIP-20170578 and SIP-20171527 of Secretaría de Investigación y Posgrado (SIP) del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), México. Also this work was supported by Instituto Politécnico Nacional, México, Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT), México, and Sistema de Becas por Exclusividad (SIBE)-COFAA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Research in Computing (CIC-IPN), Mexico City, CP, 07738, Mexico

    Alfonso Martínez-Cruz, Ricardo Barrón-Fernández, Herón Molina-Lozano, Marco-Antonio Ramírez-Salinas, Luis-Alfonso Villa-Vargas & Prometeo Cortés-Antonio

  2. Electrical & Computer Engineering, Department University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA

    Kwang-Ting (Tim) Cheng

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  1. Alfonso Martínez-Cruz
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Correspondence to Alfonso Martínez-Cruz.

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Martínez-Cruz, A., Barrón-Fernández, R., Molina-Lozano, H. et al. An Automatic Functional Coverage for Digital Systems Through a Binary Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm with a Reinitialization Mechanism. J Electron Test 33, 431–447 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10836-017-5665-x

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