Constraints-driven design space exploration for distributed embedded systems

This paper presents a new method for design space exploration for distributed embedded systems. The method is based on constraint logic programming (CLP) and make it possible to model distributed embedded systems and design requirements using finite domain constraints. Design space exploration tools can then use this model to find different solutions satisfying constraints. An advantage of this method is its flexibility to defined design constraints and ability to mix both manual design decisions and automatic optimization methods. The solution of the set of constraints provides a final system implementation which, by definition, satisfies all imposed design constraints. Both algorithms guaranteeing optimal solutions and heuristic methods can be used in the optimization phase.