Configuration-level hardware/software partitioning for real-time embedded systems

We present an approach to hardware/software partitioning for real-time embedded systems. The abstraction level we have adopted is referred to as the configuration level, where hardware is modeled as resources with no detailed functionality and software is modeled as tasks utilizing the resources. Through configuration-level analysis, 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. Optimal partitioning is achieved through the use of an existing computer-aided design tool