Model-based progressive design and verification of an integrated CMOS magnetic sensor for automotive applications

This paper presents a case study of the concrete usages and benefits of model-based design and verification applied to the development of an integrated sensor. The Hall-effect sensor is to be implemented in CMOS technology and to provide gear-tooth detection for automotive applications. A transaction-level mixed-signal model written in SystemVerilog is introduced. The model covers the key functional aspects of the sensor. The model being architecturally accurate allows the progressive system integration and verification of the implemented blocks, such as synthesis-ready RTL, compiled embedded software and analog transistor-level schematics. The model is shown to serve multiple purposes throughout the IC design and verification phase, overall shortening the IC development time. Furthermore the model is used in a systems in system context by the Tier 1 OEM to confirm the system concept phase and specifications, and in hardware and software in the loop application integration phases.