Lattice GazetteVol. I · Prior art

MathWorks

MathWorks / Simulink

Block diagrams and statecharts → embedded code and HDL

Simulink and Stateflow are the other industrial diagram-as-spec stack. Where LabVIEW leans dataflow and virtual instruments, this family leans control systems, discrete/continuous time, and statecharts (Moore/Mealy restrictions, event aggregation, parallel vs sequential implementations).

Code generation is first-class: HDL from state diagrams, hardware-specific code from a graphical model, intermediate representations used to verify generated code, and compilation of whole system designs. A parallel line of patents covers automated test generation from pre- and post-conditions on the model.

The recent publications (source code from a block diagram; code generation from a control model) show the same thesis still being filed: the diagram is the source of truth; the compiler’s job is to emit software, HDL, or both.

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