Today, control algorithms are being more and more sophisticated due to the customer and governments demands for lower cost, greater reliability, greater accuracy and environment requirements (power consumption, emitted radiation, ...). Then, real-time implementation of these algorithms becomes a difficult task and needs more and more specific hardware systems with dedicated processors and usually systems-on-chip (SOCs).

With the ever-increasing complexity and time-to-market pressures in the design of these specific control systems, a well design methodology is more than even necessary.

In this report we describe the application of the SpecC system-level design methodology (developed at the CAD Lab, UC Irvine) to the design of control systems for power electronics and electric drives. We first begin with an executable specification model in SpecC and then discuss the refinement of this model into architecture model, which accurately reflects the system architecture. At this stage, we discuss different solutions according to the application complexity and constraints. Based on the studied architecture models, communication protocols between the system components are defined and communication models are developed.

In this report, we discuss the case of a DC system Control and describe in details different stages undergone. Generalization to others systems can be done easily using the same steps and transformations.

Emulation of CMS systems is an interesting approach to complete the validation of new digital control unit and to perform the diagnosis tasks. However to be efficient, the emulator have to run in real time in order to reproduce exactly the physical process functioning.

Today, realization of this emulator is not possible using standard electronic components. Therefore, we oriented our work to the development of new embedded systems specific to these applications of emulation.

This report describes the design of this emulator employing the system-level design methodology developed at CECS-UC Irvine (SpecC methodology). Starting from the abstract executable specification written in SpecC language, different design alternatives concerning the system architecture (components and communications) are explored and the emulator is gradually refined and mapped to a final communication model. This model can then be used with backend tools for implementation and manufacturing. For illustration of this approach, we discuss at the end of this report the case of a DC system emulator and we describe in details the different stages undergone.

Today, the shortest time-to-market in the electric drives industries is being a pressing requirement, consequently development time of new algorithms and new control systems and debugging them must be minimized. This requirement can be satisfied only by using a well-defined System-level design methodology and by reducing the migration time between the algorithm development language and the hardware specification language.

In this report, we propose to use the SpecC language for the development (specification and validation) of new control algorithms. This includes the specification of the control systems (algorithms and I/O interfaces) in SpecC and its validation by simulation using a SpecC specification model of the process under control.

This new approach will allow designers to implement easily' the retained specification according to the SpecC methodology. Indeed, the same language (SpecC) is used for the study of new control systems and their design and implementation. We first begin with a brief presentation of the electric drives and of the SpecC language. Then, we discuss the specification models in SpecC of the whole system including the control unit and the process under control. We illustrate this approach by an application example of a DC system. Finally, we present the main advantages of the Spece language in the development of new control systems.