Hierarchical Design Principles

Slides not covered: 1-8, 37-41, 43-47. Specification of a Digital System:

• Interface
• Digital systems with complicated circuits can
o What are the (external) inputs and outputs?
be broken down into smaller subcircuits.
o Declaration of I/O quantities (names of
• These subcircuits are higher-level functional
variables).
blocks that simplify understanding the
• Behaviour
operation of the physical circuit.
o What does the system do?
• Subsytems can be grouped into higher-level
o Independent of the internal architecture
system blocks. - SEE FIGURE 1.
(structure).
Bottom-up Design - SEE FIGURE 2
Specifying system functions and interfaces will
• Start with components that interface with simplify setting the requirements for complex
other components. designs.
• These components can be grouped together
and called a sub-system. Mistakes in initial stages may require a large
• Sub-systems of different functions now amount of redesign/rewriting/rewiring.
interface with other sub-systems.
• These sub-systems can be grouped together
and called a system.
• Systems of different functions now interface
with other systems.
• These systems can be grouped together and
called a super-system.
• This super-system will have the main inputs
and outputs.

Hierarchy (Top-down) - SEE FIGURE 3

> Computer Networks
-> Computers
--> Digital Systems
---> Logic components (digital circuits)
----> Logic gates (digital components)
-----> Circuit components (electronic networks)
------> Physical electronics

Logic gates are made of either:

• Transistor Transistor Logic (TTL) electronic
circuit - SEE FIGURE 4a.
• Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor
(CMOS) electronic circuit - SEE FIGURE 4b.

Logic Component:
• Behavioural representation - truth table (how
outputs depend on inputs) - SEE FIGURE 5a.
• Structural representation - circuit at gate
level (logic gates) - SEE FIGURE 5b.
• Electronic representation - electronic circuit
(physical components) - SEE FIGURE 5c.
Hierarchical Design Principles

Figure 1 - Complex Circuit Breakdown:

Figure 2 - Bottom-up Design:

Hierarchical Design Principles

Figure 3 - Digital Systems Hierarchy:

Figure 4 - Logic gate electronic circuit:

a) b)

Figure 5 - Logic Component Representation:

a) b)

c)