Combining Hierarchical Filtering, Fuzzy Logic, and Simulation with Software Agents for IP (Intellectual Property) Selection in Electronic Design

SAFIPS (Software Agents for IP Selection) environment is designed to improve quality and speed of finding IPs on Internet for SoC (System-on-Chip) projects. The software agents take responsibility for establishing communication with multiple suppliers of IPs and automatically retrieve information from their databases using metalanguage (XML), and data specifications compliant with ECIX (Electronic Component Information eXchange) specifications. The communication environment is based on Dictionaries for terminology and list of parameters, and on Registry for the list and web addresses of suppliers. The information obtained by software agents is analyzed by a system of fuzzy logic rules compiled in the process of a dialog between the customer and SA. The software agent asks the customer questions and provides templates for answers. The answers are automatically converted into the membership functions and fuzzy logic rules that are applied to evaluation of potential candidate IPs. As soon as replies to the query by SA start to come, data are analyzed by software agents and IPs can be excluded from further consideration if there is drastic mismatch between expected values and IP parameters and constraints. The remaining IPs are evaluated by the hierarchical system of rules and ranks are assigned to those which passed the preliminary tests. The top candidates are subjected to simulation together with the behavioral models provided by customers under supervision of software agent. The timing diagrams obtained from simulation are going to be analyzed to evaluate their equivalence. Only after that the system presents the candidate IPs for the final selection. The main goal to save valuable design time can be achieved by such system. The text is accompanied by an example.