AXE - A LANGUAGE FOR THE SIMULATION OF DIGITAL HARDWARE

Axe is a new simulation language built upon the foundations of C language. It allows a designer to hierarchically describe and simulate a digital system at the procedural level, gate level, or switch level. The Axe compiler and the simulation code it generates require minimal computer system resources and execute in an efficient manner. This results from the use of the module concept as the central modeling device and by employing a standard C compiler as the 'backend' of the Axe compiler. In conjunction with the C compiler, Axe allows the user to have access to a full-fledged general-purpose programming language which also supports the simulation of digital systems. This flexibility allows Axe to generate simulations which can be used and modified to meet several needs. In addition, Axe allows modification of the timing parameters of system components in order to gauge the effects upon system performance. A complete example of the use of Axe is given, and several larger simulations are described.