Modular Code Generation from Synchronous Block Diagrams

We study modular, automatic code generation from hierarchical block diagrams with synchronous semantics. Such diagrams are the fundamental model behind widespread tools such as Simulink and SCADE. Modularity means code is generated for a given composite block independently from context, that is, without knowing in which diagrams this block is going to be used. This can be achieved by abstracting a given macro (i.e., composite) block into a set of interface functions plus a set of dependencies between these functions. These two pieces of information form the exported interface for a block. This approach allows modularity to be quantified, in terms of the size of the interface, that is, the number of interface functions that are generated per block. The larger this number, the less modular the code is. This definition reveals a fundamental trade-off between modularity and reusability (set of diagrams the block can be used in): using an abstraction that is too coarse (i.e., too few interface functions) may create false input-output dependencies and result in dependency cycles due to feedback loops. In this paper we explore this and other trade-offs. We also show how the method can be extended from a purely synchronous block diagram model to triggered and timed block diagrams, which allow for modeling multi-rate systems.