Jun 03, 2003
Reducing to a matter of minutes the time required to design and implement one of the most common types of control circuits in industrial, medical, and communications applications, the new AnadigmPID tool allows the user to build an analog PID control loop on an integrated silicon platform by merely specifying the top-level control coefficients. Once designed and simulated, the controller circuit can be immediately downloaded to a field programmable analog array (FPAA) device for testing and validation.
PID control loops are used for a wide variety of applications, including motor control, tunable lasers, level and flow control in chemical processes, and temperature control. Until now, however, their design required considerable expertise in analog design techniques as well as an intimate knowledge of the process being controlled.
The AnadigmPID tool abstracts the analog design process to the functional level, so system designers need only to specify the top-level control coefficients. The specified control circuit is implemented automatically on a drift-free, precise, integrated silicon platform.
In another industry first, the implemented control subsystem can be controlled in real time by the embedded system processor, allowing users to build control loops whose coefficients adjust as the system moves from start-up to quiescent. Benefits include a major improvement in system performance and new opportunities for electronics manufacturers to differentiate their systems with innovative control circuits.
AnadigmPID is one of a series of AnadigmAssistant� tools from Anadigm� that automate the construction of complex analog functions involving multiple Configurable Analog Modules (CAMs) in AnadigmDesigner�2 EDA software. Abstracting the design process up to the application level, these intelligent synthesis tools embody design knowledge of high-level functions and automate the design process using CAMs as building blocks.
�This new AnadigmAssistant� continues our work to create high-level EDA tools that allow system designers to specify their control system objectives using a familiar form and language, so they can focus on results rather than the nuances of circuit details,� said Suhel Dhanani, senior product marketing manager at Anadigm�. �AnadigmPID allows design engineers to build an entire working analog control loop in silicon rapidly by putting the specifications and tuning under software control.�
Anadigm� FPAAs are an analog equivalent to the field programmable gate array (FPGA), allowing a wide range of analog signal processing functions to be implemented in a programmable IC that can be reconfigured in-system by an embedded microprocessor. AnadigmPID is included as part of the AnadigmDesigner�2 V2.3.0 EDA tool, which gives designers a drag-and-drop interface to construct complex analog circuits, then simply download to the FPAA silicon for testing and validation. When used for a PID control circuit, a single FPAA can replace up to 50 discrete semiconductor and passive components.
�Our research indicates that FPAAs can be used to implement a majority of the typical PID control loops found in industrial applications,� Mr. Dhanani added. �For systems manufacturers, AnadigmPID and FPAAs thus represent an opportunity to shorten design cycles, enhance designer productivity, and reduce the cost of supporting an essential real-world application.�
A trial copy of AnadigmDesigner�2, including AnadigmPID, is available for free download at: http://www.anadigm.com/Down_05_a.asp. A complete evaluation kit with a development board, entry-level software, and updated documentation is now available for $199.
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About Anadigm�
Anadigm� combines the three most powerful design trends from the digital world (design automation, field programmable ICs, real-time updating) into a platform for analog design, greatly reducing cost-of-ownership for analog signal conditioning and processing functions across many market segments. Founded in January 2000 as a venture-backed technology spin-off from Motorola, the company maintains U.S. headquarters in Campbell, Calif., and European headquarters in Crewe, U.K. For further information, visit Anadigm� on the Web at http://www.anadigm.com.
Anadigm� and AnadigmDesigner� are registered trademarks of Anadigm�. AnadigmAssistant� is a trademark of Anadigm�.
