Designing a Google Ara Module and Worrying About MIPI UniPro?
Moshik Rubin
Tim Southwick
Sounds good. For those of you who expect people to post directly here instead of linking elsewhere:
So you've looked at Google project ARA and you have the most brilliant idea for a module that would be the hardware answer to Angry Birds, you take the next step and download the Module Developers Kits (MDK), and then you realize that the platform is based on MIPI UniPro Switch. That's the first time your confidence is damaged as there is no other platform out there that is based on UniPro switch. When taking a deeper look at the UniPro specification, you find out that while it is a very powerful and flexible interface, it's also a quite complicated, multi-layer spec that rides on top of M-PHY—high-bandwidth, low-power PHY, with its own specification. Now your confidence is even lower and you can hear your investor/boss's voice questioning you about your ability to verify that your module can actually work in such a platform...
That's where the "...We might be able to help you..." part kicks off.
Cadence is a long-time contributor of the MIPI alliance and has developed many Verification IP for the different MIPI specifications.
For UniPro specifically, we have developed TripleCheck, which helps you verify that your design complies with the UniPro specification. It does it with three components (hence TripleCheck):
- Verification Plan mirrors the protocol specification. All the requirements in the protocol specification are listed in the plan, organized into the same chapter and paragraph hierarchy, and linked to functional coverage metrics so you can track your progress when testing the UniPro interface (see snapshot below).
- TestSuite provides an extensive library of test sequences to stimulate your module and ensure it can handle any UniPro-related scenario.
- Pre-defined coverage models capture all data items and state machine transitions to track and measure verification progress.
So, don't let the UniPro challenge prevent you from carrying out your Google Ara module, we've got you covered!
