UML for system-level design - Extending the object model for systems-on-chips

UML has become the standard modelling language for object-oriented software development, on the basis of many perceived advantages. The use of UML for the modelling of complete embedded systems (hardware as well as software), potentially offers many of the same advantages. Nevertheless, closer scrutiny reveals that a number of important issues must be addressed before UML can be applied to complete embedded systems. These include the modelling of behaviour, data oriented communication, hardware modelling and IP reuse. All are briefly discussed in this chapter.