Optimized FIR Filter Tutorial :: Tutorials: Generating HDL Code for Filters (Filter Design HDL Coder™)

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Optimized FIR Filter Tutorial

On this page…
Designing the FIR Filter in FDATool Quantizing the FIR Filter Configuring and Generating the FIR Filter's Optimized Verilog Code Getting Familiar with the FIR Filter's Optimized Generated Verilog Code Verifying the FIR Filter's Optimized Generated Verilog Code

On this page…

Designing the FIR Filter in FDATool

Quantizing the FIR Filter

Configuring and Generating the FIR Filter's Optimized Verilog Code

Getting Familiar with the FIR Filter's Optimized Generated Verilog Code

Verifying the FIR Filter's Optimized Generated Verilog Code

Designing the FIR Filter in FDATool

This tutorial guides you through the steps for designing an optimized quantized discrete-time FIR filter, generating Verilog code for the filter, and verifying the Verilog code with a generated test bench.

This section assumes you are familiar with the MATLAB user interface and the Filter Design & Analysis Tool (FDATool).

Start the MATLAB software.
Set your current folder to the folder you created in Creating a Folder for Your Tutorial Files.
Start the FDATool by entering the fdatool command in the MATLAB Command Window. The Filter Design & Analysis Tool dialog box appears.

In the Filter Design & Analysis Tool dialog box, set the following filter options:

Option	Value
Response Type	`Lowpass`
Design Method	`FIR Equiripple`
Filter Order	Minimum order
Options	`Density Factor: 20`
Frequency Specifications	Units: `Hz` Fs: `48000` Fpass: `9600` Fstop: 12000
Magnitude Specifications	Units: `dB` Apass: `1` Astop: `80`

These settings are for the default filter design that the FDATool creates for you. If you do not need to make any changes and Design Filter is grayed out, you are done and can skip to Quantizing the FIR Filter.

Click Design Filter. The FDATool creates a filter for the specified design. The following message appears in the FDATool status bar when the task is complete.
```
Designing Filter... Done
```
For more information on designing filters with the FDATool, see Using FDATool with Filter Design Toolbox Software in the Filter Design Toolbox documentation.

Quantizing the FIR Filter

You should quantize filters for HDL code generation. To quantize your filter,

Open the FIR filter design you created in Optimized FIR Filter Tutorial if it is not already open.
Click the Set Quantization Parameters button in the left-side toolbar. The FDATool displays a Filter arithmetic menu in the bottom half of its dialog box.
Select Fixed-point from the list. Then select Specify all from the Filter precision list. The FDATool displays the first of three tabbed panels of quantization parameters across the bottom half of its dialog box.

You use the quantization options to test the effects of various settings with a goal of optimizing the quantized filter's performance and accuracy.

Set the quantization parameters as follows:

Tab	Parameter	Setting
Coefficients	Numerator word length	`16`
	Best-precision fraction lengths	`Selected`
	Use unsigned representation	`Cleared`
	Scale the numerator coefficients to fully utilize the entire dynamic range	`Cleared`
Input/Output	Input word length	`16`
	Input fraction length	`15`
	Output word length	`16`
Filter Internals	Rounding mode	`Floor`
	Overflow mode	`Saturate`
	Accum. word length	`40`

Click Apply.

For more information on quantizing filters with the FDATool, see Using FDATool with Filter Design Toolbox Software in the Filter Design Toolbox documentation.

Configuring and Generating the FIR Filter's Optimized Verilog Code

After you quantize your filter, you are ready to configure coder options and generate the filter's Verilog code. This section guides you through the process for starting the GUI, setting some options, and generating the Verilog code and a test bench for the FIR filter you designed and quantized in Designing the FIR Filter in FDATool and Quantizing the FIR Filter.

Start the Filter Design HDL Coder GUI by selecting Targets > Generate HDL in the FDATool dialog box. The FDATool displays the Generate HDL dialog box.
Select Verilog for the Language option, as shown in the following figure.
In the Name text box of the Target pane, replace the default name with optfir. This option names the Verilog module and the file that is to contain the filter's Verilog code.
In the Filter architecture pane, select the Optimize for HDL option. This option is for generating HDL code that is optimized for performance or space requirements. When this option is enabled, the coder makes tradeoffs concerning data types and might ignore your quantization settings to achieve optimizations. When you use the option, keep in mind that you do so at the cost of potential numeric differences between filter results produced by the original filter object and the simulated results for the optimized HDL code.
Select CSD for the Coefficient multipliers option. This option optimizes coefficient multiplier operations by instructing the coder to replace them with additions of partial products produced by a canonic signed digit (CSD) technique. This technique minimizes the number of addition operations required for constant multiplication by representing binary numbers with a minimum count of nonzero digits.
Select the Add pipeline registers option. For FIR filters, this option optimizes final summation. The coder creates a final adder that performs pair-wise addition on successive products and includes a stage of pipeline registers after each level of the tree. When used for FIR filters, this option also has the potential for producing numeric differences between results produced by the original filter object and the simulated results for the optimized HDL code.
The Generate HDL dialog box should now appear as shown in the following figure.
Select the Global settings tab of the GUI. Then select the General tab of the Additional settings section.
In the Comment in header text box, type Tutorial - Optimized FIR Filter. The coder adds the comment to the end of the header comment block in each generated file.
Select the Ports tab of the Additional settings section of the GUI.
Change the names of the input and output ports. In the Input port text box, replace filter_in with data_in. In the Output port text box, replace filter_out with data_out.
Clear the check box for the Add input register option. The Ports pane should now look like the following.
Click on the Test Bench tab in the Generate HDL dialog box. In the File name text box, replace the default name with optfir_tb. This option names the generated test bench file.
In the Test Bench pane, click the Configuration tab. Observe that the Error margin (bits) option is enabled. This option is enabled because previously selected optimization options (such as Add pipeline registers) can potentially produce numeric results that differ from the results produced by the original filter object. You can use this option to adjust the number of least significant bits the test bench will ignore during comparisons before generating a warning.
In the Generate HDL dialog box, click Generate to start the code generation process. When code generation completes, click Close to close the dialog box.
The coder displays the following messages in the MATLAB Command Window as it generates the filter and test bench Verilog files:
```
### Starting Verilog code generation process for filter: optfir
### Generating: C:\hdlfilter_tutorials\hdlsrc\optfir.v
### Starting generation of optfir Verilog module
### Starting generation of optfir Verilog module body
### HDL latency is 8 samples
### Successful completion of Verilog code generation process for filter: optfir

### Starting generation of VERILOG Test Bench
### Generating input stimulus
### Done generating input stimulus; length 3429 samples.
### Generating Test bench: C:\hdlfilter_tutorials\hdlsrc\optfir_tb.v
### Please wait ...
### Done generating VERILOG Test Bench 
```
As the messages indicate, the coder creates the folder hdlsrc under your current working folder and places the files optfir.v and optfir_tb.v in that folder.
Observe that the messages include hyperlinks to the generated code and test bench files. By clicking on these hyperlinks, you can open the code files directly into the MATLAB Editor.
The generated Verilog code has the following characteristics:
- Verilog module named optfir.
- Registers that use asynchronous resets when the reset signal is active high (1).
- Generated code that optimizes its use of data types and eliminates redundant operations.
- Coefficient multipliers optimized with the CSD technique.
- Final summations optimized using a pipelined technique.
- Ports that have the following names:
  Verilog Port Name
  
  Input data_in
  
  Output data_out
  
  Clock input clk
  
  Clock enable input clk_enable
  
  Reset input reset
- An extra register for handling filter output.
- Coefficients named coeffn, where n is the coefficient number, starting with 1.
- Type safe representation is used when zeros are concatenated: '0' & '0'...
- The postfix string _process is appended to sequential (begin) block names.
The generated test bench:
- Is a portable Verilog file.
- Forces clock, clock enable, and reset input signals.
- Forces the clock enable input signal to active high.
- Drives the clock input signal high (1) for 5 nanoseconds and low (0) for 5 nanoseconds.
- Forces the reset signal for two cycles plus a hold time of 2 nanoseconds.
- Applies a hold time of 2 nanoseconds to data input signals.
- Applies an error margin of 4 bits.
- For a FIR filter, applies impulse, step, ramp, chirp, and white noise stimulus types.

Verilog Port	Name
Input	`data_in`
Output	`data_out`
Clock input	`clk`
Clock enable input	`clk_enable`
Reset input	`reset`

Getting Familiar with the FIR Filter's Optimized Generated Verilog Code

Get familiar with the filter's optimized generated Verilog code by opening and browsing through the file optfir.v in an ASCII or HDL simulator editor:

Open the generated Verilog filter file optcfir.v.
Search for optfir. This line identifies the Verilog module, using the string you specified for the Name option in the Target pane. See step 3 in Configuring and Generating the FIR Filter's Optimized Verilog Code.
Search for Tutorial. This is where the coder places the text you entered for the Comment in header option. See step 9 in Configuring and Generating the FIR Filter's Optimized Verilog Code.
Search for HDL Code. This section lists the coder options you modified in Configuring and Generating the FIR Filter's Optimized Verilog Code.
Search for Filter Settings. This section of the VHDL code describes the filter design and quantization settings as you specified in Designing the FIR Filter in FDATool and Quantizing the FIR Filter.
Search for module. This line names the Verilog module, using the string you specified for the Name option in the Target pane. This line also declares the list of ports, as defined by options on the Ports pane of the Generate HDL dialog box. The ports for data input and output are named with the strings you specified for the Input port and Output port options on the Ports tab of the Generate HDL dialog box. See steps 3 and 11 in Configuring and Generating the FIR Filter's Optimized Verilog Code.
Search for input. This line and the four lines that follow, declare the direction mode of each port.
Search for Constants. This is where the coefficients are defined. They are named using the default naming scheme, coeffn, where n is the coefficient number, starting with 1.
Search for Signals. This is where the filter's signals are defined.
Search for sumvector1. This area of code declares the signals for implementing an instance of a pipelined final adder. Signal declarations for four additional pipelined final adders are also included. These signals are used to implement the pipelined FIR adder style optimization specified with the Add pipeline registers option. See step 7 in Configuring and Generating the FIR Filter's Optimized Verilog Code.
Search for process. The block name Delay_Pipeline_process includes the default block postfix string _process.
Search for reset. This is where the reset signal is asserted. The default, active high (1), was specified. Also note that the process applies the default asynchronous reset style when generating code for registers.
Search for posedge. This Verilog code checks for rising edges when the filter operates on registers.
Search for sumdelay_pipeline_process1. This block implements the pipeline register stage of the pipeline FIR adder style you specified in step 7 of Configuring and Generating the FIR Filter's Optimized Verilog Code.
Search for output_register. This is where filter output is written to an output register. The code for this register is generated by default. In step 12 in Configuring and Generating the FIR Filter's Optimized Verilog Code , you cleared the Add input register option, but left the Add output register selected. Also note that the process name Output_Register_process includes the default process postfix string _process.
Search for data_out. This is where the filter writes its output data.

Verifying the FIR Filter's Optimized Generated Verilog Code

This section explains how to verify the FIR filter's optimized generated Verilog code with the generated Verilog test bench. Although this tutorial uses the Mentor Graphics ModelSim simulator as the tool for compiling and simulating the Verilog code, you can use any HDL simulation tool package.

To verify the filter code, complete the following steps:

Start your simulator. When you start the Mentor Graphics ModelSim simulator, a screen display similar to the following appears.
Set the current folder to the folder that contains your generated Verilog files. For example:
```
cd hdlsrc
```
If necessary, create a design library to store the compiled Verilog modules. In the Mentor Graphics ModelSim simulator, you can create a design library with the vlib command.
```
vlib work
```
Compile the generated filter and test bench Verilog files. In the Mentor Graphics ModelSim simulator, you compile Verilog code with the vlog command. The following commands compile the filter and filter test bench Verilog code.
```
vlog optfir.v
vlog optfir_tb.v
```
The following screen display shows this command sequence and informational messages displayed during compilation.
Load the test bench for simulation. The procedure for doing this varies depending on the simulator you are using. In the Mentor Graphics ModelSim simulator, you load the test bench for simulation with the vsim command. For example:
```
vsim optfir_tb
```
The following display shows the results of loading optfir_tb with the vsim command.
Open a display window for monitoring the simulation as the test bench runs. For example, in the Mentor Graphics ModelSim simulator, you can use the following command to open a wave window to view the results of the simulation as HDL waveforms:
```
add wave *
```
The following wave window opens:
To start running the simulation, issue the appropriate command for your simulator. For example, in the Mentor Graphics ModelSim simulator, you can start a simulation with the run command.
The following display shows the run -all command being used to start a simulation.

As your test bench simulation runs, watch for error messages. If any error messages appear, you must interpret them as they pertain to your filter design and the HDL code generation options you selected. You must determine whether the results are expected based on the customizations you specified when generating the filter Verilog code.
The following wave window shows the simulation results as HDL waveforms.