Understanding the Source Files - 2023.2 English

To begin this tutorial, go to the part 1 directory:

cd part_1

List the files available in aie/src:

ls aie/src
fir_graph.h  system_settings.h  test.cpp

The system_settings.h files is a standard header file that defines the constants used in this project. It includes the header file “<adf.h>”. This is the Adaptive Data Flow (ADF) header file, which provides the classes used for specifying graphs. It also includes the FIR Filter kernel’s header file, fir_sr_sym_graph.hpp.

The design itself is implemented in fir_graph.h. A graph is used to define elements and the connections between them that make up the design. Some of the key aspects of this file are mentioned below.

using namespace adf
namespace dsplib = xf::dsp::aie;

This simplifies accessing the ADF and DSPLib classes.

The FIR filter taps are declared as a vector, and initialized:

	std::vector<int16> chan_taps = std::vector<int16>{
		 -17,      -65,      -35,       34,      -13,       -6,       18,      -22,
         .... };

The following line instantiates the DSPLib FIR filter kernel, named chan_FIR (channel filter):

	dsplib::fir::sr_sym::fir_sr_sym_graph<DATA_TYPE, COEFF_TYPE, FIR_LEN_CHAN, SHIFT_CHAN, ROUND_MODE_CHAN, WINDOW_SIZE, AIES_CHAN> chan_FIR;

The filter’s template parameters and their meanings can be found in UG1295.

	port<input> in;
	port<output> out;

Specifies the input and output ports for this graph.

	connect<>(in, chan_FIR.in[0]);
	connect<>(chan_FIR.out[0], out);

These statements connect our graph’s input and outputs to the FIR filter’s input and outputs, respectively.

	location<kernel>(chan_FIR.m_firKernels[0]) = tile(18,0);

This statement specifies a location attribute for the filter kernel. It specifies the X/Y location of the AI Engine tile within the AI Engine array in which to place the kernel. Location placements for kernels are optional, but shown here to illustrate how physical constraints can be incorporated into the source code. The results of this statement are seen later when viewing the compilation results.

There is a second graph that instantiates this FIRGraph and connects it to the PLIO elements, which are points at which data can be moved onto and off of the AI Engine array:

class TopGraph : public graph
	{
	public:
		input_plio in;
		output_plio out;

		FirGraph F;

		TopGraph()
		{
			in = input_plio::create("128 bits read in",  adf::plio_128_bits,"data/input_128b.txt",  250);
			out = output_plio::create("128 bits read out", adf::plio_128_bits,"data/output_128b.txt", 250);

			connect<> (in.out[0],F.in);
			connect<> (F.out, out.in[0]);
		};
	};

The third file, test.cpp, can be considered the testbench component. It is not intended for hardware implementation, but rather to drive the simulation. The main function is specified, which runs the simulation.

int main(void) {
    filter.init() ;
    filter.run(NUM_ITER) ;
    filter.end() ;
    return 0 ;
}