Digital-electronics 简明教程

Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs)

What is a Field-Programmable Gate Array

现场可编程门阵列 (FPGA) 是一种可编程逻辑器件 (PLD)，提供高度的灵活性，可用于在单芯片上实现完整的数字系统。它包含一个可编程的相同逻辑单元阵列。通过编程这些逻辑单元或块，FPGA 可用于执行各种逻辑函数。此外，我们可以将它们互连以实现复杂的数字系统。

A Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a type of programmable logic device (PLD) that provides high degree of flexibility and can be used for implementing complete digital system on a single chip. It contains an array of identical logic cells that can be programmed. By programming these logic cells or blocks, FPGAs can be used to perform various logic functions. Also, we can interconnect them to implement complex digital systems.

FPGA 还具有几个输入/输出 (I/O) 块，以在外部设备和 FPGA 的内部逻辑电路之间创建接口。它们还包含一个存储元件，用于存储指定逻辑单元和可编程互连操作行为的程序。

FPGAs also have several input/output (I/O) blocks to create interface between external devices and the FPGA’s internal logic circuit. They also consist of a memory element to store the programs that specifies the operational behavior of the logic cells and programmable interconnects.

为了对 FPGA 进行编程，有多种可用的硬件描述语言 (HDL)，例如 Verilog 或 VHDL。这些编程语言用于定义数字系统的所需功能和行为。

In order to program FPGAs, there are various hardware description languages (HDLs) available like Verilog or VHDL. These programming languages are used to define the desired functionality and behavior of the digital system.

일반적인 block diagram of an FPGA 如以下图表所示。

The general block diagram of an FPGA is depicted in the following figure.

field programmable gate arrays 1

Components of FPGA

由以下主要部件组成：

It consists of the following main components −

  1. Configurable Logic Blocks (CLBs)

  2. I/O Blocks

  3. Programmable Interconnects

可配置逻辑块包含多路复用器、触发器和组合逻辑电路阵列。I/O 块提供用于连接外部设备和 FPGA 的引脚。可编程互连基本上是开关矩阵结构，提供 FPGA 内 CLB 和 I/O 块之间的互连。

The configurable logic block consists of multiplexers, flip-flops, and array of combination logic circuits. Th I/O blocks provide pins to connect external devices with the FPGA. The programmable interconnect is basically a switching matrix structure that provides interconnection between CLB and I/O blocks inside the FPGA.

当然！将 FPGA 分类为低端、中档和高端类别是基于它们的性能、复杂性、门密度和功耗。让我们深入探究每个类别：

Certainly! The classification of FPGAs into low-end, mid-range, and high-end categories is based on their performance, complexity, gate density, and power consumption. Let’s delve deeper into each category −

Types of FPGAs

根据应用，FPGA 可分类为以下主要类型：

Depending on the applications, FPGAs can be classified into the following main types −

  1. Low-End FPGAs

  2. Mid-Range FPGAs

  3. High-End FPGAs

现在让我们详细讨论这些不同类型的 FPGA。

Let us now discuss these different types of FPGAs in detail.

Low-End FPGAs

低端 FPGA 主要设计为比中端和高端 FPGA 功耗最低。因此，它们非常适合在电池供电装置和关键在于能效的其他应用中使用。

Low-End FPGAs are primarily designed to consume least power than the mid-range and high-end FPGAs. Thus, they are well-suited to use in battery-powered devices and other applications where energy efficiency is critical.

在低端 FPGA 中，使用的逻辑门数量较少，因此它们用于实现复杂逻辑系统所使用的资源较少。此外，这些 FPGA 的架构也较为简单。低端 FPGA 的一些常见应用包括简单的控制系统、基本信号处理系统和低成本消费电子产品。

In low-end FPGAs, a smaller number of logic gates are used, hence they use less resources for implementing complex logic systems. Also, these FPGAs have a less complex architecture. Some common applications of low-end FPGAs include simple control systems, basic signal processing systems, and low-cost consumer electronics.

Mid-Range FPGAs

中端 FPGA 比低端 FPGA 耗能更多，但比高端 FPGA 耗能更少。这主要是因为，与低端 FPGA 相比，中端 FPGA 含有更多数量的逻辑门。这反过来又增加了电路的整体复杂性。尽管如此，这些 FPGA 在性能和效率之间提供了平衡。

Mid-range FPGAs take more power than low-end FPGAs but less power than high-end FPGAs. This is mainly because the mid-range FPGAs consist of a larger number of logic gates as compared to low-end FPGAs. This in turn increases the overall complexity of the circuit. Although, these FPGAs offer a balance between performance and efficiency.

由于中端 FPGA 提供更多数量的资源，因此它们允许实现更复杂的数字电路。

Since mid-range FPGAs provide a larger number of resources, they allow to implement more complex digital circuits.

这些 FPGA 用于各种应用，如数字信号处理、通信系统、嵌入式系统、工业自动化系统、电信设备、医疗设备等。

These FPGAs are used in a wide range of applications such as digital signal processing, communication systems, embedded systems, industrial automation systems, telecommunication devices, medical equipment, etc.

High-End FPGAs

高端 FPGA 的功耗高于低端和中端 FPGA。这是因为，它们使用更多数量的逻辑门，而且还具有更高的工作频率。尽管如此，这些 FPGA 在性能和处理效率方面应该是极其出色的。

High-end FPGAs consume more power than both low-end and mid-range FPGAs. This is because they use a larger number of logic gates and also have higher operating frequencies. Although, these FPGAs are supposed to be exceptional in terms of performance and processing efficiency.

由于有大量可用资源，高端 FPGA 可用于实现高度复杂的逻辑电路和系统。此外，它们提供最高级别的灵活性与性能。

Due to availability of large number resources, the high-end FPGAs can be used for implementing highly complex logic circuits and systems. Also, they provide the highest level of flexibility and performance.

高端 FPGA 用于一些常见应用，包括高速处理系统、实时数据分析系统、数据中心、高性能计算系统、航空航天和防御系统等。

Some common applications where the high-end FPGAs are used include high-speed processing systems, real-time data analysis systems, data centers, high-performance computing systems, aerospace and defense systems, etc.

Advantages of FPGAs

FPGA 比其他类型的可编程逻辑器件提供了多项优势。FPGA 的一些主要优势如下：

FPGAs offer numerous advantages over other types of programmable logic devices. Some of the major advantages of FPGAs are listed below −

  1. FPGAs provide a greater flexibility and re-configurability, as they can be programmed or reprogrammed to implement different logic functions to meet the requirements of specific applications without need of hardware alteration or redesign.

  2. FPGAs allow to develop digital systems in less time.

  3. FPGAs have high performance and processing capabilities. Hence, they can execute complex algorithms and tasks more efficiently.

  4. FPGAs can be customized and optimized to meet the requirements of specific applications.

  5. FPGAs also support parallelism and pipelining. These technologies allow to enhance the overall system performance and throughput.

Disadvantages of FPGAs

上面列出了 FPGA 提供的几个优点，但它们也存在一定的缺点。以下是 FPGA 的主要缺点：

FPGAs offer several advantages as listed above, but they also have certain disadvantages. Some of the main disadvantages of FPGAs are highlighted here −

  1. FPGAs are more expensive than other types of programmable logic devices.

  2. FPGAs are complex to design and implement and require more time and expertise in hardware description languages (HDLs) and system design tools.

  3. FPGAs are more susceptible to security threats than other types of programmable logic devices.

Applications of FPGAs

FPGA 被广泛用于多个行业的各种应用中。以下是 FPGA 的一些常见应用：

FPGAs are extensively used in several applications across a wide range of industries. The following are some common applications of FPGAs −

  1. FPGAs are used in the field of digital signal processing to accomplish tasks such as audio-video signal processing, speech recognition, image processing, etc.

  2. FPGAs are used in the implementation of complex algorithms and real-time signal processing functions.

  3. FPGAs are used in various communication and networking devices such as routers, switches, network processing units, etc.

  4. In communication systems, FPGAs are employed for implementing protocol processing algorithms, packet handling algorithms, encryption-decryption techniques, error detection and correction mechanisms, etc.

  5. FPGAs are used in a variety of electronic systems such as embedded systems, industrial automation systems, automotive electronics, consumer electronic devices, etc.

  6. FPGAs are used to perform high-end processing tasks such as scientific computation, data analysis, machine learning and artificial intelligence tasks.

  7. FPGAs are also integral parts in various medical equipment such as MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), CT (Computed Tomography) scan, ultrasound systems, X-ray machines, etc.

Conclusion

总之，FPGA 是可编程逻辑器件，用于以单一集成电路芯片的形式实现复杂数字系统。由于其高性能和计算能力，它们被广泛用于各个行业的各种应用中。

In conclusion, FPGAs are programmable logic devices used in implementing a complex digital system in the form of a single integrated circuit chip. Due to their high performance and computing capabilities, they are used in a diverse range of applications across various industries.