S_AXILITE and Port-Level Protocols - 2022.2 English

Vitis High-Level Synthesis User Guide (UG1399)

Document ID
UG1399
Release Date
2022-12-07
Version
2022.2 English
Port-level I/O protocols sequence data into and out of the HLS engine from the s_axilite adapter as seen in S_AXILITE Example. In the Vivado IP flow, you can assign port-level I/O protocols to the individual ports and signals bundled into an s_axilite interface. In the Vitis kernel flow, changing the default port-level I/O protocols is not recommended unless necessary. The tool assigns a default port protocol to a port depending on the type and direction of the argument associated with it. The port can contain one or more of the following:
  • Data signal for the argument
  • Valid signal (ap_vld/ap_ovld) to indicate when the data can be read
  • Acknowledge signal (ap_ack) to indicate when the data has been read

The default port protocol assignments for various argument types are as follows:

Table 1. Supported Argument Types
Argument Type Default Supported
scalar ap_none ap_ack and ap_vld can also be used
Pointers/References
Inputs ap_none ap_ack and ap_vld
Outputs ap_vld ap_none, ap_ack, and ap_ovld can also be used
Inouts ap_ovld ap_none, ap_ack, and ap_vld are also supported
Important: Arrays default to ap_memory. The bram port protocol is not supported for arrays in an s_axilite interface.

The S_AXILITE Example groups port b into the s_axilite interface and specifies port b as using the ap_vld protocol with INTERFACE pragmas. As a result, the s_axilite adapter contains a register for the port b data, and a register for the port b input valid signal.

If the input valid register is not set to logic 1, the data in the b data register is not considered valid, and the design stalls and waits for the valid register to be set. Each time port b is read, Vitis HLS automatically clears the input valid register and resets the register to logic 0.