Object Oriented Extensions to VHDL, The LaMI proposal

VHDL[14] is a language for describing digital hardware. It provides many attractive features and supports an efficient design methodology. However, there are certain limitations to the power of the language that can be addressed, at least partially, by Object Oriented Extensions. Several proposals were made to extend VHDL and add mechanisms from the object oriented domain. In this paper we describe the study, carried out by the LaMI laboratory, of another approach to Object Oriented extensions to VHDL in view of a future revision of the language. Related works will be reviewed and the motivations for this proposal will be introduced and illustrated through examples.