Embedded Firmware Development with Multi-way Branching

This paper proposes a technique of firmware development based on multi-valued decision diagrams (MDDs). Evaluation of multiple-output Boolean functions is faster than the one using binary decision diagrams (BDDs) and has a small memory footprint often required in embedded systems. A microprogrammed controller that firmware runs on is supposed to support multi-way branching in hardware, whose implementation is known. A novel heuristic technique of a sub-optimal multivalued MDD synthesis is presented and a specific condition for spatial efficiency of MDD-based firmware is derived. The method is illustrated on practical examples. It may be quite useful for development of embedded microcontroller firmware as well as for fast digital system simulation.