Functional verification methodology using Hierarchical Coloured Petri Nets-based testbenches

We present a functional verification methodology that employs hierarchical coloured petri nets (HCPN) to describe the testbench. By this way, we are avoiding the absence of formal techniques concerning the testbench description and keeping a high-level of abstraction that is required in this phase of the project. The hierarchical (de)composition is the solution to deal with large designs. The methodology prescribes a way to (de)compose the testbench that promotes incremental development and reuse of testbench elements. Furthermore, our methodology provides tool support for the testbench creation. Experimental results concerning the functional verification of the MPEG 4 video decoder are presented.