A method and system for the automatic generation of instruction-set manuals. Specifically, the method of the present invention includes accessing an abstract processor model of a processor, wherein said abstract processor model is represented using a hierarchical architecture description language (ADL). The abstract processor model includes a plurality of instructions arranged in a hierarchical structure. An internal representation of the abstract processor model is generated by flattening the abstract processor model. The flattening process generates a plurality of rules grouped by common convergent instructions. Each rule describes an instruction path through the hierarchical structure that converges at a corresponding convergent instruction. An instruction-set documentation is automatically generated from the plurality of rules, wherein the instruction-set documentation is arranged convergent instruction by convergent instruction.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of software tools for system level design. Specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to automatically generating instruction-set documentation from an abstract processor model described using a hierarchical architectural description language.
2. Related Art
The design and test of modern electronic devices, such as embedded processors (EP) and systems-on-a-chip (SoC) is a complex process involving many stages. For example, many systems, such as mobile devices, networking products, and modems require new embedded processors (EP). These EPs can either be general purpose, such as microcontrollers and digital signal processors (DSP), or application specific, using application specific instruction-set processors (ASIP). Compared to general-purpose processors, ASIPs provide a tradeoff of computational performance and flexibility on the one hand and power consumption on the other. Therefore, ASIPs that are designed to execute specific tasks very efficiently can be found in a wide range of embedded systems.
ASIPs are replacing off-the-shelf processors because of the strong trend towards application-specific, single chip solutions in the embedded systems. Thus, the challenging task for SoC/ASIP design is to explore the architecture space efficiently and fast enough to find the best fit for a given application within a number of constraints, such as performance, power consumption, physical size, market window, etc.
However, designing systems with ASIPs is far more complex than assembling systems with standard processors. The conventional design of embedded processors and the software development tool-chain are done manually with very little automation. This long, labor-intensive process requires teams of highly skilled hardware and software engineers with specialized knowledge.
At one stage of the design process, documentation is generated that describes the processor. Professional processor developers or software programmers understand how critical and important the documentation is to the success of design projects. Good documentation saves a great amount of time for the developers, who are the most expensive resources. However, writing the documentation and its maintenance in large software projects usually take much time and many efforts in collaboration among different teams. Documentation is mostly started very late in the design process, since at this time nearly all the critical parts are in their final phase.
However, producing documentation at the late stages does not serve any purpose for processor design projects, especially for one of the most important documents in the process of designing a processor, the instruction-set manual. The designer's document is used during the design cycle of the processor with the main purpose of keeping the design team up-to-date. The current status of the processor design is reflected and it is important to keep the document up-to-date and quickly distributed.
In the conventional art, the documentation was created manually. However manual writing is lengthy, introduces errors and delays in the design process. Normally, processor cores are designed by a team of professionals. If one or more developers are working on documentation, which manually is a slow process, the whole design team makes slow progress, since any changes must be written down for later modifications to the documentation. This does not promote short time-to-market design projects.
Moreover, the instruction-set is dynamically generated. As such, the manual maintenance of the documentation is very difficult to achieve. In the early stage when the instruction-set is being designed, instructions are constantly being added, removed or modified, and test runs are performed to examine those effects. It is necessary and essential that a correct documentation of the present status of the instruction-set design is available to all the design teams. However, manual maintenance of the documentation slows down the design process, thereby inhibiting short time-to-market design projects.
As a result, it is highly desirable that the document generation parallel the design process in order to benefit the design team in a timely fashion.

Method and system for automatic generation of instruction-set documentation from an abstract processor model described using a hierarchical architectural description language


A jewelry display tray according to the present invention includes an upper structural member and a lower structural member. A plurality of recesses are formed in both the upper and lower members. The recesses in the upper member extend in a downward direction when the tray is in a substantially horizontal position, and are arranged in offsetting or staggered rows. The recesses in the lower member extend in an upward direction and are similarly arranged in offsetting or staggered rows. The upper and lower members are complimentarily assembled together so that the downwardly extending recesses of the upper member fit into spaces located between the upwardly extending recess of the lower member thus forming an interlocking structure. Similarly, the upwardly extending recesses of the lower member fit into spaces located between the downwardly extending recesses of the upper member. An upper surface element having access openings, overlies the recesses of the upper member. Items of jewelry can thus pass through the openings in the upper surface element so as to be accommodated in the downwardly extending recesses of the upper member. The upwardly extending recesses in the lower member permits receipt of exposed jewelry items accommodated in another tray thus permitting nesting of a plurality of jewelry display trays. This arrangement permits spaced apart positioning of the items of jewelry for highlighting the appearance of each individual item. The recess structure also provides means of protecting the jewelry items when stored.

The present invention relates generally to devices for storing and displaying items of jewelry, and more particularly to such a storage and display device which can be used in the typical fashion for display purposes and can be compactly nested with similar devices for easy storage.
While jewelry items can be stored and displayed in a variety of trays, holders or racks, the most common type of jewelry display, particularly useful for rings, is a rectangularly shaped tray having an upper surface with a plurality of slits to accommodate the circular shank portion of the ring. Trays having other shapes are also found in the art. This known tray has a depth sufficient to accommodate at least half of the diameter of the ring, or its shank portion to provide stability to the ring when it is carried in the tray. The undersurface of this known tray is usually flat for placement on a surface for display purposes. Some prior art trays of this type are provided with a downwardly extending peripheral lip. This construction permits storage with other display trays of the identical size.
Placing the upper exposed surface of such a display tray beneath and within the peripheral lip of another display tray placed on top of it provides means for storing a number of identically shaped display trays one on top of the other in a manner which prevents the upper exposed portion of the jewelry items from being damaged. In order to keep the trays spaced apart, support elements are required to be provided on the underside of the tray. In some cases the peripheral lip provides this function.
Because it is necessary to provide spacer elements between the jewelry trays of the foregoing type, when in the storage condition, these trays tend to have an overall height of almost double the height of the jewelry item carried in the tray. Accordingly, storage of a number of these trays, one on top of the other, occupies a large amount of space and tends to make these types of trays heavy, bulky and difficult to place in a storage condition. It has therefore become common practice for jewelers to store jewelry items in separate storage cases remote from the display devices. This usually requires removal of the jewelry items from the display tray, which are carried in a display case or cabinet, and storing the jewelry items in separate storage containers during periods of non display, such as overnight or over weekend periods. In order to again place the jewelry items on display, they must be individually and separately removed from storage and placed within the display tray or on a separate holder. Sometimes, the entire display tray is removed for storage.
The prior art display trays have also been found difficult to use by traveling salespeople. For the reasons discussed above, most display trays cannot be stored in a compact and space saving condition. Accordingly, use of the typically known display trays in a traveling case is inconvenient and not practical.
It is accordingly a principal object of the present invention to provide a jewelry display device in the form of a tray which can be used both for display purposes and for compact storage with other similar display trays.
It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide a jewelry display tray which has a plurality of openings on its undersurface so that it can be easily nested with other display trays for compact storage.
Another object of the invention is to provide a jewelry display tray which facilitates presentation of the jewelry item in a pleasing arrangement, so as to allow each piece to be viewed and appreciated individually, while still allowing for compact storage.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a jewelry display device which is made of materials light in weight so as to render the device usable for either display, storage or transit.
A further more specific object of the present invention is to create a jewelry storage tray which is capable of nesting with a plurality of identically constructed jewelry storage trays by taking advantage of a honeycomb cross-sectional construction between trays so that a plurality of trays can be stored in a compact fashion.
Still a further object of the invention is to provide a display tray which has great strength because of an interlocking structure between upper and lower members of the tray.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention in connection with the appended drawings, to be described more fully hereinafter.


A camera includes a body drive motor for driving forwardly or backwardly, a first planetary gear mechanism for selecting whether the output from the motor should be transmitted to a zooming device, a prohibition device for prohibiting the rotation of the planetary gear mechanism after the first planetary gear mechanism has completed the selection, a second planetary gear mechanism for selecting whether the output from the first planetary gear mechanism, which was not transmitted to the zooming device, should be transmitted to a winding device, and a third planetary gear mechanism for transmitting the output from the second planetary gear mechanism, which was not transmitted to the winding device, should be transmitted to either the rewinding device or a photographic image-plane size switching device. The planetary gear mechanism is rotated at a low speed so that the output of the first planetary gear mechanism does not exert an influence upon the second planetary gear mechanism when the driving force of the motor is switched from the zooming device to the photographic image-plane size switching device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera and, more particularly, to a camera which is capable of switching the photographic image-plane size.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, various cameras capable of switching the photographic image-plane size and switching mechanisms have been proposed. For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-238440, a technical means is disclosed in which a member for switching a photographic image-plane size, disposed in the vicinity of an aperture of a camera body, advances into and retracts from the aperture in linkage with an operation member when a photographer operates the operation member disposed on the exterior of the camera, and thus the photographic image-plane size is switched.
Also, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-238439, a technical means is disclosed in which a member for switching a photographic image-plane size advances into and retracts from an aperture by rotating a motor for switching a photographic image-plane size contained in the camera body forwardly or backwardly, and thus the photographic image-plane size is switched.
However, in the technical means disclosed in the above Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-238440, ease of operation is poor because the size of the place where the operation member is disposed is limited, and an interlocking mechanism for interlocking the photographic image-plane size switching member with the operation member is required, and thus the camera becomes enlarged and its cost increases.
On the other hand, in the technical means disclosed in the above Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-238439, a motor dedicated to switching a photographic image-plane size is required in addition to a motor for respectively driving other devices within the camera body, and thus the camera also becomes largest and its cost increases.

Camera with motor driven transmission mechanism