Polymorphic computational system and method

A computing system, comprising:

• one or more processors;
• a display, communicatively coupled to said one or more processors;
• an input device, communicatively coupled to said one or more processors;
• and
• an electronically-readable storage medium, communicatively coupled to said one or more processors, and containing executable program code that causes said one or more processors to perform the following steps:
• store a plurality of computer code segments containing executable computer code for performing a plurality of algorithms;
• display a graphical workspace on said display;
• receive, via said input device, a user request to display a plurality of predefined graphical icons in said workspace, and at least one interconnection between two of said icons, wherein said icons correspond to respective ones of said computer code segments;
• receive, via said input device, a user request to prepare computer code for executing a process defined by said icons and interconnection;
• and responsive to said request, causing one or more data processors to compile a plurality of said computer code segments in accordance with said displayed icons and interconnections to generate a download file for said reconfigurable target hardware.

A computing device, comprising:

• one or more processors;
• a user input device;
• a display configured to detect said user input device;
• one or more memories, storing program instructions that cause said one or more processors to perform the following steps:
• display a workspace on said display;
• detect a pattern defined by said user input device on said display;
• compare said detected pattern with a library of predefined graphical patterns;
• when said pattern matches a predefined pattern in said library, extracting a computer code segment from a database associated with said device, said computer code segment representing programming instructions for performing an algorithm associated with said predefined pattern;
• using said computer code segment to generate a data file;
• and
• downloading said data file to a reconfigurable computing platform, such that said reconfigurable computing platform executes said algorithm at hardware speed.

A method for preparing a download file for target hardware, comprising the steps of:

• receiving configuration information identifying a target hardware;
• displaying, responsive to a user request, a plurality of graphical icons representing predefined algorithms, and a plurality of graphical icons representing data elements;
• receiving user requests to create interconnections between two or more of said graphical icons;
• automatically converting said display of graphical icons and interconnections into programming instructions for performing said algorithms in accordance with said interconnections, wherein said programming instructions are optimized in accordance with said configuration information.

A method for configuring a reconfigurable hardware platform, comprising the steps of:

• using a graphical authoring utility to create a plurality of logically-connected abstractions of physical phenomena, wherein said abstractions represent a plurality of triggered behaviors, and logical connections represent cues that trigger said behaviors;
• forwarding said plurality of logically-connected abstractions to a distiller, wherein said distiller redefines said logically-connected abstractions into hardware description language constructs suitable for a target reconfigurable hardware platform;
• and
• transferring at least some of said constructs to a host of said reconfigurable hardware computing platform for synthesis into one or more target primitives and execution.

A method of analyzing a behavior, comprising the steps of:

• defining a computational model for said behavior;
• preparing an abstraction flow of said computational model;
• responsive to a user request, automatically converting said abstraction flow into computer code for configuring a reconfigurable target platform;
• using said computer code to configure said reconfigurable target platform;
• causing said target platform to execute said computational model;
• recording data values during said execution of said computational model;
• using said data values to define a behavioral model for said computational model.