Download 1986 , Volume , Issue June-1986

In this Issue
The integrated circuit artwork on our cover this month was drawn automat
ically the what's sometimes called a silicon compiler. As the authors of the
article on page 4 explain, "The process of silicon compilation is analogous
to the role of high-level language compilers in software engineering. The
designer specifies the behavior and/or structure of the desired circuit in a
high-level language. Working from the high-level specifications, the silicon
compiler generates the detailed circuitry programmatically. This not only is
faster than design by hand, but also allows system designers not familiar
with article design techniques to create an 1C chip." The subject of the article
is a high-level language used in-house by HP designers to specify a chip. Called ICPL, for
Integrated Circuit Procedural Language, it's a Lisp-based language similar to MIT's DPL.
About as new as silicon compilation is just-in-time manufacturing, the technique pioneered in
Japan and now spreading throughout the world. An estimated 250 plants in the U.S.A. have
implemented it and most large manufacturing companies are testing the concept. The article on
page 1 to just-in-time the design of HP JIT, an HP software product intended to be used by just-in-time
manufacturers for material requirements planning and production control. Worthy of note are the
methods used by the software designers to develop a package with no examples or standards
to use just-in-time guidance. Working with HP manufacturing divisions starting up just-in-time facilities,
the software designers tried out ideas using throwaway prototypes before finally writing specifica
tions and code.
The remaining six articles in this issue discuss a Doppler enhancement for HP's medical
ultrasound imaging system, first featured in these pages in October and December of 1983. In
ultrasound imaging, high-frequency sound waves are bounced off structures inside the body,
letting physicians see the body's inner workings without surgery or health risk to the patient. The
Doppler system augments the normal ultrasound image by adding information about the velocity
of blood flow and organ movements. On page 20, Ray O'Connell discusses the role of Doppler
ultrasound in cardiac diagnosis. On page 26, Paul Magnin presents Doppler history and theory
and tells us a little about Johann Doppler (page 27). The articles on pages 35, 41 , and 45 describe
the design of the HP Doppler system, which can be added easily to any HP ultrasound imaging
system. to page 31, James Chen tells how ultrasound power and intensity are measured to
ensure patient safety.
-R. P. Do/an
Editor
What's Ahead
Next computer issue will describe the design of HP's portable computer family — The Portable
and Portable Plus. Memory management, low-power operation, I/O and data communications,
liquid-crystal display control, and creation of custom plug-in ROMs are some of the topics. Also
featured will be an article about the latest capabilities of HP-UX, HP's version of the UNIXâ„¢
operating system, now available on HP 9000 Series 300 Computers. We'll also have the design
story of troubleshooting. HP 4971 S, a protocol analyzer for local area network installation and troubleshooting.
JUNE 1986 HEWLETT-PACKARD JOURNAL 3
© Copr. 1949-1998 Hewlett-Packard Co.