The data-flow model as a design tool for the development of DSP software

The present paper describes an approach to the design of application-oriented software for Digital Signal Processing (DSP) that has been inspired by the data flow model. We propose a style of applications design guided by the flow of data among the modules that represent the functional elements of the application under development. Such a style makes use of flow graphs, that are typical of the data flow model, as tools for both the design and the analysis. The proposed approach lends itself to either bottom-up, top-down or middle-out design methodologies according to the granularity of the modules from which the designer begins the specification of the application under development. The resulting model, tough of abstract type, can be easily implemented even on distributed or multiprocessor architecture with hardware specialised for I/O. The paper presents an informal description of the model and some simple examples of its use for the design of applications for DSP.