Signal assignment ... <= ..."

[ label : ] target <= [ delay_mechanism ] waveform ;

• function_statement_part
• procedure_statement_part
• process_statement_part

transport

[ reject time _expression ] inertial

• name
• aggregate

waveform_element { , waveform_element }

unaffected

The keyword unaffected is allowed only in concurrent signal assignments.

The default delay mechanism is inertial .

With transport all pulses are transmitted.

With inertial only those pulses are transmitted, with width is greater than the a given limit. This limit is given by the value after reject or the first time value in the waveform.

The value after reject must not be greater than the first time value of the waveform.

The value of B is assigned to signal A after 5 ns.

In the first example the inertial delay model is used, in the second example the transport delay model is used.

A <= B AFTER 5 ns;
 
A <= TRANSPORT B AFTER 5 ns;

A waveform is assigned to signal data , according to which data receives the value 2 after 1 ns, the value 4 after 3ns and the value 10 after 8ns.

data <= 2 AFTER 1 ns,
       4 AFTER 3 ns,
      10 AFTER 8 ns;

Signal A is assigned the result of the function my_function by the inertial delay model

In the first example this happens after 5ns; in the second and third example this happens after a time which is determined by the constant delay. In the third example the value 0 is transferred to A 2ns after the preceding assignment.

A <= my_function(data, 4) AFTER 5 ns;
 
A <= my_function(data, 4) AFTER delay;
 
A <= my_function(data, 4) AFTER delay,
      0 AFTER delay + 2 ns;

These assignments are equivalent. The value of input is driven to output with a delay of 6 ns. Pulses smaller 6 ns are suppressed.

ouptut <= input AFTER 6 ns;
output <= INERTIAL input AFTER 6 ns;
output <= REJECT 6 ns INERTIAL input
           AFTER 6 ns;

Here the pulse rejection limit is smaller than the first time expression in the waveform. All pulses smaller 3 ns are suppressed.

output1 <= REJECT 3 ns INERTIAL input1
            AFTER 6 ns;
output2 <= REJECT 3 ns INERTIAL input2
            AFTER 6 ns,
            NOT input2 AFTER 12 ns;

The signal assignments to output1 and ouput2 are equivalent to those of ouput3 and output4 .

No pulses are suppressed.

output1 <= TRANSPORT input1
           AFTER 6 ns;
output2 <= TRANSPORT input2
           AFTER 6 ns,
           NOT input2 AFTER 12 ns;
 
output3 <= REJECT 0 ns INERTIAL input1
          AFTER 6 ns; output4 <= REJECT 0 ns INERTIAL input2
          AFTER 6 ns
          NOT input2 AFTER 12 ns;

In VHDL'87 one had to choose the above assignments. Both variants are equivalent.

-- VHDL'87
   sig2 <= input AFTER 3 ns;
   output <= TRANSPORT sig2
             AFTER 9 ns;
-- VHDL'93
   output <= REJECT 3 ns INERTIAL
             input AFTER 12 ns;