System and method for design, procurement and manufacturing collaboration

• US 20030221172A1
• Filed: 02/21/2003
• Published: 11/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flextronics America LLC (Flextronics International Limited)
• Original Assignee: Flextronics International USA Incorporated (Flex, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Brathwaite, Nicholas E., Burns, Paul N., Durkan, Michael Anthony, Ganapathy, Visvanathan, Maddox, Douglas Edward, Bommakanti, Ram Gopal
• Granted Patent: US 7,134,096 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 716/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/00 Details relating to CAD techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/02 CAD in a network environment, e.g. collaborative CAD or distributed simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/12 Symbolic schematics
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2119/18 Manufacturability analysis or optimisation for manufacturability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/30 Circuit design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/398 Design verification or optimisation, e.g. using design rule check [DRC], layout versus schematics [LVS] or finite element methods [FEM] optical proximity correction [OPC] design processes G03F1/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

A method for designing an electronic component includes receiving a device criteria (e.g., a parametric value, procurement value, etc.) from a designer, querying a database for devices corresponding to the device criteria, querying the database for procurement data and/or engineering data associated with the corresponding devices, presenting the devices to the designer based on the procurement data, and receiving input from the designer identifying one of the presented devices as a selected device. In a particular method, the returned devices are sorted based on one or more procurement values (e.g., manufacturer, price, availability, manufacturer status, etc.), and presented to the designer in a ranked list. Objects representative of the selected devices are then entered into a design file, and the objects are associated with the device'"'"'s engineering and/or procurement data. In a particular embodiment, the objects are associated with the engineering data by embedding the engineering data in the file object. Optionally, data can be associated with the objects via links to the database. Types of engineering data that can be associated with design file objects include, but are not limited to, device footprint data, device pinout data, device physical dimension data, parametric data, and packaging data. Additionally, connection data and annotation data can be entered into the design file objects by the designer.

Claims

1. A method for designing an electronic component, said method comprising:

receiving a parametric value from a designer;

querying a database for devices corresponding to said parametric value;

querying said database for procurement data associated with said devices;

presenting said devices to said designer based on said procurement data; and

receiving input from said designer identifying one of said devices as a selected device.

10. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of querying said database for engineering data associated with said selected device.

11. A method according to claim 10, further comprising:

inserting an object representative of said selected device into a design file; and

associating said engineering data with said object associated with said selected device.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein said engineering data includes geometric data associated with said selected device.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein said geometric data associated with said selected device includes a footprint associated with said selected device.

14. A method according to claim 12, wherein said geometric data associated with said selected device includes a pin layout associated with said selected device.

15. A method according to claim 12, wherein said geometric data associated with said selected device includes physical dimensions associated with said selected device.

16. A method according to claim 11, wherein said engineering data includes parametric data associated with said selected device.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein said parametric data includes a response function associated with said selected device.

18. A method according to claim 11, further including:

receiving data from said designer defining connections between said selected device and other devices in said design file; and

associating said connection data with said object representing said selected device.

19. A method according to claim 11, further comprising associating at least a portion of said procurement data with said object representing said selected device.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein said procurement data includes indicia of a manufacturer of said device.

21. A method according to claim 19, wherein said procurement data includes indicia of a price of said device.

22. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

receiving data from said designer annotating changes in said selected device; and

associating said annotation data with said object representing said selected device.

23. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

associating at least a portion of said procurement data with said object; and

associating connection data with said object.

24. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

retrieving design rules; and

performing a design analysis on said design file.

25. A method according to claim 24, wherein said design analysis includes a design for manufacturability test.

26. A method according to claim 24, wherein said design analysis includes a design for testability test.

27. A method according to claim 24, wherein said design analysis includes a design for fabrication test.

28. A method according to claim 24, wherein said design analysis includes a design for procurement test.

29. A method according to claim 24, wherein said design analysis includes a design for quality test.

30. A method according to claim 24, wherein said design analysis includes a design for reliability test.

31. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

associating connection data defining connections between said selected device and other devices in said design file with said object; and

generating a schematic drawing of said electronic component from said design file.

32. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

associating connection data defining connections between said selected device and other devices in said design file with said object; and

generating a net list of said electronic component from said design file.

33. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

associating at least a portion of said procurement data with said object; and

generating a bill of materials from said design file.

2. A method according to claim 2, wherein said step of presenting said devices to said designer includes:

ranking each of said devices based on said procurement data; and

presenting said devices according to said rank.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said ranking depends on a weighted average of a plurality of procurement values.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein said ranking depends at least in part on the prices of said devices.

5. A method according to claim 2, wherein said ranking depends at least in part on the manufacturers of said devices.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein said ranking depends at least in part on a preferred status of said manufacturers.

7. A method according to claim 5, wherein said ranking depends at least in part on the geographical locations of said manufacturers.

8. A method according to claim 2, wherein said ranking depends at least in part on the availability of said devices.

9. A method according to claim 2, wherein said ranking depends at least in part on delivery terms associated with said devices.

34. A method for designing an electronic component comprising:

placing objects representing electronic devices in a design file;

defining interconnections between said devices in said design file;

associating engineering data with said objects in said design file; and

performing a DFx analysis on said design file at the design stage.

35. A method according to claim 34, wherein said step of performing said DFx analysis occurs as said objects are placed in said design file.

36. A method according to claim 34, further comprising:

generating a schematic following said design analysis; and

using said schematic to design a printed circuit board for said electronic component.

37. A method according to claim 34, further comprising:

generating a net list from said design file following said design analysis; and

using said net list to design a printed circuit board for said electronic component.

38. A method according to claim 34, further comprising:

retrieving procurement data from a procurement database;

associating said procurement data with said objects in said design file; and

performing a procurement analysis on said design file at the design stage.

39. A method according to claim 38, further comprising:

generating a bill of materials from said design file following said procurement analysis; and

using said bill of materials to initiate a procurement process.

40. A method according to claim 38, further comprising providing feedback from a procurement process to the designer of said electronic component by said procurement process updating said procurement database.

41. A method according to claim 34, further comprising providing feedback from a manufacturing process to the designer of said electronic component be said manufacturing process updating the design rules used to perform said design analysis.

42. A system for designing an electronic component, said system comprising:

a designer interface for receiving data and commands from a designer;

a schematic design tool responsive to receiving parametric data from said user, and operative to query a database for devices corresponding to said parametric data, to query said database for procurement data associated with said devices, to display said devices to said designer via said designer interface based on said procurement data, and to receive input from said designer identifying one of said displayed devices as a selected device.

43. A system according to claim 42, wherein said schematic design tool is operative to present said devices to said designer according to a set of business rules.

44. A system according to claim 42, wherein said schematic design tool is further operative to:

insert an object representative of said selected device into a design file;

and associate said procurement data with said object.

45. A system according to claim 44, further comprising a bill of materials generator, responsive to said procurement data associated with objects in said design file, and operative to generate a bill of materials.

46. A system according to claim 42, wherein said schematic design tool is further operative to query a database for engineering data associated with said selected device.

47. A system according to claim 46, wherein said schematic design tool is further operative to:

insert an object representative of said selected device into a design file;

and associate said engineering data with said object.

48. A system according to claim 47, further comprising a design analyzer, operative to analyze said design file.

49. A system according to claim 48, further comprising a net list generator, operative to generate a net list based on said engineering data associated with objects in said design file.

50. A computer-readable medium having stored therein a data structure comprising:

a first field containing data representing an electronic device;

a second field containing engineering data associated with said electronic device; and

a third field containing procurement data associated with said electronic device.

51. A computer-readable medium according to claim 50, wherein said data structure further comprises a fourth field containing data representing a graphical image of said electronic device.

52. A computer-readable medium according to claim 50, wherein said engineering data includes parametric data.

53. A computer-readable medium according to claim 50, wherein said engineering data includes geometric data.

54. A computer-readable medium according to claim 53, wherein said geometric data includes data representing a device footprint.

55. A computer-readable medium according to claim 53, wherein said geometric data includes data representing a device pinout arrangement.

56. A computer-readable medium according to claim 50, wherein:

said engineering data includes geometric data; and

further comprising a fourth field containing parametric data associated with said electronic device.

57. A computer-readable medium according to claim 50, wherein said procurement data represents a manufacturer associated with said electronic device.

58. A computer-readable medium according to claim 57, and further including a fourth field containing data representing a preferred status associated with said manufacturer.

59. A computer-readable medium according to claim 57, and further including a fourth field containing data representing a price associated with said electronic device.

60. A computer-readable medium according to claim 57, and further including a fourth field containing data representing an availability of said electronic device.