Method and system for implementing, controlling, and interfacing with circuit simulators

• US 20040243374A1
• Filed: 12/17/2003
• Published: 12/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Original Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Inventors: Kundert, Kenneth S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,822,590 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/14
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/318357 Simulation computer simulation of digital circuits G06F30/3308
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/318364 as a result of hardware simulation, e.g. in an HDL environment computer-aided simulation of circuits G06F30/3308
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/261 by simulating additional hardware, e.g. fault simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/105 where the programme performs an input/output emulation function
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/33 Design verification, e.g. functional simulation or model checking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/3308 using simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/367 Design verification, e.g. using simulation, simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis [SPICE], direct methods or relaxation methods

Abstract

A system and method for performing circuit simulation is described. Revisions and history of the operating parameters of circuit designs subject to simulation are tracked. Mechanisms are provided that allow for viewing, measurement or other manipulation of signals at specific locations in a circuit design for simulation, such as parameters that include observation points which are implemented using probes. One approach to executing a measurement is via a controllable and flexible control statement, which in one embodiment is the “run” statement. Improved interfaces for viewing, controlling, and manipulating simulations and simulation results are also provided.

Claims

1. A method for displaying graphical simulation results, comprising:

executing a circuit simulation;

generating a result set from the circuit simulation;

associating a display attribute with the result set, in which the display attribute comprises information describing how data from the result set is to be displayed; and

displaying the result set using the display attribute.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the act of executing the circuit simulation is performed by executing a measurement.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the display attribute is attached to the result set by a computation function.

4. The method of claim 3 in which the display attribute can be interactively updated by a user from an output graph.

5. The method of claim 1 in which the information in the display attribute describes units, axis labels, graph titles, grid styles, graph information or marker information.

6. The method of claim 5 in which the marker information relates to a note marker, error marker, trace marker, point marker, x marker, y marker, deltax marker, deltay marker, deltaxy marker, compression point marker, intercept marker, line marker, or circle marker.

7. The method of claim 1 in which the display attribute is automatically associated with the result set.

8. The method of claim 1 in which the act of displaying the result set using the display attribute is performed without requiring re-execution of the circuit simulation.

9. The method of claim 1 in which the display attribute is associated with the result set in a simulation control language.

10. The method of claim 1 in which the display attribute is associated with the result set by action of a function and or measurement.

11. The method of claim 1 in which behaviors of functions and commands are changed based upon the presence and values of display attributes.

12. The method of claim 1 in which the display attribute is later interpreted by display commands and functions to influence how results are displayed.

13. The method of claim 1 in which the display attribute is evaluated when the result is displayed.

14. The method of claim 1 in which functions are rerun with adjusted parameter values.

15. The method of claim 14 in which the display attribute is configured such that particular keyboard or mouse actions increments or adjustments of particular parameter values.

16. The method of claim 1 in which a measurement attaches parameter values to return values so that the measurement results are updated by referencing the result.

17. The method of claim 16 in which the measurement is not re-specified.

18. The method of claim 1 in which a list of changes is attached to the circuit or the simulator at the time a measurement result is generated.

19. The method of claim 18 in which the circuit and simulator reverts back to an original state from when the results were generated.

20. A method for creating an interface to specify parameter values for a measurement, comprising:

creating a measurement;

identifying parameters in the measurement;

identifying output results in the measurement; and

automatically generating an interface form corresponding to the parameters and the output.

21. The method of claim 20 in which the parameters are self-documenting.

22. The method of claim 21 in which the self-documenting parameters comprise parameters with range limits, units, or text descriptions.

23. The method of claim 20 in which the parameters is grouped with a common label and description for the group.

24. Method of claim 20 when parameter can be circuit objects that can be selected from a schematic, layout, or design database.

25. The method of claim 20 in which parameters comprise probe or instance parameters.

26. The method of claim 25 in which the probes allow measurement points to be specified as parameters.

27. The method of claim 25 in which the probes support single-ended, differential or common-mode quantities.

28. The method of claim 25 in which the probes support node, terminal or instance potentials and terminal or instance flows.

29. The method of claim 20 in which the measurement is from a library of measurements.

30. The method of claim 20 in which the interface form has fields corresponding to the parameters and the output.

31. An interactive user configurable form that displays measurement results and can be used to run measurements.

32. The interactive user configurable form of claim 31 which can be used to display results, modify the circuit, control the simulator, check on the status of the simulations, or browse previous results and conditions.

33. The interactive user configurable form of claim 31 in which at least a portion of the form resembles a datasheet.

34. The interactive user configurable form of claim 33 in which rows are associated with measurements and columns are associated with various aspects of the measurements.

35. The interactive user configurable form of claim 31 in which measurement results are scalars or thumbnails of graphics.

36. The interactive user configurable form of claim 31 in which measurements may be configured.

37. The interactive user configurable form of claim 31 in which full measurement results can be viewed and compared against previous measurement results.

38. The interactive user configurable form of claim 31 in which conditions may be viewed for current and past results.

39. The interactive user configurable form of claim 31 comprising a datasheet that can generate a report comprising a summary of results.

40. The interactive user configurable form of claim 39 in which the datasheet further comprises supporting graphs, tables, or conditions.

41. The interactive user configurable form of claim 39 in which the report is produced in a common document format.

42. The interactive user configurable form of claim 39 further comprising a library of datasheets.

43. A method for implementing a measurement without requiring a user to know complexities of a simulation control language, comprising

defining a template;

associating the template with a template file;

performing activity causing visual display;

determining whether the template is associated with the activity causing the visual display;

if the template is associated with the activity causing the visual display, then

identifying the associated template;

using the identified associated template to display data;

interactively refining the graph or table; and

storing changes in the template file.

44. The method of claim 43 in which the template comprises a graph or table template.

45. The method of claim 43 in which the method accesses a collection of templates.

46. The method of claim 43 in which the template might exist from a prior iteration of the method.

47. The method of claim 43 in which template file is keyed to a plot or table by names of traces being displayed.

48. The method of claim 47 in which, the next time the traces are displayed, the template is activated and the plot or table recreated with updated settings.

49. The method of claim 43 in which the activity causing the visual display is a view or plot command.

50. The method of claim 43 in which the template is created using a display tool.

51. The method of claim 50 in which users customize the way the results are displayed using a GUI.

52. The method of claim 43 in which existing graphs are automatically updated.

53. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having executable code to execute a process for displaying graphical simulation results, the process comprising:

executing a circuit simulation;

generating a result set from the circuit simulation;

associating a display attribute with the result set, in which the display attribute comprises information describing how data from the result set is to be displayed; and

displaying the result set using the display attribute.

54. A system for displaying graphical simulation results, comprising:

means for executing a circuit simulation;

means for generating a result set from the circuit simulation;

means for associating a display attribute with the result set, in which the display attribute comprises information describing how data from the result set is to be displayed; and

means for displaying the result set using the display attribute.

55. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having executable code to execute a process for creating an interface to specify parameter values for a measurement, the process comprising:

creating a measurement;

identifying parameters in the measurement;

identifying output results in the measurement; and

automatically generating an interface form corresponding to the parameters and the output.

56. A system for creating an interface to specify parameter values for a measurement, comprising:

means for creating a measurement;

means for identifying parameters in the measurement;

means for identifying output results in the measurement; and

means for automatically generating an interface form corresponding to the parameters and the output.

57. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having executable code to execute a process for implementing a measurement without requiring a user to know complexities of a simulation control language, the process comprising

defining a template;

associating the template with a template file;

performing activity causing visual display;

determining whether the template is associated with the activity causing the visual display;

if the template is associated with the activity causing the visual display, then

identifying the associated template;

using the identified associated template to display data;

interactively refining the graph or table; and

storing changes in the template file.

58. A system for implementing a measurement without requiring a user to know complexities of a simulation control language, comprising

means for defining a template;

means for associating the template with a template file;

means for performing activity causing visual display;

means for determining whether the template is associated with the activity causing the visual display;

means for determining if the template is associated with the activity causing the visual display, which then processes

means for identifying the associated template;

means for using the identified associated template to display data;

means for interactively refining the graph or table; and

means for storing changes in the template file.