System and method for navigating design information associated with an IC design

• US 20050188339A1
• Filed: 02/25/2004
• Published: 08/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Anderson, David Michael
• Application Number:
  US10/786,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20050188339A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 716/139
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]

Abstract

A system and method for navigating through design information associated with an integrated circuit (IC) design. A graphical user interface is presented upon launching a connectivity browser, wherein the connectivity browser is operable to traverse a text-based connectivity database that includes a plurality of design objects provided for the IC design. The text-based connectivity database or a portion thereof is interrogated via a command line interface portion of the graphical user interface by supplying at least a portion of a text-based indicium associated with a design object.

Claims

1. A system for navigating through design information associated with an integrated circuit (IC) design, comprising:

a text-based connectivity database structure including a plurality of design objects provided for said IC design; and

a graphical user interface structure supported by a browser engine that provides a command line interface for interrogating said connectivity database using at least a portion of a text-based indicium associated with a design object.

2. The system for navigating through design information associated with an IC design as recited in claim 1, wherein said plurality of design objects are disposed in a hierarchical tree arrangement.

3. The system for navigating through design information associated with an IC design as recited in claim 1, wherein said plurality of design objects include at least one block and said text-based indicium comprises a block name associated with said block.

4. The system for navigating through design information associated with an IC design as recited in claim 1, wherein said plurality of design objects include at least one block and said text-based indicium comprises a block name expression associated with said block.

5. The system for navigating through design information associated with an IC design as recited in claim 1, wherein said plurality of design objects include at least one net and said text-based indicium comprises a net name associated with said net.

6. The system for navigating through design information associated with an IC design as recited in claim 1, wherein said plurality of design objects include at least one instance of a subcircuit and said text-based indicium comprises an instance name associated with said instance.

7. The system for navigating through design information associated with an IC design as recited in claim 1, wherein said plurality of design objects include at least one cell and said text-based indicium comprises a cell name associated with said cell.

8. The system for navigating through design information associated with an IC design as recited in claim 1, wherein said browser engine further supports a plurality of menu-driven dialog boxes for selectively traversing said text-based connectivity database.

9. The system for navigating through design information associated with an IC design as recited in claim 1, wherein said graphical user interface structure includes at least one user interface pane operable to display results obtained responsive to interrogating said text-based connectivity database.

10. A method for navigating through design information associated with an integrated circuit (IC) design, comprising:

presenting a graphical user interface upon launching a connectivity browser, wherein said connectivity browser is operable to traverse a text-based connectivity database including a plurality of design objects provided for said IC design; and

interrogating said text-based connectivity database via a command line interface portion of said graphical user interface by supplying at least a portion of a text-based indicium associated with a design object.

11. The method for navigating through design information associated with an IC design as recited in claim 10, wherein said plurality of design objects are disposed in a hierarchical tree arrangement.

12. The method for navigating through design information associated with an IC design as recited in claim 10, wherein said plurality of design objects include at least one block and said text-based indicium comprises a block name associated with said block.

13. The method for navigating through design information associated with an IC design as recited in claim 10, wherein said plurality of design objects include at least one block and said text-based indicium comprises a block name expression associated with said block.

14. The method for navigating through design information associated with an IC design as recited in claim 10, wherein said plurality of design objects include at least one net and said text-based indicium comprises a net name associated with said net.

15. The method for navigating through design information associated with an IC design as recited in claim 10, wherein said plurality of design objects include at least one instance of a subcircuit and said text-based indicium comprises an instance name associated with said instance.

16. The method for navigating through design information associated with an IC design as recited in claim 10, wherein said plurality of design objects include at least one cell and said text-based indicium comprises a cell name associated with said cell.

17. The method for navigating through design information associated with an IC design as recited in claim 10, wherein said connectivity browser further supports a plurality of menu-driven dialog boxes for selecting different portions of said text-based connectivity database.

18. The method for navigating through design information associated with an IC design as recited in claim 10, wherein said graphical user interface structure includes at least one user interface pane operable to display results obtained responsive to interrogating said text-based connectivity database.

19. A computer platform operable to support a design database environment associated with an integrated circuit (IC) design, comprising:

a database structure including text-based connectivity information relative to a plurality of design objects provided for said IC design; and

a browser engine that supports a graphical user interface structure for interrogating said connectivity database using at least a portion of a text-based indicium associated with a design object.

20. The computer platform operable to support a design database environment associated with an IC design as recited in claim 19, wherein said plurality of design objects are disposed in a hierarchical tree arrangement.

21. The computer platform operable to support a design database environment associated with an IC design as recited in claim 19, wherein said plurality of design objects include at least one block and said text-based indicium comprises a block name associated with said block.

22. The computer platform operable to support a design database environment associated with an IC design as recited in claim 19, wherein said plurality of design objects include at least one block and said text-based indicium comprises a block name expression associated with said block.

23. The computer platform operable to support a design database environment associated with an IC design as recited in claim 19, wherein said plurality of design objects include at least one net and said text-based indicium comprises a net name associated with said net.

24. The computer platform operable to support a design database environment associated with an IC design as recited in claim 19, wherein said plurality of design objects include at least one instance of a subcircuit and said text-based indicium comprises an instance name associated with said instance.

25. The computer platform operable to support a design database environment associated with an IC design as recited in claim 19, wherein said plurality of design objects include at least one cell and said text-based indicium comprises a cell name associated with said cell.

26. The computer platform operable to support a design database environment associated with an IC design as recited in claim 19, wherein said browser engine further supports a plurality of menu-driven dialog boxes for selectively traversing said text-based connectivity database.

27. The computer platform operable to support a design database environment associated with an IC design as recited in claim 19, wherein said graphical user interface structure includes at least one user interface pane operable to display results obtained responsive to interrogating said text-based connectivity database.