Generalized constraint collection management method

• US 20080077901A1
• Filed: 09/25/2006
• Published: 03/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Original Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Inventors: Arsintescu, George B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,802,222 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 716/11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/30 Circuit design

Abstract

Techniques are provided to allow users of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools to define constraint template types for efficiently associating constraints with design objects to specify design intent. Processes for creating and validating the constraints are provided by user-defined plug-ins, thereby allowing users to annotate circuit designs with constraints for proprietary layout and fabrication processes without exposing the constraints to tool vendors or competitors. The constraints are re-created from the template types whenever the circuit design is loaded into the EDA tool, so that the constraints are based upon the latest version of the template type. The constraints are also re-created when validation fails. Constraint groups are reusable in different designs, technology nodes, and processes because they automatically expand to provide the specific constraints to achieve a goal. The specific constraints in a template type can be modified as technology changes, and the modification will automatically be applied to the design objects.

Claims

1. A method of automating the application of constraints to design objects in a circuit design created using an electronic design automation tool, comprising:

receiving selection of a circuit design object that represents a physical circuit object in a circuit being designed in the electronic design automation tool;

receiving selection of a template type that produces a constraint that represents a physical limitation upon implementation of the circuit design object in the circuit,

wherein the template type is represented in the electronic design automation tool by a selectable user interface feature; and

producing a template instance based upon the template type, wherein the template instance associates the constraint with the circuit design object to represent in the electronic design automation tool that the physical limitation of the constraint applies to the circuit design object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein producing the template instance includes:

identifying a template instance generation process associated with the template type;

invoking the generation process to create the template instance; and

associating the circuit design object with the template instance.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the template instance generation process is provided by a user of the design automation tool.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the design object and a template instance parameter to the template instance generation process.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the template instance generation process comprises:

creating the constraint;

associating the parameter with the constraint; and

associating the design object with the constraint.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the circuit design object is stored in a circuit design file,

wherein a representation of the template instance is stored to the circuit design file, and

wherein the representation includes an instance name, a template type identifier that specifies the template instance'"'"'s type, and a design object identifier that specifies the design object.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the design automation tool is stored in at least one tool file provided by a design automation tool vendor and the template instance'"'"'s type is stored in a template type plug-in file, wherein the at least one tool file, the template type plug-in file, and the circuit design file are separate files.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the template instance includes a template instance parameter, further comprising:

storing in the circuit design file the template instance parameter, wherein the instance parameter is associated on the storage medium with the template instance.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the template instance includes at least one constraint, and the at least one constraint includes a constraint parameter, further comprising:

storing in the circuit design file the at least one constraint, wherein the at least one constraint is associated in the circuit design file with the template instance.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the circuit design includes a plurality of design objects, and the at least one constraint includes a reference to at least one of the design objects, further comprising:

storing in the circuit design file the reference, wherein the reference is associated in the circuit design file with the individual constraint.

20. The method of claim 1, further including:

displaying a template instance representation corresponding to the template instance.

21. The method of claim 20, further including:

displaying a template instance tree comprising a template instance node, wherein the template instance node represents the template instance.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

displaying a constraint node as a descendant of the template instance node in the template instance tree, wherein the constraint node represents a constraint associated with the template instance; and

displaying a design object node in the tree as a descendant of the constraint node, wherein the design object node represents the design object.

11. A method of automating the validation of constraints associated with circuit design objects in a circuit design created using an electronic design automation tool, comprising:

receiving notification of a change action that affects the design;

identifying a template instance validation process associated with the template type;

invoking the validation process to validate the constraints;

receiving a validity indicator from the validation process; and

if the validity indicator indicates that the constraints are not valid, invoking a recovery process.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

retrieving the template instance validation process from a plug-in file associated with the template type.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the template instance validation process is provided by a user of the design automation tool.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing the at least one design object and a template instance parameter to the template instance validation process.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the template instance validation process comprises:

determining if the value of at least one constraint parameter associated with at least one of the constraints is valid;

if the constraint parameter is valid, generating a success indicator; and

if the constraint parameter is not valid, generating a failure indicator.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the recovery process comprises:

deleting the constraints;

identifying a template instance generation process associated with the template type; and

invoking the template instance generation process to re-create the constraints.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the change action comprises reading in of a template instance from a storage medium, modification of a template instance parameter, or a combination thereof.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the change action comprises modification of the circuit design.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the change action comprises a change to the at least one constraint, and the recovery process comprises:

rejecting the change action.

23. A system for automating the application of constraints to design objects in a circuit design created using an electronic design automation tool, comprising:

a design object selector to receive selection of a circuit design object that represents a physical circuit object in a circuit being designed in the electronic design automation tool;

a template type selector to receive selection of a template type that produces a constraint that represents a physical limitation upon implementation of the circuit design object in the circuit,

wherein the template type is represented in the electronic design automation tool by a selectable user interface feature; and

a template instance producer to produce a template instance based upon the template type, wherein the template instance associates the constraint with the circuit design object to represent in the electronic design automation tool that the physical limitation of the constraint applies to the circuit design object.

24. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

a process selector to identify a template instance generation process associated with the template type;

a process invoker to invoke the generation process to create the template instance; and

an associator to associate the circuit design object with the template instance.

25. The system of claim 23, further including:

a design object writer to store a design object of the circuit design to the circuit design file; and

a template instance writer to store a representation of the template instance to the circuit design file, wherein the representation includes an instance name, a template type identifier that specifies the template instance'"'"'s type, and a design object identifier that specifies the design object.

26. A system for retrieving a circuit design annotated with a constraint from a circuit design file on a persistent storage medium, comprising:

a template instance reader to retrieve a representation of a template instance from the circuit design file, wherein the representation includes an instance name, a template type identifier, and at least one design object identifier;

a template type selector to identify a template type specified by the template type identifier;

a generator plug-in locator to identify a template instance generator associated with the template type if the template type is accessible; and

a generator plug-in invoker to invoke the template instance generator to create a restored template instance if the instance generator is accessible, wherein the restored template instance includes a constraint that references at least one design object, wherein the at least one design object is specified by the at least one design object identifier.

27. A system for providing a constraint manager user interface in an electronic design automation tool, comprising:

a template instance generator to create a template instance in response to selection of a template type button, wherein the template instance is an instance of a template type associated with the button;

a design object selector to receive selection of a design object;

a design object mapping component to associate the design object with the template instance; and

a template instance display component to display a template instance tree comprising a template instance node, wherein template instance node represents the template instance.

28. A system for automating the application of constraints to design objects in a circuit design created using an electronic design automation tool, comprising:

a design object selector means for receiving selection of a circuit design object that represents a physical circuit object in a circuit being designed in the electronic design automation tool;

a template type selector means for receiving selection of a template type that produces a constraint that represents a physical limitation upon implementation of the circuit design object in the circuit,

wherein the template type is represented in the electronic design automation tool by a selectable user interface feature; and

a template instance producer means for producing a template instance based upon the template type, wherein the template instance associates the constraint with the circuit design object to represent in the electronic design automation tool that the physical limitation of the constraint applies to the circuit design object.

29. A system for retrieving a circuit design annotated with a constraint from a circuit design file on a persistent storage medium, comprising:

a template instance reader means for retrieving a representation of a template instance from the circuit design file, wherein the representation includes an instance name, a template type identifier, and at least one design object identifier;

a template type selector means for identifying a template type specified by the template type identifier;

a generator plug-in locator means for identifying a template instance generator associated with the template type if the template type is accessible; and

a generator plug-in invoker means for invoking the template instance generator to create a restored template instance if the instance generator is accessible, wherein the restored template instance includes a constraint that references at least one design object, wherein the at least one design object is specified by the at least one design object identifier.

30. A system for providing a constraint manager user interface in an electronic design automation tool, comprising:

a template instance generator means for creating a template instance in response to selection of a template type button, wherein the template instance is an instance of a template type associated with the button;

a design object selector means for receiving selection of a design object;

a design object mapping means for associating the design object with the template instance; and

a template instance display means for displaying a template instance tree comprising a template instance node, wherein template instance node represents the template instance.

31. A computer program product comprising program code for automating the application of constraints to design objects in a circuit design created using an electronic design automation tool, the computer program product comprising:

program code operable to receive selection of a circuit design object that represents a physical circuit object in a circuit being designed in the electronic design automation tool;

program code operable to receive selection of a template type that produces a constraint that represents a physical limitation upon implementation of the circuit design object in the circuit,

wherein the template type is represented in the electronic design automation tool by a selectable user interface feature; and

program code operable to produce a template instance based upon the template type, wherein the template instance associates the constraint with the circuit design object to represent in the electronic design automation tool that the physical limitation of the constraint applies to the circuit design object.

32. A computer program product comprising program code for automating the validation of constraints associated with design objects in a design created using an electronic design automation tool, the computer program product comprising:

program code operable to receive notification of an change action that affects the design;

program code operable to receive identify a template instance validation process associated with the template type;

program code operable to receive invoke the validation process to validate the constraints;

program code operable to receiving a validity indicator from the validation process; and

program code operable to invoke a recovery process if the validity indicator indicates that the constraints are not valid.