DESIGN AID APPARATUS, COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM IN WHICH DESIGN AID PROGRAM IS STORED, AND INTERACTIVE DESIGN AID APPARATUS

• US 20080201679A1
• Filed: 12/20/2007
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Mimura, Akira, OKA, Tsuneo
• Granted Patent: US 7,870,526 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 716/11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/30 Circuit design

Abstract

Logical design of a circuit or a printed board including a number of components is carried out with improved flexibility in determination of the positions and the number of logical terminals of a symbol in order to easily create a logical circuit diagram high invisibility due to absence of deficiency such as interconnections crossing. The design aid apparatus includes a terminal information retaining section for retaining terminal information pieces; a tentative symbol determining section for determining a tentative symbol, for each component, having tentative logical terminals; a tentative symbol arranging section for arranging the determined tentative symbol; and a symbol determining section for determining the tentative symbol to be the symbol representing each component by, for the component, allocating each retained terminal information piece to one of the tentative logical terminals of the arranged tentative symbol.

Claims

1. A design aid apparatus for aiding logical design of a circuit a plurality of components of which are represented by symbols, comprising:

a terminal information retaining section for retaining terminal information pieces, one for each terminal of each of the plurality of components;

a tentative symbol determining section for determining a tentative symbol, for each said component, having one or more tentative logical terminals;

a tentative symbol arranging section for arranging the tentative symbol determined by said tentative symbol determining section; and

a symbol determining section for determining the tentative symbol to be the symbol representing each said component by, for each said component, allocating each of the terminal information pieces retained by said terminal information retaining section to one of the tentative logical terminals of the tentative symbol arranged by said tentative symbol arranging section.

2. A design aid apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a tentative logical terminal selecting section for selecting a tentative logical terminal from the one or more tentative logical terminals of the tentative symbols arranged by said tentative arranging section, and

a terminal information selecting section for selecting a terminal information piece from a plurality of the terminal information pieces retained by said terminal information retaining section, wherein

said symbol determining section allocates, for each said component, the terminal information piece selected by said terminal information selecting section to the tentative logical terminal selected by said tentative logical terminal selecting section.

3. A design aid apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a tentative symbol information setting section for setting tentative symbol information concerning the tentative symbol representing each said component and including at least the number of tentative logical terminals of the tentative symbol, wherein

said tentative symbol determining section generates the tentative symbol based on the tentative symbol information set by said tentative symbol information setting section.

4. A design aid apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a tentative symbol retaining section for retaining one or more tentative symbols each corresponding to a component, wherein

said tentative symbol determining section extracts a tentative symbol representing one of the plurality of components of the circuit from said tentative symbol retaining section.

5. A design aid apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said symbol determining section deletes one or more tentative logical terminals to which the terminal information piece has not been allocated.

6. A design aid apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said symbol determining section increases the number of tentative logical terminals of the tentative symbol.

7. A design aid apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a symbol retaining section for retaining one or more symbols representing one or more of the plurality of components, wherein

said symbol determining section determines the one or more symbols retained by said symbol retaining section to be the symbol representing the one or more components.

8. A computer-readable recording medium in which a program for aiding logical design of a circuit a plurality of components of which are represented by symbols is recorded, wherein said program instructs a computer having a terminal information retaining section for retaining terminal information pieces, one for each terminal of each of the plurality of components to function as:

a tentative symbol determining section for determining a tentative symbol, for each said component, having one or more tentative logical terminals;

a tentative symbol arranging section for arranging the tentative symbol determined by said tentative symbol determining section; and

a symbol determining section for determining the tentative symbol to be the symbol representing each said component by, for each said component, allocating each of the terminal information pieces retained by said terminal information retaining section to one of the tentative logical terminals of the tentative symbol arranged by said tentative symbol arranging section.

9. A computer-readable recording medium according to claim 8, wherein:

said program instructs the computer to function as a tentative logical terminal selecting section for selecting a tentative logical terminal from the one or more tentative logical terminals of the tentative symbols arranged by said tentative arranging section, and a terminal information selecting section for selecting a terminal information piece from a plurality of the terminal information pieces retained by said terminal information retaining section; and

said symbol determining section allocates, for each said component, the terminal information piece selected by said terminal information selecting section to the tentative logical terminal selected by said tentative logical terminal selecting section.

10. A computer-readable recording medium according to claim 8, wherein:

said program instructs the computer to function as a tentative symbol information setting section for setting tentative symbol information concerning the tentative symbol representing each said component and including at least the number of tentative logical terminals of the tentative symbol; and

said tentative symbol determining section generates the tentative symbol based on the tentative symbol information set by said tentative symbol information setting section.

11. A computer-readable recording medium according to claim 8, wherein said tentative symbol determining section extracts a tentative symbol representing one of the plurality of components of the circuit from a tentative symbol retaining section for retaining one or more tentative symbols each corresponding to a component.

12. A computer-readable recording medium according to claim 8, wherein said symbol determining section deletes one or more tentative logical terminals to which the terminal information piece has not been allocated.

13. A computer-readable recording medium according to claim 8, wherein said symbol determining section increases the number of tentative logical terminals of the tentative symbol.

14. A computer-readable recording medium according to claim 8, wherein said symbol determining section determines, if one or more symbols representing one or more of the plurality of components is retained by a symbol retaining section for retaining a symbol representing a component of a circuit, the one or more symbols retained by said symbol retaining section to be the symbol representing the one or more components.

15. An interactive design aid apparatus for aiding logical design of a circuit a plurality of components of which are represented by symbols, comprising:

a monitor;

an input interface for inputting instructions of an operator into said apparatus;

a terminal information retaining section for retaining terminal information pieces, one for each terminal of each of the plurality of components;

a tentative symbol determining section for determining a tentative symbol, for each said component, having one or more tentative logical terminals in accordance with an instruction of operator input via said input interface;

a tentative symbol arranging section for arranging the tentative symbol determined by said tentative symbol determining section in accordance with an instruction of operator input via said input interface;

a tentative logical terminal selecting section for selecting a tentative logical terminal from the one or more tentative logical terminals of the tentative symbols arranged by said tentative arranging section in accordance with an instruction of operator input via said input interface;

a terminal information selecting section for selecting a terminal information piece from a plurality of the terminal information pieces retained by said terminal information retaining section in accordance with an instruction of operator input via said input interface; and

a symbol determining section for determining the tentative symbol to be the symbol representing each said component by, for each said component, allocating the terminal information piece selected by said terminal information selecting section to the tentative logical terminal selected by said tentative logical terminal selecting section.

16. An interactive design aid apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a tentative symbol information setting section for setting tentative symbol information concerning the tentative symbol corresponding to each said component and including at least the number of tentative logical terminals of the tentative symbol in accordance with an instruction of operator input via said input interface, wherein

said tentative symbol determining section generates the tentative symbol based on the tentative symbol information set by said tentative symbol information setting section.

17. An interactive design aid apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a tentative symbol retaining section for retaining one or more tentative symbols each corresponding to a component, wherein

said tentative symbol determining section extracts a tentative symbol representing one of the plurality of components of the circuit from said tentative symbol retaining section in accordance with an instruction of operator input via said input interface.

18. An interactive design aid apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said symbol determining section deletes one or more tentative logical terminals to which the terminal information piece has not been allocated.

19. An interactive design aid apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said symbol determining section increases the number of tentative logical terminals of the tentative symbol.

20. An interactive design aid apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a symbol retaining section for retaining one or more symbols representing one or more of the plurality of components, wherein

said symbol determining section determines the one or more symbols retained by said symbol retaining section to be the symbol representing the one or more components.