MIXED-DOMAIN ANALOG/RF SIMULATION

• US 20100223041A1
• Filed: 05/10/2010
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Industry Software Limited (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Mentor Graphics Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Bolcato, Pascal, Besnard, Joel, Larcheveque, Remi
• Granted Patent: US 8,185,368 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/2
• 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 simulation environment is disclosed wherein both analog and RF signals are simulated in a single flow by a mixed-domain simulator. The simulator includes a simulator kernel with an analog solver and an RF solver to allow both analog- and RF-type of signals to be solved in an interrelated fashion. The simulator may also include a partitioner that divides the circuit into various RF and analog modules to be solved. User input may control the partitioning process, but the simulator may refine the partitions or generate sub-partitions to provide a higher probability of convergence.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method of simulating a circuit, comprising:

reading a description of the circuit that includes a list of components in the circuit and the interconnections between the components, the circuit including both a first set of nodes and components responsive to time-domain signals, including analog signals that are not modulated, and a second set of nodes and components responsive to time-frequency domain signals, which include RF signals, which are modulated; and

in a single simulation flow, simulating the time-domain representations of signals, which are not modulated, on the first set of nodes using a first set of non-linear equations and simulating the time-frequency domain representations of signals, which are modulated, on the second set of nodes using a second set of non-linear equations;

the single simulation flow including interrelately solving the first set of non-linear equations, and the second set of non-linear equations, until convergence.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

partitioning the circuit into at least one partition including one or more nodes and components from the first set and at least one partition including one or more nodes and components from the second set.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the time-domain representations of signals are analog signals included in at least one analog partition and the time-frequency domain representations of signals are RF signals included in at least one RF partition and wherein a solution for simulation of the analog partition affects a solution for simulation of the RF partition.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising receiving user input controlling how to partition the circuit and automatically refining the partitions to provide a higher probability of convergence.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising partitioning the circuit based on user input and automatically sub-partitioning the circuit to increase simulation speed.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein simulating comprises solving each of the partitions separately and performing relaxations over all of the solved partitions.

27. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

partitioning the circuit into separate modules coupled together, with each module being associated with at least one boundary node external to the module;

positioning a boundary node by specifying the boundary node to a fixed value or spectrum; and

solving a partitioned module using the fixed value or spectrum assigned to the positioned boundary node.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein the time-domain representation of a signal is given by V(t) and the time-frequency domain representation of a signal is given by

$v$

( t ) = ∑

k = - K K 

V K 

( t ) 



jω

k 

( t ) 

t .

29. The method of claim 21, further comprising receiving, on a server computer, the description from a client computer over a distributed network, simulating the description on the server computer, and returning results to the client computer over the distributed network.

30. The method of claim 21, wherein simulating comprises solving analog and RF partitions for each time step, and wherein the time step is automatically adjusted based on the simulation results of previous time steps and input stimuli.

31. A computer-readable storage having instructions thereon for performing the following method, the method comprising:

reading a description of the circuit that includes a list of components in the circuit and the interconnections between the components, the circuit including both a first set of nodes and components associated with non-modulated analog signals, and a second set of nodes and components associated with modulated RF signals; and

in a single simulation flow, simulating the non-modulated analog signals on the first set of nodes using a first set of non-linear equations and simulating the modulated RF signals on the second set of nodes using a second set of non-linear equations;

in the single simulation flow, interrelately solving the first set of non-linear equations, and the second set of non-linear equations, until convergence.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

partitioning the circuit into at least one partition including one or more nodes and components from the first set and at least one partition including one or more nodes and components from the second set.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein a solution for simulation of the first set of nodes affects a solution for simulation of the second set of nodes.

34. The method of claim 32, further comprising receiving user input controlling how to partition the circuit and automatically refining the partitions to provide a higher probability of convergence.

35. The method of claim 32, further comprising partitioning the circuit based on user input and automatically sub-partitioning the circuit to increase simulation speed.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein simulating comprises solving each of the partitions separately and performing relaxations over all of the solved partitions.

37. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

partitioning the circuit into separate modules coupled together, with each module being associated with at least one boundary node external to the module;

positioning a boundary node by specifying the boundary node to a fixed value or spectrum; and

solving a partitioned module using the fixed value or spectrum assigned to the positioned boundary node.

38. The method of claim 31, wherein the non-modulated analog signals are defined by V(t) and the modulated RF signals are defined by

$v$

( t ) = ∑

k = - K K 

V k 

( t ) 



jω

k 

( t ) 

t .

39. The method of claim 31, wherein simulating comprises solving analog and RF partitions for each time step, and wherein the time step is automatically adjusted based on the simulation results of previous time steps and input stimuli.