SYNCHRONIZED THREE-DIMENSIONAL DISPLAY OF CONNECTED DOCUMENTS

• US 20130246900A1
• Filed: 11/17/2011
• Published: 09/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Original Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Inventors: GINETTI, Arnold, PIC, Jean-Noel
• Granted Patent: US 9,129,081 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/30 Circuit design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/31 Design entry, e.g. editors specifically adapted for circuit design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/39 Circuit design at the physical level physical level design for reconfigurable circuits G06F30/347
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/392 Floor-planning or layout, e.g. partitioning or placement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/394 Routing G06F30/396 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/398 Design verification or optimisation, e.g. using design rule check [DRC], layout versus schematics [LVS] or finite element methods [FEM] optical proximity correction [OPC] design processes G03F1/36

Abstract

A system and method for synchronizing the display and edit of a plurality of connected layouts or documents within a single display. A first document or plurality of elements may be displayed as active and a second document or plurality of elements may be displayed as non-active background in a first window. The second document or plurality of elements may be displayed as active and the first document or plurality of elements may be displayed as non-active background in a second window. Any action detected in either window may be displayed in the other window. Upon selection of any active element or predefined net list, the elements physically or logically connected to the selected element or net list may be highlighted in the active documents, listed, or otherwise identified. An inter-document net list may identify connections between existing net lists in multiple documents.

Claims

1. A method using a processor to synchronize display of a plurality of connected documents within a single document editing application, the method comprising:

in a first window in a display, displaying a first plurality of elements of a first document as active elements and a second plurality of elements of a second document as background elements;

in a second window in the display, displaying the second plurality of elements of the second document as active elements and the first plurality of elements of the first document as background elements; and

upon detecting an action in the first window, displaying a corresponding action in the second window so as to synchronize the display.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

editing only the active elements of each window in that window.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected action comprises making at least one edit to an element of the first plurality of elements and said displaying a corresponding action comprises displaying the at least one edit on a corresponding element in the background elements of the second window.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected action comprises displaying a result of a validation analysis of the active elements in the first window.

5. The method of claim 1, where the first document and the second document are integrated circuit design layouts and the single document editing application is a design automation tool.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the layouts are connected via aligned micro-bumps.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon receiving a request to decrease a density of elements displayed in each window, filtering a plurality of elements from the first plurality of elements.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon receiving a request to increase a density of elements displayed in each window, adding a plurality of elements from the first document to the first plurality of elements.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting from a plurality of stored documents, a document connected to the first document; and

setting the selected document as the second document.

10. A method using a processor to synchronize display of a plurality of connected documents within a single document editing application, the method comprising:

in a first window in a display, displaying a first document as an active document and a second document as a non-active background document;

in a second window in the display, displaying the second document as an active document and the first document as a non-active background document; and

upon detecting an action in an active document, displaying a corresponding action in a window displaying the active document as a non-active background document so as to synchronize the display.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

selecting from a plurality of stored documents, a document connected to the first document; and

displaying the selected document as the second document.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor perform a method of synchronizing display of a plurality of connected documents in a single document editing application, the method comprising:

in a first window in a display, displaying a first plurality of elements of a first document as active elements and a second plurality of elements of a second document as background elements;

in a second window in the display, displaying the second plurality of elements of the second document as active elements and the first plurality of elements of the first document as background elements; and

upon detecting an action in the first window, displaying a corresponding action in the second window so as to synchronize the display.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the detected action comprises making at least one edit to an element of the first plurality of elements and said displaying a corresponding action comprises displaying the at least one edit on a corresponding element in the background elements of the second window.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, further comprising:

selecting from a plurality of stored documents, a document connected to the first document; and

setting the selected document as the second document.

15. A system comprising:

a memory to store a plurality of documents;

a display to display a plurality of application windows, each window displaying a plurality of connected documents; and

a processor configured to synchronize the display of the plurality of connected documents by;

in a first window in the display, displaying a first plurality of elements of a first document as active elements and a second plurality of elements of a second document as background elements;

in a second window in the display, displaying the second plurality of elements of the second document as active elements and the first plurality of elements of the first document as background elements; and

upon detecting an action in the first window, displaying a corresponding action in the second window.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to only allow edits to the active elements of each window.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the detected action comprises making at least one edit to an element of the first plurality of elements and said displaying a corresponding action comprises displaying the at least one edit on a corresponding element in the background elements of the second window.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the first document and the second document are integrated circuit design layouts and the document editing application is a design automation tool.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein:

upon receiving a request to adjust a visibility setting of the first window, the controller adjusts a number of elements displayed from the second plurality of elements as background elements in the first window.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein:

upon receiving a request to synchronize the display of a document connected to the first document, the controller;

selects from the plurality of stored documents a document connected to the first document; and

sets the selected document as the second document.

21. A computer-implemented method to synchronize display of connected elements in a plurality of connected documents within a single document editing application, the method comprising:

in a first window in a display, displaying a first plurality of elements of a first document as active elements and a second plurality of elements of a second document as background elements;

in a second window in the display, displaying the second plurality of elements of the second document as active elements and the first plurality of elements of the first document as background elements;

highlighting a third plurality of elements in the first window that are connected, wherein the third plurality is a subset of the first plurality; and

highlighting a fourth plurality of elements in the second window that are connected, wherein the fourth plurality is a subset of the second plurality;

wherein an element in the fourth plurality is connected to an element in the third plurality; and

wherein said highlighting acts to synchronize the display.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein an element in the third plurality and an element in the fourth plurality are connected physically.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

upon detecting a selection of an element in the first plurality, assigning to the third plurality the selected element and an element in the first plurality connected to the selected element; and

assigning to the fourth plurality, an element from the second plurality connected to an element in the third plurality.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein elements of the third plurality are connected by definition in a first net list and elements of the fourth plurality are connected by definition in a second net list.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the first net list and the second net list are connected by an inter-document net list.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

upon detecting a selection of a net list, assigning to the third plurality connected elements as identified in the selected net list;

identifying a net list that is connected to the selected net list via the inter-document net list; and

assigning to the fourth plurality, connected elements as identified in the connected net list.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

upon detecting a selection of an element, identifying a net list listing the selected element;

assigning to the third plurality connected elements identified in the identified net list;

identifying a net list that is connected to the identified net list via the inter-document net list; and

assigning to the fourth plurality connected elements as identified in the connected net list.

28. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor perform a method of displaying connected elements in a plurality of connected documents within a single document editing application, the method comprising:

in a first window in a display, displaying a first plurality of elements of a first document as active elements and a second plurality of elements of a second document as background elements;

in a second window in the display, displaying the second plurality of elements of the second document as active elements and the first plurality of elements of the first document as background elements;

highlighting a third plurality of elements in the first window that are connected, wherein the third plurality is a subset of the first plurality; and

highlighting a fourth plurality of elements in the second window that are connected, wherein the fourth plurality is a subset of the second plurality;

wherein an element in the fourth plurality is connected to an element in the third plurality; and

wherein said highlighting acts to synchronize the display.

29. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein an element in the third plurality and an element in the fourth plurality are connected physically.

30. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 29, further comprising:

upon detecting a selection of an element in the first plurality, assigning to the third plurality the selected element and an element in the first plurality connected to the selected element; and

assigning to the fourth plurality, an element from the second plurality connected to an element in the third plurality.

31. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein elements of the third plurality are connected by definition in a first net list and elements of the fourth plurality are connected by definition in a second net list.

32. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein the first net list and the second net list are connected by an inter-document net list.

33. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 32, further comprising:

upon detecting a selection of a net list, assigning to the third plurality connected elements as identified in the selected net list;

identifying a net list that is connected to the selected net list via the inter-document net list; and

assigning to the fourth plurality connected elements as identified in the connected net list.

34. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 32, further comprising:

upon detecting a selection of an element, identifying a net list listing the selected element;

assigning to the third plurality connected elements as identified in the identified net list;

identifying a net list that is connected to the identified net list via the inter-document net list; and

assigning to the fourth plurality connected elements as identified in the connected net list.

35. A system comprising:

a memory to store a plurality of documents;

a display to display a plurality of application windows, each window displaying a plurality of connected documents; and

a processor configured to synchronize the display of connected elements in the plurality of connected documents within a single document editing application by;

in a first window in the display, displaying a first plurality of elements of a first document as active elements and a second plurality of elements of a second document as background elements;

in a second window in the display, displaying the second plurality of elements of the second document as active elements and the first plurality of elements of the first document as background elements; and

highlighting a third plurality of elements in the first window that are connected, wherein the third plurality is a subset of the first plurality; and

highlighting a fourth plurality of elements in the second window that are connected, wherein the fourth plurality is a subset of the second plurality;

wherein an element in the fourth plurality is connected to an element in the third plurality; and

wherein said highlighting acts to synchronize the display.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the elements of the third plurality and the elements of the fourth plurality are connected physically.

37. The system of claim 36, further comprising:

upon detecting a selection of an element in the first plurality, the controller assigns to the third plurality the selected element and an element in the first plurality connected to the selected element and assigns to the fourth plurality, an element from the second plurality connected to an element in the third plurality.

38. The system of claim 35, wherein elements of the third plurality are connected by definition in a first net list and elements of the fourth plurality are connected by definition in a second net list.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the processor maintains an inter-document net list that defines a connection between the first net list and the second net list.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein:

upon detecting a selection of a net list, the processor assigns to the third plurality connected elements as identified in the selected net list, identifies a net list that is connected to the selected net list via the inter-document net list, and assigns to the fourth plurality connected elements as identified in the connected net list.

41. The system of claim 39, wherein:

upon detecting a selection of an element, the processor identifies a net list listing the selected element, assigns to the third plurality connected elements as identified in the identified net list, identifies a net list that is connected to the identified net list via the inter-document net list; and

assigns to the fourth plurality connected elements as identified in the connected net list.