LSI automated design system

• US 5,519,630 A
• Filed: 03/21/1994
• Issued: 05/21/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Noriko, Nishiyama, Tamotsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Trans, Vincent N.
• Application Number:
  US08/210,468
• Time in Patent Office: 792 Days
• Field of Search: 364/488, 364/489, 364/490
• US Class Current: 716/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/30 Circuit design

Abstract

Together with circuit data of circuit elements, there is stored, in a memory device, external specification information of each of the circuit elements, the information including (i) function information of each of the terminals of the circuit elements and (ii) selection information representing a wiring condition for each of the terminals. When the element arrangement and external specification information of a circuit to be designed, are entered, pieces of external specification information are compared with one another to obtain pairs of wiring candidates of a circuit which connects, to one another, the circuit elements of the circuit to be designed. Based on the pairs of wiring candidates, there is generated wiring information which satisfies each wiring condition. Based on the pieces of wiring information thus generated, there are automatically generated circuit data of the circuit to be designed.

Claims

1. An LSI automated design system comprising:

an external specification information input means for entering external specification information of a circuit to be designed, said information including function information of each of the terminals of said circuit to be designed;

a circuit arrangement input means for entering the element arrangement of said circuit to be designed;

a circuit element information memory means for collectively managing and containing (i) external specification information of each of a plurality of circuit elements and (ii) circuit data of said plurality of circuit elements, said external specification information of said plurality of circuit elements including (a) function information of each of the terminals of said circuit elements and (b) selection information representing a wiring condition for each of said terminals, said external specification information and circuit data of said circuit element information memory means constituting previously designed circuit layouts that can be reused to create said circuit to be designed;

an external specification information retrieving means for retrieving, according to said entered element arrangement, the external specification information of each circuit element required for said circuit design from said circuit element information memory means;

an external specification information holding means for storing said entered external specification information from said external specification information input means and said external specification information of said circuit elements from said external specification information retrieving means;

a wiring information generating means for generating, according to said selection information of said circuit elements from said external specification information holding means, internal wiring information for each of the circuit elements of said circuit to be designed based on a comparison of said function information of said entered external specification information of said circuit to be designed and said function information of said retrieved external specification information of each of said required circuit elements; and

a circuit data generating means for generating circuit data of said circuit to be designed based on (i) the circuit data of said required circuit elements stored in said circuit element information memory means together with said retrieved external specification information of said required circuit elements and (ii) said pieces of generated wiring information.

2. An LSI automated design system according to claim 1, further comprising circuit data converting means for converting, using design procedure information stored in the circuit element information memory means for each of the circuit elements, the circuit data of the circuit to be designed as generated by the circuit data generating means, into circuit data of a level closer to the mounting level.

3. An LSI automated design system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a design-procedure determining rule memory means for storing design-procedure determining rules; and

a design-procedure selecting and determining means for selecting the design procedure information of the circuit elements forming the circuit to be designed and for determining, based on said design procedure information thus selected, design procedure for a circuit which connects said circuit elements of said circuit to be designed, with the use of said design-procedure determining rules.

4. An LSI automated design system according to claim 1, further comprising;

a test model generating means for generating, with the use of test models for the circuit elements which are stored in the circuit element information memory means, a test model for the circuit data of the circuit to be designed which have been generated by the circuit data generating means; and

a circuit testing (verifying) means for conducting, according to said test model generated by said test model generating means, a test on said generated circuit data of said circuit to be designed.

5. A circuit designing method for an LSI automated design system comprising the steps of:

entering external specification information of a circuit to be designed, said information including function information of each of the terminals of said circuit to be designed;

entering the element arrangement of said circuit to be designed;

retrieving, according to said entered element arrangement, the external specification information of each circuit element required for said circuit design from external specification information stored for a plurality of circuit elements, said external specification information stored for a plurality of circuit elements including (i) function information of each of the terminals of said plurality of circuit elements and (ii) selection information representing a wiring condition for each of said terminals, said stored external specification information and circuit data of said plurality circuit elements constituting previously designed circuit layouts that can be reused to create said circuit to be designed;

storing said entered external specification information from said external specification information input means and said external specification information of said circuit elements from said external specification information retrieving means;

generating, according to said selection information of said circuit elements, internal wiring information for each of the circuit elements of said circuit to be designed based on a comparison of said function information of said entered external specification information of said circuit to be designed and said function information of said retrieved external specification information of each of said required circuit elements; and

generating circuit data of said circuit to be designed based on (i) the circuit data of said required circuit elements stored in a memory means together with said retrieved external specification information of said required circuit elements and (ii) said pieces of generated wiring information.

6. A circuit designing method according to claim 5, wherein the step of entering the element arrangement includes a step of entering an element arrangement including one circuit-element set formed by a combination of a plurality of circuit elements.

7. A circuit designing method according to claim 5, wherein the step of generating wiring information comprises:

a first step of selecting and determining (i) a matching terminal to which an output terminal of the circuit to be designed is to be connected out of output terminals of the circuit elements, and (ii) a matching terminal to which an input terminal of said circuit to be designed is to be connected out of input terminals of said circuit elements;

a second step of selecting and determining, after said first step, a matching terminal to which each of the remaining output terminals of said circuit elements is to be connected; and

a third step of processing, after said second step, each of the remaining terminals of said circuit elements.

8. A circuit designing method according to claim 5, wherein the wiring information generating step has a step of selecting one of the following three processing methods when the circuit to be designed contains a non-connection terminal to which no matching terminal has been connected:

generating wiring information such that said non-connection terminal is left as non-connected,

generating wiring information such that said non-connection terminal is unconditionally connected to the power source, and

generating wiring information such that said non-connection terminal is unconditionally grounded,

said selection being made according to non-connection terminal processing selection information which is set for each terminal and which is included in the selection information of the external specification information of each of the circuit elements.

9. A circuit designing method according to claim 5, wherein the wiring information generating step has a step of selecting one of the following three processing methods when the function information of an input terminal of one circuit element is identical to the function information of each of output terminals of a plurality of circuit elements:

generating wiring information such that said input terminal of said one circuit element is connected to all of said output terminals of said plurality of circuit elements,

generating wiring information such that said input terminal of said one circuit element is connected to one of said output terminals of said plurality of circuit elements, and

generating wiring information such that said input terminal is left as not-connected,

said selection being made according to plural terminal selection information which is set for each input terminal and which is included in the selection information of the external specification information of each of the circuit elements.