Automatic routing method and automatic routing apparatus

• US 5,790,414 A
• Filed: 11/10/1997
• Issued: 08/04/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Miura, Hiroshi, Okano, Mitsunobu, Sakata, Toshiyasu, Orihara, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Voeltz, Emmanuel Todd
• Assistant Examiner(s): GARBOWSKI, LEIGH M
• Application Number:
  US08/966,659
• Time in Patent Office: 267 Days
• Field of Search: 364/488, 364/489, 364/490, 364/491
• US Class Current: 716/129
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/394 Routing G06F30/396 takes precedence

Abstract

An automatic routing method and an automatic routing apparatus enable an optimum automatic routing under severe design conditions due to high-density mounting of an object of a wiring design such as an LSI, a multichip module, a printed wiring board, etc. The automatic routing apparatus has an area input unit for inputting area information for setting a routing controlled area in which an automatic routing is performed under specific routing control conditions within a wiring area of an object of the wiring design, a condition input unit for inputting condition information for designating the routing control conditions in the routing controlled area set according to the area information inputted from the area input unit, and an automatic routing unit for automatically routing under the specific routing control conditions designated according to the condition information inputted from the condition input unit within the routing controlled area.

Claims

1. An automatic routing method, comprising:

setting a cost parameter for at least one of a bifurcated route, a number of curves, a length of parallel wires, and a number of wires adjacent to an unrouted wiring pin; and

,

automatically determining a route of a wiring pattern within a route controlled area of a wiring design based on the cost parameter set by said setting step.

2. A method according to claim 1,

further comprising setting cost-overriding information for a route controlled area prior to said determining step regarding at least one of routing through wiring layers, routing entirely within the route controlled area, permitting VIAs, routing in a sub-routing direction, routing in an upward, downward, rightward, and leftward direction, exceeding a wiring capacity, permitting a wire crossing, and altering a main-routing direction;

and

wherein said determining overrides the cost parameter based on the cost-overriding information.

3. A method according to claim 1,

further comprising prioritizing each of a plurality of route controlled areas having an overlapping portion prior to said determining step;

wherein said setting step sets the cost for routing parameters for each of the plurality of route controlled areas; and

wherein said determining determines the route of the wiring pattern in the overlapping portion based on the cost for routing parameters of one of the plurality of route controlled areas having a highest priority.

4. An automatic routing apparatus comprising:

a condition input unit setting a cost for routing parameters and cost-overriding information for a route controlled area of a wiring design regarding at least one of routing through wiring layers, routing entirely within the route controlled area, permitting VIAs, routing in a sub-routing direction, routing in an upward, downward, rightward, and leftward direction, exceeding a wiring capacity, permitting a wire crossing, and altering a main-routing direction; and

an automatic routing unit automatically determining a route of a wiring pattern within the route controlled area based on the cost for routing parameters set by said condition input unit,

wherein said automatic routing unit overrides the cost function based on the cost-overriding information.

5. An automatic routing apparatus comprising:

a condition input unit setting a cost for routing parameters for each of a plurality of route controlled areas;

a priority determining unit prioritizing each of the plurality of route controlled areas having an overlapping portion; and

an automatic routing unit automatically determining a route of a wiring pattern in the overlapping portion based on the cost for routing parameters of one of the plurality of route controlled areas having a highest priority.

6. An automatic routing apparatus, comprising:

a condition input unit setting a cost parameter for at least one of a bifurcated route, a number of curves, a length of parallel wires, and a number of wires adjacent to an unrouted wiring pin; and

,

an automatic routing unit automatically determining a route of a wiring pattern within a route controlled area of a wiring design based on the cost parameter set by said condition input unit.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein said condition input unit sets cost-overriding information for a route controlled area regarding at least one of routing through wiring layers, routing entirely within the route controlled area, permitting VIAs, routing in a sub-routing direction, routing in an upward, downward, rightward, and leftward direction, exceeding a wiring capacity, permitting a wire crossing, and altering a main-routing direction;

and

wherein said automatic routing unit overrides the cost parameter based on the cost-overriding information.

8. An apparatus according to claim 6,

further comprising a priority determining unit prioritizing each of a plurality of route controlled areas having an overlapping portion;

wherein said condition input unit sets the cost for routing parameters for each of the plurality of route controlled areas; and

wherein said automatic routing unit determines the route of the wiring pattern in the overlapping portion based on the cost for routing parameters of one of the plurality of route controlled areas having a highest priority.

9. An automatic routing method comprising:

setting a cost for routing parameters and cost-overriding information for a route controlled area of a wiring design regarding at least one of routing through wiring layers, routing entirely within the route controlled area, permitting VIAs, routing in a sub-routing direction, routing in an upward, downward, rightward, and leftward direction, exceeding a wiring capacity, permitting a wire crossing, and altering a main-routing direction; and

automatically determining a route of a wiring pattern within the route controlled area based on the cost for routing parameters set by said setting step,

wherein said determining step overrides the cost function based on the cost-overriding information.

10. An automatic routing method, comprising:

setting a cost for routine parameters for each of a plurality of route controlled areas;

prioritizing each of the plurality of route controlled areas having an overlapping portion; and

automatically determining a route of a wiring pattern within the overlapping portion based on the cost for routing parameters of one of the plurality of route controlled areas having a highest priority.