System and program for estimating person-hours required to prepare a pattern film of a circuit to be printed on a board

• US 6,662,353 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2002
• Issued: 12/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Original Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Inventors: Tajima, Kazuyuki, Kobayashi, Fumio, Yamamoto, Junichi, Ueno, Masaaki, Sakurai, Masanobu, Fujisawa, Shigemitsu, Henmi, Sachio
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): DIMYAN, MAGID Y
• Application Number:
  US10/084,349
• Publication Number:
  US 20030088846A1
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 716/14, 716/15, 700/95, 700/96, 700/56, 700/103, 705/400, 361/748, 361/760, 361/761
• US Class Current: 700/96
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/0005 for designing circuits by computer

Abstract

The present invention relates to an estimation system that can provide a highly reliable estimation result when the estimation system estimates person-hours required to prepare a film pattern for a circuit to be printed on a board. Upon receiving design conditions from a cline machine, a reference pin calculator of the estimation system calculates a number of reference pins on the basis of a total number of pins extending from parts to be integrated on the printed circuit board and a special specification requirement to be applied to the printed circuit. An additional pin calculator calculates a number of additional pins on the basis of a signal line wiring method. A total estimated pin calculator corrects a sum of the reference pins and the additional pins on the basis of design difficulty, which is determined from a number of signal layers to be made in the printed circuit, a number of signal lines arrangeable between adjacent pins and a pin density, to calculate a total estimated number of pins. A person-hour calculator calculates person-hours required to prepare a pattern film of the printed circuit by dividing the total estimated number of the pins by an average number of pins handleable by a design engineer per a unit time.

Claims

1. An estimation system for estimating person-hours required to prepare a pattern film of a circuit to be printed on a board, the estimation system comprising:

a reference pin calculation unit for calculating a number of reference pins on the basis of a total number of pins extending from parts to be integrated on a printed circuit board and a special specification requirement to be applied to a printed circuit;

an additional pin calculation unit for calculating a number of additional pins on the basis of a signal line wiring method used in preparing a pattern film for the printed circuit;

a total estimated pin calculation unit for correcting a sum of the number of the reference pins and the number of the additional pins on the basis of design difficulty, which is determined from a number of signal layers to be made in the printed circuit, a number of signal lines arrangeable between adjacent pins and a pin density, to calculate a total estimated number of pins; and

a person-hour calculation unit for calculating person-hours required to prepare a pattern film of the printed circuit by dividing the total estimated number of the pins by an average number of pins handleable by a design engineer per a unit time.

2. The estimation system according to claim 1, wherein the total estimated pin calculation unit considers a redesign coefficient when correcting the sum of the number of the reference pins and the number of the additional pins.

3. The estimation system according to claim 1, wherein the number of the additional pins can be a negative number.

4. The estimation system according to claim 1, wherein the person-hour calculation unit considers a time required to test the pattern film when calculating the person-hours.

5. An estimation system for estimating person-hours required to prepare a pattern film for a printed circuit board based on a design condition, the estimation system comprising:

a correction table for setting a correction coefficient in accordance with a total number of pins extending from parts to be integrated on a printed circuit board;

a specification table for setting a specification coefficient in accordance with a special specification to be applied to the printed circuit board;

a wiring method table for setting an increment/decrement coefficient in accordance with a wiring method of signal lines to be made on the printed circuit board;

a difficulty table for setting a difficulty coefficient in accordance with a number of signal layers to be made on the printed circuit board, a number of signal lines arrangeable between adjacent pins and a pin density;

a reference pin calculation unit for referring to the correction table to obtain a correction coefficient on the basis of a total number of pins indicated in the required design condition, referring to the specification table to obtain a specification coefficient on the basis of a special specification indicated in the required design condition, and multiplying the total number of pins, the obtained correction coefficient and the obtained specification coefficient to calculate a number of reference pins;

an additional pin calculation unit for referring to the wiring method table to obtain an increment/decrement coefficient on the basis of a signal line wiring method indicated in the required design condition, and calculating a number of additional pins on the basis of the obtained increment/decrement coefficient;

a total estimated pin calculation unit for referring to the difficulty table to obtain a difficulty coefficient on the basis of information included in the required design condition, and correcting a sum of the number of the reference pins and the number of the additional pins on the basis of the difficulty coefficient and a reuse rate of a preceding wiring pattern, to calculate a total estimated number of pins; and

a person-hour calculation unit for calculating the person-hours required to prepare a pattern film of the printed circuit by dividing the total estimated number of the pins by an average number of pins handleable by a design engineer per a unit time.

6. The estimation system according to claim 5, wherein the estimation system is included in a server of a server-client system, the server is connected to the client via a network, the design condition is supplied to the server from the client via the network, and the correction table, specification table, wiring method table, difficulty table, reference pin calculation unit, additional pin calculation unit, total estimated pin calculation unit and person-hour calculation unit are included in the server, whereby the estimated person-hours is supplied to the client from the server via the network.

7. The estimation system according to claim 5, wherein the number of the additional pins can be a negative number.

8. The estimation system according to claim 5, wherein the person-hour calculation unit considers a time required to test the pattern film when calculating the person-hours.

9. A computer executed program operable:

means for storing a correction table to set a correction coefficient in accordance with a total number of pins extending from parts to be integrated on a printed circuit board;

means for storing a specification table to set a specification coefficient in accordance with a special specification to be applied to the printed circuit board;

means for storing a wiring method table to set an increment/decrement coefficient in accordance with a wiring method of signal lines to be made on the printed circuit board;

means for storing a difficulty table to set a difficulty coefficient in accordance with a number of signal layers to be made on the printed circuit board, a number of signal lines arrangeable between adjacent pins and a pin density;

means for referring to the correction table to obtain a correction coefficient on the basis of a total number of pins indicated in a design condition, referring to the specification table to obtain a specification coefficient on the basis of a special specification indicated in the design condition, and multiplying the total number of pins, the obtained correction coefficient and the obtained specification coefficient to calculate a number of reference pins;

means for referring to the wiring method table to obtain an increment/decrement coefficient on the basis of a signal line wiring method indicated in the design condition, and calculating a number of additional pins on the basis of the obtained increment/decrement coefficient;

means for referring to the difficulty table to obtain a difficulty coefficient on the basis of information included in the design condition, and correcting a sum of the number of the reference pins and the number of the additional pins on the basis of the difficulty coefficient and a reuse rate of a preceding wiring pattern, to calculate a total estimated number of pins; and

means for calculating person-hours required to prepare a pattern film of the printed circuit by dividing the total estimated number of the pins by an average number of pins handleable by a design engineer per a unit time.

10. The program according to claim 9, wherein the number of the additional pins can be a negative number.

11. The program according to claim 9, wherein the means for calculating the person-hours considers a time required to test the pattern film when calculating the person-hours.

12. An estimation apparatus comprising:

first means for calculating a number of reference pins on the basis of a total number of pins extending from parts to be integrated on a printed circuit board and a special specification requirement to be applied to a printed circuit;

second means for calculating a number of additional pins on the basis of a signal line wiring method used in preparing a pattern film of the printed circuit;

third means for correcting a sum of the number of the reference pins and the number of the additional pins on the basis of design difficulty to calculate a total estimated number of pins; and

fourth means for calculating person-hours required to prepare a pattern film of the printed circuit by dividing the total estimated number of the pins by an average number of pins handleable by a design engineer per a unit time.

13. The estimation apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the third means considers a redesign coefficient when correcting the sum of the number of the reference pins and the number of the additional pins.

14. The estimation apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the number of the additional pins can be a negative number.

15. The estimation apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the fourth means considers a time required to test the pattern film when calculating the person-hours.

16. The estimation apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the design difficulty is determined from a number of signal layers to be made in the printed circuit, a number of signal lines arrangeable between adjacent pins and a pin density.

17. An estimation method of estimating person-hours required to prepare a pattern film for a printed circuit board based on a design condition, the estimation method comprising the steps of:

A) calculating a number of reference pins on the basis of a total number of pins extending from parts to be integrated on a printed circuit board and a special specification requirement indicated in the design condition;

B) calculating a number of additional pins on the basis of a signal line wiring method indicated in the design condition;

C) correcting a sum of the number of the reference pins and the number of the additional pins on the basis of design difficulty to calculate a total estimated number of pins; and

D) calculating the person-hours required to prepare a pattern film of the printed circuit by dividing the total estimated number of the pins by an average number of pins handleable by a design engineer per a unit time.

18. The estimation method according to claim 17, wherein the step C utilizes a redesign coefficient when correcting the sum of the number of the reference pins and the number of the additional pins.

19. The estimation method according to claim 17, wherein the number of the additional pins can be a negative number.

20. The estimation method according to claim 17, wherein the step D utilizes a time required to test the pattern film when calculating the person-hours.

21. The estimation method according to claim 17, wherein the design difficulty is determined from a number of signal layers to be made on the printed circuit, a number of signal lines arrangeable between adjacent pins and a pin density.