Method and system for using a graphics user interface for programming an electronic device

• US 6,701,508 B1
• Filed: 11/19/2001
• Issued: 03/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lazer IP LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Bartz, Manfred, Zhaksilikov, Marat, Anderson, Douglas H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Liu, Andrea
• Application Number:
  US09/989,574
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: 716/11, 716/12, 716/13, 716/14
• US Class Current: 716/139
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/30 Circuit design

Abstract

A method and a system for using a graphics user interface for programming a microcontroller. The microcontroller design system includes a device editor system with integrated datasheet information and having three independent, but integrated workspaces to provide a programmer an organized way of displaying device editor information. The three workspaces include a user module selection workspace, a user module placement workspace and a user module pin out workspace for allowing the programmer to select desired function components for a target microcontroller device. The user module selection workspace allows the programmer to select desired components from a list of user modules and the placement workspace allows user modules to be placed in allowable hardware resources. The user module pin out workspace provides the programmer with the means to retrieve pin out information on the selected user modules that constitute the desired target microcontroller device design.

Claims

1. An electronic device configuration system, comprising:

a device editor sub-system for editing programming of components into an electronic device, said device editor sub-system comprising;

a user module selection workspace for providing selection of a plurality of pre-defined user modules of components that are selectively programmed into a target microcontroller;

a user module placement workspace for providing a workspace for placing selected user modules from said user module selection workspace to hardware resources of said electronic device; and

a user module pin out workspace for providing a pin out schematic display of said electronic device to allow configuration of pin selection and drive type.

2. The electronic device configuration system of claim 1, wherein said user module selection workspace further comprises a user module sub-workspace for providing a selectable catalog of user modules for selectively programming said electronic device.

3. The electronic device configuration system of claim 2, wherein said user module selection workspace further comprises a global resource sub-workspace for providing a list of global hardware settings that determine global operation of said electronic device.

4. The electronic device configuration system of claim 3, wherein said user module selection workspace further comprises a user module parameter sub-workspace for providing a list of parameters corresponding to a selected user module.

5. The electronic device configuration system client of claim 4, wherein said user module selection workspace further comprises a datasheet sub-workspace for providing datasheet information corresponding to said selected user module to facilitate user module selection.

6. The electronic device configuration system of claim 1, wherein said user module placement workspace comprises a user module placement sub-workspace for placing a selected user module with respect to available resources of said electronic device in a hardware layout graphical display.

7. The electronic device configuration system of claim 6, wherein said user module placement sub-workspace further comprises a user module selected sub-workspace for placing a color coded iconic representation of selected user modules that are placed by said user module placement workspace.

8. The electronic device configuration system of claim 7, wherein said hardware graphical layout comprises analog and digital programmable resources.

9. The electronic device configuration system of claim 1, wherein said user module pin out workspace comprises a pin out sub-workspace for viewing and editing selected pin outs parameters.

10. The electronic device configuration system of claim 9, wherein said pin out workspace further comprises a graphical chip representation sub-workspace for providing pin out parameter information for said selected pin.

11. The electronic device configuration system of claim 10, wherein said pin out workspace further comprises a global parameter display for viewing and editing global parameters.

12. A device editor system for programming a target microcontroller device, comprising:

a user module selection workspace for providing a plurality of selectable pre-configured user modules for programming said target microcontroller device;

a user module placement workspace for placing selected user modules of said plurality of user modules; and

a user module pin out workspace for providing pin out parameterization for said selected user modules.

13. The device editor system of claim 12, wherein said user module selection workspace further comprises a user module sub-workspace for providing selectable catalogs of user modules for selection for programming said target microcontroller.

14. The device editor system of claim 13, wherein said user module selection workspace further comprises a global resource sub-workspace for providing a list of hardware settings that determine underlying global operation of said selected user modules.

15. The device editor system of claim 14, wherein said user module selection workspace further comprises a user module parameter sub-workspace for providing a list of parameters corresponding to a selected user modules.

16. The device editor system of claim 15, wherein said user module selection workspace further comprises a datasheet sub-workspace for providing datasheet information corresponding to a selected user modules.

17. The device editor system of claim 12, wherein said user module placement workspace comprises a hardware layout graphical display for placing said selected user modules with respect to available resources of said target microcontroller.

18. The device editor system of claim 17, wherein said user module placement sub-workspace further comprises a user module selected sub-workspace for placing a color coded iconic representation of said selected user modules that are associated with allocated resources of said hardware layout graphical display.

19. The device editor system of claim 18, wherein said user module placement sub-workspace further comprises a user module parameterization grid for displaying and editing parameters.

20. The device editor system of claim 12, wherein said user module pin out workspace comprises a pin out sub-workspace for displaying and editing pin selection and drive type parameters.

21. The device editor system of claim 20, wherein said pin out workspace further comprises a textual tabular grid of pin out parameters.

22. The device editor system of claim 21, wherein said pin out workspace further comprises a graphical chip representation sub-workspace for providing pin out parameters.

23. The device editor system of claim 22, wherein said pin out workspace provides a global bus connections pin-out selected to program said target microcontroller device.

24. A method for designing a microcontroller device using a design system having modularized user component modules defining functional components, comprising:

providing a selection workspace for selection among a plurality of selectable user modules each pre-configured components for programming in a target microcontroller;

providing a user module placement workspace for placing selected ones of said plurality of user modules within allowable hardware resources; and

providing a pin out workspace for specifying pin out information placed and selected user modules.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said providing a selection workspace comprises:

high-lighting a desired user module from said plurality of user modules, and

high-lighting subsequent selections of said user module until a desired number of user modules have been selected.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising checking a user module data workspace to determine the data characteristics of said selected user modules.

27. The method of claims 24, wherein said providing a user module placement workspace further comprises color coding selected ones of said plurality of user modules that are place in said user module placement workspace.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising providing a schematic representation of selected user modules in said user module selection workspace.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising providing a resource management workspace for monitoring resource usage of said selected user modules.

30. The method of claims 24, wherein said providing said pin out workspace comprises selecting a target numbered pin from a plurality of available pins to display and alter pin parameters in the microcontroller design.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein said providing a user module placement workspace comprises providing a graphical layout block comprising analog and digital peripheral blocks of said target microcontroller device that are customized by the placement and configuration of said user modules.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising high-lighting available options of pin out parameters for said selected numbered pin to allow the configuration of said pin'"'"'s drive characteristics.

33. A method for designing a system on a chip comprising:

a) selecting a user module from a series of catalogs of user module types found in a user module selection workspace, wherein said selecting causes display of datasheet information regarding said selected user module;

b) placing said user module within a graphical representation of a hardware resource of a programmable circuit and using a user module placement workspace comprising a graphical layout of hardware resources of said programmable circuit; and

c) viewing and editing pin-out parameterization information using a user module pin-out workspace.

34. A method as described in claim 33, wherein said selecting also causes updating of cumulative bar charts displaying hardware resource usage and wherein said user module selection workspace comprises said cumulative bar charts.

35. A method as described in claim 33, further comprising displaying and editing user module parameterization information using a user module parameterization window of said user module selection workspace.

36. A method as described in claim 33, further comprising displaying and editing global parameterization information using a global parameterization window of said user module placement workspace.

37. A method as described in claim 33, wherein said user module placement workspace comprises a user module bar containing icons of selected user modules and wherein said placing comprises color coding icons and related allocated hardware graphical representations of said graphical layout.

38. A method as described in claim 33, wherein said viewing and editing pin-out parameterization comprises viewing and editing pin selection and pin drive type information.

39. A method as described in claim 38, wherein said user module pin-out workspace comprises:

a textual tabular grid for displaying and editing pin-out parameterization information; and

a graphical representation of a chip having external pins for displaying and editing pin-out parameterization information.