Method and apparatus for table and HDL based design entry

• US 7,168,041 B1
• Filed: 06/10/2002
• Issued: 01/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Original Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Inventors: Kohli, Vikas, Durrill, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): WHITMORE, STACY
• Application Number:
  US10/170,078
• Time in Patent Office: 1,688 Days
• Field of Search: 716/1, 345/619, 715/503, 715/509, 715/526, 715/700
• US Class Current: 715/700
• 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 30/33 Design verification, e.g. functional simulation or model checking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/3308 using simulation

Abstract

Views for signals and instances are provided in a table based design entry system. The signal view allows a designer to enter signals to be used in a design. The signals may be individually entered or imported from pre-defined or external packages of signals. The instance view allows the designer to enter components and to define connectivity of pins of the components to signals. The components may be entered individually or imported from predefined or external packages. An naming routines provides signal name generation and copying names of other components (e.g., pin names) to name the signals. Data entered into the table based entry system is checked for errors (duplicate names, syntax, etc.), and exported to other design tools for processes such as simulation, layout, etc.

Claims

1. A table based design entry system, comprising:

a component entry device configured to retrieve user entries of a component to be used in a design;

a component display mechanism configured to display the entered components in a table based form wherein individual components may be selected; and

a signal display view configured to display signals in a table based form for a selected component;

wherein;

the signal display view table based form comprises a listing of each pin of the selected component, a mechanism for selecting a pin, and a drop down menu that includes a selection of signals available to apply to the selected pin;

the selection of signals include a selection of terminations available to be applied to the selected pin; and

upon selection of one of the signals from the drop down menu, the selected signal is included in the signal display view.

2. The table based design entry system according to claim 1, wherein:

the signal display view table based form comprises a row for each pin and a signal column; and

the drop down menu comprises a menu initiating link located in a cell defined by a pin row and the signal column.

3. The table based design entry system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a signal entry mechanism configured to retrieve a set of signals available for use in the design.

4. The table based design entry system according to claim 3, wherein the set of signals available for use in the design include a set of signals read into the table based design entry system from a file and displayed in a table based listing of signal types including identification of Signal Type, Signal Name, Verilog Signal Type, and VHDL Signal Type.

5. The table based design entry system according to claim 4, wherein the table based listing of signal types comprises at least one drop down menu invoked from a Signal Type cell in the table based listing of signal types and configured to make an alternative Signal Type selection.

6. The table based design entry system according to claim 1 further comprising a drag and drop component configured to allow selection of a file containing pre-defined signal names to be added to the table based design entry system.

7. The table based design entry system according to claim 1 further comprising a syntax check mechanism configured to check design syntax prior to simulation.

8. The table based design entry system according to claim 7 wherein the syntax check comprises a port and signal width mismatch check.

9. The table based design entry system according to claim 7 wherein the simulation comprises processing performed by software resident on a same platform hosting the design entry system.

10. The table based design entry system according to claim 1 further comprising a set-up screen configured to allow entry of a set of predefined signal types to set-up the table based entry system.

11. A table based design entry system for electronic designs, comprising:

a component display mechanism configured to display components of the design in a tabular form wherein individual components may be selected; and

a signal display device configured to display pins of a selected component in a table of cells including, for each pin, Pin Identification, Signal, and Terminations;

wherein;

the signal display device comprises at least one selection menu invoked directly from a cell corresponding to one of Signal and Terminations.

12. The table based design entry system according to claim 11, wherein the at least one selection menu comprises a termination selection menu configured to allow user selection of a termination for a pin.

13. The table based design entry system according to claim 12, wherein the at least one selection menu comprises a plurality of termination selection menus each individually invoked directly from individual termination cells and each configured to provide a selection of terminations, including a high speed termination, available for selection for a pin corresponding to a termination cell in which the termination selection menu was invoked.

14. The table based design entry system according to claim 11, wherein the at least one selection menu comprises a signal selection menu invoked from one of the Signal cells and configured to select a Signal to be applied to a pin corresponding to the Signal cell.