Electronic circuit designing method and apparatus, and storage medium

• US 7,322,019 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2002
• Issued: 01/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Kazumasa, Sato, Toshiro, Fujimori, Shogo
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh; Paul
• Application Number:
  US10/190,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20030014725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,023 Days
• Field of Search: 716 1- 2, 716 5- 18, 716/6
• US Class Current: 716/112
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/30 Circuit design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/367 Design verification, e.g. using simulation, simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis [SPICE], direct methods or relaxation methods

Abstract

An electronic circuit designing method and apparatus designs an electronic circuit by CAD, by generating design constraints with respect to the electronic circuit based on at least one of general layout and wiring information related to devices and wirings included in the electronic circuit, user requirements defined by a user, and user resources defined by the user, and urging an input to the user by displaying the design constraints.

Claims

1. An electronic circuit designing method for designing an electronic circuit by CAD, comprising:

generating design constraints with respect to the electronic circuit based on general layout and wiring information including registration information related to substrate external shapes and device external shapes registered by a user, a device mounting position definition defined by the user, and at least one of user requirements defined by the user, and user resources defined by the user; and

displaying the design constraints,

wherein the user requirements include at least one of requirements selected from a group consisting of signal integrity and delay, electromagnetic interference, electromagnetic compatibility limitations, junction temperature, and cost and reliability, and

the user resources include at least one of resources selected from a group consisting of substrate specifications, device specifications and junction temperatures.

2. The electronic circuit designing method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

mapping external shape information and device coordinates to a layout and wiring editor based on the design constraints and circuit information having the design constraints related thereto.

3. The electronic circuit designing method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

carrying out a wiring operation if a result of the mapping satisfies the design constraints.

4. The electronic circuit designing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the substrate specifications include at least one factor selected from a group consisting of substrate technology, number of layers, layer structure, thickness, via and land specifications, minimum line width and minimum pitch;

the device specifications include at least one factor selected from a group consisting of kind of device, electrical characteristic, power consumption characteristic, device package and method or kind of thermal conduction, kind of heat radiator fins, reliability and cost; and

the junction temperatures include at least one factor selected from a group consisting of ambient temperature, air supplying structure, fan specifications, air flow direction and amount of air flow.

5. The electronic circuit designing method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

inputting at least one of the general layout and wiring information, the user requirements and the user resources.

6. The electronic circuit designing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of items of the user resources includes priority information indicating respective priorities with which the items of the user resources are to be selected, and said generating generates the design constraints by selecting the items of the user resources in an order according to priority starting from the item having a highest priority.

7. The electronic circuit designing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said generating includes:

setting initial values of the design constraints or listing candidates of a rule-based solution on a display;

making an analysis using an analyzing tool by changing parameter values in a predetermined range, and enlarging a search range by searching a solution space satisfying the user requirements or, carrying out a simulation using the analyzing tool so as to narrow the solution satisfying the user requirements; and

generating and displaying a plurality of candidates of the design constraints on the display with respect to the user.

8. The electronic circuit designing method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

changing at least one of the user requirements and the user resources based on an input made by the user in response to the design constraints that are displayed.

9. The electronic circuit designing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the design constraints are represented by at least one of a representation of layout constraints, a representation of design constraints of nets, and a representation of conditions related to junction temperatures.

10. An electronic circuit designing apparatus for designing an electronic circuit by CAD, comprising:

generating means for generating design constraints with respect to the electronic circuit based on general layout and wiring information including registration information related to substrate external shapes and device external shapes registered by a user, a device mounting position definition defined by the user, and at least one of user requirements defined by the user and user resources defined by the user; and

display means for displaying the design constraints,

wherein the user requirements include at least one of requirements selected from a group consisting of signal integrity and delay, electromagnetic interference, electromagnetic compatibility limitations, junction temperature, and cost and reliability, and

the user resources include at least one of resources selected from a group consisting of substrate specifications, device specifications and junction temperatures.

11. The electronic circuit designing apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein:

the substrate specifications include at least one factor selected from a group consisting of substrate technology, number of layers, layer structure, thickness, via and land specifications, minimum line width and minimum pitch;

the device specifications include at least one factor selected from a group consisting of kind of device, electrical characteristic, power consumption characteristic, device package and apparatus or kind of thermal conduction, kind of heat radiator fins, reliability and cost; and

the junction temperatures include at least one factor selected from a group consisting of ambient temperature, air supplying structure, fan specifications, air flow direction and amount of air flow.

12. The electronic circuit designing apparatus as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

means for inputting at least one of the general layout and wiring information, the user requirements and the user resources.

13. The electronic circuit designing apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein each of items of the user resources includes priority information indicating respective priorities with which the items of the user resources are to be selected, and said generating means generates the design constraints by selecting the items of the user resources in an order according to priority starting from the item having a highest priority.

14. The electronic circuit designing apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said generating means includes:

means for setting initial values of the design constraints or listing candidates of a rule-based solution on a display;

means for making an analysis using an analyzing tool by changing parameter values in a predetermined range, and enlarging a search range by searching a solution space satisfying the user requirements or, carrying out a simulation using the analyzing tool so as to narrow the solution satisfying the user requirements; and

means for generating and displaying a plurality of candidates of the design constraints on the display with respect to the user.

15. A computer-readable storage medium which stores a program for causing a computer to design an electronic circuit by CAD, said program comprising:

a generating procedure causing the computer to generate design constraints with respect to the electronic circuit based on general layout and wiring information including registration information related to substrate external shapes and device external shapes registered by a user, a device mounting position definition defined by the user, and at least one of user requirements defined by the user and user resources defined by the user; and

a displaying procedure causing the computer to display the design constraints,

wherein the user requirements include at least one of requirements selected from a group consisting of signal integrity and delay, electromagnetic interference, electromagnetic compatibility limitations, junction temperature, and cost and reliability, and

the user resources include at least one of resources selected from a group consisting of substrate specifications, device specifications and junction temperatures.

16. The computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 15, wherein:

the substrate specifications include at least one factor selected from a group consisting of substrate technology, number of layers, layer structure, thickness, via and land specifications, minimum line width and minimum pitch;

the device specifications include at least one factor selected from a group consisting of kind of device, electrical characteristic, power consumption characteristic, device package and method or kind of thermal conduction, kind of heat radiator fins, reliability and cost; and

the junction temperatures include at least one factor selected from a group consisting of ambient temperature, air supplying structure, fan specifications, air flow direction and amount of air flow.

17. The computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 15, said program further comprising:

an inputting procedure causing the computer to input at least one of the general layout and wiring information, the user requirements and the user resources.

18. The computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 15, wherein each of items of the user resources includes priority information indicating respective priorities with which the items of the user recourses are to be selected, and said generating procedure causes the computer to generate the design constraints by selecting the items of the user resources in an order according to priority starting from the item having a highest priority.

19. The computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 15, wherein said generating procedure causes the computer to:

set initial values of the design constraints or listing candidates of a rule-based solution on a display;

make an analysis using an analyzing tool by changing parameter values in a predetermined range, and enlarging a search range by searching a solution space satisfying the user requirements or, carrying out a simulation using the analyzing tool so as to narrow the solution satisfying the user requirements; and

generate and display a plurality of candidates of the design constraints on the display with respect to the user.

20. The computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 15, wherein said program further comprises:

a procedure causing the computer to change at least one of the user requirements and the user resources based on an input made by the user in response to the design constraints that are displayed by the displaying procedure.

21. The computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 20, wherein the design constraints are represented by at least one of a representation of layout constraints, a representation of design constraints of nets, and a representation of conditions related to junction temperatures.

22. An electronic circuit designing apparatus for designing an electronic circuit by CAD, comprising:

a generating part configured to generate design constraints with respect to the electronic circuit based on general layout and wiring information including registration information related to substrate external shapes and device external shapes registered by a user, a device mounting position definition defined by the user, and at least one of user requirements defined by the user and user resources defined by the user; and

a displaying part configured to display the design constraints,

wherein the user requirements include at least one of requirements selected from a group consisting of signal integrity and delay, electromagnetic interference, electromagnetic compatibility limitations, junction temperature, and cost and reliability, and

the user resources include at least one of resources selected from a group consisting of substrate specifications, device specifications and junction temperatures.

23. The electronic circuit designing apparatus as claimed in claim 22, further comprising:

a changing part configured to change at least one of the user requirements and the user resources based on an input made by the user in response to the design constraints that are displayed by said displaying part.

24. The electronic circuit designing apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the design constraints are represented by at least one of a representation of layout constraints, a representation of design constraints of nets, and a representation of conditions related to junction temperatures.