Distributed autorouting of conductive paths

• US 7,788,622 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2007
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Industry Software Limited (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Mentor Graphics Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Natarajan, Venkat, Pfeil, Charles L., Starkov, Alexander N., Petunin, Vladimir V., Smith, Edwin Franklin
• Primary Examiner(s): Chiang; Jack
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tat; Binh C
• Application Number:
  US11/869,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20080034342A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 716 12- 16
• US Class Current: 716/126
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/02 CAD in a network environment, e.g. collaborative CAD or distributed simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/394 Routing G06F30/396 takes precedence

Abstract

A server computer maintains a master database for a PCB design, and a copy of the PCB design is provided to multiple client computers. The server assigns each client a different pair of pins for which a connection must be routed. When a client completes an assigned routing task, it requests that the server update the PCB master design with the route found by the client for its assigned pin pair. After forwarding the request, the client does not update its copy of the PCB design to reflect the found route. Instead, the client returns its copy to the state occupied prior to assignment of the pin pair by the server. Upon receiving notification that the server incorporated the found route, the client updates its copy of the design to include that route.

Claims

1. A method for routing conductive paths for a printed circuit board (PCB), comprising:

(a) receiving a pin pair assignment at a client computer from a server computer, the assignment identifying pins of one or more components for which location information is contained in a PCB design and for which a connecting conductive path is to be routed;

(b) automatically finding a route at the client computer for a conductive path between the identified pins;

(c) transmitting an edit request from the client computer to the server computer, the edit request proposing the found route;

(d) receiving, at the client computer from the server computer, an indication that the proposed route is incorporated into the PCB design; and

(e) updating, subsequent to receipt of the indication and at the client computer, a local copy of the PCB design to include the found route;

(f) receiving at the client computer, from the server computer and subsequent to receipt of the indication in step (d), a second pin pair assignment identifying pins of one or more components for which location information is contained in the PCB design;

(g) automatically finding, at the client computer and using the local copy of the PCB design having the update from step (e), a route for a conductive path between the pins of the second pin pair assignment;

(h) transmitting an edit request from the client computer to the server computer proposing the route found in step (g);

(i) receiving an indication that the route proposed in step (h) is incorporated into the PCB design; and

(j) updating, subsequent to receipt of the indication in step (i), the local copy of the PCB design to include the route found in step (g).

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(k) receiving at the client computer, from the server computer and subsequent to receipt of the indication in step (i), a third pin pair assignment identifying pins of one or more components for which location information is contained in the PCB design;

(l) automatically finding, at the client computer and using the local copy of the PCB design having the update from step (j), a route for a conductive path between the pins of the third pin pair assignment;

(m) transmitting an edit request from the client computer to the server computer proposing the route found in step (l);

(n) receiving, at the client computer from the server computer after step (m), an instruction to find another route between the pins of the third pin pair assignment;

(o) automatically finding a second route between the pins of the third pin pair assignment at the client computer; and

(p) transmitting an edit request from the client computer to the server computer proposing the second route.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

step (d) comprises receiving one or more indications that other routes are incorporated into the PCB design, the other routes found by one or more client computers other than the client computer performing steps (a) through (e), and

step (e) comprises updating the local copy of the PCB design to include the other routes.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(k) receiving, at the client computer from the server computer and subsequent to receipt of the indication in step (i), a second pin pair assignment identifying pins of one or more components for which location information is contained in the PCB design;

(l) receiving, at the client computer from the server computer, an indication of a limit upon the number of vias permitted in a conductive path routed between the pins of the third pin pair assignment;

(m) automatically seeking a route for a conductive path between the pins of the second pin pair assignment at the client computer; and

(n) transmitting an indication from the client computer to the server computer of an inability to route a connection between the pins of the second pin pair assignment.

5. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon data representing sequences of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform steps comprising:

(a) receiving a pin pair assignment at a client computer from a server computer, the assignment identifying pins of one or more components for which location information is contained in a PCB design and for which a connecting conductive path is to be routed;

(b) automatically finding a route at the client computer for a conductive path between the identified pins;

(c) transmitting an edit request from the client computer to the server computer, the edit request proposing the found route;

(d) receiving, at the client computer from the server computer, an indication that the proposed route is incorporated into the PCB design; and

(e) updating, subsequent to receipt of the indication and at the client computer, a local copy of the PCB design to include the found route;

(f) receiving at the client computer, from the server computer and subsequent to receipt of the indication in step (d), a second pin pair assignment identifying pins of one or more components for which location information is contained in the PCB design;

(g) automatically finding, at the client computer and using the local copy of the PCB design having the update from step (e), a route for a conductive path between the pins of the second pin pair assignment;

(h) transmitting an edit request from the client computer to the server computer proposing the route found in step (g);

(i) receiving an indication that the route proposed in step (h) is incorporated into the PCB design; and

(j) updating, subsequent to receipt of the indication in step (i), the local copy of the PCB design to include the route found in step (g).

6. The machine-readable medium of claim 5, comprising further instructions for performing steps comprising:

(k) receiving at the client computer, from the server computer and subsequent to receipt of the indication in step (i), a third, a second pin pair assignment identifying pins of one or more components for which location information is contained in the PCB design;

(l) automatically finding, at the client computer and using the local copy of the PCB design having the update from step (j), a route for a conductive path between the pins of the third pin pair assignment;

(m) transmitting an edit request from the client computer to the server computer proposing the route found in step (l);

(n) receiving, at the client computer from the server computer after step (m), an instruction to find another route between the pins of the third pin pair assignment;

(o) automatically finding a third route between the pins of the second pin pair assignment at the client computer; and

(p) transmitting an edit request from the client computer to the server computer proposing the second route.

7. The machine-readable medium of claim 5, wherein:

step (d) comprises receiving one or more indications that other routes are incorporated into the PCB design, the other routes found by one or more client computers other than the client computer performing steps (a) through (e), and

step (e) comprises updating the local copy of the PCB design to include the other routes.

8. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon data representing sequences of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform steps comprising:

(a) receiving a pin pair assignment, the assignment identifying pins of one or more components of an electronic circuit for which a connecting conductive path is to be routed;

(b) automatically finding a route for a conductive path between the identified pins;

(c) transmitting an edit request, the edit request proposing the found route;

(d) receiving an indication that the proposed route is incorporated into a PCB design;

(e) updating, subsequent to receipt of the indication, a local copy of the PCB design to include the found route;

(f) receiving, subsequent to receipt of the indication in step (d), a second pin pair assignment identifying pins of one or more components of the circuit;

(g) receiving an indication of a limit upon the number of vias permitted in a conductive path routed between the pins of the second pin pair assignment;

(h) automatically seeking a route for a conductive path between the pins of the second pin pair assignment; and

(i) transmitting an indication of an inability to route a connection between the pins of the second pin pair assignment.

9. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon data representing sequences of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform steps comprising:

(a) receiving a pin pair assignment at a client computer from a server computer, the assignment identifying pins of one or more circuit components of a PCB design for which a connecting conductive path is to be routed, wherein the client computer maintains a local database for the PCB design having information about the circuit components, the circuit component placement and conductive path routes;

(b) automatically finding a route at the client computer for a conductive path between the identified pins;

(c) transmitting an edit request from the client computer to the server computer, the edit request proposing the found route; and

(d) receiving an indication, at the client computer from the server computer, that the route proposed in step (c) has been incorporated into a master database for the PCB design maintained by the server computer;

(e) receiving, at the client computer from the server computer, instructions to update the local database to include routes between other pin pairs, wherein the routes between other pin pairs were not found by the client computer;

(f) updating the local database in response to the instructions received in step (e); and

(g) automatically finding, at the client computer and using information in the local database after the update of step (f), a route for a conductive path between the pins of a second pin pair assignment.

10. The machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein step (d) comprises receiving an instruction to include the found route in the local database, and comprising further instructions for performing steps comprising:

(h) returning the local database to a state occupied prior to assignment of the pin pair to the client computer, wherein step (h) is performed by the client computer after step (a) and before step (d), and

(i) in response to step (d), updating the local database to include the found route.

11. The machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein step (d) comprises receiving the indication with the second pin pair assignment, and wherein the second pin pair assignment assigns pins different from the pins of the pin pair assignment received in step (a), and comprising further instructions for performing steps comprising:

(e) automatically finding, at the client computer and using information in the local database about the route found in step (b), a route for a conductive path between the pins of the second pin pair assignment; and

(h) transmitting an edit request from the client computer to the server computer proposing the route found in step (g).

12. The machine-readable medium of claim 11, comprising further instructions for performing steps comprising:

(i) receiving, at the client computer from the server computer after step (h), an instruction to find another route between the pins of the second pin pair assignment;

(j) automatically finding, at the client computer and in response to the instruction of step (i), a different route for a conductive path between the pins of the second pin pair assignment; and

(k) transmitting an edit request from the client computer to the server computer proposing the route found in step (j).

13. The machine readable medium of claim 9, comprising further instructions for performing steps comprising:

(e) receiving, at the client computer from the server computer and subsequent to receipt of the indication in step (d), a second pin pair assignment;

(f) receiving an indication at the client computer from the server computer of a maximum number of vias permitted in a conductive path routed between the pins of the second pin pair assignment; and

(g) in response to the second pin pair assignment and the indication received in step (f), automatically seeking a route for a conductive path between the pins of the second pin pair assignment having no more than the maximum number of vias”

to;

(h) receiving an indication at the client computer from the server computer of maximum number of vias permitted in a conductive path routed between the pins of the second pin pair assignment, and wherein step (g) automatically seeking a route for a conductive path between the pins of the second pin pair assignment having no more than the maximum number of vias.