Method and system for implementing graphically editable parameterized cells

• US 8,347,261 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2010
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Original Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Inventors: Ginetti, Arnold, Tarroux, Gerard, Paone, Theodore Alan, Newton, Jim, Pic, Jean-Noel
• Primary Examiner(s): Kik, Phallaka
• Application Number:
  US12/878,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20110061034A1
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• Field of Search: 716/139, 716/102, 716/104
• US Class Current: 716/139
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/31 Design entry, e.g. editors specifically adapted for circuit design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/327 Logic synthesis; Behaviour synthesis, e.g. mapping logic, HDL to netlist, high-level language to RTL or netlist
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/39 Circuit design at the physical level physical level design for reconfigurable circuits G06F30/347
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/392 Floor-planning or layout, e.g. partitioning or placement

Abstract

Disclosed is an improved mechanism and method for implementing electronic designs. According to some approaches, a method, mechanism, and compute program product is disclosed for implementing electronic designs that allows visual editing of complex objects with advanced editing features, which also provides for automated correspondence of the editing results to parametric values for a programmable object in the design.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method that is executed with a processor for implementing a graphically editable parameterized cell for an electronic design, comprising:

using at least one processor to perform a process, the process comprising;

identifying a parameterized cell master that is to be graphically editable;

defining an implementation function for the parameterized cell master;

defining an editing function for the parameterized cell master, wherein the editing function;

identifies a type of editing being implemented;

identifies one or more parameters affected by the editing; and

performs functionality to change the one or more parameters upon graphical edits by an editor; and

associating the editing function for the parameterized cell master to a parameterized cell.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the editor comprises a layout editor or design editing tool.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the type of editing comprises stretching one or more portions of shapes, updating, compacting, chopping, merging, polygon conversion, keep-out generation or tunneling, keep-out deletion or healing, or abutment functionality.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the graphical edits by the editor that causes changes to the one or more parameters is performed by calling the editing function through a graphical interface structure that makes visual edits.

5. The method of claim 1 in which the graphical edits by the editor update the one or more parameters for an instance of the parameterized cell.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the act of defining the implementation function for the parameterized cell master comprises:

identifying shapes in the parameterized cell master that are capable of being graphically edited; and

tagging the shapes that are identified.

7. The method of claim 6 in which the act of tagging is used to distinguish the shapes in the parameterized cell master that are capable of being graphically edited from other shapes that are not capable of being graphically edited.

8. The method of claim 1 in which the editing function identifies a list of shapes, type of the list of shapes, and parameters for the list of shapes that are updated for editing actions taken by the editor.

9. The method of claim 1 in which the editing function allows the editor to configure a size, an orientation, a configuration, or one or more dimensions of shapes in the parameterized cell.

10. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer usable medium, the non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which, when executed by a processor causes the processor to execute a method for implementing a graphically editable parameterized cell for an electronic design, the method comprising:

identifying a parameterized cell master that is to be graphically editable;

defining an implementation function for the parameterized cell master;

defining an editing function for the parameterized cell master, wherein the editing function;

identifies a type of editing being implemented;

identifies one or more parameters affected by the editing; and

performs functionality to change the one or more parameters upon graphical edits by an editor; and

associating the editing function for the parameterized cell master to a parameterized cell.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the editor comprises a layout editor or design editing tool.

12. The computer program product of claim 10 in which the type of editing comprises stretching one or more portions of shapes, updating, compacting, chopping, merging, polygon conversion, keep-out generation or tunneling, keep-out deletion or healing, or abutment functionality.

13. The computer program product of claim 10 in which the act of defining the implementation function for the parameterized cell master comprises:

identifying shapes in the parameterized cell master that are capable of being graphically edited; and

tagging the shapes that are identified.

14. The computer program product of claim 10 in which the editing function identifies a list of shapes, type of the list of shapes, and parameters for the list of shapes that are updated for editing actions taken by the editor.

15. The computer program product of claim 10 in which the editing function allows the editor to configure a size, an orientation, a configuration, or one or more dimensions of shapes in the parameterized cell.

16. A computer-based system for implementing a graphically editable parameterized cell for an electronic design, comprising:

a computer processor to execute a set of program code instructions; and

a memory to hold the program code instructions, in which the program code instructions comprises program code which, when executed by the computer processor, causes the computer processor to;

identify a parameterized cell master that is to be graphically editable;

define an implementation function for the parameterized cell master;

define an editing function for the parameterized cell master, wherein the editing function;

identifies a type of editing being implemented,

identifies one or more parameters affected by the editing, and

performs functionality to change the one or more parameters upon graphical edits by an editor; and

associate the editing function for the parameterized cell master to a parameterized cell.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the editor comprises a layout editor or design editing tool.

18. The system of claim 16 in which the type of editing comprises stretching one or more portions of shapes, updating, compacting, chopping, merging, polygon conversion, keep-out generation or tunneling, keep-out deletion or healing, or abutment functionality.

19. The system of claim 16 in which the program code for defining the implementation function for the parameterized cell master comprises instructions for:

identifying shapes in the parameterized cell master that are capable of being graphically edited; and

tagging the shapes that are identified.

20. The system of claim 16 in which the editing function identifies a list of shapes, one or more types of the shapes, and one or more parameters for the shapes that are updated for editing actions taken by the editor.

21. The system of claim 16 in which the editing function allows the editor to configure a size, an orientation, a configuration, or one or more dimensions of shapes in the parameterized cell.