System and method for performing next placements and pruning of disallowed placements for programming an integrated circuit

• US 8,370,791 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2008
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Ogami, Kenneth Y., Hood, Frederick R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chiang, Jack
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bowers, Brandon
• Application Number:
  US12/132,527
• Publication Number:
  US 20080301619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,708 Days
• Field of Search: 716/17, 716/139
• US Class Current: 716/139
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/392 Floor-planning or layout, e.g. partitioning or placement

Abstract

A system and method for graphically displaying modules and resources within a chip design software application. The system and method provide a data driven model for matching the hardware resource requirements for an associated user module and the available hardware resources on an underlying chip. Databases are utilized to describe the hardware resource requirements which are dictated by the particular user module and the available hardware resources of a particular chip. The user module descriptive database can be updated in response to additional user modules being added or changes to the hardware resource requirements of existing user modules. The hardware description database can be updated in response to additional chips being added. Further, the graphical interface relates both a user module and the possible hardware resource. This graphical interface utilizes highlights of both the module and the associated resource in patterns, grayscales, or colors to graphically illustrate the relationship between the module and the associated resource.

Claims

1. A method for designing an integrated circuit, the method comprising:

displaying a graphical representation of a plurality of available user modules by an electronic device;

identifying a selection of an unplaced user module of the plurality of available user modules by the electronic device;

automatically determining one or more groups of resources of a programmable integrated circuit that are compatible with implementation of said unplaced user module on said one or more groups of resources of said programmable integrated circuit according one or more hardware resource requirements of said unplaced user module; and

outputting a visualization of a first group of said one or more groups of resources of said programmable integrated circuit in combination with a visual depiction of all hardware resources available within said programmable integrated circuit compatible with hardware resource requirements of said unplaced user module.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the one or more groups of resources of said programmable integrated circuit comprises two groups, the method further comprising:

outputting a visualization of a second group of said two groups of resources of said programmable integrated circuit compatible with hardware resource requirements of said unplaced user module.

3. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the one or more groups of resources of said programmable integrated circuit comprises two groups, the method further comprising:

outputting a visualization of a second group of resources of said programmable integrated circuit compatible with hardware resource requirements of said unplaced user module which are currently used by a placed user module.

4. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said outputting a visualization of said first group of resources of a programmable integrated circuit compatible with hardware resource requirements of said unplaced module compromises highlighting a graphical depiction of said first group and highlighting a graphical depiction of said unplaced user module.

5. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said hardware resource requirements of said unplaced module comprise analog hardware resources.

6. The method as described in claim 5 wherein said hardware resource requirements of said unplaced module further comprise digital hardware resources.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a user module description module for storing one or more resource requirements associated with a plurality of user modules, wherein each user module describes an integrated circuit design, wherein the plurality of user modules are graphically displayed;

a programmable integrated circuit module for storing one or more resources associated with one or more programmable integrated circuits; and

a resource placement module for automatically determining resources of a programmable integrated circuit compatible with implementation of an unplaced user module on said resources of said programmable integrated circuit according to one or more resource requirements associated with said unplaced user module.

8. The system as described in claim 7 further comprising:

a graphical user interface module for displaying a first set of resources of a programmable integrated circuit compatible with resource requirements of an unplaced user module as described by said resource placement module.

9. The system as described in claim 8 wherein said graphical user interface module displays a first icon operable to invoke said graphical user interface to display of second set of resources of said programmable integrated circuit compatible with the one or more resources associated with an unplaced user module.

10. The system as described in claim 8 wherein said graphical user interface module is operable to display a second icon for placing said user module utilizing the last displayed set of programmable hardware resources compatible with resource requirements of said unplaced user module.

11. The system as described in claim 8 wherein said graphical user interface module is operable to facilitate fixing allocation of one or more resources of a programmable integrated circuit compatible with the one or more resource requirements associated with said user module prior to display of another set of resources of said programmable integrated circuit compatible with the one or more resources associated with an unplaced user module.

12. The system as described in claim 8 wherein said graphical interface module graphically depicts said one or more programmable resources compatible with requirements of said unplaced user module that are occupied by a placed user module.

13. The system as described in claim 8 wherein said graphical interface module facilitates final placement of one programmable hardware resource compatible with a resource requirement of said unplaced user module.

14. The system as described in claim 8 wherein said graphical interface module facilitates decoupling of a possible placement of analog resources from a possible placement of digital resources compatible with resource requirements of said unplaced user module.

15. The system as described in claim 7 wherein said resource placement module determines programmable hardware resources compatible with resource requirements of said unplaced user module based on proximity of said programmable hardware resources to a port of said programmable integrated circuit.

16. The system as described in claim 7 wherein said resource placement module determines one or more programmable resources compatible with requirements of said unplaced user module that are occupied by a placed user module.

17. A computer readable non-transitory storage media comprising instructions therein that when executed by a processor implement a method of depicting resources of a programmable integrated circuit comprising:

displaying a graphical representation of a plurality of available user modules;

selecting an unplaced user module of the plurality of available user modules;

accessing a resource requirement of the selected unplaced user module;

automatically determining a resource of said programmable integrated circuit compatible with implementation of said unplaced user module on said resource of said programmable integrated circuit according to said resource requirement of said unplaced user module; and

displaying said resource of said programmable integrated circuit compatible with said resource requirement of said unplaced user module.

18. The computer readable media as recited in claim 17 wherein said method further comprises:

displaying another resource of said programmable integrated circuit compatible with said resource requirement of said unplaced user module.

19. The computer readable media as recited in claim 17 wherein said method further comprises:

displaying another resource of said programmable integrated circuit compatible with said resource requirement of said unplaced user module which is occupied by a placed user module.

20. The computer readable media as recited in claim 17 wherein said method further comprises:

receiving a selection of a resource of said programmable integrated circuit to be fixed for determining a next placement of a programmable resource compatible with requirements of said unplaced user module.