Generalized constraint collection management method

• US 8,612,922 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2008
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Original Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Inventors: Arsintescu, George B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rossoshek, Helen
• Application Number:
  US12/323,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20090077513A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,848 Days
• Field of Search: 716/100, 716102-104, 716/108, 716110-112, 716/122, 716/123, 716/137, 716/139
• US Class Current: 716/139
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/30 Circuit design

Abstract

Techniques are provided to allow users of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools to define constraint template types for efficiently associating constraints with design objects to specify design intent. Processes for creating and validating the constraints are provided by user-defined plug-ins, thereby allowing users to annotate circuit designs with constraints for proprietary layout and fabrication processes without exposing the constraints to tool vendors or competitors. The constraints are re-created from the template types whenever the circuit design is loaded into the EDA tool, so that the constraints are based upon the latest version of the template type. The constraints are also re-created when validation fails. Constraint groups are reusable in different designs, technology nodes, and processes because they automatically expand to provide the specific constraints to achieve a goal. The specific constraints in a template type can be modified as technology changes, and the modification will automatically be applied to the design objects.

Claims

1. A method of automating the validation of constraints associated with circuit design objects in a circuit design created using an electronic design automation tool, comprising:

using a computer for providing a template type in a computer system;

wherein the template type includes a selectable template type identifier in produced in a computer user interface display of the computer system to identify the template type;

wherein template type includes template instance generation code stored in non-transitory computer readable storage media of the computer system to run a template instance generation process;

wherein the template type includes template instance validation code stored in non-transitory computer readable storage media to run a template instance validation process;

receiving by the computer system, a user selection of the template type identifier;

in response to the received user selection of the template type identifier, invoking the template instance generation code to run the template instance generation process on the computer system, to produce a template instance;

wherein the produced template instance identifies a constraint set that includes multiple constraints and that identifies associations between the multiple constraints in the constraint set and the one or more design objects to store the produced template instance in the memory device and to create an association in the memory device between the produced template instance and the template type;

in response to receiving notification of an event that could cause the template instance to become invalid,

invoking the validation process to validate the constraints associated with the template instance;

receiving a success indicator from the validation process; and

if the success indicator indicates that the constraints are not valid, invoking a recovery process.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving the template instance validation process from a plug-in file associated with the template type.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the template instance validation process is provided by a user of the design automation tool.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the at least one design object and a template instance parameter to the template instance validation process.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the template instance validation process comprises:

determining if the value of at least one constraint parameter associated with at least one of the constraints is valid;

if the constraint parameter is valid, generating a success indicator; and

if the constraint parameter is not valid, generating a failure indicator.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the recovery process comprises:

deleting the constraints;

identifying a template instance generation process associated with the template type; and

invoking the template instance generation process to re-create the constraints.

7. The method of claim 1. wherein the event comprises reading in of a template instance from a storage medium, modification of a template instance parameter, or a combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises modification of the circuit design.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises a change to the at least one constraint, and the recovery process comprises:

rejecting the change action.

10. A non-transitory computer readable storage media comprising program code for automating the validation of constraints associated with design objects in a design created using an electronic design automation tool, the computer program product comprising:

program code stored in the non-transitory computer readable storage media operable to cause a computer to provide a template type in a computer system;

wherein the template type includes a selectable template type identifier in produced in a computer user interface display of the computer system to identify the template type;

wherein template type includes template instance generation code stored in the non-transitory computer readable storage media to cause a computer to run a template instance generation process;

wherein the template type includes template instance validation code stored in the non-transitory computer readable storage media to cause a computer to run a template instance validation process;

wherein the template instance generation code is operable to cause a computer to produce in the computer system, in response to user selection of the template type identifier, a template instance that is associated with the template type;

wherein the produced template instance identifies a constraint set that includes multiple constraints and that identifies associations between the multiple constraints in the constraint set and the one or more design objects in the circuit design;

wherein the template instance validation code is operable in response to receiving notification of an event that could cause the template instance to become invalid to,

invoke the validation process associated with the template instance to validate the constraints;

receiving a success indicator from the validation process, and

invoke a recovery process if the success indicator indicates that the constraints are not valid.