Visualization of tradeoffs between circuit designs

• US 9,087,164 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2010
• Issued: 07/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation (Texas Instruments, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation (Texas Instruments, Inc.)
• Inventors: Perry, Jeffrey R., Vo, Khanh Nhat, Mac, Dien, Garrison, Martin, Gibson, Phil
• Primary Examiner(s): Rossoshek, Helen
• Application Number:
  US12/869,201
• Publication Number:
  US 20100325599A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,790 Days
• Field of Search: 716/106, 716/110, 716/111, 716/112, 716/132, 716/136, 716/138, 716/139, 700/97, 700/103, 700/105, 700/108
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2117/02 Fault tolerance, e.g. for transient fault suppression
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2119/06 Power analysis or power optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2119/08 Thermal analysis or thermal optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/156 with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators

Abstract

A system may include a database configured to store information including characteristics of a plurality of components. The system may further include a server in communication with the database and configured to receive design requirements indicative of desired power supply designs; query the database for components that satisfy the design requirements; determine a plurality of power supply designs in accordance with the components and the design parameters; determine key parameters of at least a subset of the determined power supply designs; and rank the power supply designs.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a database configured to store information including characteristics of a plurality of components; and

a server computing apparatus in communication with the database and configured to;

receive design requirements indicative of a desired power supply design;

query the database for a plurality of sets of components each corresponding to a power supply design that satisfies the design requirements;

generate a plurality of power supply designs each satisfying the design requirements, including the associated components; and

calculate the values for at least one key parameter of the generated power supply designs, such that the power supply designs are differentiated by the at least one key parameter;

wherein the at least one key parameter is indicative of one of footprint, efficiency and a bill of materials cost; and

wherein the respective values calculated for the at least one key parameter represent design tradeoffs for the power supply designs, each satisfying the design requirements.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user computing apparatus in communication with the server computing apparatus, wherein the user computing apparatus is configured to:

send the design requirements to the server computing apparatus in a request for power supply designs;

receive the plurality of power supply designs from the server computing apparatus responsive to the request; and

display selected ones of the plurality of power supply designs according to a display format that arranges multiple power supply designs according to the at least one key parameter.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the power supply designs are ranked according to the at least one key parameter.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the power supply designs are arranged for graphical display according to the at least one key parameter.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the values for at least two key parameters are calculated and the power supply designs are differentiated based on the at least two key parameters, and wherein the power supply designs are arranged for graphical display according to a two-dimensional presentation corresponding to the at least two key parameters.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the design requirements are indicative of an input voltage source to power the power supply designs and an output load voltage supplied by the power supply designs.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least two key parameters are calculated, and wherein the power supply designs are optimized according to the design tradeoffs represented by the at least two key parameters.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein optimizing the power supply designs includes:

assigning relative weights and target values for the at least two key parameters-for each of the plurality of power supply designs;

determining initial scores indicative of how close each of the at least two key parameters are to the respective target values for the at least two key parameters;

calculating a weighted score for each key parameter based on the respective initial score and assigned weight; and

calculating a final score for each power supply design based on the respective weighted scores for the at least two key parameters.

9. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a server computing apparatus design requirements indicative of a desired power supply design;

determining a plurality of sets of components each corresponding to a power supply design that satisfies the design requirements;

generating a plurality of power supply designs each satisfying the design requirements, including the associated components that satisfy the design requirements;

calculating the values for at least one key parameter of the generated power supply designs such that these power supply designs are differentiated by the at least one key parameter, wherein the at least one key parameter is indicative of one of footprint, efficiency and a bill of materials cost; and

wherein the respective values calculated for the at least one key parameter represent design tradeoffs for the power supply designs, each satisfying the design requirements; and

communicating the generated power supply designs responsive to the request.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the power supply designs are differentiated based on at least two key parameters, and wherein the power supply designs are arranged for graphical display according to a two-dimensional presentation corresponding to the values of the at least two key parameters.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the design requirements are indicative of an input voltage source to power the power supply designs and an output load voltage supplied by the power supply designs.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein at least two key parameters are calculated, and further comprising optimizing the power supply designs according to the design tradeoffs represented by the at least two key parameters.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein optimizing the power supply designs comprises:

assigning relative weights and target values for the at least two key parameters of the power supply designs;

calculating initial scores for each of the key parameters, where the closer the value calculated for a key parameter is to the corresponding target value, the higher the score for that key parameter;

calculating a weighted score for each key parameter based on the respective initial score and assigned weight;

determining final scores for each power supply design based on the respective weighted scores for the at least two key parameters.

14. A method, comprising:

sending, from a user computing apparatus to a server computing apparatus, a request including design requirements indicative of a desired power supply design;

receiving, by the user computing apparatus, a plurality of power supply designs responsive to the request, each satisfying the design requirements, and each power supply design being characterized by;

the design requirements;

associated components that satisfy the design requirements; and

calculated values for at least one key parameter of the power supply designs such that the power supply designs are differentiated by the at least one key parameter, and

wherein the at least one key parameter is indicative of one of footprint, efficiency and a bill of materials cost; and

wherein the respective values calculated for the at least one key parameter represent design tradeoffs for the power supply designs, each satisfying the design requirements; and

displaying the plurality of power supply designs according to a selected display format.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the power supply designs are differentiated based on at least two key parameters, and wherein the power supply designs are graphically displayed according to a two-dimensional presentation corresponding to the values of the at least two key parameters.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the design requirements are indicative of an input voltage source to power the power supply designs and an output load voltage to be supplied by the power supply.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein at least two key parameters are calculated, and wherein the received power supply designs are optimized by:

assigning relative weights and target values for the at least two key parameters of the power supply designs;

calculating initial scores for each of the key parameters, where the closer the value calculated for a key parameter is to the corresponding target value, the higher the score for that key parameter;

calculating a weighted score for each key parameter based on the respective initial score and assigned weight;

determining final scores for each power supply design based on the respective weighted scores for the at least two key parameters.