System and method for maintaining dynamic visual cue for associated circuitry of schematic object

• US 9,122,384 B1
• Filed: 07/24/2013
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Original Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Inventors: Kohli, Vikas, Sharma, Amit Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Sajous, Wesner
• Application Number:
  US13/949,578
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/12 Symbolic schematics
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/39 Circuit design at the physical level physical level design for reconfigurable circuits G06F30/347
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/02 characterised by the way in which colour is displayed details of colour display specific for CRTs G09G1/28; specific for flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607

Abstract

A method and system are provided for maintaining dynamic visual cues/graphic indicia for associated circuitry of a schematic object. The dynamic visual cues or graphic indicia indicate a number of states of the parent circuit object and its associated circuitry. The visibility, placement status, and other attributes of the parent or associated circuitry may be quickly discerned by inspection of the visual indicia. Navigation, including manipulations of one or both of the parent and associated circuitry are available through actuation of the visual cue or a selectable button proximately disposed thereto.

Claims

1. A system for adaptively maintaining a visual cue for associated circuitry relating to a schematically represented circuit object of an electronic circuit design, comprising:

a circuit editing tool accessing a graphic database to electronically render schematic representations of one or more circuit objects responsive to user input, said circuit editing tool having a graphic user interface and a display for graphically displaying the schematic representations on one or more graphic pages;

a capture unit coupled to said circuit editing tool, said capture unit being selectively actuated to acquire associated circuitry corresponding to at least one selected circuit object;

a visual cue management unit coupled to said capture unit and said circuit editing tool, said visual cue management unit being programmably configured to automatically;

monitor a plurality of predetermined attributes for each associated circuitry acquired from the at least one selected circuit object; and

,

adaptively generate predetermined graphic indicia for each said predetermined attribute for concurrent display with the schematic representation of the at least one selected circuit object; and

,

a visual cue navigation unit coupled to visual cue management unit and said circuit editing tool, said visual cue navigation unit maintaining a user-selectable actuation button on said graphic user interface for at least one of said predetermined graphic indicia displayed.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said capture unit is selectively actuated to acquire associated circuitry in a plurality of defining forms including:

a schematically rendered definition, and a textually-listed definition.

3. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein the associated circuitry acquired by said capture unit is defined by at least one of:

circuitry newly-rendered by said circuit editing tool, and circuitry selected from a plurality of pre-stored circuitry types.

4. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein the pre-stored circuitry types of associated circuitry include:

a bypass capacitor rail;

a Thevenin termination;

a pull-up voltage coupling;

a pull-down voltage coupling; and

, a filter circuit.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said predetermined attributes monitored by said visual cue management unit for each associated circuitry acquired include:

a circuitry type;

a placed/unplaced state; and

, a hidden/visible state.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of said predetermined graphic indicia adaptively generated by said visual cue management unit is visually applied to the schematic representation of the at least one selected circuit object displayed.

7. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein said predetermined graphic indicia include:

a graphic symbol to denote said circuitry type, at least a first color to denote one of said placed/unplaced states relative to the other, and at least a second color to denote one of said hidden/visible states relative to the other.

8. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein said visual cue navigation unit actuates navigating of the display between said predetermined graphic indicia visually applied to the schematic representation of the at least one selected circuit object and a predetermined representation of the acquired associated circuitry.

9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein said predetermined graphic indicia visually applied to the schematic representation of the at least one selected circuit object coincides with said user-selectable navigation button.

10. A system for maintaining a dynamic visual cue for associated circuitry connectable to a schematically represented circuit object of an electronic circuit design, comprising:

a circuit editing tool accessing a graphic database to electronically render schematic representations of one or more circuit objects responsive to user input, said circuit editing tool having a graphic user interface and a display for graphically displaying the schematic representations on one or more graphic pages;

a capture unit coupled to said circuit editing tool, said capture unit being selectively actuated to acquire associated circuitry corresponding to at least one selected circuit object, the associated circuitry enabling operational implementation of the circuit object in the electronic circuit design without alteration thereof in digital logic;

a visual cue management unit coupled to said capture unit and said circuit editing tool, said visual cue management unit being programmably configured to automatically;

monitor a plurality of predetermined attributes for each associated circuitry acquired from the at least one selected circuit object;

adaptively generate predetermined graphic indicia for each said predetermined attribute for concurrent display with the schematic representation of the at least one selected circuit object; and

,

visually dispose at least one of said predetermined graphic indicia at least partially upon the schematic representation of the at least one selected circuit object displayed by said circuit editing tool; and

,

a visual cue navigation unit coupled to said visual cue management unit and said circuit editing tool, said visual cue navigation unit maintaining a user-selectable actuation button on said graphic user interface for at least one of said predetermined graphic indicia displayed.

11. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein:

said capture unit is selectively actuated to acquire associated circuitry in a plurality of defining forms including;

a schematically rendered definition, and a textually-listed definition; and

,

the associated circuitry acquired by said capture unit is defined by at least one of;

circuitry newly-rendered by said circuit editing tool, and circuitry selected from a plurality of pre-stored circuitry types.

12. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the pre-stored circuitry types associated circuitry include:

a bypass capacitor rail;

a Thevenin termination;

a pull-up voltage coupling;

a pull-down voltage coupling; and

, a filter circuit.

13. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein:

said predetermined attributes monitored by said visual cue management unit for each associated circuitry acquired include;

a circuitry type;

a placed/unplaced state; and

, a hidden/visible state; and

,

said predetermined graphic indicia include;

a graphic symbol to denote said circuitry type, at least a first color to denote one of said placed/unplaced states relative to the other, and at least a second color to denote one of said hidden/visible states relative to the other.

14. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein:

said visual cue navigation unit actuates navigating of the display between said predetermined graphic indicia visually applied to the schematic representation of the at least one selected circuit object and a predetermined representation of the acquired associated circuitry; and

,

said predetermined graphic indicia visually applied to the schematic representation of the at least one selected circuit object coincides with said user-selectable navigation button.

15. A method for adaptively maintaining a visual cue for associated circuitry relating to a schematically represented circuit object of an electronic circuit design, comprising:

establishing a processor coupled to a memory storing a graphic database;

executing said processor to access said graphic database and render schematic representations of one or more circuit objects responsive to user input, said circuit editing tool having a graphic user interface and a display;

actuating said display to graphically display the schematic representations on one or more graphic pages;

selectively identifying associated circuitry corresponding to at least one selected circuit object;

monitoring a plurality of predetermined attributes for each associated circuitry acquired corresponding to the at least one selected circuit object;

adaptively generating predetermined graphic indicia for each said predetermined attribute for concurrent display with the schematic representation of the at least one selected circuit object; and

,

maintaining a user-selectable actuation control on said graphic user interface for at least one of said predetermined graphic indicia displayed.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein said predetermined attributes monitored for each identified associated circuitry include:

a circuitry type;

a placed/unplaced state;

a highlighted/unhighlighted state; and

, a hidden/visible state.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein at least one of said predetermined graphic indicia is visually applied to the schematic representation of the at least one selected circuit object displayed.

18. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein said predetermined graphic indicia include:

a graphic symbol to denote said circuitry type, at least a first color to denote one of said placed/unplaced states relative to the other, and at least a second color to denote one of said hidden/visible states relative to the other.

19. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein said graphic indicia actuates navigating of the display between said predetermined graphic indicia visually applied to the schematic representation of the at least one selected circuit object and the identified associated circuitry.

20. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein said graphic indicia is user selectable to execute a placement action for an associated circuitry of the at least one selected circuit object.