Automatic determination of power plane shape in printed circuit board

• US 10,785,867 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2018
• Issued: 09/22/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Werner, John S., Cocchini, Matteo, Dreiss, Zachary T., Danyluk, Nicholas G., Cohen, Edward N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rossoshek, Helen
• Application Number:
  US16/140,611
• Publication Number:
  US 20200100354A1
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2115/12 Printed circuit boards [PCB] or multi-chip modules [MCM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2119/06 Power analysis or power optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/394 Routing G06F30/396 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/398 Design verification or optimisation, e.g. using design rule check [DRC], layout versus schematics [LVS] or finite element methods [FEM] optical proximity correction [OPC] design processes G03F1/36
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0224 Patterned shielding planes, ground planes or power planes H05K1/0253 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0262 Arrangements for regulating voltages or for using plural voltages
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/029 having a programmable lay-out, i.e. adapted for choosing between a few possibilities
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/093 Layout of power planes, ground planes or power supply conductors, e.g. having special clearance holes therein reduction of cross-talk, noise or interference by patterned shielding planes, ground planes or power planes H05K1/0224
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09345 Power and ground in the same plane; Power planes for two voltages in one plane
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/0005 for designing circuits by computer

Abstract

A system and method to automatically determine power plane shape in a printed circuit board (PCB) involve obtaining inputs. The inputs include a size and shape of the PCB, a set of sources, and a set of sinks associated with a power plane. The method also includes determining a center of charge (CoC) as a center of largest current density for the set of sources and the set of sinks, and creating a sub-shape corresponding with a path from each source of the set of sources and from each sink of the set of sinks to the CoC. The creating the sub-shape includes determining a width of a conductor in the path corresponding with each of the sub-shapes. The sub-shapes created for the set of sources and the set of sinks are combined as the power plane shape.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of automatically determining power plane shape in a printed circuit board (PCB), the method comprising:

obtaining inputs at a processor, wherein the inputs include a size and shape of the PCB, a set of sources, and a set of sinks associated with a power plane;

determining, using the processor, a center of charge (CoC) as a center of largest current density for the set of sources and the set of sinks;

creating, using the processor, a sub-shape corresponding with a path from each source of the set of sources and from each sink of the set of sinks to the CoC, wherein the creating the sub-shape includes determining a width of a conductor in the path corresponding with each of the sub-shapes; and

combining the sub-shapes created for the set of sources and the set of sinks as the power plane shape, wherein the obtaining the inputs includes obtaining a location of one or more obstacles, the one or more obstacles including a via, and the creating the sub-shape includes creating one or more obstacle avoidance points to avoid one or more of the one or more obstacles.

2. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more obstacles includes another component such as one of the set of sources or the set of sinks, a connector, a processor, or an integrated circuit, or a void.

3. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining the inputs includes obtaining a thickness of the conductor used to create the path for each of the sub-shapes.

4. The computer-implemented method according to claim 3, wherein the determining the width of the conductor in the path corresponding with each of the sub-shapes includes calculating a resistance R of the path as:

5. The computer-implemented method according to claim 4, wherein the determining the width W of the conductor in the path corresponding with each of the sub-shapes includes solving for the width W based on:

6. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the combining the sub-shapes includes joining the sub-shapes at the CoC.

7. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the combining the sub-shapes includes filling and smoothing overlap areas among the sub-shapes.

8. A system to automatically determine power plane shape in a printed circuit board (PCB), the system comprising:

a memory device configured to store a size and shape of the PCB, a set of sources, and a set of sinks associated with a power plane; and

a processor configured to determine a center of charge (CoC) as a center of largest current density for the set of sources and the set of sinks, to create a sub-shape corresponding with a path from each source of the set of sources and from each sink of the set of sinks to the CoC, wherein the creating the sub-shape includes determining a width of a conductor in the path corresponding with each of the sub-shapes, and to combine the sub-shapes created for the set of sources and the set of sinks as the power plane shape, wherein the processor is further configured to obtain a location of one or more obstacles, the one or more obstacles including a via, and to create the sub-shape by creating one or more obstacle avoidance points to avoid one or more of the one or more obstacles.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the one or more obstacles including another component such as one of the set of sources or the set of sinks, a connector, a processor, or an integrated circuit, or a void.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to obtain a thickness of the conductor used to create the path for each of the sub-shapes.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to determine the width of the conductor in the path corresponding with each of the sub-shapes by calculating a resistance R of the path as:

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to combine the sub-shapes by joining the sub-shapes at the CoC and filling and smoothing overlap areas among the sub-shapes.

13. A computer program product for automatically determining power plane shape in a printed circuit board (PCB), the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

obtaining inputs, wherein the inputs include a size and shape of the PCB, a set of sources, and a set of sinks associated with a power plane;

determining a center of charge (CoC) as a center of largest current density for the set of sources and the set of sinks;

creating a sub-shape corresponding with a path from each source of the set of sources and from each sink of the set of sinks to the CoC, wherein the creating the sub-shape includes determining a width of a conductor in the path corresponding with each of the sub-shapes; and

combining the sub-shapes created for the set of sources and the set of sinks as the power plane shape, wherein the obtaining the inputs includes obtaining a location of one or more obstacles, the one or more obstacles including a via, and the creating the sub-shape includes creating one or more obstacle avoidance points to avoid one or more of the one or more obstacles.

14. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the one or more obstacles includes another component such as one of the set of sources or the set of sinks, a connector, a processor, or an integrated circuit, or a void.

15. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the obtaining the inputs includes obtaining a thickness of the conductor used to create the path for each of the sub-shapes.

16. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein the determining the width of the conductor in the path corresponding with each of the sub-shapes includes calculating a resistance R of the path as:

17. The computer program product according to claim 16, wherein the determining the width W of the conductor in the path corresponding with each of the sub-shapes includes solving for the width W based on:

18. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the combining the sub-shapes includes joining the sub-shapes at the CoC.

19. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the combining the sub-shapes includes filling and smoothing overlap areas among the sub-shapes.