Printed circuit board layout system and method thereof

• US 8,201,135 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2010
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Sheng, Xiao-Cheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Doan, Nghia
• Application Number:
  US12/780,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20110107282A1
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: 716100-102, 716111-112, 716136-137, 716/139, 438/11, 29739-741, 29747-749, 703 13- 14, 703 21- 22
• US Class Current: 716/137
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/39 Circuit design at the physical level physical level design for reconfigurable circuits G06F30/347
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53017 Web or strand-carried information supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53174 Means to fasten electrical component to wiring board, base, or substrate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53183 Multilead component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53209 Terminal or connector
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53213 Assembled to wire-type conductor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53217 Means to simultaneously assemble multiple, independent conductors to terminal

Abstract

A method for managing error information of a printed circuit board layout system is provided. The system provides an error file recording names of all the errors to be displayed in wiring diagrams, generates wiring diagram files, outputs a first user interface showing one wiring diagram. Each of the wiring diagram files includes an attribute table for describing error information. The attribute table comprises the names and the set of coordinates. The method comprises obtaining the error file and the attribute table, outputting a second user interface comprising a first display area and a second display area, outputting the name in the first display area, analyzing the obtained attribute table to provide a classifying table. Then outputting one selected name and at least one set of coordinates corresponding to the one selected name in the second display area according to the classifying table. A related system is also provided.

Claims

1. A printed circuit board layout system, comprising:

a storage unit storing an error file listing names of all the errors which the system is able to check and a plurality of function modules; and

a processor unit executing the plurality of function modules;

wherein the plurality of function modules comprises;

a PCB layout module configured to generate wiring diagram files according to input wiring diagrams, output a first user interface showing a wiring diagram that has been opened, and further check for one or more errors in opened wiring diagram files, wherein each of the wiring diagram files comprises an attribute table therein for storing information of any errors found, the attribute table comprises names and set of coordinates of errors found;

an error information management module, comprising;

an obtaining sub-module configured to obtain the error file and the attribute table of one opened wiring diagram file in response to user input;

an output sub-module configured to output a second user interface comprising a first display area and a second display area, wherein the output sub-module outputs the error file in the first display area; and

a classifying sub-module configured to analyze the obtained attribute table to provide a classifying table, wherein the classifying table comprise a name column and a coordinate column, each name corresponds to at least one set of coordinates;

the output sub-module further configured to output a selected name and the at least one set of coordinates corresponding to the selected name in the second display area according to the classifying table;

the output sub-module is further configured to output number boxes indicating occurrences of errors associated with names in the first display area, each of the names corresponds to one number box, and the initial number in each of the number boxes is zero;

the plurality of the function modules further comprises a computing module configured for counting how many sets of coordinates are there for each name in the classifying table, and the output sub-module is further configured to output the counts in corresponding number boxes.

2. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the plurality of the function modules further comprises a judging sub-module configured for checking for a count greater than zero in each box, and if the number in one number box is zero, the output sub-module causes the checkbox corresponding to the one number box to be not selectable, and if the number in one number box is greater than zero, the output sub-module causes the checkbox corresponding to the one number box to be selectable.

3. The system as described in claim 1, wherein if one set of displayed coordinate is selected, the output sub-module highlights the set of coordinate, and the module highlights the error marker corresponding to the selected set of coordinates in the first user interface in the displayed wiring diagram.

4. A method for managing error information of a printed circuit board layout system, the method comprising:

providing, a system, an error file listing names of all the errors which the printed circuit board system is able to check, generate wiring diagram files according to input wiring diagrams, output a first user interface showing one wiring diagram when the wiring diagram file of the one wiring diagram that has been opened, and further check for one or more errors in opened wiring diagram files, each of the wiring diagram files comprises an attribute table for storing information of any errors found, the attribute table comprising names and set of coordinates of errors found;

obtaining the error file and the attribute table of one opened wiring diagram file in response to user input;

outputting number boxes in the first display area, wherein each of the names corresponds to one number box, and the initial number of each of the number boxes is zero;

outputting a second user interface comprising a first display area and a second display area, and outputting the error file in the first display area;

analyzing the obtained attribute table to provide a classifying table, wherein the classifying table comprise a name column and a coordinate column, each name corresponds to at least one set of coordinates;

counting how many set of coordinates are there for each name in the classifying table and outputting the counts in corresponding number boxes; and

outputting a selected name and the at least one set of coordinates corresponding to the selected name in the second display area according to the classifying table.

5. The method for managing the error information of the printed circuit board layout system as described in claim 4 further comprising:

checking for a count greater than zero in each box;

causing the checkbox corresponding to the one number box to be not selectable if the number in one number box is zero; and

causing the checkbox corresponding to the one number box to be selectable if the number in one number box is greater than zero.

6. The method for managing error information of the printed circuit board layout system as described in claim 4 further comprising:

highlighting a selected set of coordinates and highlighting the error marker corresponding to the selected set of coordinate in the first user interface in the displayed wiring diagram.