Apparatus and method for selecting a printed circuit board
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsJunko Asai, Toshio Mukai, Toshihiko Nishio
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method for selecting an optimum printed circuit board in terms of its intended use before placement of components on the printed circuit board, information about components to be mounted on the printed circuit board, and an outer size of the printed circuit board is provided. The apparatus includes an input section for inputting information, a storing section for storing information, an arithmetic section for performing an arithmetic calculation using the information stored in the storing section, a display section, and a control section. By deriving an index in the arithmetic section, selection of the optimum printed circuit board can be accomplished.
Claims20
An apparatus for selecting an optimum printed circuit board in terms of intended use, said apparatus comprising:
- board information storing means for storing information about a plurality of printed circuit boards;
- component information storing means for storing information about components to be mounted on said plurality of printed circuit boards;
- pin number calculating means for deriving a total number of signal pins, a total number of power supply pins and a total number of non-connected pins based on a total number of pins of said components to be mounted on said optimum printed circuit board stored by said component information storing means;
- between-signal connection number calculating means for deriving a total number of connections between signal pins based on said total number of signal pins;
- power supply connection number calculating means for deriving a total number of connections relative to a power supply layer of said optimum printed circuit board based on said total number of power supply pins;
- minimum total wiring length calculating means for deriving a minimum total wiring length in said optimum printed circuit board based on said total number of connections between said signal pins and said board information;
- maximum total wiring length calculating means for deriving a maximum total wiring length in said optimum printed circuit board based on said total number of connections between said signal pins, said total number of connections relative to said power supply layer and said board information;
- and
- index calculating means for deriving an index representing a ratio of said maximum total wiring length to said minimum total wiring length.
A method of selecting an optimum printed circuit board in terms of intended use, said method comprising the steps of:
- storing information about a plurality of printed circuit boards;
- storing information about components to be mounted on said plurality of printed circuit boards;
- deriving a total number of signal pins, a total number of power supply pins and a total number of non-connected pins based on a total number of pins of components to be mounted on said optimum printed circuit board, which is stored in said step of storing information about components;
- deriving a total number of connections between signal pins based on said total number of signal pins;
- deriving a total number of connections relative to a power supply layer of said optimum printed circuit board based on said total number of the power supply pins;
- deriving a minimum total wiring length in said optimum printed circuit board based on said total number of connections between said signal pins and said board information;
- deriving a maximum total wiring length in said optimum printed circuit board based on said total number of connections between signal pins, said total number of connections relative to said power supply layer and said board information;
- and
- deriving an index representing a ratio of said maximum total wiring length to said minimum total wiring length.
An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing a selection of an optimum printed circuit board in terms of intended use, said computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising:
- computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect storage of information about a plurality of printed circuit boards;
- computer readable program code means for causing said computer to store information about components to be mounted on said plurality of printed circuit boards;
- computer readable program code means for causing said computer to derive a total number of signal pins, a total number of power supply pins and a total number of non-connected pins based on a total number of pins of said components to be mounted on said optimum printed circuit board stored by said component information storing means;
- computer readable program code means for causing said computer to derive a total number of connections between signal pins based on said total number of signal pins;
- computer readable program code means for causing said computer to derive a total number of connections relative to a power supply layer of said optimum printed circuit board based on said total number of power supply pins;
- computer readable program code means for causing said computer to derive a minimum total wiring length in said optimum printed circuit board based on said total number of connections between said signal pins and said board information;
- computer readable program code means for causing said computer to derive a maximum total wiring length in said optimum printed circuit board based on said total number of connections between said signal pins, said total number of connections relative to said power supply layer and said board information;
- and
- computer readable program code means for causing said computer to derive an index representing a ratio of said maximum total wiring length to said minimum total wiring length.
A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by said machine to perform method steps for selecting an optimum printed circuit board in terms of intended use, said method comprising the steps of:
- storing information about a plurality of printed circuit boards;
- storing information about components to be mounted on said plurality of printed circuit boards;
- deriving a total number of signal pins, a total number of power supply pins and a total number of non-connected pins based on a total number of pins of components to be mounted on said optimum printed circuit board, which is stored in said step of storing information about components;
- deriving a total number of connections between signal pins based on said total number of signal pins;
- deriving a total number of connections relative to a power supply layer of said optimum printed circuit board based on said total number of power supply pins;
- deriving a minimum total wiring length in said optimum printed circuit board based on said total number of the connections between said signal pins and said board information;
- deriving a maximum total wiring length in said optimum printed circuit board based on said total number of connections between signal pins, said total number of connections relative to said power supply layer and said board information;
- and
- deriving an index representing a ratio of said maximum total wiring length to said minimum total wiring length.
A method of selecting an optimum printed circuit board in terms of intended use, said method comprising the steps of:
- storing information about a plurality of printed circuit boards by a board information storing means;
- deriving a minimum total wiring length in said optimum printed circuit board based on a total number of connections between signal pins and said board information by a minimum total wiring length calculating means;
- deriving a maximum total wiring length in said optimum printed circuit board based on said total number of connections between said signal pins, a total number of connections relative to a power supply layer and said board information by a maximum total wiring length calculating means;
- deriving an index representing a ratio of said maximum total wiring length to said minimum total wiring length by an index calculating means;
- and
- utilizing said index to select said optimum printed circuit board.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.