Thermal Relief Automation

An information handling system comprising:

• one or more processors;
• a memory coupled to at least one of the processors;
• a set of computer program instructions stored in the memory and executed by at least one of the processors in order to perform actions of:
• retrieving a circuit board file that identifies a plurality of power plane thru pin locations and one or more power plane layers;
• selecting one of the plurality of power plane thru pin locations and one of the one or more power plane layers;
• identifying one or more electrical properties corresponding to an electronic component assigned to the selected power plane thru pin location;
• computing, by one or more processors, a conductive material exclusion amount based upon the one or more identified electrical properties, wherein the conductive material exclusion amount indicates an amount of area on the selected power plane layer to exclude substantially conductive material;
• creating, by one or more of the processors, a thermal relief pattern based upon the computed conductive material exclusion amount, wherein the thermal relief pattern identifies one or more conductive material voids on the selected power plane layer to exclude the substantially conductive material in proximity to the selected power point thru pin location;
• and
• adjusting the thermal relief pattern in response to determining that one or more of the conductive material voids affects one or more data signals that propagate along one or more signal tracks in proximity to the selected power plane thru pin location.

A computer program product stored in a computer readable storage device, comprising computer program code that, when executed by an information handling system, causes the information handling system to perform actions comprising:

• retrieving a circuit board file that identifies a plurality of power plane thru pin locations and one or more power plane layers;
• selecting one of the plurality of power plane thru pin locations and one of the one or more power plane layers;
• identifying one or more electrical properties corresponding to an electronic component assigned to the selected power plane thru pin location;
• computing, by one or more processors, a conductive material exclusion amount based upon the one or more identified electrical properties, wherein the conductive material exclusion amount indicates an amount of area on the selected power plane layer to exclude substantially conductive material;
• creating, by one or more of the processors, a thermal relief pattern based upon the computed conductive material exclusion amount, wherein the thermal relief pattern identifies one or more conductive material voids on the selected power plane layer to exclude the substantially conductive material in proximity to the selected power point thru pin location;
• and
• adjusting the thermal relief pattern in response to determining that one or more of the conductive material voids affects one or more data signals that propagate along one or more signal tracks in proximity to the selected power plane thru pin location.

A computer-implemented method comprising:

• retrieving a circuit board file that identifies a plurality of power plane thru pin locations and one or more power plane layers;
• selecting one of the plurality of power plane thru pin locations and one of the one or more power plane layers;
• identifying one or more electrical properties corresponding to an electronic component assigned to the selected power plane thru pin location;
• computing a maximum current density corresponding to the electronic component;
• computing, by one or more processors, a conductive material exclusion amount based upon the computed maximum current density, wherein the conductive material exclusion amount indicates an amount of area on the selected power plane layer to exclude substantially conductive material;
• generating a thermal relief shape utilizing one or more thermal properties that correspond to the selected power plane thru pin location, wherein the thermal relief shape identifies a conductive material void on the selected power plane layer to exclude the substantially conductive material in proximity to the selected power point thru pin location;
• determining a quantity of the thermal relief shapes to include in a thermal relief pattern by comparing the conductive material voids with the computed conductive material exclusion amount;
• creating, by one or more of the processors, a thermal relief pattern utilizing the quantity of thermal relief shapes;
• and
• adjusting the thermal relief pattern in response to determining that one or more of the conductive material voids affects one or more data signals that propagate along one or more signal tracks in proximity to the selected power plane thru pin location.