Component-based analog and mixed-signal simulation model development

A computer-readable medium encoded with a suite of software tools for interactively creating and revising a simulation model for modeling analog and mixed signal digital-analog physical circuits and systems, the software tools comprising:

• a model editor for interactive creation and revision of the simulation model, the model editor including a topology editor and an equation editor, cross-linked to one another and providing a graphical user interface so as to allow said creation and revision of the simulation model;
• a model database coupled to the model editor for storing a representation of the simulation model;
• and
• the model editor further including at least one model robustness tool for assisting the user in creating and revising the simulation model without having to repeat execution of the simulation model.

A computer-readable medium encoded with a software system for modeling analog and mixed signal digital-analog physical circuits and systems, comprising:

• a model editor for interactive creation and revision of a simulation model, the model editor including a topology editor and an equation editor, cross-linked to one another and providing a graphical user interface so as to allow said creation and revision of the simulation model without the user writing or editing the simulation model in a hardware description computer programming language;
• a model database coupled to the model editor for storing a representation of the simulation model;
• a hardware description language code generator coupled to the model database for generating a hardware description language representation of the stored simulation model;
• and
• a simulator arranged to receive the hardware description language representation of the simulation model and execute the simulation model.

A computer-readable medium encoded with a model editor software tool for creating and revising a representation of a simulation model for modeling analog and mixed-signal physical circuits and systems, the model editor comprising:

• an equation editor for defining one or more relationships within the model and for displaying the defined relationships in an equation editor screen display;
• a topology editor for defining a set of symbols and for displaying the defined set of symbols in a topology editor screen display, and further for interconnecting the symbols in the topology editor screen display so as to define a topology of the model, each of the symbols being associated with a corresponding one of the relationships defined in the equation editor;
• means for cross-linking the equation editor and the topology editor so as to identify and highlight the corresponding symbol in the topology editor screen display in response to a user selection of a model instance in the equation editor screen display;
• and, conversely, so as to identify and highlight a corresponding model instance in the equation editor screen display in response to a user selection of a symbol in the topology editor screen display;
• and
• means for model parameter management, the model parameter management means including means for displaying valid operating regions, default values and parameter descriptions of the simulation model.