US 7,735,036 B2Granted

System and method enabling circuit topology recognition with auto-interactive constraint application and smart checking

AssigneeCadence Design Systems, Inc.

InventorsIan Campbell Dennison, Mark Baker, Bogdan Arsintescu, Donald John O'Riordan

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Abstract

A computer-implemented method of identifying sub-circuits in circuit designs includes: receiving a selection of a sub-circuit; specifying a match expression for the sub-circuit, where the match expression characterizes matching properties of components of the sub-circuit; modifying the match expression to change the matching properties of components of the sub-circuit; and producing an information structure in a computer readable medium, where the information structure associates a graph representing a topology of the selected sub-circuit with the modified match expression. Subsequently, the information structure corresponding to the selected sub-circuit can be identified in a given circuit design.

Claims26

Dependent claims

A computer-implemented method of identifying sub-circuits in circuit designs comprising:

receiving a selection of a sub-circuit;
generating a graph that specifies a topology for the sub-circuit;
specifying a match expression for the sub-circuit, wherein the match expression characterizes matching properties of components of the sub-circuit;
using a computer for modifying the match expression to change the matching properties of components of the sub-circuit;
using the computer for producing an information structure in a computer-readable medium, wherein the information structure associates the graph with the modified match expression and the information structure includes a constraint group associated with the sub-circuit, the constraint group including one or more constraints for components of the sub-circuit;
using the information structure to identify in a circuit design one or more sub-circuit instances having a topology corresponding to the graph and components corresponding to the modified match expression;
using a graphical user interface to present one or more of the identified sub-circuit instances;
and
using the graphical user interface to receive instruction as to application of the constraint group to the one or more presented sub-circuit instances.

6 more elements

An article of manufacture encoded with computer readable code to cause a computer system to perform a method of identifying sub-circuits in circuit designs, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of a sub-circuit;
generating a graph that specifies a topology for the sub-circuit;
specifying a match expression for the sub-circuit, wherein the match expression characterizes matching properties of components of the sub-circuit;
modifying the match expression to change the matching properties of components of the sub-circuit;
producing an information structure in a computer-readable medium, wherein the information structure associates the graph with the modified match expression and the information structure includes a constraint group associated with the sub-circuit, the constraint group including one or more constraints for components of the sub-circuit;
using the information structure to identify in a circuit design one or more sub-circuit instances having a topology corresponding to the graph and components corresponding to the modified match expression;
using a graphical user interface to present one or more of the identified sub-circuit instances;
and
using the graphical user interface to receive instruction as to application of the constraint group to the one or more presented sub-circuit instances.

6 more elements

A computer system including a processor with memory and a computer-program medium that stores executable instructions for performing a method of identifying sub-circuits in circuit designs, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of a sub-circuit;
generating a graph that specifies a topology for the sub-circuit;
specifying a match expression for the sub-circuit, wherein the match expression characterizes matching properties of components of the sub-circuit;
modifying the match expression to change the matching properties of components of the sub-circuit;
producing an information structure in a computer-readable medium, wherein the information structure associates the graph with the modified match expression and the information structure includes a constraint group associated with the sub-circuit, the constraint group including one or more constraints for components of the sub-circuit;
using the information structure to identify in a circuit design one or more sub-circuit instances having a topology corresponding to the graph and components corresponding to the modified match expression;
using a graphical user interface to present one or more of the identified sub-circuit instances;
and
using the graphical user interface to receive instruction as to application of the constraint group to the one or more presented sub-circuit instances.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.