Detecting corresponding paths in combinationally equivalent circuit designs

An apparatus having a processor, the processor being adapted to perform the following steps:

• obtaining a first circuit design and a second circuit design, wherein the first and second circuit designs are separate circuit designs, wherein the first and second circuit designs have corresponding sets of input and output elements, wherein for each pair of corresponding output elements, the first and second circuit designs define a pair of equivalent combinatorial functions to define a value of the pair of corresponding output elements, wherein the pair of equivalent combinatorial functions are each defined over a respective set of input elements;
• obtaining a path in the first circuit design, the path commencing in an input element and ending in an output element, wherein the input element and the output element are connected by combinational logic elements;
• automatically extracting, by a computer, a sensitization function of the path in the first circuit design;
• and
• automatically determining, by the computer, one or more paths in the second circuit design which are sensitized by the sensitization function of the path in the first circuit design.

A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium retaining program instructions, which instructions when read by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

• obtaining a first circuit design and a second circuit design, wherein the first and second circuit designs are separate circuit designs, wherein the first and second circuit designs have corresponding sets of input and output elements, wherein for each pair of corresponding output elements, the first and second circuit designs define a pair of equivalent combinatorial functions to define a value of the pair of corresponding output elements, wherein the pair of equivalent combinatorial functions are each defined over a respective set of input elements;
• obtaining a path in the first circuit design, the path commencing in an input element and ending in an output element, wherein the input element and the output element are connected by combinational logic elements;
• automatically extracting, by a computer, a sensitization function of the path in the first circuit design;
• and automatically determining, by the computer, one or more paths in the second circuit design which are sensitized by the sensitization function of the path in the first circuit design.