Circuit validation for circuits comprising multiple possible variants for individual components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10929582-B2
Application number	US-201716089408-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2017
Priority date	Mar 31, 2016
Publication date	Feb 23, 2021
Grant date	Feb 23, 2021

Abstract

Circuits may be designed using computer aided design tools and may comprise a plurality of different possible variants of individual components. These multi-variant component circuits may be validated to identify potential problems by generating an aggregate parametric model for the multi-variant components and then using the aggregate parametric model in applying tests to different connection networks of the circuit definition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a memory for storing instructions; and
a processor for executing the instructions, which when executed configure the system to carry out a method comprising:
accessing a circuit definition of a circuit design stored in memory of the computing system, the circuit definition comprising:
connection network definitions of a plurality of circuit components with respective pins connected together; and
indications of one or more electronic components providing each circuit component, each of the electronic components associated with an existing parametric model comprising at least one operating parameter and associated operating parameter value of the respective electronic component;

identifying, as multi-variant circuit components, those circuit components within the circuit definition that are provided by a plurality of possible variant electronic components;
for each multi-variant component, generating an aggregate parametric model for the multi-variant component from the respective parametric models associated with each of the plurality of possible variant electronic components;
retrieving one or more circuit tests to apply to the circuit definition, each of the circuit tests defining operating parameters used by the respective circuit test; and
applying the one or more circuit tests to the circuit definition of the circuit design using operating parameter values from aggregate parametric models for multi-variant components or operating parameter values from parametric models for circuit components.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more applied circuit tests identifies at least one potential issue in the circuit design, the memory storing instructions for further configuring the processor to prompt display results of applying the one or more circuit tests including the at least one identified potential issue in the circuit design.

3. The system of claim 2 , further comprising a computer display, wherein the results are displayed within a circuit design tool displayed on the computer display.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein generating each of the aggregate parametric models for the multi-variant components comprises:
combining operating parameter values from the respective parametric models of each of the plurality of possible variant electronic components of the respective multi-variant components together into a range of operating parameter values.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein combining operating parameter values together so that the highest operating parameter value of the plurality of respective parametric models is the highest operating parameter value of the operating parameter value range of the aggregate parametric model and the lowest operating parameter value of the plurality of respective parametric models is the lowest operating parameter value of the operating parameter value range of the aggregate parametric model.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein combining operating parameter values together so that the operating parameter value range of the aggregate parametric model comprises a range of common operating parameter values common to the plurality of respective parametric models.

7. The system of claim 4 , wherein applying the one or more circuit tests comprises:
selecting the operating parameter value to use in applying the respective test from the operating parameter value range of aggregate parametric model for multi-variant components.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the one or more circuit tests provide an indication of an operating parameter value to select from the operating parameter value range.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the indication of the operating parameter value is either the highest value of the operating parameter value range or the lowest value of the operating parameter value range.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein retrieving and applying the circuit tests to the circuit definition comprises retrieving and applying one or more circuit test to apply to each of the connection networks of the circuit definition.

11. A method comprising:
accessing, by a computing system, a circuit definition of a circuit design stored in memory of the computing system, the circuit definition comprising:
connection network definitions of a plurality of circuit components with respective pins connected together; and
indications of one or more electronic components providing each circuit component, each of the electronic components associated with an existing parametric model comprising at least one operating parameter and associated operating parameter value of the respective electronic component;

identifying, by the computing system, those circuit components within the circuit definition that are provided by a plurality of possible variant electronic components as multi-variant circuit components;
generating, by the computing system, an aggregate parametric model for each multi-variant component from the respective parametric models associated with each of the plurality of possible variant electronic components;
retrieving, by the computing system, one or more circuit tests to apply to the circuit definition, each of the circuit tests defining operating parameters used by the respective circuit test; and
applying, by the computing system, the one or more circuit tests to the circuit definition of the circuit design using operating parameter values from aggregate parametric models for multi-variant components or operating parameter values from parametric models for circuit components.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the one or more applied circuit tests identifies at least one potential issue in the circuit design, the method further comprising:
displaying, by the computing system, results of applying the one or more circuit tests including the at least one identified potential issue in the circuit design.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the results are displayed within a circuit design tool on a computer display.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein generating each of the aggregate parametric models for the multi-variant components comprises:
combining operating parameter values from the respective parametric models of each of the plurality of possible variant electronic components of the respective multi-variant components together into a range of operating parameter values.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein combining operating parameter values together so that the highest operating parameter value of the plurality of respective parametric models is the highest operating parameter value of the operating parameter value range of the aggregate parametric model and the lowest operating parameter value of the plurality of respective parametric models is the lowest operating parameter value of the operating parameter value range of the aggregate parametric model.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein combining operating parameter values together so that the operating parameter value range of the aggregate parametric model comprises a range of common operating parameter values common to the plurality of respective parametric models.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein applying the one or more circuit tests comprises:
selecting the operating parameter value to use in applying the respective test from the operating parameter value range of aggregate parametric model for multi-variant components.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the one or more circuit tests provide an indication of an operating parameter v

Assignees

• Mentor Graphics Corp

Inventors

• Alam Michael

Classifications

• G06F30/33 Primary

  Design verification, e.g. functional simulation or model checking · CPC title

• G06F30/333

  Design for testability [DFT], e.g. scan chain or built-in self-test [BIST] · CPC title

• G06F30/367

  Design verification, e.g. using simulation, simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis [SPICE], direct methods or relaxation methods · CPC title

• G06F11/261 Primary

  by simulating additional hardware, e.g. fault simulation · CPC title

• G06F30/347

  Physical level, e.g. placement or routing · CPC title