JP2022020189A - Net list generator - Google Patents

Abstract

To evaluate a circuit with a few burden on a worker, and design the circuit with a high degree of accuracy.SOLUTION: A net list generator includes: a circuit processing unit which extracts wiring connected to electronic components from first circuit data including information on the electronic components and the wiring which connects the electronic components, and creates second circuit data to which a resistor or a capacitor having a value set in the extracted extraction wiring is added; and a net list creation unit which creates a net list for simulating the flow of electricity of the circuit, based on the second circuit data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a netlist generator.

A circuit is designed, for example, by creating a circuit drawing showing a physical layout and creating a netlist showing an electrical connection relationship from the circuit drawing. Patent Document 1 describes a netlist generation device for a circuit having a repeating configuration as a device for creating a netlist with a small amount of data.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-235920

Here, after designing the circuit, in order to evaluate whether it works properly, an electrical simulation is performed on the netlist to evaluate whether the circuit allows an electric signal to flow properly or whether there is a defect in the circuit. When simulating using a netlist, the simulation cannot be executed if there is a part of the circuit configuration expressed by the netlist that does not have a solution. If the simulation cannot be executed, it is necessary to check the netlist and the circuit drawing to find the part where the defect occurs, and to process the circuit within the range that does not affect the simulation, which is a burden on the worker.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and provides a netlist generator capable of evaluating a circuit with a small burden on an operator and designing the circuit with high accuracy. With the goal.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the netlist generator according to the present disclosure is connected to the electronic component from the first circuit data including information on the wiring connecting the electronic component and the electronic component. The circuit processing unit that extracts the wiring and creates the second circuit data to which the resistor or capacitor of the value set in the extracted wiring is added, and the electric of the circuit based on the second circuit data. Includes a netlist creation unit, which creates a netlist for simulating the flow.

It is preferable that the circuit processing section adds the resistance in series to the wiring in which the loop is formed and no component is arranged in the path forming the loop.

The resistance is preferably a resistance value smaller than the resistance value of the electronic component included in the first circuit data.

It is preferable to add a grounded capacitor to the wiring which is arranged inside the electronic component, has both ends connected to the outside, and is not connected to other electronic components inside.

According to the present invention, the circuit can be evaluated with a small burden on the operator, and the circuit can be designed with high accuracy.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the circuit design device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a circuit design method using a circuit design device. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a netlist creation method. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing another example of the netlist creation method. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a method of creating a netlist. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a method of creating a netlist. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a method of creating a netlist.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the circuit design device according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the circuit design device 10 executes a circuit drawing, a netlist that can be used for simulation, and a simulation. The circuit design device 10 of the present embodiment will be described as a case where a circuit drawing is created, a netlist that can be used for simulation is created, and a simulation is executed by one device, but each is executed by another device. You may. That is, the circuit design device 10 has the functions of a circuit drawing creating device for creating a circuit drawing, a netlist creating device for creating a netlist that can be used for simulation, and a simulation device for executing simulation. It may be another device.

The circuit design device 10 includes an input unit 12, an output unit 14, a communication unit 16, a processing unit 18, and a storage unit 20. The circuit design device 10 is a device in which an input / output means is in the hands of an operator and executes various arithmetic processes based on the input, and is, for example, a personal computer, a tablet, a cloud computer, or the like. The circuit design device 10 includes an input unit 12, an output unit 14, a communication unit 16, a processing unit 18, and a storage unit 20.

The input unit 12 is a device that detects the input of the operator. As the input unit 12, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, a microphone (voice detection device), a camera (gesture detection device), and the like can be used. The output unit 14 is a device that outputs various information to the operator, and is a display device such as a monitor and an audio output device such as a speaker. The communication unit 16 communicates with other electronic devices and transmits / receives data. The communication unit 16 preferentially communicates wirelessly. Further, the circuit design device 10 may include a USB terminal or the like for exchanging data with a recording medium.

The processing unit 18 includes an arithmetic unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processing unit 18 executes processing by executing a program stored in the storage unit 20. The processing unit 18 includes a circuit drawing creation unit 32, a model creation unit 34, a circuit processing unit 35, and a simulation execution unit 36.

The circuit drawing creation unit 32 creates a circuit drawing (first drawing data) based on the input of the operator. The circuit drawing creation unit 32 executes software for creating a circuit drawing stored in the storage unit 20, and executes a circuit drawing creation process by acquiring information based on an operator's input. The circuit drawing is data in which information on the physical arrangement of electronic components and wiring is associated with each other.

The model creation unit (netlist creation unit) 34 creates a netlist based on the data of the circuit drawing. That is, the model creation unit 34 converts the circuit drawing into a netlist. The netlist is a model of the designed circuit to be processed by the simulation.

The circuit processing unit 35 performs processing for adding parts to the circuit drawing or the netlist. At the time of executing the simulation, the circuit processing unit 35 adds at least one of a resistance and a capacitor to the wiring that can be calculated and satisfies the conditions. The circuit drawing and netlist processed by the circuit processing unit 35 become the second drawing data.

The simulation execution unit 36 is created by the model creation unit 34, simulates the netlist processed by the circuit processing unit 35, and executes a determination process of whether or not the circuit of the netlist operates. The simulation executed by the simulation execution unit 36 is not particularly limited, and various simulations for operating the circuit can be used.

The storage unit 20 is a device that stores data such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read only memory). The storage unit 20 includes a component database 42, a conversion database 44, and a processing condition database 46.

The component database 42 stores information on electronic components and wiring to be mounted on the circuit drawing. As the information of the electronic component, the name, size, shape, number of terminals, position, connection state inside each terminal, and the function (resistance, capacity, etc.) of the electronic component connected to each terminal internally are stored. To. The component database 42 also stores information on the netlist for each electronic component and wiring.

The conversion database 44 stores a conversion list, which is data for converting circuit drawing information into a netlist. The conversion database 44 has conversion rules for converting circuit components into netlist information on a circuit drawing and conversion rules for converting wiring connecting electronic components on a circuit drawing to netlist information. It will be remembered.

The processing condition database 46 stores conditions for adding parts in the circuit processing unit 35. Here, as the electronic component to be added, a resistance and a capacitor are exemplified. In addition, the characteristics and placement positions of the electronic components to be added are set so as not to substantially affect the result of the netlist simulation. The machining condition database 46 includes conditions for adding resistors or capacitors to the wiring based on at least one of the information in the schematic and netlist. Specific conditions include installing a resistor or impedance element (resistor, coil, capacitor) in the wiring at the connection between the connector and external components, forming a loop, and nothing in the path that forms the loop. Place a resistor in the wiring where the component is not placed, a capacitor or a capacitor that is placed inside the electronic component and is grounded to the wiring where both ends are connected to the outside and no other electronic component is connected inside. Add impedance elements (resistors, coils, capacitors), etc.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a circuit design method using a circuit design device. The circuit design device 10 detects an operator's operation, executes various processes, creates a circuit designed by the operator, and performs a confirmation process of confirming whether the created circuit operates properly.

Next, the processing operation executed by the circuit design device 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7. First, a circuit creating method executed by the circuit design device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. In the process shown in FIG. 2, the circuit design device 10 detects the input of the operator and executes various processes.

The circuit design device 10 creates a circuit drawing (step S12). Specifically, the circuit design device 10 creates a circuit drawing including information on the physical arrangement of electronic components and wiring in the circuit drawing creation unit 32 based on the input detected by the input unit 12. The circuit drawing creation unit 32 executes software for creating a circuit drawing, displays a selection screen of the component database 42, and creates a circuit drawing. The circuit drawing creation unit 32 arranges the component at a designated position by a drop-and-drag operation on the selected component. Further, the circuit drawing creation unit 32 arranges the wiring based on the operation of connecting the electronic components with the pointer of the mouse.

The circuit design device 10 creates a netlist (step S14). The circuit design device 10 converts the data of the circuit drawing into a netlist by the model creation unit 34. Further, the circuit design device 10 adds electronic components at positions satisfying the conditions of the processing condition database 46 in the circuit processing unit 35. This point will be described later.

The circuit design device 10 executes the simulation (step S16). The circuit design device 10 analyzes the netlist by the simulation execution unit 36. The simulation execution unit 36 determines whether the netlist circuit operates properly. When the simulation execution unit 36 detects a defective position in the netlist circuit, it generates information indicating the position, for example, error log information. The circuit design device 10 outputs a simulation result (step S18). The circuit design device 10 outputs the simulation result to the output unit 14. The simulation results include the judgment result of whether or not the circuit operates properly, the information of the signal output by executing the simulation of the circuit, the position where the defect is detected when the defect is detected, and the like.

Next, the process of step S14 of the circuit design method, that is, the process of creating a netlist from the circuit drawing will be specifically described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a netlist creation method. The process shown in FIG. 3 is a specific example of the process of converting a circuit drawing into a netlist. The process shown in FIG. 3 is executed by the model creation unit 34 and the circuit processing unit 35.

The model creation unit 34 acquires the data of the circuit drawing (step S22). That is, the model creation unit 34 acquires the information of the circuit drawing, which is the information indicating the physical arrangement of the electronic components created by the circuit drawing creation unit 32. The model creation unit 34 acquires the conversion list (step S24). That is, the model creation unit 34 acquires the information of the conversion list from the conversion database 44. The model creation unit 34 converts the circuit drawing data into a netlist based on the conversion list (step S26). The model creation unit 34 executes the above processing to create a netlist corresponding to the created circuit drawing.

The circuit processing unit 35 executes additional processing of components for the circuit based on the converted netlist information. The circuit processing unit 35 acquires a processing condition database (step S28). Next, the circuit processing unit 35 extracts the determination target (step S30). That is, the circuit processing unit 35 acquires a part of information as a judgment target, specifically, information about one electronic component and one wiring of the netlist from the information included in the netlist.

The circuit processing unit 35 determines whether or not it is an object to be processed (step S32). The circuit processing unit 35 determines whether or not the determination target satisfies the condition for adding a component. When the circuit processing unit 35 determines that the processing target is not (No in step S32), the circuit processing unit 35 proceeds to step S36. When the circuit processing unit 35 determines that the processing target is (Yes in step S32), the circuit processing unit 35 adds a component to the determination target (step S34) and proceeds to step S36. That is, the circuit processing unit 35 adds the resistance at the position where it is determined to add the resistor, and adds the capacitor at the position where it is determined to add the capacitor.

The circuit processing unit 35 determines whether or not the determination of all objects has been completed (step S36). The circuit processing unit 35 determines whether or not it has been determined whether or not to add a component for all the determination targets. When the circuit processing unit 35 determines that the determination of all objects has not been completed (No in step S36), the circuit processing unit 35 proceeds to step S30. When it is determined that the determination of all the objects is completed (Yes in step S36), the circuit processing unit 35 ends this process.

In this way, the circuit design device 10 determines whether to add a component for each of the determination targets of the netlist in the circuit processing unit 35, and adds the component at the position determined to be necessary.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing another example of the netlist creation method. In the process shown in FIG. 3, the circuit processing unit 35 executes the determination process for the netlist, but may execute an additional process for the component with respect to the information in the circuit drawing.

The model creation unit 34 acquires the data of the circuit drawing (step S22). That is, the model creation unit 34 acquires the information of the circuit drawing, which is the information indicating the physical arrangement of the electronic components created by the circuit drawing creation unit 32.

The circuit processing unit 35 executes additional processing of components for the circuit based on the information in the circuit drawing. The circuit processing unit 35 acquires a parts database (step S54). The circuit processing unit 35 acquires information in the component database in order to determine the electronic components included in the circuit drawing. Next, the circuit processing unit 35 acquires a processing condition database (step S56). Next, the circuit processing unit 35 extracts the determination target (step S58). That is, the circuit processing unit 35 acquires a part of information as a judgment target, specifically, information about one electronic component and one wiring of the circuit drawing from the information of the electronic component and the wiring included in the circuit drawing.

The circuit processing unit 35 determines whether or not the processing target is to be processed (step S60). The circuit processing unit 35 determines whether or not the determination target satisfies the condition for adding a component. When the circuit processing unit 35 determines that the processing target is not (No in step S60), the circuit processing unit 35 proceeds to step S64. When the circuit processing unit 35 determines that the processing target is (Yes in step S60), the circuit processing unit 35 adds a component to the determination target (step S62) and proceeds to step S64. That is, the circuit processing unit 35 adds the resistance at the position where it is determined to add the resistor, and adds the capacitor at the position where it is determined to add the capacitor.

The circuit processing unit 35 determines whether or not the determination of all objects has been completed (step S64). The circuit processing unit 35 determines whether or not it has been determined whether or not to add a component for all the determination targets. When the circuit processing unit 35 determines that the determination of all objects has not been completed (No in step S64), the circuit processing unit 35 proceeds to step S58. When the circuit processing unit 35 determines that the determination of all objects is completed (Yes in step S64), the circuit processing unit 35 proceeds to step S68.

The model creation unit 34 acquires the conversion list (step S68). That is, the model creation unit 34 acquires the information of the conversion list from the conversion database 44. The model creation unit 34 converts the circuit drawing data into a netlist based on the conversion list (step S70). The model creation unit 34 executes the above processing to create a netlist corresponding to the circuit drawing created and the circuit processing unit 35 has executed the processing of adding a non-defective item.

In this way, the circuit design device 10 determines whether to add a component for each of the determination targets of the circuit drawing by the circuit processing unit 35, and adds the component at the position determined to be necessary.

5 to 7 are explanatory diagrams for explaining a method of creating a netlist, respectively. 5 to 7 show in a circuit diagram an example of additional processing of electronic components performed by the circuit processing unit 35 of the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram before processing, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are circuit drawings after processing, respectively.

The circuit model 100 shown in FIG. 5 includes a power supply 110 and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 112 to which power is supplied from the power supply 110. The circuit model 100 is an example, and the target is not limited to the ECU 112. The power supply 110 is a DC power supply that supplies a voltage of DC 12V.

The ECU 112 controls the electric power supplied to the actuator such as a motor, and controls the operation of the actuator. The ECU 112 includes a connector 114, a power supply circuit 116, an actuator drive circuit 118, a CAN transceiver (controller area network transceiver) 120, and an MPU (Micro-processing unit) 122.

The connector 114 is a connection terminal and connects the power supply 110 and each part inside the ECU 112. The connector 114 is connected to the power supply 110 via wirings 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, 140, 142. Each wiring is a wiring that transmits a control signal and a wiring that is a power line that transmits electric power. The connector 114 connects the power supply 110 and the power supply circuit 116, and connects the CAN transceiver 120 of the power supply 110.

The power supply circuit 116 is connected to the power line of the power supply 110 via the connector 114, and is connected to the actuator drive circuit 118. The power supply circuit 116 is a circuit that converts the electric power supplied from the power supply 110 into electric power that can be supplied to the actuator drive circuit 118. For example, the power supply circuit 116 is a circuit that converts direct current into alternating current and a circuit that converts voltage value. The actuator drive circuit 118 is a circuit for driving the actuator. When the actuator is a motor, it is a circuit connected to the coil of the motor.

The CAN transceiver 120 receives a control signal supplied from the power supply 110. The MPC 122 controls the operation of each unit based on the signal received by the CAN transceiver 120. Each part of the circuit model 100 is connected as described above.

In the circuit design device 10 of the present embodiment, the circuit processing unit 35 specifies a target position, and an electronic component is added to the specified position. FIG. 6 is an example of the case where the setting for installing a resistor in the wiring of the connection portion between the connector and the external component is enabled in the machining condition database 46. In this case, the circuit model 100a shown in FIG. 6 has one resistance 150a, 150b, 150c, 150d, 150e for each of the wirings 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, 140, 142 connecting the connector 114 and the power supply 110, respectively. , 150f, 150g are added. As a result, resistance is formed in the wiring connecting the connector 114 and the outside. Further, in the case of the present embodiment, the resistors 150b and 150c are also arranged in the loop formed by the wiring 132 and the wiring 134, and the resistances 150c and 150e are also arranged in the loop formed by the wiring 136 and the wiring 138. ..

FIG. 7 shows the machining condition database 46, in which a resistor is installed in the wiring of the connection portion between the connector and the external component, and the capacitor is arranged inside the electronic component, both ends are connected to the outside, and the other components are internally formed. This is an example of the case where the setting to add a grounded capacitor to the wiring to which electronic components are not connected is enabled. In this case, the circuit model 100b shown in FIG. 7 has one resistance 150a, 150b, 150c, 150d, 150e for each of the wirings 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, 140, 142 connecting the connector 114 and the power supply 110, respectively. , 150f, 150g are added. As a result, resistance is formed in the wiring connecting the connector 114 and the outside. The resistors are placed in series with the wiring. Further, in the circuit model 100b, a capacitor 160a is arranged between the wiring 130 and the wiring 131 connected by the connector 114. In the circuit model 100b, the capacitor 160b is arranged between the wiring 132 and the wiring 133 connected by the connector 114. In the circuit model 100b, the capacitor 160c is arranged between the wiring 134 and the wiring 135 connected by the connector 114. In the circuit model 100b, the capacitor 160d is arranged between the wiring 136 and the wiring 137 connected by the connector 114. In the circuit model 100b, the capacitor 160e is arranged between the wiring 138 and the wiring 139 connected by the connector 114. In the circuit model 100b, the capacitor 160f is arranged between the wiring 140 and the wiring 141 connected by the connector 114. In the circuit model 100b, a capacitor 160 g is arranged between the wiring 142 and the wiring 143 connected by the connector 114.

Capacitors 160a, 160b, 160c, 160d, 160e, 160f, 160g are arranged inside the connector 114, one end connected to each wiring and the other end installed.

As described above, in the circuit design device 10 according to the present embodiment, when the circuit model used for the simulation is created, the circuit processing unit 35 executes a determination process for each part of the circuit drawing or the netlist, and the processing condition database. By adding electronic components at positions that match 46, it is possible to create a circuit model in which simulation can be executed. That is, in the circuit hair design device 10, by adding parts in the circuit processing unit 35, when the simulation is executed by the simulation execution unit 36, each part of the circuit model is not affected in the configuration of the circuit drawing. A value can be given, and it is possible to suppress the configuration in which no solution is obtained during simulation.

Specifically, by forming a loop and arranging a resistor in a wiring in which no component is arranged in the path forming the loop, a model in which calculation can be performed can be made. Further, as in the present embodiment, by installing a resistor in the wiring of the connection between the connector and the external component, it is possible to suppress the formation of a loop. Further, although the connector is used in the present embodiment, other than the connector, the component may be connected to the component and a resistor may be provided in the wiring in which the other component is not arranged.

Further, the calculation is executed by arranging the grounded capacitor in the wiring of the electronic component in which the components such as the resistor, the capacitor, and the coil are not arranged inside as in the present embodiment and only the wiring is set. It can be a possible model. Further, by arranging a grounded capacitor, the influence on the simulation can be made smaller than that of providing a resistance.

Here, the resistance (additional resistance) added by the circuit processing unit 35 is set to 1/100 or less of the resistance set in the netlist (for example, the input resistance of the IC when the IC is provided as an electronic component). Is preferable. Further, it is also preferable that the resistance (additional resistance) added by the circuit processing unit 35 is the minimum resistance value set in the netlist. Further, it is also preferable that the resistance (additional resistance) added by the circuit processing unit 35 is within 12 digits and is 0.01 mΩ or more and 100 mΩ or less in consideration of the number of digits of the current. By satisfying any of the above ranges for the additional resistance, the influence of the additional resistance on the simulation can be surely reduced, and the provision of the additional resistance suppresses a substantial change in the simulation result. can.

Further, it is preferable that the capacitor added by the circuit processing unit 35 is grounded at an end portion that is not connected to the wiring. Further, it is preferable that the capacity of the capacitor is set to infinity. As a result, the influence of the added capacitor on the simulation can be reduced, and it is possible to suppress a substantial change in the simulation result by providing the additional capacitor.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments are not limited by the contents of these embodiments and the like. Further, the above-mentioned components include those that can be easily assumed by those skilled in the art, those that are substantially the same, that is, those in a so-called equal range. Furthermore, the components described above can be combined as appropriate. Further, various omissions, replacements or changes of the components can be made without departing from the gist of the above-described embodiments.

10 Circuit design device 12 Input unit 14 Output unit 16 Communication unit 18 Processing unit 20 Storage unit 32 Circuit drawing production unit 34 Netlist creation unit 35 Circuit processing unit 36 Simulation execution unit 42 Parts database 44 Conversion database 46 Processing condition database 100, 100a, 100b Circuit model 110 Power supply 112 ECU
114 Connector 116 Power supply circuit 118 Actuator drive circuit 122 MPU
124 CAN Transceiver 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143 Wiring 150a, 150b, 150c, 150d, 150e, 150f, 150g Resistance,
160a, 160b, 160c, 160d, 160e, 160f, 160g capacitors

Claims (4)

The wiring connected to the electronic component is extracted from the first circuit data including the information of the wiring connecting the electronic component and the electronic component, and the resistance or the capacitor of the value set to the extracted wiring is added. The circuit processing unit that creates the circuit data of 2 and
A netlist generator including a netlist creation unit that creates a netlist for simulating the flow of electricity in a circuit based on the second circuit data. The netlist generator according to claim 1, wherein the circuit processing unit adds the resistance in series to a wiring in which a loop is formed and no component is arranged in the path forming the loop. The netlist generator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the resistance is a resistance value smaller than the resistance value of the electronic component included in the first circuit data. From claim 1, the circuit processing unit is arranged inside the electronic component, and a grounded capacitor is added to the wiring in which both ends are connected to the outside and other electronic components are not connected internally. The netlist generator according to any one of claims 3.

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