JP3092550B2 - Processing flow progress management system and processing flow progress management method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a processing flow progress management system and a processing flow progress management method comprising a plurality of processes having a dependency on an execution order.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, an LSI is designed by a designer sequentially executing a plurality of design CAD tools (processes) in accordance with a predetermined procedure. This procedure is called a processing flow (or design flow). The designer proceeds with the design according to the processing flow.

The designer himself / herself manages the progress of this processing flow because: ・ The number of processes is large, and the processing flow is often complicated. ・ The process flow reverts by trial and error. It is necessary to support the designer by managing the progress of the processing flow.

[0004] Conventional processing flow progress management methods include:
JP-A-4-115352 can be mentioned. In this method, a flag indicating unexecuted / executed is prepared for each process.

[0005]

When managing the progress of a processing flow, whether each processing constituting the processing flow has not been executed or not.
It is necessary to recognize from outside whether or not it has been executed.

In the method of managing the progress of a processing flow disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-115352, a processing flag indicating whether or not a processing has been executed for each processing and information indicating a parent-child relationship of the processing are prepared. , Parent processing (1 in the processing flow
The judgment is made by looking at the contents of the flag in the immediately preceding process).

In this method, when a backward flow (re-execution of an already completed process) occurs, the process downstream of the executed process for the backward flow is recursively traced to be in an unexecuted state. It is necessary to clear the flag. Referring to FIG. 9 as an example, when the processing A to the processing Y are completed and the processing Z is to be executed, some trouble occurs and the processing A is to be started again. It is necessary to clear the flags from processing B to processing Y sequentially following the parent-child relationship.

[0008] The processing flow of the LSI is usually several tens to one hundred,
Alternatively, the conventional method clears this flag, so that there is a problem that it takes time during the design work every time the design is returned.

An object of the present invention is to provide a processing flow progress management system and a processing flow progress management method capable of increasing the processing speed.

[0010]

A processing flow progress management system according to the present invention is a processing flow progress management system, wherein a processing flow is divided into blocks to simplify the processing flow, a processing flow is defined, and a status variable is allocated to assign a status variable. Processing flow progress management information generating means for generating processing flow progress management information, and a value of a status variable
And process flow progress management means for performing progress management based on the process flow progress management information .

The status variable allocating means may define the processing flow so that there is no overlap between the processings, and may allocate a status variable used for controlling the processing flow. Further, the processing flow progress management information generating means may generate processing flow progress management information including a start condition and an end setting from the defined processing flow.

Further, the processing flow progress management information generating means sets the initial value of the status variable to 0, increases the value of the status variable every time the processing is completed, and continuously increases the value of the status variable.
In one process, the process flow progress management information is set by matching the value of the status variable set in the end setting at the end of the previous process with the value of the status variable set in the start condition of the subsequent process. The status variables may be created and updated with the progress of the design according to the process flow progress management information.

A process flow progress management method according to the present invention is a process flow progress management method of the above-described process flow progress management system, wherein a process flow is defined so that there is no overlap between processes, and a flow of each process is defined. Allocate status variables used to control

Further, from the defined process flow, process flow progress management information including a start condition and an end setting may be generated.

Further, the status variable is set to an initial value of 0, the value of the status variable is increased each time the process is completed, and the status variable is set to the end setting at the end of the previous process in two consecutive processes. of by matching the value of the status variable to be set to the start condition value and the processed to create a processing flow progress management information, the value of the status variables together with progress of the design in accordance with the processing flow <br/> over progress management information May be updated.

Accordingly, means for simplifying the processing flow into blocks and assigning status variables, means for generating processing flow progress management information including start conditions and end settings, and processing flow for managing the progress of the processing flow Once the progress management information of the process flow is created once by the process flow progress management system composed of one progress management means, it is only necessary to update the value of the status variable after the process is completed. Compared with the conventional method of recursively clearing the processing flag while referring to the parent-child relationship of the processing, the processing speed can be increased without taking the time to clear the flag every time during the design work. Can be.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. The processing flow is divided into blocks to simplify the processing flow. The processing flow is defined by a means 1 for defining a processing flow and assigning a status variable, a processing flow progress management information generating means 2, and a processing flow progress management means 3.

First, means for simplifying the processing flow by blocking it, defining the processing flow, and assigning status variables will be described.

The processing flow is divided into blocks such that, when a certain process in a block is completed, the processing in the block can be determined to be completed when viewed from the next block. Processing is called block end processing.)
Is performed in an arbitrary unit that has at the end.

For example, the processing flow of FIG. 2 is simplified as shown in FIG. 3 by dividing the processing d and h of the original processing flow (referred to as the first hierarchy) into block ending processing and dividing the processing into blocks. This can be considered as a flow (second layer). If the processing flow is more complicated and the second layer does not become a simple processing flow, the second and subsequent layers are further divided into blocks, and the third, fourth,. . . What is necessary is just to make it hierarchically simple up to the n-th hierarchy (n is a natural number). The processes in the second and subsequent hierarchies are imaginary processes for progress management.

Next, means for defining a processing flow and assigning status variables will be described.

The definition of the processing flow is defined between each processing inside each block of the processing flow of each hierarchy. The process flow is defined so that the process flow does not overlap between the processes.

For example, in the processing flow of FIG. 3, as shown in FIG. 4, the second hierarchy, processing A, processing B, processing C, first hierarchy, processing a, processing b, processing d, processing c, processing d, Process e → Process h ・ Process f → Process h ・ Process g → Process i ・ Process j → Process k → Process n ・ Process j → Process l → Process n ・ Process j → Process m → Process o it can. For each processing flow,
Status variables for indicating the progress are assigned as shown in FIG.

Next, the processing flow progress management information generating means will be described.

First, the structure of the processing flow progress management information will be described. The process flow progress management information includes a start condition and an end setting of each process.

The start condition is a set of processing start expressions. The processing start expression indicates the value of the status variable at which the processing can be started. If the status variable is equal to or greater than this value,
This indicates that the process can be executed. This is because the present method is defined to increase the value of the status variable as the processing proceeds. In the case where there are a plurality of processing start expressions, if the conditions of all the processing start expressions are satisfied, the processing can be executed.

The end setting is a set of end setting expressions. The end setting expression is a value of a status variable indicating the end of the process, and means that the status variable is set to this value when the process ends normally.

Next, a method of generating a processing start expression and an end setting expression will be described.

The initial value of each status variable is set to 0, and the value of the status variable indicating the end of a certain process is set to +1 of the status variable at which the process can be executed. In two consecutive processes, the value of the status variable indicating the end of the previous process is made equal to the value of the status variable at which execution of the subsequent process can be started.

FIG. 5 shows the processing start formula and the end setting formula for all processes.

The process start expression is described at the upper left of each process, and the status variable name and the value of the status variable at which execution of the process can be started are described as status variable: value of status variable. For example, the processing start expression of the processing a is a_sts1: 0.

The end setting expression is described at the lower left, and the status variable name and the status value to be set when the processing is normally completed are described as status variable: status variable value. is there. For example, the end setting formula of the process a is a_sts1: 1.

When there are a plurality of processing start expressions and processing end expressions, they are listed side by side.

Finally, the processing flow progress management means will be described.

The progress management of the processing flow is as follows: updating the status variable when the processing is completed; and determining whether the processing at the beginning of the processing is executable.

In the initial state, the values of all status variables are set to 0.

First, the updating of the status variables when the processing is completed will be described with reference to FIG.

The method of changing the value of the status variable when a certain process X in the n-th hierarchy (n is a natural number) is completed is as follows.

1-1. The status variable defined as the end setting formula in the end setting of the process X and its value are set as the actual status variables.

1-2. If the processing flow of the (n + 1) layer exists and the processing X is not the block end processing, the start condition is defined as the start condition expression in the start condition in the block processing including the processing X in the (n + 1) layer. Set the status variable and its value to the actual status variable.

1-3. If there is a (n + 1) -level processing flow and the processing X is a block end processing,
In the block processing including the processing X in the (n + 1) th hierarchy, the status variable defined as the end setting formula in the end setting and its value are set as the actual status variables. Further, the status variables of the next block in the n-th hierarchy are all set to 0.

N is incremented by 1 sequentially from 1 to (n + 1)
If there is no hierarchical flow, the process ends.

The above method will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 6 shows a part of the case where the processing of the n-th hierarchy in a certain processing flow is blocked to create the (n + 1) -th hierarchy.

In FIG. 6, if the processing a is executed, the end setting formula of the processing a is represented by a_sts according to 1-1.
Since it is 1: 1, 1 is substituted for the status variable a_sts1. Since the process a is not the block end process, the process 1-2 is executed. Processing a in the (n + 1) th hierarchy
Since the start condition expression of the start condition of the blocked process A including STS is STS1: 0, 0 is substituted for the status variable STS1.

Assuming that the processing is advanced and the processing d is executed, there is no end setting equation for the processing d, and nothing is performed according to 1-1. Also, since the process d is a block end process, 1-3 is executed. In the (n + 1) -th hierarchy, the end setting expression of the end setting of the process A divided into blocks including the process d is STS1: 1, so that 1 is set in the status variable STS1.
Is assigned.

Further, the next block B in the n-th hierarchy
Status variables b_sts1, b_stS2, b_s
All 0s are substituted for ts3.

If there is an (n + 2) th layer obtained by further blocking the (n + 1) th hierarchy, n is increased by 1, that is, the (n + 1) th hierarchy is the nth hierarchy and the (n12th) th hierarchy is the The above operation is repeated assuming the (n + 1) hierarchy, and it is checked whether all conditions are satisfied.

Next, a method of determining whether or not the process can be executed will be described.

Processing X existing in the n-th hierarchy (n is a natural number)
In order to be able to execute, the following conditions must be satisfied.

2-1. Status variable defined as the process start expression in the start condition of process X, and between the value of the status variable and the value of the actual status variable, the value of status variable defined by the process start expression ≦ the value of the actual status variable Inequality holds, and 2-2. If there is a processing flow of the (n + 1) th hierarchy, it is checked by the above-described method whether or not a blocked process combining the processing X in the (n + 1) th hierarchy is executable, and it is feasible. thing.

N is incremented by 1 sequentially from 1 to (n + 1)
If there is no hierarchical flow, the process ends.

The above method will be described with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 6, assuming that the process a has been completed, the status variable a_sts1 is 1 and the status variable STS1 is 0. Here, when it is determined whether or not the process b can be executed, since the process start expression of the start condition of the process b is a_sts1: 1, the inequality expression is satisfied as 1 ≦ 1, and the condition 2-1 is satisfied. . In addition, the (n
+1) Since the processing start expression of the start condition of the process A divided into blocks including the process b in the hierarchy is STS1 = 0 and the status variable STS1 is 0, the condition of 2-2 is also satisfied. Therefore, the process b can be executed.

If there is an (n + 2) th layer obtained by further blocking the (n + 1) th hierarchy, n is incremented by 1, that is, the (n + 1) th hierarchy is the nth hierarchy, and the (n + 2) th hierarchy is the (n + 1) th hierarchy. ) Consider the hierarchy and repeat the above work to see if all conditions are met.

Next, the progress management means of the processing flow will be described with a specific example.

In the processing flow of FIG. 2, processing a and processing c have been completed, and processing b is to be performed. As can be seen from FIG. 5, at this stage, the value of the status variable a_sts1 is 1, and the status variable a_sts1 is 1.
The value of sts2 is 1.

At this point, if the process d is to be executed, the value required for the status variable a_sts1, which is the start condition of the process d, is 2, so that the above 2-1 inequality does not hold.
The process d is not executed.

When the processing b is executed and the processing is completed, the value of the status variable a_sts1 becomes 2 by the above 1-1, and the start conditions of the processing d are satisfied.

When the processing d is further executed and the processing is completed, the status variable ST of the processing A of the second hierarchy is obtained according to the above 1-3.
The value of S1 becomes 1, and the process B becomes executable. Then, the condition that the process B can be executed, which is the start condition of the process e, the process f, and the process g defined in 2-2, is satisfied, and the process e, the process f, and the process g can be started.

Next, the returning state will be described.

In the processing flow of FIG. 2, it is assumed that all the processing has been completed. Here, it is considered that the process a is executed again.

Before re-executing the process a, the status variable a
_Sts1 value is 2, status variable STS1 value is 2
And clears the conditions 2-1 and 2-2, and
Is feasible.

Here, when the processing a is executed and terminated, 1
The value of the status variable a_sts1 is 1, 1-
Due to 2, the value of the status variable STS1 becomes 0. Then, the start condition of the process after the process d is broken and the process becomes impossible.

When the process is advanced and the process d, which is the block end process, is executed and terminated, the value of the status variable STS1 becomes 1, and all the processes in the block B become executable, so the status variable b_sts1 , B_
The values of sts2 and b_sts3 are set to 0.

In the present invention, an advantage of simplifying the processing flow by blocking is that progress management information can be simplified and processing can be performed at high speed.

FIG. 7 shows a case where the processing flow is defined without blocking and simplifying the processing flow of FIG. 2, and FIG. 8 shows processing flow progress management information at that time. Referring to FIG. 8, the total number of status variables is five in total, which is smaller than that of the present invention.
In the processing, four processing start expressions and three end setting expressions are required. In a process that is a gathering point of a process flow, a process start expression is required for the number of incoming process flows and the number of outgoing process flows.

The processing flow used for actual LSI design is more complicated, and unless the processing flow is simplified by blocking, the progress management information becomes more complicated.

[0070]

As described above, according to the present invention, means for simplifying a processing flow into blocks and assigning status variables, means for generating processing flow progress management information including start conditions and end settings, Once the process flow progress management information is created by the process flow progress management system including the process flow progress management means for managing the progress of the process flow, the value of the status variable is updated after the process is completed. In comparison with the conventional method that clears the processing flag recursively while referring to the parent-child relationship of the processing at the time of re-execution, it does not take time to clear the flag every time during the design work This has the effect that the processing speed can be increased.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example in which a processing flow example according to the embodiment of the present invention is divided into blocks.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of allocating status variables for indicating progress to an example of a processing flow according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a processing start expression and an end setting expression in a processing flow example according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a part of a case in which the processing of the n-th hierarchy in the example of the processing flow according to the embodiment of the present invention is blocked and an (n + 1) -th hierarchy is created.

FIG. 7 is a processing flow example according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a case where the processing flow is defined without simplifying the processing flow by blocking the processing flow.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing processing flow progress management information of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an example of a conventional flow management method.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 status variable assigning means 2 processing flow progress management information generating means 3 processing flow progress managing means

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] 1. A process flow progress management system, comprising: a process flow progress management system for generating a process flow progress management information; Information generating means, the value of the status variable, and the processing flow progress management information
And a processing flow progress management means for performing the progress management by the processing flow progress management system. 2. The process flow progress management according to claim 1, wherein the status variable allocating means defines a process flow so that there is no overlap between the processes, and allocates a status variable used for controlling each process flow. system. 3. The processing according to claim 1, wherein the processing flow progress management information generating means generates processing flow progress management information including a start condition and an end setting from the defined processing flow. Flow progress management system. 4. The process flow progress management information generating means sets the initial value of the status variable to 0, increases the value of the status variable each time the process is completed, and sets the previous value in two consecutive processes. create the processing flow progress management information by matching the value of the status variable to be set to the start conditions of the process after the value of the status variable to be set at the end of the termination setting processing, the processing flow progress management information The process flow progress management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the value of the status variable is updated with the progress of the design according to the following. 5. A processing flow progress management method for a processing flow progress management system according to claim 4, wherein the processing flow is defined so that there is no overlap between the processings, and is used for controlling the processing flow. A process flow progress management method that assigns status variables. 6. The processing flow progress management method for a processing flow progress management system according to claim 4, wherein processing flow progress management information including a start condition and an end setting is generated from the defined processing flow. Processing flow progress management method. 7. The processing flow progress management method for a processing flow progress management system according to claim 4, wherein an initial value of the status variable is set to 0, and the value of the status variable is increased each time the processing is completed. In two consecutive processes, the value of the status variable set in the end setting at the end of the previous process and the value of the status variable set in the start condition of the subsequent process are matched, so that the process flow progress management create an information value update will process flow tracking method of the status variables with progress of the design in accordance with the processing flow progress management information.