JP5688763B2 - Circuit information management apparatus, method and program thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a circuit information management device and the like for managing circuit information including a heat radiator as an element.

  For example, when designing a wiring pattern such as a three-dimensional integrated circuit or MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems), a design using CAD is generally performed. These devices include a heating element that generates heat, such as a chip, and the heat generated by these devices may cause problems in the circuit, preventing an increase in temperature due to overheating and a uniform temperature distribution. It is necessary to design so that it can be realized. On the other hand, vias, wirings, etc. (heat radiating bodies) constituting the circuit have a function of diffusing and radiating heat generated by the heat generating elements. That is, it is desired to develop a design support tool that efficiently diffuses the heat from the heat generating body by the heat radiating body and makes the heat uniform throughout the circuit.

  As a technique for designing a semiconductor integrated circuit having excellent thermal characteristics in consideration of heat generation of the circuit, for example, a technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is disclosed. The technique shown in Patent Document 1 is based on system specification information, and includes a housing that houses the system, a mounting substrate that is housed in the housing and forms the system, and a package substrate that is mounted on the mounting substrate. A first step of designing a package including the step, a step of performing a thermal analysis of the mounting board and the package in the housing based on a design result obtained in the step of performing the design, and a step of performing the thermal analysis And a second step of designing a semiconductor integrated circuit system based on the analysis result of the above. Preferably, in this second step, the semiconductor mounted on the package so as to determine the element arrangement of the semiconductor integrated circuit Designs integrated circuits.

JP 2008-102631 A

  Patent Document 1 describes that the heat radiation effect is enhanced by providing many via holes in a direction in which the heat conduction vector is strong, but how much heat radiation can be achieved with each via. It is not clearly shown, and the wiring path connecting the semiconductor integrated circuit and the via is not considered, so it is difficult to accurately design the arrangement and number of vias that optimize the heat dissipation effect. Has a problem.

  That is, since the heat from the heating element is transmitted through an element having a high thermal conductivity such as a wiring, the heat radiation effect varies greatly depending on the length of the wiring. For example, even when vias are arranged at the same distance from the heating element, if one wiring is largely detoured and the other wiring is a straight wiring with the shortest distance, the route of the wiring route The heat dissipation effect varies from via to via depending on the length. However, Patent Document 1 does not calculate the heat dissipation effect considering the wiring path length in this way, and it is difficult to accurately design the arrangement and number of vias so that the heat dissipation effect is optimal. .

  The present invention provides a circuit information management device or the like that displays the amount of heat in shades according to the path length of a wiring path between a heating element and a heat dissipation body, and designs the arrangement of vias that optimize the heat dissipation effect.

(1) The circuit information management device disclosed in the present application provides information on circuit elements in which the bottom area and height of a three-dimensional shape are virtually set according to characteristics, heat dissipation that generates heat, and heat dissipation that absorbs heat. Circuit information storage means for storing the information separately in a body, and circuit element arrangement for arranging the element at an arbitrary position in a space in which the circuit is formed, based on information stored in the circuit information storage means And each element arranged by the circuit element arrangement means, a light source arrangement means for arranging a virtual point light source above the element according to the characteristics of the element, and a point arranged by the light source arrangement means A shadow forming means for calculating a shadow area of the element by light emitted from a light source, and forming a heat amount radiated by the heat radiating body and / or a heat amount generated by the heat generating body as a shadow of the element; Show shading It is intended a display control unit.

  As described above, in the circuit information management device disclosed in the present application, a virtual point light source is arranged above the heat dissipating body and the heat generating body, which are elements constituting the circuit, according to the specification of the element, In order to display the amount of heat generated by the heat dissipation element and / or the amount of heat generated by the heating element as the shadow, and to display the formed shadow, use information about the amount of heat of the elements that make up the circuit. It is possible to display the image in a form that is easy for a person to visually recognize, improve the user's visibility, and intuitively recognize the amount of heat.

  (2) In the circuit information management device disclosed in the present application, when the light source disposing unit is connected to the heat dissipating element and the heat generating element in each of the disposed elements by wiring, A virtual point light source is arranged at a height corresponding to the path length of the wiring path connected to the heating element.

  As described above, in the circuit information management device disclosed in the present application, when the heat radiating body and the heat generating body are connected by wiring, the route of the wiring path connected to the heat generating body above the heat radiating body. Since the virtual point light source is arranged at a height corresponding to the length, the cooling efficiency of the radiator can be obtained for each radiator considering the thermal conductivity according to the path length of the wiring path, and the cooling efficiency Is schematically displayed in the form of shading, and it is possible to improve the visibility of the user and intuitively recognize the cooling efficiency of the radiator.

  (3) In the circuit information management device disclosed in the present application, the light source arrangement unit arranges a virtual point light source at a height corresponding to the power consumption of the heating element above the heating element in each of the arranged elements. To do.

  Thus, in the circuit information management device disclosed in the present application, the virtual point light source is arranged at a height corresponding to the power consumption of the heating element above the heating element in each arranged element. The amount of heat generated by the heating element can be determined according to the amount of heat generated, and the amount of generated heat is schematically displayed in the form of a shadow to improve the visibility of the user and intuitively recognize the amount of heat generated by the heating element. There is an effect that can be.

  (4) In the circuit information management device disclosed in the present application, when a plurality of the heating elements are stacked, the light source arrangement unit consumes the heating element for each of the stacked heating elements. A virtual point light source is arranged at a height corresponding to electric power, and the shadow forming means forms a shadow region by light emitted from the arranged point light source for each of the stacked heating elements, The display control means sequentially overwrites and displays the shadow of the heating element close to the substrate.

As described above, in the circuit information management device disclosed in the present application, when a plurality of heating elements are arranged in a stacked manner, the height corresponding to the power consumption of the heating element for each of the stacked heating elements is determined. In order to arrange a virtual point light source and form a shaded area by the light emitted from the point light source, overwriting and displaying the shadow of the heating element close to the substrate in order, the heating elements such as chips are stacked. The amount of heat generated for each heating element can be displayed as a shade even when the heating element is used, and the visibility of the heating element can be intuitively recognized by improving the visibility of the user. Play.

  (5) In the circuit information management device disclosed in the present application, when a plurality of the heating elements are stacked and each layer is connected by an electrode, the light source arrangement unit is disposed above the lowermost heating element. A virtual point light source is arranged at a height corresponding to the total power consumption of the heating elements connected in the above, and the shadow forming means is the lowermost layer heating element by the light emitted from the arranged point light source The shaded area is formed.

  Thus, in the circuit information management device disclosed in the present application, when a plurality of heating elements are stacked and each layer is connected by an electrode, the heating element is connected above the lowermost heating element by the electrode. A virtual point light source is arranged at a height corresponding to the total power consumption of the heating element, and a plurality of layers are stacked in order to form a shadow area of the lowermost heating element by light emitted from the arranged point light source When heating elements such as chips are connected by vias, they are regarded as one integrated chip, and heat is generated according to the power consumption of the entire stacked chip according to the virtual shape of the lowermost chip. The amount can be displayed as a shade, and the user's visibility can be improved and the amount of heat generated by the heating element can be intuitively recognized.

  (6) In the circuit information management device disclosed in the present application, in the shadow area of the heat radiator and the shadow area of the heating element, the difference between the overlapping area and the shadow area of the heating element is An arrangement changing means is provided for changing the arrangement of the heat radiating body and / or the heat generating body so as to be minimized within the range of the constraint conditions of the elements.

  As described above, in the circuit information management device disclosed in the present application, the difference between the overlapping area where the shadow area of the heat radiator and the shadow area of the heating element overlap and the shadow area of the heating element is within the range of the constraint condition. Since the arrangement of the heat radiating body and / or the heat generating body is changed so as to be minimized, there is an effect that it is possible to perform circuit design that maximizes the cooling effect of the heat radiating body within the range of the constraint conditions. In addition, although the constraint conditions said here mainly point out the constraint conditions regarding heat | fever (temperature), you may include the constraint conditions regarding a connection relation or a design.

  (7) The circuit information management device disclosed in the present application is characterized in that the shaded area of the radiator, the shaded area of the heating element, and the overlapping area are displayed in different display modes.

  As described above, in the circuit information management device disclosed in the present application, since the shadow area of the radiator, the shadow area of the heating element, and the overlapping area are displayed in different display modes, the information on the amount of heat is regarded as a shadow and is visible. As a result, the relationship between the heat generated by the heat generator and the cooling by the heat radiator can be intuitively grasped visually.

  (8) In the circuit information management device disclosed in the present application, the height of the three-dimensional shape of the heat radiator is set based on the material of the heat radiator, and the three-dimensional height of the heat generator is It is set based on the minimum power consumption, the maximum power consumption, and / or the average power consumption.

  Thus, in the circuit information management device disclosed in the present application, the height of the three-dimensional shape of the radiator is set based on the material, and the three-dimensional height of the heating element is the minimum power consumption, the maximum power consumption, and / or Since it is set based on the average power consumption, it is possible to create a shadow considering the material of the radiator, the maximum power consumption of the heating element, and / or the average power consumption. There is an effect that it can be used.

It is a hardware block diagram of the circuit information management apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the circuit information management device concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the circuit information management apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the shadow of the heat radiator in the circuit information management apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the heat radiator and shadow in the circuit information management apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the cross-sectional shape and shadow of a heat radiator in the circuit information management apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the circuit information management apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the circuit information management device concerning a 2nd embodiment. It is a figure which shows the shadow of the heat generating body in the circuit information management apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the circuit information management apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the shadow model when a heat generating body is laminated | stacked without connecting with a via in the circuit information management apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the shadow model in case the heat generating body is connected and laminated | stacked by the via | veer in the circuit information management apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the circuit information management device concerning a 3rd embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the circuit containing the heat radiator and heat generating body which the circuit information management apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment manages. It is a 1st figure which shows the heat radiator, heat generating body, and those shadows in the circuit information management apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a 2nd figure which shows the heat radiator, heat generating body, and those shadows in the circuit information management apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a 1st flowchart which shows operation | movement of the circuit information management apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a 2nd flowchart which shows operation | movement of the circuit information management apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a 3rd figure which shows the heat radiator, heat generating body, and those shadows in the circuit information management apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. The present invention can be implemented in many different forms. Therefore, the present invention should not be construed based only on the description of the present embodiment. Also, the same reference numerals are given to the same elements throughout the present embodiment.

  In the following embodiments, the apparatus will be mainly described. However, as is apparent to those skilled in the art, the present invention can also be implemented as a method and a program for operating a computer. In addition, the present invention can be implemented in hardware, software, or hardware and software embodiments. The program can be recorded on any computer-readable medium such as a hard disk, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, optical storage device, or magnetic storage device. Furthermore, the program can be recorded on another computer via a network.

(First embodiment of the present invention)
A circuit information management apparatus according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a hardware configuration diagram of a circuit information management device according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the circuit information management device according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a circuit information management device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the shadow of the heat radiating body in the circuit information management device according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 5 is the relationship between the heat radiating body and the shadow in the circuit information management device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the cross-sectional shape and shadow of the radiator in the circuit information management device according to this embodiment, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the circuit information management device according to this embodiment. It is.

  The circuit information management device according to the present embodiment includes a heat radiator in which the bottom area and height of a three-dimensional shape are virtually set according to characteristics in at least a circuit element, and stores circuit information storage information related to the element Means, circuit element placement means for placing the element at an arbitrary position in the space in which the circuit is formed, based on information stored in the circuit information storage means, and the heat dissipator is connected to the heating element and the wiring A light source disposing means for disposing a virtual point light source at a height corresponding to the path length of the wiring path connected to the heat generating body above the heat dissipating body, and the heat dissipating body. Comprises a shadow forming means for forming the amount of heat radiated by the light emitted from the point light source arranged by the light source arrangement means, and a display control means for displaying the formed shadow. It is.

  1, the circuit information management apparatus 1 includes a CPU 10, a RAM 11, a ROM 12, a hard disk (referred to as HD) 13, a communication I / F 14, and an input / output I / F 15. The ROM 12 and the HD 13 store an operating system and various programs (for example, a CAD program, a circuit information management program, etc.), are read into the RAM 11 as necessary, and are executed by the CPU 10.

  The communication I / F 14 is an interface for communicating with other devices (for example, a server, a host device, etc.). The input / output I / F 15 is an interface for receiving input from an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse, and outputting data to a printer, a monitor, and the like. The input / output I / F 15 can be connected to a drive corresponding to a removable disk such as a magneto-optical disk, a floppy disk, a CD-R, and a DVD-R, if necessary. Each processing unit is connected via a bus and exchanges information.

  In FIG. 2, the circuit information management device 1 includes a circuit information unit 21, an arrangement unit 22, a path length calculation unit 23, a radiator light source arrangement unit 24, a shadow generation unit 25, and a display control unit 26.

  The circuit information unit 21 is a storage unit that stores various pieces of information related to elements constituting the circuit. An example of the data structure of the circuit information stored in the circuit information unit 21 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the data structure is roughly divided into a storage unit 310 for storing connection information and a storage unit 320 for storing element layout information.

  The storage unit 310 includes a port unit 311 that stores information about ports, a net unit 312 that stores information about nets, an instance unit 313 that stores information about instances, a port instance unit 314 that stores information about port instances, and shadows A shadow portion 315 for storing information on the information. There is a connection relationship between the port unit 311 and the net unit 312 and between the net unit 312 and the port instance unit 314, and the shadow unit 315 is bidirectional with the port unit 311, the net unit 312, and the instance unit 313. Are associated with each other.

The storage unit 320 stores layout information of information stored in the storage unit 310, and includes a terminal graphic 321 corresponding to the port unit 311 and a wiring graphic / VI corresponding to the net unit 312.
A 322, a part definition name / part arrangement information 323 corresponding to the instance part 313 (obtained by referring to the part definition 325), and a shadow figure 324 corresponding to the shadow part 315. Conditions such as the material of the radiator to generate shadows are defined in the part definition 325. When defining a radiator (for example, via), the material defined in the part definition 325 is added to the definition body. It is the composition to do. In the circuit information unit 21, each element is stored as a heat radiator or a heat generator.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the placement unit 22 performs a process of placing each element of the circuit stored in the circuit information unit 21 according to the constraint condition. The path length calculation unit 23 performs a process of calculating the path length of the wiring path when a heating element such as a chip and a heat dissipation body such as a via are connected by wiring among the arranged elements. The radiator light source arrangement unit 24 performs a process of arranging a point light source above the radiator according to the path length with the heat generator. It is desirable that the point light source is disposed above the heat radiating body and on an extended line at the center of the cross section of the heat radiating body.

  The shadow generation unit 25 forms the amount of heat radiated by the heat radiating body as a shadow by irradiating light from a point light source. Here, the shadow model will be described. FIG. 4 shows the shadow of the radiator. In the present embodiment, for example, TSV (Through-silicon via) can be used as the radiator. Here, it is simply a via. FIG. 4A is an upper cross-sectional view of actual data of two different vias, and FIG. 4B shows a virtual three-dimensional shape set according to the characteristics of each via. Since the vias have different thermal conductivity depending on the material, first, a virtual three-dimensional shape is set according to the characteristics and stored in the circuit information unit 21. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the via 41 having a high thermal conductivity and a high cooling efficiency is set to a high height according to the cooling efficiency, and the via 42 having a low thermal conductivity and a low cooling efficiency is set to the cooling efficiency. Set the via height to a lower value according to That is, if the distance from the upper surface of the via to the point light source is the same, the higher the via, the larger the shadow, and the size of the shadow is a model indicating the cooling efficiency.

  Although the thickness may be set virtually according to the cooling efficiency, the thickness based on actual data is used as it is here.

  The relationship between the shadow, the point light source, and the heat radiator will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5A shows a shadow when the distance from the upper surface of the radiator to the point light source is the same and the three-dimensional shape of the radiator is different, and FIG. 5B shows the same three-dimensional shape of the radiator. The shadow when the distance from the upper surface to the point light source is different is shown. In FIG. 5A, D1> D2 = D3, d1 = d2 = d3, and r1 = r2 <r3. That is, the height of the three-dimensional shape of the radiator is different between A-1 and A-2. For this reason, a shadow having a larger area is formed in A-1 having a higher three-dimensional shape. A-2 and A-3 have different three-dimensional thicknesses (cross-sectional diameters) of the heat dissipating body, and as a result, a shadow having a wider area is formed in A-2 having a thick three-dimensional shape. Yes. Therefore, as described above, in this model, the radiator has high cooling efficiency in the order of A-1> A-2> A-3 from the shaded area.

  In FIG. 5B, D4 = D5 = D6, d4 <d5 <d6, and r4 = r5 = r6. That is, B-1 and B-2 have different heights from the upper surface of the radiator to the point light source, so that a shadow having a larger area is formed in B-1, where the height of the point light source is lower. ing. Similarly, in B-2 and B-3, a shadow having a larger area is formed in B-2 where the height of the point light source is lower. Therefore, as described above, in this model, the radiator has high cooling efficiency in the order of B-1> B-2> B-3 from the shaded area.

  Thus, by setting the three-dimensional shape of the radiator and the position of the point light source, it is possible to form a shadow of the radiator and capture the shadow as the amount of heat.

  4 and 5, the three-dimensional shape of the radiator is a circular cylinder with a circular cross section as shown in FIG. 6A, but the cross section is a polygon (or rounded corner) as shown in FIG. 6B. (Polygonal) polygonal column (or rounded polygonal column), and in that case, the shadow may be formed in a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape. In addition, when a plurality of heat dissipators are provided close to each other as shown in FIG. 6C, the shadows may be formed in a shape in which the shadows of the heat dissipators are fused.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the display control unit 26 displays the shadow generated by the shadow generation unit 25 on the display screen 20.

  Next, the operation of the circuit information management apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described using the flowchart of FIG. First, the conditions for generating the shadow of the radiator are read from the circuit information section 21 (S71). The generation condition read here is the material of the radiator for determining the height of the three-dimensional shape of the radiator. At the same time, the graphic information and the like are read. Based on the information regarding each element of the circuit stored in the circuit information unit 21, the placement unit 22 performs the initial placement of the circuit (S72). For each of the arranged elements, when the heat radiating body and the heat generating body are directly connected by wiring, the path length calculation unit 23 calculates the path length of the wiring path from the heat radiating body to the heat generating body (S73). The radiator light source arrangement unit 24 sets the position of the point light source according to the length of the path length calculated in S73 (S74).

  The position of the point light source is set so that the height from the upper surface of the radiator is higher as the path length of the wiring path from the radiator to the heat generator is longer. The heat generated from the heating element is mainly conducted through the wiring having a very high thermal conductivity. That is, the longer the wiring path length, the lower the thermal conductivity and the lower the cooling efficiency. Therefore, the position of the point light source is set so that the distance between the point light source and the heat radiator increases as the path length of the wiring increases, and the area of the shadow becomes smaller.

  The shadow generation unit 25 forms the amount of heat radiated by the heat radiating body as a shadow by irradiation of light from the point light source set in S74 (S75), and the display control unit 26 displays the formed shadow on the display screen 20 Then, the process is finished (S76). Note that the output of the shadow may be performed not only by display on the display screen 20 but also by printing by a printer.

  Thus, according to the circuit information management device according to the present embodiment, the cooling efficiency of the heat radiating body considering different thermal conductivity depending on the path length of the wiring path can be accurately obtained for each heat radiating body, The cooling efficiency is schematically displayed in the form of a shadow, and the visibility of the user can be improved and the amount of heat can be recognized intuitively.

(Second embodiment of the present invention)
A circuit information management apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of the circuit information management apparatus according to the present embodiment, FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the shadow of the heating element in the circuit information management apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a circuit according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information management apparatus, FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a shadow model when the heating elements are stacked without being connected by vias in the circuit information management apparatus according to this embodiment, and FIG. 12 is this embodiment. It is a figure which shows a shadow model in case the heat generating body is connected and laminated | stacked by the via | veer in the circuit information management apparatus which concerns on.

The circuit information management device according to the present embodiment includes at least a heating element in which the bottom area and height of a three-dimensional shape are virtually set according to characteristics in a circuit element, and stores information related to the element On the basis of the information stored in the circuit information storage means, the circuit element arranging means for arranging the element at an arbitrary position in the space in which the circuit is formed, and the heating element, Light source arrangement means for arranging a virtual point light source at a height corresponding to the power consumption of the heat generator, and the heat generated by the light emitted from the point light source arranged by the light source arrangement means for the amount of heat radiated by the heat generator The apparatus includes a shadow forming unit that forms a shadow of a body, and a display control unit that displays the formed shadow.

  In addition, in this embodiment, the description which overlaps with the said 1st Embodiment is abbreviate | omitted.

  In FIG. 8, the circuit information management apparatus 1 includes a circuit information unit 21, an arrangement unit 22, a heating element light source arrangement unit 27, a shadow generation unit 25, and a display control unit 26. The circuit information unit 21 is a storage unit that stores various pieces of information related to elements constituting the circuit. The data structure of the circuit information stored in the circuit information unit 21 is the same as that in FIG. 3 in the first embodiment, and conditions such as the minimum power consumption of the heating element for generating the shadow are defined in the component definition 325. Thus, when a heating element (for example, a chip) is defined, heat generation information defined in the component definition 325 is added to the definition body.

  The placement unit 22 performs a process of placing each element of the circuit stored in the circuit information unit 21 according to the constraint condition. The heating element light source arrangement unit 27 performs processing for arranging a point light source above the heating element in accordance with the power consumption of the heating element. It is desirable that the point light source is disposed above the heating element and on the extension of the center of the cross section or the center of gravity of the heating element.

  The shadow generation unit 25 forms the amount of heat generated by the heating element as a shadow by irradiating light from a point light source. Here, the shadow model will be described. In the present embodiment, the heating element is mainly a chip. Since the chip generates heat in accordance with power consumption, a virtual three-dimensional shape is set according to power consumption and stored in the circuit information unit 21. That is, when the power consumption is high and the amount of heat generated is large, the height of the chip is set high. When the power consumption is low and the amount of heat generated is small, the chip height is set low. That is, if the distance from the top surface of the chip to the point light source is the same, the higher the chip, the larger the shadow, and the size of the shadow is a model indicating the amount of heat generation.

  The thickness may be set virtually according to the heat generation amount, but here, the thickness based on the actual data is used as it is.

  The relationship among shadows, point light sources, and heating elements will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9A shows a shadow when the distance from the upper surface of the heating element to the point light source is the same and the three-dimensional shape of the heating element is different, and FIG. 9B shows the same three-dimensional shape of the heating element and the heating element. The shadow when the distance from the upper surface to the point light source is different is shown. In FIG. 9A, D8> D7 and d7 = d8. That is, the height of the three-dimensional shape of the heating element is different between A-1 and A-2 in FIG. 9 (A), and for this reason, the shadow of A-2 having a higher three-dimensional shape has a larger area. Is formed. Therefore, as described above, in this model, the heating element has a large amount of heat generation in the order of A-2> A-1 from the shaded area.

  In FIG. 9B, the relationship is D9 = D10, d9> d10. That is, the height from the upper surface of the heating element to the point light source is different between B-1 and B-2 in FIG. 9B, and for this reason, the area of B-2 where the height of the point light source is lower is larger. A shadow having Therefore, as described above, in this model, the heating element has a large heat generation amount in the order of B-2> B-1 from the shaded area.

  Thus, by setting the three-dimensional shape of the heating element and the position of the point light source, it is possible to form a shadow of the heating element and capture the shadow as the amount of heat.

  Returning to FIG. 8, the display control unit 26 displays the shadow generated by the shadow generation unit 25 on the display screen 20.

  Next, the operation of the circuit information management apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described using the flowchart of FIG. First, the generation condition of the shadow of the heating element is read from the circuit information unit 21 (S101). The generation conditions read here are the minimum power consumption, average power consumption, maximum power consumption, etc. of the heating element. For example, the height of the three-dimensional shape of the heating element may be set according to any of the minimum power consumption, the average power consumption, and the maximum power consumption read here, or based on any combination thereof. It may be set. At the same time, the graphic information and the like are read.

  Based on the information regarding each element of the circuit stored in the circuit information unit 21, the placement unit 22 performs initial placement of the circuit (S102). For each arranged element, the power consumption of the heating element is calculated in consideration of the arranged condition (S103). That is, since the power consumption of the heating element varies depending on the arrangement and connection conditions, the power consumption after the arrangement is calculated. Although not shown, the S103 calculation process may be performed by a separately provided calculation unit (for example, a power consumption calculation unit), or may be performed by the heating element light source arrangement unit 27. In accordance with the calculated power consumption of the heating element, the heating element light source arrangement unit 27 sets the position of the point light source (S104).

  Note that the process of S103 may be omitted, and the position of the point light source may be set using one of the three values read in S101 as power consumption.

  The position of the point light source is set so that the height from the upper surface of the heating element is lower as the power consumption is larger. The heat generated from the heating element increases mainly in proportion to the power consumption. That is, the greater the power consumption, the greater the amount of heat generated. Therefore, the position of the point light source is set so that the distance between the point light source and the heat radiating body decreases as the power consumption increases, and the shadow area increases.

  The shadow generating unit 25 forms the amount of heat generated by the heating element by the irradiation of light from the set point light source as a shadow (S105), and the display control unit 26 displays the formed shadow (S106). The process ends. Note that the output of the shadow may be performed not only by display on the display screen 20 but also by printing by a printer.

  Here, the display of the shadow when a plurality of heating elements are stacked will be described. Here, if the heating element is a chip, the stacked chips are each via a material having high thermal conductivity (for example, via, adhesive having a high thermal conductivity coefficient, tape having a high thermal conductivity coefficient, etc.). It can be divided roughly into the case where it is laminated and the case where it is not.

  In the case where a plurality of stacked chips are not stacked via a material having high thermal conductivity, the heating element light source arrangement unit 27 responds to the power consumption for each of the stacked heating elements. The virtual point light source is arranged at a height, and the shadow generation unit 25 forms a shadow region by the light emitted from the point light source arranged for each of the stacked heating elements, and the display control unit 26 The display is overwritten with priority over the shadow of the heating element close to the substrate.

  FIG. 11 shows a shadow model when chips are stacked and each layer does not pass through an object having high thermal conductivity. If the stacked chips do not go through an object with high thermal conductivity, each chip will have an effect of heat generation on the substrate individually, so a point light source is arranged for each chip and its height Is determined according to the power consumption of each chip. That is, as shown in FIG. 11A, a shaded area is formed and displayed by the light emitted from each point light source. At this time, it is desirable to change the display mode of each shadow area.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 11B, when the size of the upper chip (chip B) is small and the shaded area is within the upper surface area of the chip (chip A) immediately below, the chip ( A shadow area may be formed and displayed on the upper surface of the chip A). Further, as shown in FIG. 11C, the display of the shadow is given priority to the shadow area of the chip (chip A) closer to the object (here, the substrate) that displays the shadow (of chip B). It may be displayed (overwritten on the shaded area).

  FIG. 12 shows a shadow model in the case where chips are stacked and each layer has a high thermal conductivity. When the stacked chips are through a material having high thermal conductivity, the chips are regarded as one chip by grasping each chip integrally. That is, as shown in FIG. 12, the chip closest to the object (here, the substrate) to display the shadow at a height corresponding to the total power consumption of the chips stacked via a material having high thermal conductivity. A point light source is placed on top of (chip A). Therefore, the shadow area is formed according to the shape of the chip A closest to the substrate, and the size is displayed according to the total power consumption of the connected chips (chip A and chip B).

  Thus, according to the circuit information management device according to the present embodiment, the amount of heat generated by the heating element can be accurately obtained in consideration of the amount of heat generated depending on the power consumption, and the amount of heat is called a shadow. It is possible to display the amount of heat intuitively by improving the user's visibility.

(Third embodiment of the present invention)
A circuit information management apparatus according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram of the circuit information management apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a circuit including a heat radiator and a heating element managed by the circuit information management apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 16 is a first view showing a heat radiating body, a heating element and their shadows in the circuit information management apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 16 shows a heat radiating body, a heating element and those in the circuit information management apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 17 is a first flowchart showing the operation of the circuit information management apparatus according to this embodiment, and FIG. 18 is a second flowchart showing the operation of the circuit information management apparatus according to this embodiment. A flowchart and FIG. 19 are the 3rd figures which show the thermal radiation body in the circuit information management apparatus concerning this embodiment, a heat generating body, and those shadows.

  The circuit information management device according to the present embodiment includes at least a heat radiating element and a heat generating element in which the bottom area and height of a three-dimensional shape are virtually set according to characteristics, and stores information on the element. Circuit information storage means, circuit element placement means for placing the element at an arbitrary position in the space in which the circuit is formed, based on information stored in the circuit information storage means, and the heat radiator generates heat When connected to the body by wiring, a virtual point light source is disposed above the heat dissipating body at a height corresponding to the path length of the wiring path connected to the heat generating body, and the heat generating body Light source arrangement means for arranging a virtual point light source at a height corresponding to the power consumption of the heating element, and the amount of heat radiated from the heat radiating body and the amount of heat generated by the heating element from the point light source. The radiator and the A shadow forming means for forming a shadow of the heating element; and a display control means for displaying the formed shadow, and each of the shadow area of the heat dissipation element and the shadow area of the heating element overlap each other. A heat dissipating element disposition changing unit is provided for changing the disposition of the heat dissipating element so that a difference between the overlapping region and the shadow region of the heat generating element is minimized within the range of the constraint condition of the element.

  In addition, in this embodiment, the description which overlaps with each said embodiment is abbreviate | omitted.

In FIG. 13, the circuit information management device 1 includes a circuit information unit 21, an arrangement unit 22, a path length calculation unit 23, a radiator light source arrangement unit 24, a heating element light source arrangement unit 27, a shadow generation unit 25, and a display control unit 26. A calorific value calculating unit 28 and an arrangement changing unit 29 are provided. The functions of the circuit information unit 21, the arrangement unit 22, the path length calculation unit 23, the radiator light source arrangement unit 24, the heat generator light source arrangement unit 27, and the shadow generation unit 25 are the same as those in the above embodiments, and thus the description thereof is omitted. .

  The calorific value calculation unit 28 obtains a difference between the overlapping area where the shadow area of the heat radiating body and the shadow area of the heating element overlap and the shadow area of the heating element, and calculates the difference as a difference in calorific value. The display control part 26 displays each element which comprises the circuit containing a heat generating body and a heat radiator, and those shadow areas. The arrangement changing unit 29 changes the arrangement of the heat radiating body and / or the heat generating body so that the cooling effect of the heat radiating body is optimized based on the information on the difference between the shaded areas calculated by the calorific value calculating unit 28. At this time, for example, an optimal arrangement may be obtained by automatic calculation by a simulated annealing method or the like, or the arrangement may be changed based on a user operation.

  The functions of the calorific value calculation unit 28, the display control unit 26, and the arrangement change unit 29 will be described in detail. FIG. 14 shows an example of a circuit including a radiator and a heating element (FIG. 14A) and an example of each shaded area (FIG. 14B). In FIG. 14A, a chip 121 that is a heat generator, and a via 122 and a via 123 that are heat radiators are provided on a substrate, and the chip 121 and the via 122 are connected by a wiring 124. The via 123 is connected to the via 125. Each of the wirings 124 and 125 has a path length of the relation of wiring 124 <wiring 125, and both the via 122 and the via 123 have the same thickness (horizontal section radius) made of copper. is there.

  FIG. 14B shows the via 122 and its shadow area 122a, the chip 121 and its shadow area 121a, and the via 123 and its shadow area 123a. Since the via 122 and the via 123 are both made of copper and have the same thickness, the via 122 and the via 123 are set in exactly the same three-dimensional shape. However, since the position of the point light source is set according to the path lengths of the wirings 124 and 125 with the chip 121, the distance X1 from the upper surface of the via 122 having the shorter path length to the point light source is the path. It becomes smaller than the distance X2 from the upper surface of the longer via 123 to the point light source (X1 <X2). That is, as shown in FIG. 14B, the shadow area 122 a of the via 122 is larger than the shadow area 123 a of the via 123. For the shaded area 121a of the chip 121, a three-dimensional shape is set according to the minimum power consumption, the maximum power consumption, and / or the average power consumption (here, the minimum power consumption), and according to the arrangement and connection state of the chip 121 It is formed by setting the position of the point light source based on the arrangement power consumption.

  A top view of the circuit of FIG. 14 is shown in FIG. FIG. 15A shows the case where the shadow area in the initial arrangement state is displayed, and FIG. 15B shows the case where the shadow area when the via arrangement is changed is displayed. In the case of FIG. 15A, as described in FIG. 14, the shadow region 122a of the via 122 having a short wiring path length is larger than the shadow region 123a of the via 123 having a long wiring path length. In FIG. 15A, a part of the shadow area 122a of the via 122 and the shadow area 123a of the via 123 overlaps the shadow area 121a of the chip 121, so that the shadow area 121a of the chip 121 is reduced. This means that the heat generated by the chip 121 is cooled by the heat dissipation of the vias 122 and 123.

  In FIG. 15B, the wiring 125 is shortened by changing the arrangement of the vias 123, and the shadow region 123a is increased accordingly. That is, by moving the via 123, the path length of the wiring 125 is shortened, the position of the point light source is lowered, and the shadow region 123a is enlarged. It can be seen that the shadow area 123a becomes larger and the cooling area 121a of the chip 121 becomes smaller and the cooling efficiency is improved as compared with the case of FIG.

In FIG. 15, the overlapping region where the shadow regions 122a and 123a of the vias 122 and 123 overlap with the shadow region 121a of the chip 121 is not illustrated, but the shadow regions 122a and 123a are made semitransparent. An overlapping area may be clearly indicated. In this case, it is desirable that the shadow area of the via, the shadow area of the chip, and the overlapping area thereof be displayed in different display modes (for example, a difference in pattern, a difference in color, an explanatory text using characters, etc.).

  Further, when the arrangement is changed from the state of FIG. 15A to the state of FIG. 15B, the arrangement is changed in consideration of the constraint condition of the via 123.

  Further, in FIG. 15, the arrangement of the via 123 is changed, but any arrangement of the chip 121, the via 122, and / or the via 123 may be changed.

  FIG. 16 shows a numerical value of the size of the shadow area 121a of the chip 121 in the display of FIG. FIG. 16A shows the initial arrangement state corresponding to FIG. 15A, and FIG. 16B shows the state when the via arrangement is changed corresponding to FIG. 15B. Is shown. The size indicated by the numerical value indicates the shaded area 121a of the chip 121 and the amount of heat. That is, the smaller the numerical value (the size of the shaded area 121a), the smaller the heat generation amount and the higher the cooling efficiency. In the state of FIG. 16A, the size of the shadow region 121a is “105”, and in the state of FIG. 16B, the size of the shadow region 121a is “72”. It can be easily recognized that the cooling efficiency is higher. For example, when the user moves the via 123 using a mouse or the like, this numerical value indicates that the shadow area of the chip 121 in real time as the via 123 is arranged at the position of the mouse pointer along with the movement of the mouse pointer. The size of 121a may be calculated and displayed.

  Next, the operation of the circuit information management apparatus according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 17 shows a process for obtaining an optimum arrangement by automatic calculation. First, the generation conditions of the shadows of the heat generator and the heat radiator are read from the circuit information unit 21 (S1501). The generation conditions of the shadow of the heating element read here are the minimum power consumption, average power consumption, maximum power consumption, etc. of the heating element for setting the height of the three-dimensional shape of the heating element. The generation condition of the shadow of the radiator is a material of the radiator for determining the height of the three-dimensional shape of the radiator. At the same time, information on the graphic of the heat radiating body and the heat generating body, the constraint conditions related to heat, and the like are also read.

  When the shadow generation condition is read, the number of examinations is set (S1502). The number of examinations may be arbitrarily set by the user, or the number of examinations registered in advance may be set. Based on the information regarding each element of the circuit stored in the circuit information unit 21, the placement unit 22 performs initial placement of the circuit (S1503).

  For each element initially arranged in S1503, the power consumption of the heating element is calculated in consideration of the arranged condition (S1504). That is, since the power consumption of the heating element varies depending on the arrangement and connection conditions, the power consumption after the arrangement is calculated. Note that the processing of S1504 may be omitted, and any one of the minimum power consumption, the average power consumption, and the maximum power consumption read in S1501 may be used as the power consumption. In accordance with the calculated power consumption of the heating element, the heating element light source arrangement unit 27 sets the position of the point light source for the heating element (S1505), and the shadow generation unit 25 generates heat by irradiating light from the point light source. The amount of heat generated by the body is formed as a shadow (S1506). Note that the position of the point light source of the heating element is set such that the height from the upper surface of the heating element becomes lower as the power consumption increases.

For each element initially arranged in S1503, when the heat radiator and the heat generator are directly connected by wiring, the path length calculation unit 23 calculates the path length of the wiring path from the heat radiator to the heat generator ( S1507). The radiator light source arrangement unit 24 sets the position of the point light source according to the length of the path length calculated in S1507 (S1508), and the shadow generator 25 radiates heat by irradiating light from the point light source. The amount of heat to be generated is formed as a shadow (S1509). Note that the position of the point light source of the radiator is set such that the height from the upper surface of the radiator increases as the length of the wiring path from the radiator to the heating element increases.

  When the shadows of the heat generating body and the heat radiating body are formed, the calorific value calculation unit 28 calculates the heat radiating effect by the heat radiating body (shading of the heat generating body-shadow of the heat radiating body) (S1510). That is, as shown in FIG. 15 and the like, the overlapping region where the shadow region 121a of the chip 121 overlaps with the shadow regions 122a and 123a of the vias 122 and 123 corresponds to the amount of heat dissipated by the heat radiating body. A region obtained by subtracting the overlap region from the region 121a is the final heat generation amount.

  It is determined whether or not the number of executions of the processing from S1507 to S1510 is less than or equal to the number of examinations set in S1502 (S1511), and if it is small, the arrangement changing unit 29 reduces the final heat generation amount (of the radiator). The arrangement of the heat radiator and / or the heat generator is changed (in order to increase the heat radiation effect) (S1512). As a specific method for changing the arrangement, for example, a simulated annealing method can be used. By this calculation, for example, the arrangement of the vias is changed from the state of FIG. 15A to the state of FIG. 15B, so that the final heat generation amount can be reduced and the heat dissipation effect can be increased. At this time, the arrangement of the heat radiating body and / or the heat generating body is changed within a range that satisfies the constraint condition regarding the heat read in S1501. When the arrangement is changed, 1 is added to the number of executions (S1513), and the processing from S1507 to S1511 is repeated.

  If the number of executions is larger than the number of examinations in S1511, the simulation has been performed for the set number of examinations, so the final circuit arrangement is determined, and the display control unit 26 displays the shadow on the display screen 20 (S1514). ), The process is terminated. Note that the output of the shadow may be performed not only by display on the display screen 20 but also by printing by a printer.

  Next, processing when the arrangement is changed based on a user operation will be described with reference to FIG. Note that details of processing similar to that in FIG. 17 are omitted. First, the generation conditions of the shadows of the heat generator and the heat radiator are read from the circuit information unit 21 (S1601). Based on the information about each element of the circuit stored in the circuit information unit 21, the arrangement unit 22 performs the initial arrangement of the circuit (S1602), and the initial arrangement element generates heat in consideration of the arrangement condition. The power consumption of the body is calculated (S1603).

  In accordance with the calculated power consumption of the heating element, the heating element light source arrangement unit 27 sets the position of the point light source with respect to the heating element (S1604), and the shadow generation unit 25 generates heat by irradiating light from the point light source. The amount of heat generated by the body is formed as a shadow (S1605). For each element initially arranged in S1602, the path length calculation unit 23 calculates the path length of the wiring path from the radiator to the heating element when the radiator and the heating element are directly connected by wiring ( S1606). The radiator light source arrangement unit 24 sets the position of the point light source according to the length of the path length calculated in S1606 (S1607), and the shadow generator 25 radiates heat by irradiating light from the point light source. The amount of heat to be generated is formed as a shadow (S1608).

  When the shadows of the heat generating body and the heat radiating body are formed, the calorific value calculation unit 28 calculates the heat radiating effect of the heat radiating body (shadow of the heat generating body−shadow of the heat radiating body) (S1609). The input instruction information from the user is determined (S1610), and if the instruction information from the user is “reconsideration”, the arrangement changing unit 29 determines whether the arrangement change unit 29 is in accordance with the arrangement change instruction information from the user. The arrangement of the heating elements is changed (S1611), and the processing from S1606 to S1610 is repeated. If the instruction information from the user is “consideration completed”, the current arrangement information is determined, the display control unit 26 displays the shadow on the display screen 20 (S1612), and the process ends.

Here, the position of the point light source is set according to the path length of the wiring from the radiator to the heating element, but when the radiator and the heating element are connected via a wire as shown in FIG. The position of the point light source may be set according to the path length including the length of the wire. That is, as shown in FIG. 19, the longer the length of the wire + the length of the wiring, the lower the cooling efficiency and the smaller the shaded area may be displayed.

  As described above, according to the circuit information management device according to the present embodiment, the difference between the overlapping area where the shadow area of the radiator and the shadow area of the heating element overlap and the shadow area of the heating element is the constraint condition. Since the arrangement of the heat radiating body and / or the heat generating body is changed so as to be the smallest within the range, it is possible to perform circuit design that maximizes the cooling effect of the heat radiating body within the range of the constraint conditions. In addition, by displaying in different display modes the shaded area of the radiator, the shaded area of the heating element, and the overlapping area, the information on the amount of heat is regarded as a shade to improve visibility, and the heat generated by the heating element and the heatsink The relationship with cooling can be grasped intuitively visually. Furthermore, since the height of the three-dimensional shape of the radiator is set based on the material, and the height of the three-dimensional shape of the heating element is set based on the minimum power consumption, the maximum power consumption and / or the average power consumption, Thus, a shadow considering the maximum power consumption and / or the average power consumption of the heating element can be formed, and an accurate amount of heat can be calculated and used for circuit design.

1 Circuit Information Management Device 10 CPU
11 RAM
12 ROM
13 HD
14 Communication I / F
15 Input / output I / F
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 Display screen 21 Circuit information part 22 Arrangement | positioning part 23 Path length calculation part 24 Radiator light source arrangement part 25 Shadow production | generation part 26 Display control part 27 Heat generating body light source arrangement part 28 Calorific value calculation part 29 Arrangement change part 41, 42 Via 121 Chip 122 , 123 Via 121a, 122a, 123a Shaded area 124, 125 Wiring 310, 320 Storage part 311 Port part 312 Net part 313 Instance part 314 Port instance part 321 Terminal figure 322 Wiring figure / via 323 Part definition name / part arrangement information 324 Shadow Figure 325 Part definition

Claims (10)

Circuit information storage means for storing information relating to circuit elements in which the bottom area and height of the three-dimensional shape are virtually set according to the characteristics, divided into a heating element that generates heat and a heat dissipation element that absorbs heat; ,
Circuit element placement means for placing the element at an arbitrary position in a space in which the circuit is formed, based on information stored in the circuit information storage means;
For each element arranged by the circuit element arrangement means, light source arrangement means for arranging a virtual point light source above the element according to the characteristics of the element;
The shadow area of the element by the light emitted from the point light source arranged by the light source arrangement means is calculated, and the amount of heat radiated by the radiator and / or the amount of heat generated by the heater is formed as the shadow of the element. Shadow formation means;
A circuit information management device comprising display control means for displaying the formed shadow. In the circuit information management device according to claim 1,
In the light source arrangement means, when the heat dissipating element and the heat generating element in each of the arranged elements are connected by wiring, the length of the wiring path connected to the heat generating element is set above the heat dissipating element. A circuit information management device, wherein a virtual point light source is arranged at a corresponding height. In the circuit information management device according to claim 1 or 2,
The circuit information management device, wherein the light source arrangement means arranges a virtual point light source at a height corresponding to the power consumption of the heating element above the heating element in each of the arranged elements. In the circuit information management device according to claim 3,
When a plurality of the heating elements are arranged in a stacked manner,
The light source arrangement means arranges a virtual point light source at a height corresponding to the power consumption of the heating element for each of the stacked heating elements,
The shadow forming means forms a shadow region by light emitted from the arranged point light sources for each of the stacked heating elements,
The circuit information management apparatus, wherein the display control means overwrites and displays the shadows of the heating elements close to the substrate in priority order. In the circuit information management device according to claim 3,
When a plurality of the heating elements are laminated and each layer is connected by an electrode,
The light source arrangement means arranges a virtual point light source at a height corresponding to the total power consumption of the heating elements connected by the electrodes above the lowermost heating element,
The circuit information management apparatus, wherein the shadow forming means forms a shadow area of the lowermost heating element by light emitted from the arranged point light source. In the circuit information management device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
In the shadow area of the radiator and the shadow area of the heating element, the difference between the overlapping area and the shadow area of the heating element is minimized within the range of the constraint condition of the element. A circuit information management device comprising an arrangement changing means for changing the arrangement of the heat radiating body and / or the heating element. In the circuit information management device according to claim 6,
The circuit information management device, wherein the shadow area of the heat radiating body, the shadow area of the heating element, and the overlapping area are displayed in different display modes. In the circuit information management device according to claim 6 or 7,
The three-dimensional height of the heat radiator is set based on the material of the heat radiator, and the three-dimensional height of the heat generator is the minimum power consumption, maximum power consumption and / or average power consumption of the heat generator. The circuit information management device is set based on Computer
Information related to circuit elements whose bottom area and height of the three-dimensional shape are set according to the characteristics is stored in circuit information storage means that stores the information by dividing it into a heating element that generates heat and a heat dissipation element that absorbs heat. A circuit element placement step of placing the element at an arbitrary position in a space in which the circuit is formed, based on
For each element arranged in the circuit element arrangement step, a light source arrangement step of arranging a virtual point light source above the element according to the characteristics of the element;
The shadow area of the element by the light emitted from the point light source arranged in the light source arrangement step is calculated, and the amount of heat radiated by the heat radiating body and / or the amount of heat generated by the heat radiating body is formed as the shadow of the element. A shadow formation step;
Circuit information management method and executes a display control step of displaying the formed shadow. Circuit information storage means for storing information on circuit elements in which the bottom area and height of the three-dimensional shape are virtually set according to characteristics, divided into a heating element that generates heat and a heat dissipation element that absorbs heat;
Circuit element placement means for placing the element at an arbitrary position in a space in which the circuit is formed, based on information stored in the circuit information storage means;
For each element arranged in the circuit element arrangement step, light source arrangement means for arranging a virtual point light source above the element according to the characteristics of the element,
The shadow area of the element by the light emitted from the point light source arranged in the light source arrangement step is calculated, and the amount of heat radiated by the heat radiating body and / or the amount of heat generated by the heat radiating body is formed as the shadow of the element. Shadow forming means,
A circuit information management program for causing a computer to function as display control means for displaying the formed shadow.

Images