JPS61245280A - Automatic wiring method for logic circuit diagram - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To find a wiring route suitable to high speed by giving priority to a pattern in each group and registering previously the pattern. CONSTITUTION:A wiring diagram displayed on the graphic display of an editing device in automatic wiring work shows the state that micros 1 and 2 are connected by a wiring 4 by avoiding a hindrance 3. A line segment used for wiring is horizontal and vertical and the direction is given to the horizontal and vertical line segments. It is assumed that an upper direction, a lower direction, a left direction and a right direction are assumed to be N, S, W and E, respectively. In order to use effectively said direction, a point at a right side and a point at a left side are a start point A and an end point B, respectively, according to the right and left position relationship of two points to which wiring is applied. When the start and end points A and B are positioned at the upper part according to the vertical position relationship of the start and end points A and B, it is assumed to be Up Pattern: otherwise, it is Down Pattern.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to an automatic wiring method in a logic circuit diagram, and particularly relates to a wiring method for displaying a logic circuit diagram on a display screen and performing automatic wiring in a conversational manner. 0 <Summary of the Invention> The present invention provides a method for forming wiring that connects elements of a logic circuit diagram, in order to improve work efficiency. Wiring patterns classified in advance by direction are registered in an editing device for wiring creation, and each registered wiring pattern is given a priority order, and wiring patterns between two points are displayed in order from the highest priority to the highest priority during circuit design. Determine the wiring.

<Prior Art and its Problems> As an efficient development method for integrated circuit design, a method in which a designer inputs and edits a logic circuit diagram while interacting on a graphic display is widely used.

In order to improve the efficiency of such work, there is a need for an automatic wiring function that connects each element (hereinafter referred to as a macro) constituting a logic circuit diagram in a conversational manner.

The conventional method of wiring between macros, which is done using an editing device, is to use a stylus pen or mouse to point at each corner of the wiring route in order, and draw horizontal and vertical line segments. The common method was to add more. Automatic wiring functions have recently begun to be developed to improve work efficiency.
It was not always possible to obtain the wiring results that the designer wanted or that were easy to see.

Means for Solving the Problems> In order to eliminate the drawbacks of the conventional wiring method on logic circuit diagrams, the present invention registers all patterns up to a maximum of N (integer) bends for wiring two points. Prepare. These patterns are further divided into groups according to the number of facings and by sets of directions of line segments extending from two points where wiring is to be performed, and priorities are given to the patterns within each group. When searching for a route, patterns are determined and displayed according to the priority order.

Display patterns are sequentially switched according to priority order, and wiring results can be selected.

By registering wiring patterns for connecting two points in advance and giving priority to these wiring patterns, wiring work can be speeded up and patterns with different routes can be quickly connected. This makes route selection easier.

<Example> Fig. 1 shows a wiring diagram displayed on the graphic display of an editing device during automatic wiring work. Shows the connected state. Two points A and B like this
The method for wiring between the two will be explained.

Before executing the wiring work, the wiring pattern is registered in the editing device in advance. First, the creation of the registration data will be explained.

Line segments used for wiring are horizontal and vertical, and directions are given to these horizontal and vertical line segments. For example, as shown in Figure 2, the upper direction is N.
1. Downward direction S1 leftward direction W1 rightward direction E.

Furthermore, in order to effectively utilize the above orientation, wiring is performed 2.
Based on the left-right positional relationship of the points, the point on the right side is the starting point A, and the point on the left side is the ending point B. Also, from the vertical positional relationship between the starting point A and the ending point B, if the ending point B is above the starting point A as shown in Figure 3 (a),
As shown in Figure (b), < Down Pattern. The path from starting point A to ending point B is marked by the above symbol N, which represents the direction.
It is expressed using S, W, and E as shown in Figure 5.

Next is the number of turns each pattern takes to reach the target point, and then each side is turned up or down for each number of turns.
In addition, the groups are grouped based on the same pair of direction exiting from the starting point A and direction entering the ending point B. Now, if the maximum number of faces is 9 and the number is 3, if all the patterns that get 9 are classified using the method described above, the following table will be obtained. That is, for the number of bends 0°1 and 2.3, Up Pattern and [)ownPattern
The table is completed by classifying patterns into patterns having starting points and ending points in the same direction within each category. This table is registered in advance in the editing device.

(Top<T-# White Pattern Classification Table In the above pattern classification table, for example, the WNWS pattern is type pattern and Down Pattern.
However, since the two patterns are different as described below, they are treated as completely different patterns. In other words, when wiring is performed using a certain pattern, the minimum or maximum length of a line segment that can extend from starting point A can be determined based on the pattern, the coordinate values of starting point A and ending point B, and constraints arising from design rules. . Since the patterns are classified more finely as shown in the table above, the methods for calculating the minimum length and maximum length can be made to correspond to the patterns on a one-to-I basis, thereby speeding up the processing.

When actually wiring a logic circuit diagram, the input terminal and output terminal of the macro are often the starting point or ending point of the wiring. Therefore, if it is known whether the two points specified by the designer to be wired are macro input terminals or output terminals, the direction of the line segment extending from at least the two points, starting point A and ending point B, can be determined at the starting point. In other words, if the attributes of the specified two points (macro input or output terminals, points on a line segment, etc.) are known, a group of patterns that can be wired from the above table starting from the right side is limited. For this reason, we used the direction of the line segment extending from the starting point and the direction of the line segment entering the ending point as criteria for pattern grouping.

For example, W belonging to the same group with 3 bend patterns
NWN, WNEN, and WSWN are all patterns that leave the starting point A in the left direction and enter the ending point B in the upward direction.

In the wiring pattern determination work, it is assumed that a line segment of a certain length extending from the starting point A can be wired within the range of the minimum and maximum values allowed for the line segment extending from the starting point A. Routable basically means that there is no intersection with macros, there is no overlap with other existing wiring, and there is a certain distance between macros and existing wiring determined by design rules. Once the line segment extending from starting point A is determined, the remaining pattern after removing that line segment becomes a pattern with the number of bends reduced by one, and the starting point and ending point are changed (the previous ending point is not necessarily the next ending point). (This may not necessarily be the case.) Repeat the same process.

Next, the procedure for determining the wiring pattern between the starting point A1 and the ending point 8 shown in FIG. 1 will be explained. Since the starting point A and ending point B of the wiring are determined, the number of turns in the pattern classification table above is 3, Up.
A group of Pattern + NWs is selected, and within this group, NWNWs with particularly high priority are selected. FIGS. 4(a) to 4(f) show the process of pattern formation when searching for a route using the selected NWNW pattern. FIG. 4(a) shows the positional relationship between the starting point Ao, the ending point B, and the obstacle 3.

1) In Figure 4(b), the direction at the starting point A is N.
is given, the line segment 41 is extended upward from the starting point AO based on this constraint. This line segment 4I turn is NWN
W becomes WNW.

2) In FIG. 4(C), it is also possible to route a line segment to the left from the starting point A for the new pattern WNW.

The starting point is changed from A1 to A2 again. The pattern is WN
Change from W to NW.

3) In FIG. 4(d), the line segment extended from the starting point A2 in the new pattern NW intersects the obstacle 3.

Therefore, the pattern returns to the previous pattern WNW.

4] In Fig. 4(e), start point A2 in pattern WNW
Lengthen the line segment to be extended from. Can be wired. The starting point is changed from A2 to A3 again, and the pattern is changed from WNW to NW.

5] In FIG. 4(f), the line segment connecting the starting point A3 and the ending point B in the new pattern NW can be routed. Wiring completed.

A wiring route is searched as described above using pattern information registered in advance. In this example, the wiring route shown in Figure 1 has been found, but if the designer is dissatisfied with this pattern, the direction extending from the starting point A, which has the next priority, and the direction entering the N1 ending point will be changed to W2B. A nine-pattern NWSW route search is executed, and the wiring result becomes the pattern shown in FIG.

In the above embodiment, the priority of the NWNW pattern is set higher than that of the NWS W pattern, but the priority order can be determined by, for example, providing a file that can accumulate the frequency of use for each pattern, and reading the contents of the file when the editing device starts up. This information is for reference only. While editing circuit wiring, the frequency of use of patterns is counted, the priority order is changed as the frequency of use changes, and a new file is rewritten when the work is completed.

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, by further giving a priority order to the patterns in each group classified according to the "number of turns" Up or Down "direction extending from the starting point, direction entering the end point" and registering them in advance, 2. When determining wiring for connecting points, a desired wiring route can be found more quickly by performing a route search according to the priority order.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a logic circuit wiring diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a line segment direction diagram for explaining the present invention, Fig. 3 is a diagram of the starting point and end point position relationship for explaining the present invention, Fig. 5 is a wiring pattern diagram according to the present invention, and Fig. + is a diagram for explaining the present invention. FIG. 6 is a wiring route search diagram that does not provide a detailed explanation of the invention, and is another wiring route search diagram according to the present invention. 112: Logic circuit macro, 3: Obstacle, A, starting point, B:
the last stop. Agent: Patent attorney Aihiko Fuku (2 others) Kuzu 1, M3

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1) In a method of displaying a logic circuit diagram on a display screen and wiring between components, the direction in which the wiring extends is set in advance in a plurality of predetermined directions, and two points are connected between the starting point and the ending point. For the wiring routes between, the wiring routes classified according to the number of bends the wiring route takes and the direction in which the wiring extends at each of the starting point and the ending point are registered in advance in the editing device, and the wiring routes are classified into the registered wiring routes. Within the same group, prioritize and weight the connections between the two points to be wired.
An automatic wiring method for a logic circuit diagram, characterized in that the wiring direction and the number of turns at a starting point and an ending point are given, and wiring between two points is formed in priority order from the registered contents.