TWI782707B - Signal path searching method, electronic device and non-transitory computer readable medium - Google Patents

Abstract

A signal path searching method is disclosed, which includes the following steps. Circuit board layout data are read, which includes information of plural components and plural connection lines. In the circuit board layout data, according to input information of a first target component, a first target signal, a second target component and a second target signal, all the signal contacts of the first target component that match the first target signal are used as starting points to search for a signal path to a signal contact in the second target component corresponding to the second target signal as an end point.

Description

Signal path searching method, electronic device and non-transitory computer readable medium

The present invention refers to a signal path searching method for circuit board layout design, an electronic device and a non-transitory computer-readable medium using the signal path searching method.

Circuit boards are commonly found in various electronic products, such as personal computers, mobile phones, various home appliances and automotive electronic devices. In the production of circuit boards, electronic design automation (EDA) tools are usually used to design and simulate circuit boards first, and then physical circuit board products are produced according to the design results. However, in the process of circuit board layout design, when performing signal design inspection and simulation, it is necessary to find the signal connection path manually. It takes a long time to carry out, resulting in a longer product design schedule.

One aspect of the present invention refers to a signal path search method, including: reading circuit board layout data, the circuit board layout data includes information of a plurality of parts and a plurality of connection lines; and according to the input of the first target part, the first The information of the target signal, the second target part and the second target signal, in the circuit board layout data, starts from all the signal contacts of the first target part that match the first target signal, and searches for the information corresponding to the second target part The signal path that should be the end point of the signal contact of the two target signals.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, if the information of the first target part, the first target signal, the second target part or the second target signal does not exist in the circuit board layout data, an error message is generated.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the above-mentioned signal path search method further includes: after successfully searching for the signal path ending at the signal contact corresponding to the second target signal in the second target part, generating all the signal paths passed by The selected layout area for the part and all connectors.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the above-mentioned signal path search method further includes: after successfully searching for a signal path ending at a signal contact corresponding to the second target signal in the second target part, generating a signal path according to the signal path form.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the above-mentioned signal path search method further includes: when the ground terminal is searched, if all the signal contacts of all parts passed by the signal path are searched, then all the signal contacts in the first target part are searched. The signal contact that matches the first target signal and has not been searched is used as a starting point, and the signal path searched to the signal contact corresponding to the second target signal in the second target part is updated.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the above-mentioned signal path search method further includes: when the ground terminal is searched, if there is a part of the signal contact that has not been searched on the signal path, the last part of the signal path from the signal path A part with a signal contact that has not been searched is used as a midway point, and the signal path of the search to the signal contact corresponding to the second target signal in the second target part is updated.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the above-mentioned signal path search method further includes: after successfully searching for a signal path ending at a signal contact corresponding to the second target signal in the second target part, recording the signal path , and then take all the signal contacts in the first target part that match the first target signal and have not been searched as a starting point, update the signal path searched to the signal contacts corresponding to the second target signal in the second target part .

Another aspect of the present invention refers to an electronic device including an input unit, an input unit and a processing unit. The storage unit is used for storing the layout data of the circuit board, and the layout data of the circuit board includes information of a plurality of parts and a plurality of connection lines. The processing unit is configured to perform the following operations: access the storage unit to read the circuit board layout data; and according to the information of the first target part, the first target signal, the second target part and the second target signal input through the input unit , in the circuit board layout data, starting from all the signal contacts of the first target part matching the first target signal, searching for a signal path ending at the signal contacts corresponding to the second target signal in the second target part.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the above-mentioned electronic device further includes a display unit for displaying circuit board layout data. After successfully searching for a signal path ending at the signal contact corresponding to the second target signal in the second target part, the processing unit generates a selected layout area of all parts and all connecting lines passed by the signal path, and makes the display unit in the The selected layout area is displayed on the board layout data.

Yet another aspect of the invention is directed to a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: read circuit board layout data, the circuit board The layout data includes information of multiple parts and multiple connection lines; and according to the input information of the first target part, the first target signal, the second target part and the second target signal, in the circuit board layout data, the first All the signal contacts of the target part corresponding to the first target signal are used as the starting point, and the signal path is searched to the end point of the signal contact corresponding to the second target signal in the second target part.

Embodiments of the invention are discussed in detail below. It should be appreciated, however, that the embodiments provide many applicable concepts that can be implemented in a wide variety of specific contexts. The discussed and disclosed embodiments are for illustration only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

The terms used herein are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the scope of patent applications. Unless otherwise limited, the terms "a" or "the" in the singular may also be used in the plural.

The use of spatially relative terms is to illustrate different orientations of components in use or operation, and is not limited to the orientation shown in the drawings. Elements could be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptions used herein should be interpreted in the same way.

For the sake of simplicity and clear description, element symbols and/or letters may be used repeatedly in various embodiments herein, but this does not mean that there is a causal relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a signal path search method 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Firstly, proceed to step S102 to read circuit board layout data. Next, proceed to step S104, and input information of the first target component, the first target signal, the second target component, and the second target signal. Afterwards, step S106 is performed to confirm whether the information of the first target part, the first target signal, the second target part and the second target signal exists in the circuit board layout data. If it is confirmed that the information of the first target part, the first target signal, the second target part and the second target signal all exist in the circuit board layout data, then proceed to step S108, and use all the first target parts in the first target part to match the first target signal. The signal contact of the second target part is used as the starting point to search for a signal path ending at the signal contact point corresponding to the second target signal in the second target part. Conversely, if the information of the first target part, the first target signal, the second target part and the second target signal does not all exist in the circuit board layout data, an error message is generated to inform the user that the signal path search cannot be continued operate.

In step S108, first search the signal path to the next part corresponding to the first target signal, then read all the signal contacts of this part, and use these signal contacts as intermediate points in order to continue to signal to the next part path search. If the ground terminal is found, it means that the search direction of the signal path needs to be changed. If there is a part with a signal contact that has not been searched on the signal path, the search will be continued from the last part of the signal path that has a signal contact that has not been searched, and the signal contact that has not been searched is used as the middle. Click Update Signal Path.

For example, if the search signal path passes through three parts (excluding the first target part) and then reaches the ground terminal, it is first judged whether the third part passed by the signal path has a signal contact that has not been searched. If yes, take the unsearched signal contact in the third part as the halfway point and continue the search; if not, then judge whether the second part through which the signal path passes has a signal contact that has not been searched, and so on . If none of the first to third parts has unsearched signal contacts, then use all signal contacts in the first target part that match the first target signal and have not been searched as a starting point to update the search to the second target part The signal path of the signal contact corresponding to the second target signal.

If the signal path ending at the signal contact point corresponding to the second target signal in the second target part is successfully searched, then this signal path is an effective signal path that meets the search conditions, so this effective signal path can be stored to For designers to see, and then similar to the way to find the ground terminal, if there is a part with a signal contact that has not been searched on the signal path, it will be replaced by the last signal contact in the signal path that has not yet been searched Continue the search for the parts that have not been searched, and update the signal path with the signal contact that has not been searched as a midway point.

In some embodiments, after successfully searching for a signal path ending at a signal contact corresponding to the second target signal in the second target part, a selected layout area of all parts and all connecting lines that the signal path passes through is generated, and in The selected layout area is displayed on the circuit board layout data, so that designers can easily understand the layout range and position of related parts on the circuit board by viewing the selected layout area on the circuit board layout data. In addition, in some embodiments, after the signal path ending at the signal contact corresponding to the second target signal in the second target part is successfully searched, a signal path list is generated according to the signal path, so that the designer can easily use the View the signal routing table to understand the signal connection relationship between two target parts. If multiple valid signal paths are obtained after performing the signal path searching method 100 , then the valid signal paths that meet the conditions can be selected to be displayed, such as the valid signal paths passing through a specific component and/or a specific connection line.

Board layout information can be presented in the form of layout drawings. FIG. 2 is an example of a circuit board layout CB. As shown in Figure 2, the circuit board layout diagram CB includes parts C1-C10, wherein, part C1 has signal contacts C1_1-C1_8, part C2 has signal contacts C2_1-C2_2, part C3 has signal contacts C3_1-C3_2, parts C4 has signal contacts C4_1-C4_2, part C5 has signal contacts C5_1-C5_4, part C6 has signal contacts C6_1-C6_2, part C7 has signal contacts C7_1-C7_2, part C8 has signal contacts C8_1-C8_2, parts C9 has signal contacts C9_1-C9_2, and component C10 has signal contacts C9_1-C10_5. The component C8 can be passive components such as resistors and capacitors, or active components such as diodes, transistors, chips, etc., or a combination of passive components and active components. The signals N1-N9 are connection signals between different contacts respectively. For clarity, the components connected to the signal contacts C1_3-C1_8 of the component C1 are omitted and not shown.

FIG. 3A to FIG. 3D illustrate the signal path searching process of the circuit board layout diagram CB in FIG. 2 by using the signal path searching method 100 . In the examples shown in FIGS. 3A to 3D , the first target component, the first target signal, the second target component and the second target signal are component C1 , signal N1 , component C10 and signal N9 , respectively. After confirming that the selected first target part number C1, first target signal number N1, second target part number C10 and second target signal number N9 all exist in the circuit board layout diagram CB, path search is started with part C1. Since there are two signal contacts corresponding to the signal N1 in the component C1, the signal path searching method of the present invention is performed starting from these two signal contacts.

As shown in Figure 3A, firstly, starting from the signal contact C1_1, the signal contact C2_1 of the part C2 is searched through the connection line corresponding to the signal N1, and then the signal contact C2_2 of the part C2 is searched through the connection line corresponding to the signal N2 to The signal contact C4_1 of the component C4 is then searched from the signal contact C4_2 of the component C4 to the signal contact C6_1 of the component C6 through the connection line corresponding to the signal N4, and finally the signal contact C6_2 of the component C6 is searched to the ground terminal GND. Since the ground terminal GND is found, and all the contacts in parts C2, C4, and C6 are searched, the search for the signal path starting from the signal contact C1_1 is ended, and another signal contact C1_2 is used as the starting point, Update the signal path searched to the signal contact corresponding to signal N9 in component C10. As shown in Figure 3B, starting from the signal contact C1_2, the signal contact C3_1 of the part C3 is searched through the connection line corresponding to the signal N1, and then the signal contact C3_2 of the part C3 is searched to the part through the connection line corresponding to the signal N3 The signal contact C5_1 of C5 is then searched from the signal contact C5_2 of part C5 to the signal contact C7_1 of part C7 through the connection line corresponding to the signal N5, and finally the signal contact C7_2 of part C7 is searched to the ground terminal GND. Since all the contacts in part C7 have been searched, but there are still contacts C5_3-C5_4 in part C5 that have not yet been searched, so the search for the signal path through the signal contact C5_2 is ended, and the signal contacts in the signal path are cleared. Point C5_2 to the part of the ground terminal GND, and then search for the signal path through the signal contacts C5_3-C5_4.

As shown in FIG. 3C , the signal path from the signal contact C1_2 to the signal contact C5_1 in FIG. 3B is still reserved, and then the signal contact C5_3 of the part C5 is searched to the signal contact C8_2 of the part C8 through the connection line corresponding to the signal N6. After that, the signal contact C8_1 of part C8 is searched to the signal contact C9_1 of part C9 through the connection line corresponding to signal N7, and finally the signal contact C9_2 of part C9 is searched to the signal connection of part C10 through the connection line corresponding to signal N8. Point C10_1. Since there is a signal contact C10_3 corresponding to the signal N9 in the component C10, the path from the component C1 to the component C10 shown in FIG. 3C is an effective path search result. The valid path search results can be stored and/or displayed in real time. Since all the contacts in parts C8 and C9 have been searched, but there is still a contact C5_4 in part C5 that has not yet been searched, so the search for the signal path through the signal contact C5_3 is ended, and then proceed through the signal contact Signal path search for C5_4.

As shown in FIG. 3D , the signal path from the signal contact C1_2 to the signal contact C5_1 in FIG. 3B is still reserved, and then searches from the signal contact C5_4 of the part C5 to the ground terminal GND. Since the ground terminal GND is found and all the contacts in the parts C1, C3, and C5 have been searched, the signal path search starting from the signal contact C1_2 is ended and cleared.

The signal path search results can be presented in the circuit board layout diagram shown in Figure 2. From the signal path search results shown in Figure 3A to Figure 3D, it can be seen that the path from part C1 to part C10 shown in Figure 3C is an effective signal path, so it can be directly generated on the circuit board layout diagram including parts C1, C3, C5, The selected layout area LA of C8-C10, as shown in Figure 4, is convenient for users to conduct circuit design testing. In some embodiments, the searched signal paths can also be presented in a signal path list.

It should be noted that the number, position, connection relationship, size and/or selected layout area of components, signal contacts and signals shown in Figures 2 to 4 are for illustration only, but may not be the same as the actual implementation. And it is only for the convenience of describing the process of the signal path searching method 100 , and is not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments herein.

The operation related to signal path search in this paper can be performed by an electronic device with processing and computing functions. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of an electronic device 500 according to some examples of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5 , the electronic device 500 includes a storage unit 510 , a processing unit 520 , an input unit 530 and a display unit 540 . The storage unit 510, the processing unit 520, the input unit 530 and the display unit 540 can be integrated into the same electronic device, such as a tablet computer. Alternatively, the electronic device 500 may be composed of a plurality of physical, electrical and/or communication connections.

The storage unit 510 can be used to store non-transitory computer readable programs, data and/or various types of files. The storage unit 510 may be, for example, a read-only memory (read-only memory; ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a random access Random access memory (RAM), CD-ROM, magnetic tape, hard disk, solid state disk (SSD), flash memory or Other data storage devices suitable for, but not limited to, storing data, files and/or programs.

The processing unit 520 is coupled to the storage unit 510, and is used to access and/or execute data, files, program codes, etc. stored in the storage unit 510, and to execute the signal path search method herein, and store the generated results in The storage unit 510 is, for example, an effective route search result. The processing unit 520 may be, for example, a conventional processor (conventional processor), a multicore processor (multicore processor), a digital signal processor (digital signal processor; DSP), a microprocessor (microprocessor), an application-specific integrated circuit (application- specific integrated circuit; ASIC), etc., but not limited to this.

The input unit 530 is coupled to the processing unit 520, and is used for generating an input signal according to a user's operation and sending the input signal to the processing unit 520, so that the processing unit 520 performs a corresponding operation according to the input signal. When the electronic device 500 performs the signal path search method, the input unit 530 can generate information such as the first target part, the first target signal, the second target part, and the second target signal according to user operations, and transmit the information to the processing unit 520. The input unit 530 can be any device capable of generating input signals, such as a mouse, a keyboard, a touch interface, etc., but is not limited thereto. The input unit 530 can transmit the operation event to the processing unit 520 according to the user's operation, so that the processing unit 520 performs corresponding processing according to the operation event.

The display unit 540 is coupled to the processing unit 520, and it is used to display the corresponding screen according to the operation of the processing unit 520, such as the target part and the target signal input image interface, the circuit board layout diagram CB shown in FIG. Selected layout area LA, signal path form and/or error messages, but not limited thereto. In the present invention, the display unit 540 may be, for example, a liquid crystal display, an electroluminescence display, etc., but is not limited thereto. In an example, the input unit 530 and the display unit 540 are touch displays.

In addition, the operations related to signal path searching herein can be programmed into computer program instructions, which can be executed by a processor and stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium accessible by the processor. The processor may be a central processing unit, a microprocessor, or other processors apparent to those having ordinary knowledge in the art. Non-transitory computer readable media can be read-only memory, flash memory, floppy disks, hard disks, compact disks, Universal Serial Bus (USB) pen drives, magnetic tape, databases accessible on the Internet , or other computer-readable media that would be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art.

According to the above-mentioned embodiment, the signal connection path between two components in the circuit board layout data can be automatically searched, which can effectively shorten the time spent by the designer on checking the layout design, and can also solve the problem of missing inspection due to human error. In addition, the signal path search method in this article can be carried out by layout design software, or by importing electronic circuit diagrams, and the searched signal path results are more accurate and faster, and it is even more convenient for circuit boards that require precise design. It can achieve the effect of quick inspection of signal design, and for the design of the overall circuit board, it can effectively reduce its design problems and shorten the design time.

Although the present invention has been disclosed above with the embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field may make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention should be defined by the scope of the appended patent application.

100: Signal path search method 500: electronic device 510: storage unit 520: processing unit 530: input unit 540: display unit C1-C10: Parts C1_1-C1_8, C2_1-C2_2, C3_1-C3_2, C4_1-C4_2, C5_1-C5_4, C6_1-C6_2, C7_1-C2_2, C8_1-C8_2, C9_1-C9_2, C10_1-C10_5: signal contacts CB: Circuit Board Layout GND: ground terminal LA: selected layout area N1-N9: signal S102, S104, S106, S108: steps

For a more complete understanding of the embodiments and advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: [FIG. 1] is a flowchart of a signal path search method according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Fig. 2] is an example of a circuit board layout; [Figure 3A] to [Figure 3D] illustrate the process of searching the signal path of the circuit board layout diagram in [Figure 2] by using the signal path search method in [Figure 1]; [Figure 4] shows an example of the signal path search results of the circuit board layout diagram in [Figure 2] using the signal path search method in [Figure 1]; and [FIG. 5] is a functional block diagram of an electronic device according to some examples of the present invention.

100: Signal path search method

S102, S104, S106, S108: steps

Claims (9)

A signal path search method, comprising: reading a circuit board layout data, the circuit board layout data includes information of a plurality of parts and a plurality of connection lines; inputting a first target part, a first target signal, a first Information about two target parts and a second target signal, in the circuit board layout data, starting from all the signal contacts of the first target part that match the first target signal, searching for the second target part The signal path corresponding to the signal contact of the second target signal as the end point; and when a ground terminal is found, if all the signal contacts of all parts passed by the signal path are searched, the first target part All the signal contacts that match the first target signal and have not been searched are used as the starting point, and the signal paths searched to the signal contacts corresponding to the second target signal in the second target part are updated. The signal path search method as described in Claim 1, wherein if the information of the first target part, the first target signal, the second target part or the second target signal does not exist in the circuit board layout data, An error message is generated. The signal path search method as described in claim 1 further includes: after successfully searching for a signal path ending at the signal contact point corresponding to the second target signal in the second target part, generating the signal path that the signal path passes through One selected layout area for all parts and all connectors. The signal path search method as described in claim 1 further includes: after successfully searching for a signal path ending at the signal contact corresponding to the second target signal in the second target part, generating a signal according to the signal path path form. The signal path search method as described in claim 1 further includes: when a ground terminal is found, if there is a part of the signal contact that has not been searched on the signal path, then use the part of the signal path from the signal path The last part with a signal contact that has not been searched is used as a halfway point, and the signal path searched to the signal contact corresponding to the second target signal in the second target part is updated. The signal path search method as described in claim 1, further comprising: after successfully searching for a signal path ending at the signal contact corresponding to the second target signal in the second target part, recording the signal path, and then Starting from all the signal contacts in the first target part that match the first target signal and have not been searched, update the signal path searched to the signal contacts corresponding to the second target signal in the second target part. An electronic device comprising: an input unit; a storage unit for storing a circuit board layout data, the circuit board layout data including information of a plurality of parts and a plurality of connection lines; and a processing unit configured to perform the following Operation: accessing the storage unit to read the circuit board layout data; according to information of a first target part, a first target signal, a second target part and a second target signal input through the input unit, In the circuit board layout data, start from all the signal contacts of the first target part that match the first target signal, and search to end with the signal contacts of the second target part that correspond to the second target signal and when a ground terminal is found, if all the signal contacts of all the parts passed by the signal path are searched, then all the first target parts that meet the first target signal and have not been searched The signal contact of the second target part is used as a starting point, and the signal path searched to the signal contact of the second target signal corresponding to the second target signal is updated. The electronic device as described in claim item 7, further comprising: a display unit for displaying the layout data of the circuit board; wherein, the signal contact corresponding to the second target signal in the second target part after successful search is After the signal path at the end point, the processing unit generates a selected layout area of all parts and all connecting lines passed by the signal path, and makes the display unit display the selected layout area on the circuit board layout data. local area. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: read a circuit board layout data comprising a plurality of Parts and a plurality of connection lines; according to input information of a first target part, a first target signal, a second target part and a second target signal, in the circuit board layout data, the first All the signal contacts of the target part that match the first target signal are used as starting points to search for a signal path that ends at the signal contacts of the second target part that correspond to the second target signal; and when a ground terminal is found , if all the signal contacts of all the parts that the signal path passes through are searched, take all the signal contacts in the first target part that match the first target signal and have not been searched as the starting point, and update the search to the first target part The signal path of the signal contact corresponding to the second target signal in the second target component.

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