Circuit design device, circuit design assistance method, and circuit design assistance system

Abstract

To reduce man-hours in the circuit design of a bypass capacitor circuit.SOLUTION: A circuit design assistance device comprises: a design condition parameter acquisition unit for acquiring a design condition parameter that indicates a design condition of a circuit board for mounting integrated circuit components; a circuit board characteristic estimation unit which calculates, by using the design condition parameter and component information including preliminarily stored characteristic information on each capacitor component, an estimate circuit board characteristic in the case where the capacitor component included in the combination is mounted on the circuit board as a bypass capacitor, for each of a plurality of capacitor component combinations; and an estimate circuit board characteristic output unit for outputting data for presentation that represents, for each of the combinations, the estimate circuit board characteristic calculated by the circuit board estimation unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a circuit design support technology that supports the design of a board circuit including a bypass capacitor. [Background technology]

[0002] In circuit boards that mount integrated circuit components such as LSIs, bypass capacitor components may be mounted to reduce the power supply noise of the integrated circuit components. When designing the circuit for such a circuit board, the input impedance of the board as seen from the integrated circuit components with the bypass capacitor components mounted is controlled. In controlling input impedance, circuits that include bypass capacitors (hereinafter referred to as "bypass capacitor circuits" or "pass-com circuits") are an important element, and when designing such circuits, the circuit configuration and components used are determined based on the engineer's specialized knowledge and taking into account component placement constraints, and then repeatedly designing the circuit pattern, analyzing PI (Power Integrity), and modifying the circuit (changing the number and type of capacitor components) to satisfy the desired impedance characteristics (target characteristics).

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an "analysis model creation technique and board model creation technique" that can assist in the circuit design of the above-mentioned bypass capacitor circuit. Specifically, Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which "a list of wiring and vias drawn from the power pins or ground pins of LSI components and bypass capacitors is generated with reference to component information in CAD data," and "with reference to the list of generated wiring and vias, if the wiring drawn from the pin of a target bypass capacitor is not shared with wiring drawn from the pins of other bypass capacitors and the wiring drawn from that bypass capacitor pin is shared with a wiring drawn from a pin of an LSI component, an element of the wiring portion on the board model corresponding to the wiring drawn from the power pin or ground pin of that bypass capacitor is generated by embedding the characteristic value of that element by multiplying or dividing the coefficient parameter," making it possible to execute a simulation of a case in which another bypass capacitor (its pin) is added near the pin of an LSI component and the pin of a bypass capacitor, simply by adding a model of the bypass capacitor characteristics and by changing the value of the coefficient parameter by which the characteristic value of the element of the wiring portion is multiplied or divided." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-163449 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the circuit design of conventional bypass capacitor circuits requires repeated circuit pattern design, power integrity (PI) analysis, and circuit modification, which tends to require a large number of man-hours. The "analysis model creation technology and board model creation technology" of Patent Document 1 only supports a simulation of a case where another bypass capacitor is added near an LSI component pin and a bypass capacitor pin, and cannot solve the problem that such a method still tends to require a large amount of man-hours.

[0006] The present disclosure is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to reduce the number of steps in circuit design of a bypass capacitor circuit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The circuit design support device according to the present disclosure includes: a design condition parameter acquisition unit that acquires design condition parameters that indicate design conditions of a board on which integrated circuit components are mounted; a board characteristic estimating unit that calculates, for each combination of a plurality of capacitor components, estimated board characteristics when the capacitor components included in the combination are mounted on the board as bypass capacitors, using the design condition parameters and component information including pre-stored characteristic information for each capacitor component; an estimated board characteristic output unit that outputs presentation data expressing the estimated board characteristics calculated by the board characteristic estimation unit for each combination; Equipped with: Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, an effect is achieved in that the number of steps in circuit design of a bypass capacitor circuit can be reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a circuit design assistance device 100 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a circuit design assistance system 1 including a circuit design assistance device 100A according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a first diagram for explaining the principle used in the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a second diagram for explaining the principle used in the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the circuit design assistance device 100A according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a circuit design assistance system 1 including a circuit design assistance device 100B according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a first diagram for explaining a detailed example of the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a second diagram for explaining a detailed example of the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a third diagram for explaining a detailed example of the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a fourth diagram for explaining a detailed example of the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a fifth diagram for explaining a detailed example of the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a sixth diagram for explaining a detailed example of the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a seventh diagram for explaining a detailed example of the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is an eighth diagram for explaining a detailed example of the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a ninth diagram for explaining a detailed example of the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a tenth diagram for explaining a detailed example of the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is an eleventh diagram for explaining a detailed example of the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an example of a process of the design condition parameter acquiring unit 110 in the circuit design assisting device 100B according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the substrate characteristics estimating unit in the circuit design assisting device 100B according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the estimated board characteristics output section 130 in the circuit design assistance device 100B according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a circuit design assistance system 1 including a circuit design assistance device 100C according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the substrate characteristics estimating unit 120 in the circuit design assisting device 100C according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 23] FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the estimated board characteristics output section 130 in the circuit design assistance device 100C according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 is a diagram for explaining functions of a circuit design assistance device 100C according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 25] FIG. 25 is a diagram for explaining information output by the circuit design assistance device 100C according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 26] FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a circuit design assistance system 1 including a circuit design assistance device 100D according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 27] FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the circuit design assistance device 100D according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 28] FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a hardware configuration for realizing functions according to the configuration of the present disclosure. [Figure 29] FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating a second example of a hardware configuration for realizing the functions according to the configuration of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] In order to explain the present disclosure in more detail, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] Embodiment 1 The first embodiment describes a basic configuration of the present disclosure.

[0012] An example of the configuration of a circuit design assistance device 100 according to the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a circuit design assistance device 100 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. The circuit design support device 100 supports the circuit design when designing a circuit including a bypass capacitor on a substrate for mounting integrated circuit components. The circuit design assistance device 100 outputs presentation data for presenting candidates for combinations of capacitor components that constitute a bypass capacitor, and board characteristics when the capacitor components are mounted on a board, and the like. The circuit design assistance device 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a design condition parameter acquisition section 110, a board characteristic estimation section 120, and an estimated board characteristic output section .

[0013] The design condition parameter acquisition unit 110 acquires design condition parameters that indicate the design conditions of a board on which integrated circuit components are to be mounted. The design condition parameter acquiring unit 110 accepts and acquires design condition parameters, for example, through an input operation or a selection operation by a user. The design condition parameters are acquired, for example, by a user's selection operation from the physical design parameters stored in a physical design parameter database 300 (300A, 300B, 300C, 300D) described later. The physical design parameters stored in the physical design parameter database 300 (300A, 300B, 300C, 300D) include the base material, layer configuration, VIA diameter, VIA structure, copper foil thickness, and terminal pitch of integrated circuit components. The physical design parameter database 300 (300A, 300B, 300C, 300D) may be configured to include physical design parameters other than the base material, layer configuration, VIA diameter, VIA structure, copper foil thickness, and terminal pitch of integrated circuit components. The design condition parameter acquiring unit 110 outputs the acquired design condition parameters to the board characteristic estimating unit 120 .

[0014] The board characteristic estimating unit 120 estimates board characteristics when the capacitor components are mounted on a board for each combination of design condition parameters and capacitor components that configure the bypass capacitor. The board characteristic estimation unit 120 acquires the design condition parameters output by the design condition parameter acquisition unit 110, and calculates, for each combination of multiple capacitor components, estimated board characteristics when the capacitor components included in the combination are mounted on the board as bypass capacitors, using the acquired design condition parameters and component information including pre-stored characteristic information for each capacitor component. The component information is acquired, for example, from component information stored in a component database 400 (400A, 400B, 400C, 400D) described later. The estimated board characteristic is an impedance characteristic, which is also expressed as a "Z characteristic."

[0015] The estimated board characteristics output section 130 uses the estimated board characteristics calculated by the board characteristic estimation section 120 to output presentation data to be presented to a user. The estimated board characteristics output section 130 outputs presentation data that expresses the estimated board characteristics calculated by the board characteristics estimation section 120 for each combination of capacitor components. The presentation data is, for example, data for graphically expressing impedance characteristics for each combination of capacitor parts constituting a bypass capacitor. The presentation data may also be, for example, data for expressing points of combinations of capacitor parts constituting a bypass capacitor on a plane formed by two axes, an axis indicating impedance characteristics and an axis indicating cost, as described below.

[0016] In addition to the above configuration, the circuit design assistance device 100 may also include a control unit (not shown) and a storage unit (not shown). A control unit (not shown) controls the entire circuit design assistance device 100. The control unit (not shown) starts up the circuit design assistance device 100 in accordance with, for example, an external command, or shuts down or puts the circuit design assistance device 100 into a sleep state. A storage unit (not shown) stores each piece of data used in the circuit design assistance device 100. The storage unit (not shown) stores, for example, output (output data) from each component in the circuit design assistance device 100, and outputs data requested by each component to the component that issued the request.

[0017] An example of the configuration of a circuit design support system 1 including a circuit design support device 100 according to the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a circuit design assistance system 1A including a circuit design assistance device 100A according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The circuit design support system 1A is a system that supports the circuit design when designing a circuit that includes a bypass capacitor in a substrate on which integrated circuit components are mounted. The circuit design support system 1A supports a user who is designing a circuit by presenting candidate combinations of capacitor components that constitute a bypass capacitor, as well as board characteristics when the capacitor components are mounted on a board. A circuit design support system 1A shown in FIG. 2 includes a circuit design support device 100A, an input / output device 200, a physical design parameter database 300A, and a component database 400A.

[0018] The input / output device 200 receives input operations from a user and outputs a display based on the presentation data output by the circuit design assistance device 100. The input / output device 200 is, for example, an information processing device having a monitor.

[0019] Physical design parameter database 300A stores physical design parameters in advance. The physical design parameters stored in the physical design parameter database 300A include the base material, layer configuration, VIA diameter, VIA structure, copper foil thickness, and terminal pitch of the integrated circuit component.

[0020] The component database 400A stores information about each capacitor component, such as the part number, product name, product specifications, material name, model name, capacitance, electrical characteristics, and physical dimensions. The electrical characteristics are expressed in the form of, for example, S parameters, RLC equivalent circuits, Spice netlists, etc. In addition to the above, component database 400A may also store information such as the unit price of direct materials for each capacitor component in advance. Furthermore, the component database 400A may store in advance information such as the number of current paths in the patterns connected to the capacitor components, connection wiring correction information based on path synthesis, and the mounting cost of the capacitor components. By knowing the number of current paths of the patterns connected to the capacitor components, it is possible to estimate different board characteristics according to the number of current paths even for circuits using the same components, and it is possible to increase the variety of combinations of capacitor components that make up the bypass capacitor. This makes it possible to generate circuits that use capacitor components that take into account cost constraints and capacitor components that take into account layout constraints, for example.

[0021] The circuit design assistance device 100A has the same functions as the circuit design assistance device 100 already described. The circuit design assistance device 100A includes a design condition parameter acquisition section 110A, a board characteristic estimation section 120A, and an estimated board characteristic output section 130A.

[0022] The design condition parameter acquiring section 110A, like the design condition parameter acquiring section 110 already described, acquires design condition parameters that indicate the design conditions of a board on which integrated circuit components are to be mounted. The design condition parameter acquiring unit 110A acquires, as the design condition parameters, physical design parameters selected by, for example, a user from the physical design parameters stored in the physical design parameter database 300A.

[0023] Like the board characteristics estimation unit 120 already described, the board characteristics estimation unit 120A uses design condition parameters and component information including pre-stored characteristic information for each capacitor component to calculate, for each combination of multiple capacitor components, estimated board characteristics when the capacitor components included in that combination are mounted on a board as bypass capacitors.

[0024] Like estimated board characteristics output section 130 already described, estimated board characteristics output section 130A outputs presentation data that expresses the estimated board characteristics calculated by board characteristics estimation section 120A for each combination of capacitor components that make up the bypass capacitor.

[0025] FIG. 3 is a first diagram for explaining the principle used in the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a second diagram for explaining the principle used in the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure. This disclosure focuses on the fact that control of the input impedance between the power supply and ground (GND) of a board is determined by the pattern characteristics of multiple paths and the electrical characteristics of passive components (numerous capacitors). 4, in a board 1013 for mounting an integrated circuit component 1011, a circuit is formed which is connected to a terminal 1012 (power supply terminal) of the integrated circuit component 1011, a power supply plane 1014, a bypass capacitor component 1016, a ground plane 1015, and a terminal 1012 (ground terminal) of the integrated circuit component 1011 via a VIA (power supply side VIA). The input impedance can be controlled by considering the integrated circuit component 1001, ground 1002, and a large number of bypass capacitor components 1003 (1003-1, . . . 1003-n) as components of the impedance characteristics of this circuit, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0026] An example of processing performed by the circuit design assistance device 100 will now be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the circuit design assistance device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The process shown in FIG. 5 is an example of a circuit design support method. The circuit design support method shown in FIG. 5 includes a design condition parameter acquisition step in which design condition parameter acquisition unit 110 of circuit design support device 100 acquires design condition parameters indicating design conditions for a board on which integrated circuit components are to be mounted; a board characteristic estimation step in which board characteristic estimation unit 120 of circuit design support device 100 uses the design condition parameters and component information including pre-stored characteristic information for each capacitor component to calculate, for each combination of a plurality of capacitor components, estimated board characteristics when a capacitor component included in that combination is mounted on the board as a bypass capacitor; and an estimated board characteristic output step in which estimated board characteristic output unit 130 of circuit design support device 100 outputs presentation data expressing the estimated board characteristics calculated by board characteristic estimation unit 120 for each combination of capacitor components.

[0027] When the circuit design assistance device 100A starts the process, it first executes a design condition parameter acquisition process (step ST1100). In the design condition parameter acquisition process, the design condition parameter acquisition unit 110A of the circuit design assistance device 100A acquires design condition parameters that indicate the design conditions of a board on which integrated circuit components are to be mounted. The design condition parameter acquiring unit 110A outputs the acquired design condition parameters to the substrate characteristic estimating unit 120A.

[0028] Next, the circuit design assistance device 100A executes a substrate characteristic estimation process (step ST1200). In the board characteristics estimation process, the board characteristics estimation unit 120A of the circuit design assistance device 100A uses design condition parameters and component information including pre-stored characteristic information for each capacitor component to calculate estimated board characteristics for each combination of multiple capacitor components when the capacitor components included in that combination are mounted on a board as bypass capacitors. The substrate characteristic estimation section 120A outputs the calculated estimated substrate characteristics to the estimated substrate characteristic output section 130A.

[0029] Next, the circuit design assistance device 100A executes an estimated board characteristic output process (step ST1300). In the estimated board characteristics output process, estimated board characteristics output unit 130A of circuit design assistance device 100A outputs presentation data expressing the estimated board characteristics calculated by board characteristics estimation unit 120 for each combination of capacitor components. Estimated board characteristics output unit 130A outputs the presentation data to input / output device 200. As a result, input / output device 200 displays and outputs the presentation data.

[0030] Next, the circuit design assistance device 100A ends the process shown in FIG.

[0031] The circuit design assistance device 100 determines an optimal circuit in advance and performs pattern design based on specified design rules, making it possible to design a board with good Z characteristics from an early stage. The circuit design assistance device 100 can extract a circuit that optimizes the bypass capacitor characteristics of the printed circuit board after design. The circuit design assistance device 100 dynamically generates the transmission line elements that dominate the result characteristics from the physical parameters, and can estimate them from a combination of the component characteristics and the number of parallel circuits. The circuit design assistance device 100 can control the combinations and extract candidates for bypass capacitor circuits. The circuit design support device 100 calculates the current path characteristics based on one bypass capacitor from the board design conditions, and predicts the post-design board characteristics by performing a combinational calculation of the characteristics of the bypass capacitor components and the number of parallel circuits formed with them. The circuit design assistance device 100 can perform computational processing on many of these combinations, thereby making it possible to determine the optimal bypass capacitor circuit for each board.

[0032] The circuit design assistance device according to the present disclosure is configured as follows. a design condition parameter acquisition unit that acquires design condition parameters that indicate design conditions of a board on which integrated circuit components are mounted; a board characteristic estimating unit that calculates, for each combination of a plurality of capacitor components, estimated board characteristics when the capacitor components included in the combination are mounted on the board as bypass capacitors, using the design condition parameters and component information including pre-stored characteristic information for each capacitor component; an estimated board characteristic output unit that outputs presentation data expressing the estimated board characteristics calculated by the board characteristic estimation unit for each combination; A circuit design support device equipped with the above. As a result, the present disclosure has an effect of providing a circuit design assistance device that makes it possible to reduce the number of steps in circuit design of a bypass capacitor circuit.

[0033] The circuit design support method of the present disclosure is configured as follows. A design condition parameter acquisition step in which a design condition parameter acquisition unit of the circuit design support device acquires design condition parameters indicating design conditions of a board on which integrated circuit components are mounted; a board characteristic estimation step in which a board characteristic estimation unit of the circuit design assistance device calculates, for each combination of a plurality of capacitor components, estimated board characteristics when the capacitor components included in the combination are mounted on the board as bypass capacitors, using the design condition parameters and component information including pre-stored characteristic information for each capacitor component; an estimated board characteristic output step in which an estimated board characteristic output unit of the circuit design assistance device outputs presentation data expressing the estimated board characteristics calculated by the board characteristic estimation unit for each combination; A circuit design support method comprising: As a result, the present disclosure has an effect of providing a circuit design support method that makes it possible to reduce the number of steps in circuit design of a bypass capacitor circuit.

[0034] The circuit design support system of the present disclosure is configured as follows. a design condition parameter acquisition unit that acquires design condition parameters that indicate design conditions of a board on which integrated circuit components are mounted; a component database in which component information including characteristic information for each capacitor component is stored in advance; a board characteristic estimating unit that calculates, for each combination of a plurality of capacitor components, estimated board characteristics when the capacitor components included in the combination are mounted on the board as bypass capacitors, using the design condition parameters and component information including characteristic information for each of the capacitor components stored in the component database; an estimated board characteristic output unit that outputs presentation data expressing the estimated board characteristics calculated by the board characteristic estimation unit for each combination; A circuit design support system equipped with As a result, the present disclosure has an effect of providing a circuit design support system that makes it possible to reduce the number of steps in circuit design of a bypass capacitor circuit.

[0035] The circuit design assistance device of the present disclosure is further configured as follows. The design condition parameters include a base material, a layer configuration, a VIA diameter, a VIA structure, a copper foil thickness, and a terminal pitch of the integrated circuit component. A circuit design support device comprising: As a result, the present disclosure has an effect of providing a circuit design assistance device capable of estimating board characteristics close to the characteristics of an actual circuit board, based on the elements that constitute the circuit board. Furthermore, the present disclosure achieves the same effects as those described above by applying the above configuration to the circuit design support method or the circuit design support system.

[0036] Embodiment 2 In the second embodiment, a more detailed configuration example of the configuration shown in the first embodiment will be described. In the description of the second embodiment, the same contents as those already described in the first embodiment may be omitted as appropriate.

[0037] An example of the configuration of a circuit design support system 1 including a circuit design support device 100 according to the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a circuit design assistance system 1B including a circuit design assistance device 100B according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. A circuit design assistance system 1B shown in FIG. 6 includes a circuit design assistance device 100B, an input / output device 200, a physical design parameter database 300B, and a component database 400B. The input / output device 200 is configured similarly to the input / output device 200 already described.

[0038] The physical design parameter database 300B is configured similarly to the physical design parameter database 300A already described. The design condition parameters stored in the physical design parameter database 300B include the base material, layer configuration, VIA diameter, VIA structure, copper foil thickness, and terminal pitch of the integrated circuit component.

[0039] The parts database 400B has the same configuration as the parts database 400A already described.

[0040] Alternatively, the component information described in the component database 400B is stored in advance, classified according to the frequency characteristics of the capacitor components. Specifically, the component database 400B stores the component information for each capacitor component for each frequency band, which is the frequency characteristic of the capacitor component. In other words, the component information for each capacitor component is managed as a component library for each frequency band. This makes it possible to combine multi-stage bypass capacitor circuits, each of which combines two or more types of capacitor components, from the component library for each frequency band, and quickly calculate complex impedance characteristics in a circuit made up of the combined multi-stage bypass capacitor circuits. In this case, the board characteristics estimation unit 120B uses the design condition parameters to generate a single-path equivalent circuit that represents the single-path characteristics from the power supply terminal to the ground terminal connected to the integrated circuit component, and calculates, for the single-path equivalent circuit, the impedance characteristics of an equivalent circuit configured by combining each of the capacitor components included in the combination of multiple capacitor components as a bypass capacitor for each frequency band, as the estimated board characteristics.

[0041] Moreover, the component information for each capacitor component stored in the component database 400B further includes path characteristic information relating to a path connected to the capacitor component. The path characteristic information includes, for example, the number of pattern paths and connection wiring characteristics. The number of pattern paths indicates the number of pattern paths connected to the capacitor component. The connection wiring characteristics indicate the characteristics of the wiring connected to the capacitor component. In this case, substrate characteristics estimation section 120B further corrects the estimated substrate characteristics using the path characteristics information, and calculates the corrected estimated substrate characteristics.

[0042] The circuit design assistance device 100B has the same functions as the circuit design assistance device 100A already described. The circuit design assistance device 100B includes a design condition parameter acquisition section 110B, a board characteristic estimation section 120B, and an estimated board characteristic output section 130B.

[0043] The design condition parameter acquiring section 110B acquires design condition parameters that indicate the design conditions of a board on which integrated circuit components are to be mounted, in the same manner as the design condition parameter acquiring section 110A already described. The design condition parameter acquiring unit 110B acquires, as the design condition parameter, a physical design parameter selected by a user from among pre-stored physical design parameters. The design condition parameters include the substrate, layer configuration, via diameter, via structure, copper foil thickness, and terminal pitch of integrated circuit components.

[0044] The board characteristics estimation unit 120B uses the design condition parameters to generate a single-path equivalent circuit that represents the single-path characteristics from the power supply terminal to the ground terminal connected to the integrated circuit component, and uses the component information to calculate, for each combination of a plurality of capacitor components, the composite impedance characteristics of an equivalent circuit constructed by fitting the capacitor components included in that combination to the single-path equivalent circuit, as the estimated board characteristics.

[0045] When component information for each capacitor component is managed as a component library for each frequency band, the board characteristics estimation unit 120B uses design condition parameters to generate a single-path equivalent circuit that represents the single-path characteristics from the power supply terminal to the ground terminal connected to the integrated circuit component, and calculates, as the estimated board characteristics, the impedance characteristics of an equivalent circuit configured by combining each of the capacitor components included in the combination of capacitor components as a bypass capacitor for each frequency band for the single-path equivalent circuit.

[0046] When the component information for each capacitor component further includes path characteristic information relating to a path connected to the capacitor component, the board characteristics estimating unit 120B corrects the estimated board characteristics using the path characteristic information.

[0047] The board characteristic estimation unit 120B includes a single-path characteristic circuit generation unit 121B, a component combination generation unit 122B, a component information acquisition unit 123B, and a circuit characteristic calculation unit 124B.

[0048] Estimated substrate characteristic output section 130B has a function similar to that of estimated substrate characteristic output section 130 already described. The estimated board characteristic output section 130B shown in FIG. 6 includes a presentation data generation section 131B and a presentation data output section 132B.

[0049] The presentation data generating unit 131B uses the estimated board characteristics for each combination of capacitor components to generate presentation data that expresses the estimated board characteristics calculated by the board characteristics estimating unit 120 for each combination of capacitor components. The presentation data is, for example, data for graphically expressing impedance characteristics for each combination of capacitor parts constituting a bypass capacitor. The presentation data may also be, for example, data for expressing points of combinations of capacitor parts constituting a bypass capacitor on a plane formed by two axes, an axis indicating impedance characteristics and an axis indicating cost, as described below.

[0050] The presentation data output unit 132B outputs to the input / output device 200 the presentation data generated by the presentation data generation unit 131B.

[0051] An example of a detailed configuration of the circuit design assistance device 100 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 7 is a first diagram for explaining a detailed example of the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a second diagram for explaining a detailed example of the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a third diagram for explaining a detailed example of the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a fourth diagram for explaining a detailed example of the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a fifth diagram for explaining a detailed example of the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is a sixth diagram for explaining a detailed example of the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a seventh diagram for explaining a detailed example of the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure. FIG. 14 is an eighth diagram for explaining a detailed example of the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure. FIG. 15 is a ninth diagram for explaining a detailed example of the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure. FIG. 16 is a tenth diagram for explaining a detailed example of the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure. FIG. 17 is an eleventh diagram for explaining a detailed example of the circuit design assistance device 100 of the present disclosure.

[0052] 1. Single-path characteristic circuit model (single-path characteristic circuit generated by the single-path characteristic circuit generation unit 121) FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an image of a cross section of the substrate. A typical integrated circuit component such as an LSI has many power supply terminals and ground terminals. On a board, many components (bypass capacitors) are often placed between the LSI power supply and GND wiring. Although there are many current paths of LSI power supply-bypass capacitor-GND in the board wiring, in this disclosure, a single-path characteristic circuit is created as a circuit model that represents one current path. FIG. 8 shows an example of a single-path characteristic circuit 2120 which is a circuit model of a single-path characteristic. The single-path characteristic circuit 2120 includes components corresponding to an LSI power supply pin (terminal) 2112 and a bypass capacitor 2116, and the components enclosed by dashed lines correspond to multiple VIAs connected in parallel to the bypass capacitor 2116.

[0053] 1.1 Dynamic generation of circuit models The circuit model represents one current path (LSI power supply - bypass capacitor - GND), and is composed of elements No. 1 to No. 7 shown in Figure 9 and Figure 10. Each element is composed of models linked with multiple parameters, and is dynamically generated. The No. 1 element is "LSI-VIA," which is an element that is linked to parameters such as LSI ball diameter, LSI ball pitch, wiring length, wiring width, wiring thickness, and substrate characteristics. The second element is the "power via" and is an element that is linked to parameters such as the land diameter, hole diameter, plating thickness, and positional relationship with the GND via. The third element is "GND VIA" and is an element that is linked to parameters such as land diameter, hole diameter, plating thickness, and number of VIAs. The element No. 4 is "VIA-VIA" and is an element that is linked to parameters such as wiring length, wiring width, wiring thickness, and substrate characteristics. The element No. 5 is a "VIA-component" and is an element that is linked to parameters such as wiring length, wiring width, wiring thickness, and substrate characteristics. Element No. 6 is a "part" and is an element that works with a parameter such as a part type name. The element No. 7 is the "number of VIA paths" and is an element that is linked to parameters such as resistance 0Ω and Open. The area 2200 of the circuit model corresponding to element No. 1, element No. 2, element No. 3, and element No. 4 shown in FIG. 10 is linked to the parameters of element No. 1, element No. 2, element No. 3, and element No. 4, and assumes, for example, a VIA (electromagnetic field analysis model) as shown in FIG. 11. The area of ​​the circuit model corresponding to element No. 5 shown in FIG. 10 is linked to the parameters of element No. 5, and assumes wiring (electromagnetic field analysis model, equivalent circuit model) as shown in FIG. 12, for example. The area of ​​the circuit model corresponding to element No. 6 shown in FIG. 10 is linked to the parameters (part type name) of element No. 6, and assumes, for example, a part (S parameter model, equivalent circuit model). The area of ​​the circuit model corresponding to element No. 7 shown in FIG. 10 is linked to the parameter (number of VIA paths) of element No. 7, and assumes, for example, the number of VIA paths and a changeable resistance (switching between 0 Ω and open).

[0054] 2. Impedance calculation Figure 13 shows an example of a circuit configuration using four types of capacitors. A combination of capacitor components like those in Figure 13 is generated, and the impedance of the board is calculated based on this. Possible combination elements are 1 to 3 below. 1 The ratio of the number of current paths (number of pins) of an LSI divided into circuit 1 and circuit 2 2. Selection of two types of components (A, B) that compose circuit 1 and their number (nA, nB) 3. Selection of two types of components (C, D) that make up circuit 2 and their numbers (nB, nC) At this time, as a constraint, the numbers of pins assigned to circuits 1 and 2 are corrected by subtracting from them the number of current paths of the selected bypass capacitor components. The calculation method is to set the components (A, B, C, D) to the bypass capacitor loop characteristics described below, calculate the impedance value of each loop, and synthesize them in parallel by the number of components (nA, nB, nC, nD). The calculated impedances of each loop (zA, zB, zC, zD) are calculated in parallel and synthesized by the number of loops (nA, nB, nC, nD) to obtain the input impedance (Zall) of the LSI. Calculation formula Zall= 1 / ( 1 / (zA / nA)+ 1 / (zB / nB)+ 1 / (zC / nC)+ 1 / (zD / nD) ) An example of the generation circuit is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 14, a circuit is generated that includes a circuit area 2321 corresponding to component A, a circuit area 2322 corresponding to component B, a circuit area 2323 corresponding to component C, and a circuit area 2324 corresponding to component D.

[0055] 2.1 Effect of current path setting Figure 15 shows the effect of the current path setting. As shown in FIG. 15, different effects can be obtained by changing the setting of the number of power supply paths.

[0056] 2.2_Example of a parts database 16 and 17 show an example of the parts database 400 (400A, 400B, 400C, 400D). FIG. 16 shows the main table 410, and FIG. The main table 410 has data items such as an INDEX (CAPA_I) of the component database, an INDEX (PLIST_I) of the sub-table 420, and the number of current paths (Nc_rt) of the connected patterns. Sub-table 420 has data items such as the part database INDEX, part number, part name, product specifications, material name, type name, capacity, part model name, unit price, and physical dimensions of the connected pattern (SIZE, pat_L, pta_W).

[0057] A processing example of the circuit design assistance device 100 according to the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an example of a process of the design condition parameter acquiring unit 110B in the circuit design assisting device 100B according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. When the design condition parameter acquiring unit 110B starts the process, it first displays the physical design parameters in a selectable manner (step ST2110). The design condition parameter acquiring unit 110B refers to the physical design parameter database 300B, and outputs to the input / output device 200 image data indicating the physical design parameters stored in the physical design parameter database 300B. When the design condition parameter acquiring unit 110B receives a selection operation of a physical design parameter from the user via the input / output device 200, the process proceeds to step ST2120.

[0058] Next, the design condition parameter acquiring unit 110B acquires the selected physical design parameters as design condition parameters (step ST2120). The design condition parameter acquiring unit 110B refers to the physical design parameter database 300B using the selection operation information from the input / output device 200, and acquires the selected physical design parameters as the design condition parameters. The design condition parameter acquiring unit 110B outputs the acquired design condition parameters to the substrate characteristic estimating unit 120B. Next, the design condition parameter acquiring unit 110B ends the process shown in FIG.

[0059] An example of processing by the board characteristics estimation unit 120B in the circuit design assistance device 100B will be described. FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the substrate characteristics estimating unit 120B in the circuit design assisting device 100B according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. The substrate characteristic estimation unit 120B starts processing when it acquires the design condition parameters from the design condition parameter acquisition unit 110B. First, the substrate characteristic estimation unit 120B executes a single-path characteristic circuit generation process (step ST2210). In the single-path characteristic circuit generation process, a single-path characteristic circuit generation unit 121B of the board characteristic estimation unit 120B uses design condition parameters to generate a single-path equivalent circuit that represents a single-path characteristic from a power supply terminal to a ground terminal connected to an integrated circuit component. The single-path characteristic circuit generating unit 121B outputs single-path equivalent circuit information indicating the single-path equivalent circuit.

[0060] Next, the board characteristic estimation unit 120B executes a component combination generation process (step ST2220). In the component combination generation process, the component combination generation unit 122B of the board characteristics estimation unit 120B generates a combination of capacitor components based on the single-path equivalent circuit information output by the single-path characteristic circuit generation unit 121B, by referring to the component information stored in the component database 400B. The component combination generating unit 122B outputs component combination information indicating the generated combination of capacitor components to the component information acquiring unit 123B. In the parts combination generation process, when part information is stored in advance for each frequency characteristic, the parts combination generation unit 122B generates a combination of capacitor parts so as to configure a bypass capacitor for each frequency band.

[0061] Next, the board characteristic estimation unit 120B executes a component information acquisition process (step ST2230). In the component information acquisition process, component information acquisition unit 123B of board characteristics estimation unit 120B acquires component information of the capacitor components indicated in the component combination information, and outputs the information to circuit characteristics calculation unit 124B.

[0062] Next, the substrate characteristic estimation unit 120B executes a circuit characteristic calculation process (step ST2240). In the circuit characteristic calculation process, circuit characteristic calculation section 124B of board characteristic estimation section 120B calculates estimated board characteristics using single-path equivalent circuit information and component information. For each combination of capacitor components, the board characteristics estimation unit 120B calculates, as estimated board characteristics, a composite impedance characteristic of an equivalent circuit configured by fitting the capacitor components included in that combination to the single-path equivalent circuit. Board characteristic estimation section 120B outputs the estimated board characteristics for each combination of capacitor components calculated by circuit characteristic calculation section 124B to estimated board characteristic output section 130B. In the circuit characteristic calculation process, when the component information for each capacitor component further includes path characteristic information related to a path connected to the capacitor component, the circuit characteristic calculation unit 124B corrects the estimated board characteristics using the path characteristic information. Next, the substrate characteristic estimation unit 120B ends the process shown in FIG.

[0063] An example of processing by estimated board characteristics output section 130B in circuit design assistance device 100B will be described. FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the estimated board characteristics output unit 130B in the circuit design assistance device 100B according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. Estimated board characteristics output section 130B starts processing when it acquires the estimated board characteristics for each combination of capacitor components output by board characteristics estimation section 120B. First, the estimated board characteristic output unit 130B executes a presentation data generation process (step ST2310). In the presentation data generation process, the presentation data generation unit 131B of the estimated board characteristics output unit 130B uses the estimated board characteristics for each combination of capacitor components to generate presentation data that expresses the estimated board characteristics calculated by the board characteristics estimation unit 120 for each combination of capacitor components. The presentation data is, for example, data for graphically expressing impedance characteristics for each combination of capacitor parts constituting a bypass capacitor. The presentation data may also be, for example, data for expressing points of combinations of capacitor parts constituting a bypass capacitor on a plane formed by two axes, an axis indicating impedance characteristics and an axis indicating cost, as described below.

[0064] Next, the estimated board characteristics output unit 130 executes a presentation data output process (step ST2320). In the presentation data output process, the presentation data output unit 132B of the estimated board characteristics output unit 130B outputs the presentation data generated by the presentation data generation unit 131B. The presentation data output unit 132B outputs the presentation data to the input / output device 200 via a communication unit (not shown). The input / output device 200 displays the estimated board characteristics for each combination of capacitor components based on the presentation data. Next, estimated board characteristic output section 130B ends the processing shown in FIG.

[0065] The circuit design assistance device of the present disclosure is further configured as follows. The design condition parameter acquisition unit acquiring, as the design condition parameters, physical design parameters selected by a user from among pre-stored physical design parameters; A circuit design support device comprising: As a result, the present disclosure has an effect of providing a circuit design assistance device that enables circuit assistance to be realized more efficiently. Furthermore, the present disclosure achieves the same effects as those described above by applying the above configuration to the circuit design support method or the circuit design support system.

[0066] The circuit design assistance device of the present disclosure is further configured as follows. The substrate characteristic estimation unit is Using the design condition parameters, a single-path equivalent circuit is generated that represents a single-path characteristic from a power supply terminal to a ground terminal connected to the integrated circuit component, and using the component information, for each combination of a plurality of capacitor components, the capacitor components included in the combination are fitted to the single-path equivalent circuit to calculate a synthetic impedance characteristic of an equivalent circuit as the estimated board characteristic. A circuit design support device comprising: As a result, the present disclosure has an effect of providing a circuit design assistance device that enables circuit assistance to be realized more efficiently. Furthermore, the present disclosure achieves the same effects as those described above by applying the above configuration to the circuit design support method or the circuit design support system.

[0067] The circuit design assistance device of the present disclosure is further configured as follows. The component information is stored in advance for each frequency characteristic of the capacitor component, The substrate characteristic estimation unit is A single-path equivalent circuit is generated that represents a single-path characteristic from a power supply terminal to a ground terminal that is connected to the integrated circuit component using the design condition parameters, and the impedance characteristics of an equivalent circuit configured by combining each of the capacitor components included in the combination with the single-path equivalent circuit as a bypass capacitor for each frequency band are calculated as the estimated board characteristics. A circuit design support device comprising: As a result, the present disclosure has an effect of providing a circuit design assistance device that enables circuit assistance to be realized more efficiently. Furthermore, the present disclosure achieves the same effects as those described above by applying the above configuration to the circuit design support method or the circuit design support system.

[0068] The circuit design assistance device of the present disclosure is further configured as follows. The component information for each capacitor component further includes path characteristic information related to a path connected to the capacitor component, The substrate characteristic estimating unit corrects the estimated substrate characteristic by using the path characteristic information. A circuit design support device comprising: Furthermore, the path characteristic information includes the number of pattern paths and connection wiring characteristics. A circuit design support device comprising: As a result, the present disclosure has an effect of providing a circuit design assistance device that enables circuit assistance to be realized more efficiently. Furthermore, the present disclosure achieves the same effects as those described above by applying the above configuration to the circuit design support method or the circuit design support system.

[0069] Embodiment 3 In the third embodiment, a form will be described in which presentation data including the cost relating to mounting a bypass capacitor component is output. In the description of the third embodiment, the same contents as those already described in the first and second embodiments may be omitted as appropriate.

[0070] An example of the configuration of a circuit design support system 1 including a circuit design support device 100 according to the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a circuit design assistance system 1C including a circuit design assistance device 100C according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. A circuit design assistance system 1C shown in FIG. 21 includes a circuit design assistance device 100C, an input / output device 200, a physical design parameter database 300C, and a component database 400C. The input / output device 200 is configured similarly to the input / output device 200 already described. Physical design parameter database 300C is configured similarly to physical design parameter database 300 (300A, 300B) already described.

[0071] The part database 400C is configured similarly to the part database 400 (400A, 400B) already described. The component database 400C further stores in advance component information including the unit price of each capacitor component.

[0072] In addition to the functions of board characteristic estimation unit 120 already described, board characteristic estimation unit 120C calculates estimated board characteristics and, using the unit price of each capacitor component, calculates the cost when the capacitor component is mounted on a board as a bypass capacitor.

[0073] Estimated board characteristics output section 130C outputs presentation data expressing both the estimated board characteristics and the cost for each combination of capacitor components.

[0074] Furthermore, the component database 400C also stores in advance component information including the estimated mounting cost that will be required for mounting each capacitor component.

[0075] In this case, the board characteristic estimation unit 120C calculates the estimated board characteristics, and also calculates the cost when the capacitor component is mounted on the board as a bypass capacitor, using the unit price and expected mounting cost for each capacitor component.

[0076] The estimated board characteristics output unit 130C outputs presentation data that expresses both the estimated board characteristics and the cost for each combination of capacitor components.

[0077] An example of processing by the substrate characteristics estimation unit 120C in the circuit design assistance device 100C of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the substrate characteristics estimation unit 120C in the circuit design assistance device 100C according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. The single-path characteristic circuit generation process (step ST3210) shown in Fig. 22 is the same as the single-path characteristic circuit generation process already described. Also, the component combination generation process (step ST3220) is the same as the component combination generation process already described.

[0078] Next, the board characteristic estimation unit 120C executes a component information acquisition process (step ST3230). Component information acquisition unit 123C of board characteristics estimation unit 120C differs from the component information acquisition process already described in that it acquires component information including the unit price of each capacitor component, or component information including the unit price of each component as well as the estimated mounting cost that will be required for mounting each capacitor component, but is otherwise similar.

[0079] Next, the substrate characteristics estimation unit 120C executes a circuit characteristics calculation process (step ST3240). In the circuit characteristic calculation process, a circuit characteristic calculation unit 124C of the board characteristic estimation unit 120C calculates a cost value for each combination of capacitor components in addition to estimated board characteristics for each combination of capacitor components. The circuit characteristic calculation unit 124C calculates a cost value for each combination of capacitor components by using component information on the capacitor components included in the combination of capacitor components.

[0080] Next, board characteristic estimation unit 120C outputs the estimated board characteristics for each combination of capacitor components and the cost value for each combination of capacitor components to estimated board characteristic output unit 130C, and ends the processing shown in FIG.

[0081] An example of processing by estimated board characteristics output section 130C in board characteristics estimation section 120C in circuit design assistance device 100C according to the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the estimated board characteristics output unit 130C in the circuit design assistance device 100C according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0082] When the process starts, the estimated board characteristic output unit 130C first executes a presentation data generation process (step ST3310). In the presentation data generation process, the presentation data generation unit 131C of the estimated board characteristics output unit 130C generates presentation data that expresses both the estimated board characteristics and the cost for each combination of capacitor components. The presentation data is data for expressing points of combinations of capacitor parts that constitute a bypass capacitor by arranging them on a plane formed by two axes, an axis indicating impedance characteristics and an axis indicating cost, for example.

[0083] Next, the estimated board characteristics output unit 130C executes a presentation data output process (step ST3320). In the presentation data output process, the presentation data output unit 132C of the estimated board characteristics output unit 130C outputs the presentation data to the input / output device 200 via a communication unit (not shown). Next, estimated board characteristic output section 130C ends the processing shown in FIG.

[0084] FIG. 24 is a diagram for explaining functions of the circuit design assistance device 100 according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 24 shows that the total cost value for each combination of capacitor parts can be calculated from the unit price of each part.

[0085] FIG. 25 is a diagram for explaining information output by the circuit design assistance device 100 according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. 25 is a display presented based on presentation data, and shows that points representing combinations of capacitor parts that constitute a bypass capacitor are arranged on a plane formed by two axes, an axis showing impedance characteristics and an axis showing cost. It may be configured so that equivalent circuit information 3110 can be displayed by linking each point.

[0086] With the above-described configuration, the circuit design support device can link component cost information to the calculation results, making it possible to determine the cost-effectiveness of the characteristics by collectively displaying the relationship between characteristics and costs for each combination. By using the circuit design support device in the pre-board design stage, it is possible to generate a bypass capacitor circuit that satisfies the target characteristics in a short period of time while taking implementation costs into account, without having to repeatedly perform board design and PI analysis based on expert knowledge.

[0087] The circuit design assistance device of the present disclosure is further configured as follows. the component information includes a unit price for each of the capacitor components, The substrate characteristic estimation unit is calculating the estimated board characteristics and calculating a cost when the capacitor component is mounted on the board as a bypass capacitor using a unit price of each capacitor component; The estimated substrate characteristic output unit is outputting presentation data expressing both the estimated board characteristics and the cost for each combination; A circuit design support device comprising: As a result, the present disclosure has an effect of providing a circuit design support device that is capable of clearly indicating the relationship between board characteristics and cost. Furthermore, the present disclosure achieves the same effects as those described above by applying the above configuration to the circuit design support method or the circuit design support system.

[0088] The circuit design assistance device of the present disclosure is further configured as follows. The component information further includes an estimated mounting cost that will be required for mounting each of the capacitor components, The substrate characteristic estimation unit is calculating the estimated board characteristics and calculating a cost when the capacitor component is mounted on the board as a bypass capacitor using the unit price of each capacitor component and the expected mounting cost; The estimated substrate characteristic output unit is outputting presentation data expressing both the estimated board characteristics and the cost for each combination; A circuit design support device comprising: As a result, the present disclosure has an effect of providing a circuit design support device that is capable of clearly indicating the relationship between board characteristics and cost. Furthermore, the present disclosure achieves the same effects as those described above by applying the above configuration to the circuit design support method or the circuit design support system.

[0089] Embodiment 4 In addition to the problems mentioned above at the beginning, conventional circuit designs for bypass capacitor circuits have another problem, that is, there is little reliability as to whether the results of the circuit design are optimal. In the fourth embodiment, an embodiment will be described that reduces the number of steps in the circuit design of a bypass capacitor circuit and makes it possible to obtain an optimal bypass capacitor circuit. The fourth embodiment shows an embodiment in which an optimized estimation result of board characteristics for each combination of bypass capacitor components is output. In the description of the fourth embodiment, the same contents as those already described in the first, second, and third embodiments may be omitted as appropriate.

[0090] An example of the configuration of a circuit design support system including a circuit design support device according to the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a circuit design assistance system 1D including a circuit design assistance device 100D according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. The circuit design support system 1D differs from the configuration of the circuit design support system 1 already described in that a circuit design support device 100D newly includes an optimization processing unit 125D in a board characteristics estimation unit 120D. Here, only the substrate characteristics estimation section 120D including the optimization processing section 125D will be described, and description of the other components will be omitted.

[0091] The board characteristic estimation unit 120D acquires a target value of the estimated board characteristic or a target value of the cost, and outputs a combination of capacitor components having optimized estimated board characteristics and cost using the target value of the estimated board characteristic or the target value of the cost. Alternatively, the board characteristic estimation unit 120 acquires target values ​​for estimated board characteristics and target values ​​for cost, and outputs a combination of capacitor components having optimized estimated board characteristics and cost using the target values ​​for estimated board characteristics and target values ​​for cost.

[0092] The board characteristic estimation unit 120D includes a single-path characteristic circuit generation unit 121D, a component combination generation unit 122D, a component information acquisition unit 123D, a circuit characteristic calculation unit 124D, and an optimization processing unit 125D.

[0093] Optimization processing unit 125D acquires a target value of the estimated board characteristics or a target value of the cost, and outputs a combination of capacitor components having optimized estimated board characteristics and costs using the target value of the estimated board characteristics or the target value of the cost. Alternatively, the board characteristic estimation unit 120 acquires target values ​​for estimated board characteristics and target values ​​for cost, and outputs a combination of capacitor components having optimized estimated board characteristics and cost using the target values ​​for estimated board characteristics and target values ​​for cost.

[0094] A processing example of the circuit design assistance device 100 according to the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing an example of a process by the optimization processing unit 125D and a process by the substrate characteristics estimation unit 120D in the circuit design assistance device 100D according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0095] When the optimization processing unit 125D receives a command for optimization processing, it starts the processing. First, the optimization processing unit 125D executes a target value acquisition process (step ST4210). In the target value acquisition process, the optimization processing unit 125D acquires the target value by, for example, accepting an operational input from a user via the input / output device 200. Alternatively, a target value stored in advance may be acquired.

[0096] Next, the optimization processor 125D starts the optimization loop process (step ST4220). The optimization processing unit 125D instructs the board characteristics estimation unit 120D to estimate the board characteristics for each of all combinations using the component information of all capacitor components contained in the component database 400.

[0097] Next, the board characteristics estimation unit 120D executes a single-path characteristic circuit generation process (step ST4230), a component combination generation process (step ST4240), a component information acquisition process (step ST4250), and a circuit characteristics calculation process (step ST4260). These processes are similar to the single-path characteristic circuit generation process, the component combination generation process, the component information acquisition process, and the circuit characteristics calculation process already described, and therefore detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0098] Next, the substrate characteristics estimation unit 120D determines whether estimated substrate characteristics have been calculated for all combinations, and repeats the process from step ST4230 to step ST4260 until estimated substrate characteristics have been calculated for all combinations.

[0099] When it is determined that the substrate characteristics have been estimated for all combinations, the substrate characteristics estimation unit 120D notifies the optimization processing unit 125D. When the optimization processing unit 125D receives the notification from the substrate characteristics estimation unit 120D, the optimization processing unit 125D ends the optimization loop process (step ST4270).

[0100] Next, the optimization processor 125D executes an optimal solution output process (step ST4280). In the optimal solution output process, the optimization processor 125D outputs an optimal solution based on the acquired target value. Next, the optimization processing unit 125D ends the process shown in FIG.

[0101] The circuit design assistance device of the present disclosure is further configured as follows. The substrate characteristic estimation unit is acquiring a target value of the estimated substrate characteristic or a target value of the cost, and outputting the estimated substrate characteristic and the cost that have been optimized using the target value of the estimated substrate characteristic or the target value of the cost; A circuit design support device comprising: As a result, the present disclosure has an effect of providing a circuit design assistance device capable of presenting an optimized circuit from among many circuits. Furthermore, the present disclosure achieves the same effects as those described above by applying the above configuration to the circuit design support method or the circuit design support system.

[0102] The circuit design assistance device of the present disclosure is further configured as follows. The substrate characteristic estimation unit is acquiring a target value of the estimated substrate characteristic and a target value of the cost, and outputting the estimated substrate characteristic and the cost that have been optimized using the target value of the estimated substrate characteristic and the target value of the cost; A circuit design support device comprising: As a result, the present disclosure has an effect of providing a circuit design assistance device capable of presenting an optimized circuit from among many circuits. Furthermore, the present disclosure achieves the same effects as those described above by applying the above configuration to the circuit design support method or the circuit design support system.

[0103] Here, a hardware configuration for realizing the functions according to the configuration of the present disclosure described above will be described. FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a hardware configuration for realizing functions according to the configuration of the present disclosure. FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating a second example of a hardware configuration for realizing the functions according to the configuration of the present disclosure. The circuit design support devices 100, 100A, 100B, 100C, and 100D disclosed herein, is realized by the hardware shown in FIG. 28 or FIG.

[0104] As shown in FIG. 28, each of the circuit design assistance devices 100, 100A, 100B, 100C, and 100D includes, for example, a processor 10001, a memory 10002, and a communication circuit 10004. The processor 10001 and the memory 10002 are installed in, for example, a computer. The memory 10002 stores programs for causing the computer to function as design condition parameter acquisition units 110, 110A, 110B, 110C, 110D, board characteristics estimation units 120, 120A, 120B, 120C, 120D, single-path characteristics circuit generation units 121B, 121C, 121D, component combination generation units 122B, 122C, 122D, component information acquisition units 123B, 123C, 123D, circuit characteristics calculation units 124B, 124C, 124D, optimization processing unit 125D, estimated board characteristics output units 130, 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D, presentation data generation units 131B, 131C, 131D, presentation data output units 132B, 132C, 132D, and a control unit not shown. By the processor 10001 reading out and executing the programs stored in the memory 10002, the functions of the design condition parameter acquisition units 110, 110A, 110B, 110C, 110D, the board characteristics estimation units 120, 120A, 120B, 120C, 120D, the single-path characteristic circuit generation units 121B, 121C, 121D, the component combination generation units 122B, 122C, 122D, the component information acquisition units 123B, 123C, 123D, the circuit characteristics calculation units 124B, 124C, 124D, the optimization processing unit 125D, the estimated board characteristics output units 130, 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D, the presentation data generation units 131B, 131C, 131D, the presentation data output units 132B, 132C, 132D, and a control unit not shown are realized. Furthermore, a storage unit (not shown) is realized by memory 10002 or another memory (not shown). Furthermore, in the case where circuit design assistance devices 100, 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D are provided with physical design parameter database 300 (300A, 300B, 300C, 300D) and component database 400 (400A, 400B, 400C, 400D), physical design parameter database 300 (300A, 300B, 300C, 300D) and component database 400 (400A, 400B, 400C, 400D) are realized by memory 10002 or another memory (not shown). Furthermore, the communication circuit 10004 realizes a communication unit (not shown). The processor 10001 may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, or a digital signal processor (DSP). The memory 10002 may be a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) or a flash memory, or a magnetic disk such as a hard disk or a flexible disk, or an optical disk such as a CD (Compact Disc) or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or a magneto-optical disk. The processor 10001 and the memory 10002 or the communication circuit 10004 are connected in a state in which they can transmit data to each other. The processor 10001, the memory 10002, and the communication circuit 10004 are also connected via the input / output interface 10003 in a state in which they can transmit data to other hardware.

[0105] Alternatively, the functions of the design condition parameter acquisition units 110, 110A, 110B, 110C, 110D, board characteristics estimation units 120, 120A, 120B, 120C, 120D, single-path characteristic circuit generation units 121B, 121C, 121D, component combination generation units 122B, 122C, 122D, component information acquisition units 123B, 123C, 123D, circuit characteristics calculation units 124B, 124C, 124D, optimization processing unit 125D, estimated board characteristics output units 130, 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D, presentation data generation units 131B, 131C, 131D, presentation data output units 132B, 132C, 132D, and a control unit (not shown) may be realized by a dedicated processing circuit 20001, as shown in FIG. 29. Furthermore, the communication circuit 10004 realizes a communication unit (not shown). The processing circuit 20001 may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a SoC (System-on-a-Chip), or a system LSI (Large-Scale Integration), etc. Furthermore, the memory 20002 or another memory (not shown) implements a storage unit (not shown). The memory 20002 may be a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) or a flash memory, or a magnetic disk such as a hard disk or a flexible disk, or an optical disk such as a CD (Compact Disc) or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or a magneto-optical disk. Furthermore, the communication circuit 20004 realizes a communication unit (not shown). The processing circuit 20001 and the memory 20002 or the communication circuit 20004 are connected in a state in which they can transmit data to each other. In addition, the processing circuit 20001, the memory 20002, and the communication circuit 20004 are connected in a state in which they can transmit data to other hardware via the input / output interface 20003. The functions of the design condition parameter acquisition units 110, 110A, 110B, 110C, 110D, board characteristics estimation units 120, 120A, 120B, 120C, 120D, single-path characteristic circuit generation units 121B, 121C, 121D, component combination generation units 122B, 122C, 122D, component information acquisition units 123B, 123C, 123D, circuit characteristics calculation units 124B, 124C, 124D, optimization processing unit 125D, estimated board characteristics output units 130, 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D, presentation data generation units 131B, 131C, 131D, presentation data output units 132B, 132C, 132D, and a control unit (not shown) may be realized by separate processing circuits or may be realized collectively by a processing circuit.

[0106] Alternatively, design condition parameter acquisition units 110, 110A, 110B, 110C, 110D, board characteristic estimation units 120, 120A, 120B, 120C, 120D, single-path characteristic circuit generation units 121B, 121C, 121D, component combination generation units 122B, 122C, 122D, component information acquisition units 123B, 123C, 123D, circuit characteristic calculation units 124B, 124C, 124D, optimization processing unit 1 25D, estimated substrate characteristic output units 130, 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D, presentation data generation units 131B, 131C, 131D, presentation data output units 132B, 132C, 132D, and a control unit not shown in the figure may be implemented with some of their functions being realized by a processor 10001 and memory 10002, and the remaining functions being realized by a processing circuit 20001.

[0107] In addition, the present disclosure allows free combination of the respective embodiments, modification of any of the components of each embodiment, or omission of any of the components of each embodiment. For example, combinations such as those described below are possible.

[0108] (1) a design condition parameter acquisition unit that acquires design condition parameters that indicate design conditions of a board on which integrated circuit components are mounted; a board characteristic estimating unit that calculates, for each combination of a plurality of capacitor components, estimated board characteristics when the capacitor components included in the combination are mounted on the board as bypass capacitors, using the design condition parameters and component information including pre-stored characteristic information for each capacitor component; an estimated board characteristic output unit that outputs presentation data expressing the estimated board characteristics calculated by the board characteristic estimation unit for each combination; A circuit design support device equipped with the above. (2) The design condition parameter acquisition unit acquiring, as the design condition parameters, physical design parameters selected by a user from among pre-stored physical design parameters; The circuit design support device according to (1) above. (3) The design condition parameters include a base material, a layer configuration, a VIA diameter, a VIA structure, a copper foil thickness, and a terminal pitch of the integrated circuit component. The circuit design support device according to (1) or (2) above. (4) The substrate characteristic estimation unit is Using the design condition parameters, a single-path equivalent circuit is generated that represents a single-path characteristic from a power supply terminal to a ground terminal connected to the integrated circuit component, and using the component information, for each combination of a plurality of capacitor components, the capacitor components included in the combination are fitted to the single-path equivalent circuit to calculate a synthetic impedance characteristic of an equivalent circuit as the estimated board characteristic. The circuit design support device according to any one of (1) to (3) above, (5) The component information is stored in advance for each frequency characteristic of the capacitor component, The substrate characteristic estimation unit is A single-path equivalent circuit is generated that represents a single-path characteristic from a power supply terminal to a ground terminal connected to the integrated circuit component using the design condition parameters, and the impedance characteristics of an equivalent circuit configured by combining each of the capacitor components included in the combination with the single-path equivalent circuit as a bypass capacitor for each frequency band are calculated as the estimated board characteristics. The circuit design support device according to any one of (1) to (3) above, (6) the component information includes a unit price for each of the capacitor components, The substrate characteristic estimation unit is calculating the estimated board characteristics and calculating a cost when the capacitor component is mounted on the board as a bypass capacitor using a unit price of each capacitor component; The estimated substrate characteristic output unit is outputting presentation data expressing both the estimated board characteristics and the cost for each combination; The circuit design support device according to any one of (1) to (5) above, (7) The component information further includes an estimated mounting cost that will be required for mounting each of the capacitor components, The substrate characteristic estimation unit is calculating the estimated board characteristics and calculating a cost when the capacitor component is mounted on the board as a bypass capacitor using the unit price of each capacitor component and the expected mounting cost; The estimated substrate characteristic output unit is outputting presentation data expressing both the estimated board characteristics and the cost for each combination; The circuit design support device according to (6) above. (8) The component information for each capacitor component further includes path characteristic information related to a path connected to the capacitor component, The substrate characteristic estimating unit corrects the estimated substrate characteristic by using the path characteristic information. The circuit design support device according to any one of (1) to (7) above, (9) The path characteristic information includes a number of pattern paths and connection wiring characteristics. The circuit design support device according to (8) above. (10) The substrate characteristic estimation unit is acquiring a target value of the estimated substrate characteristic or a target value of the cost, and outputting the estimated substrate characteristic and the cost that have been optimized using the target value of the estimated substrate characteristic or the target value of the cost; The circuit design support device according to (6) or (7) above. (11) The component information for each capacitor component further includes path characteristic information related to a path connected to the capacitor component, the substrate characteristic estimating unit corrects the estimated substrate characteristic using the path characteristic information; The substrate characteristic estimation unit is acquiring a target value of the estimated substrate characteristic and a target value of the cost, and outputting the estimated substrate characteristic and the cost that have been optimized using the target value of the estimated substrate characteristic and the target value of the cost; The circuit design support device according to (6) or (7) above. Furthermore, the path characteristic information may be configured to include the number of pattern paths and connection wiring characteristics. (12) A design condition parameter acquisition step in which a design condition parameter acquisition unit of the circuit design support device acquires design condition parameters indicating design conditions of a board on which integrated circuit components are mounted; a board characteristic estimation step in which a board characteristic estimation unit of the circuit design assistance device calculates, for each combination of a plurality of capacitor components, estimated board characteristics when the capacitor components included in the combination are mounted on the board as bypass capacitors, using the design condition parameters and component information including pre-stored characteristic information for each capacitor component; an estimated board characteristic output step in which an estimated board characteristic output unit of the circuit design assistance device outputs presentation data expressing the estimated board characteristics calculated by the board characteristic estimation unit for each combination; A circuit design support method comprising: (13) a design condition parameter acquisition unit that acquires design condition parameters that indicate design conditions of a board on which integrated circuit components are mounted; a component database in which component information including characteristic information for each capacitor component is stored in advance; a board characteristic estimating unit that calculates, for each combination of a plurality of capacitor components, estimated board characteristics when the capacitor components included in the combination are mounted on the board as bypass capacitors, using the design condition parameters and component information including characteristic information for each of the capacitor components stored in the component database; an estimated board characteristic output unit that outputs presentation data expressing the estimated board characteristics calculated by the board characteristic estimation unit for each combination; A circuit design support system equipped with

[0109] The present disclosure can reduce the number of steps in the circuit design of a bypass capacitor circuit, and is therefore suitable for use in a circuit design support device, a circuit design support method, or a circuit design support system for supporting the design of a circuit board that includes a bypass capacitor. [Explanation of symbols]

[0110] 1 (1A, 1B, 1C, 1D) Circuit design support system, 100, 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D Circuit design support device, 110, 110A, 110B, 110C, 110D Design condition parameter acquisition unit 120, 120A, 120B, 120C, 120D Board characteristic estimation unit 121B, 121C, 121D Single-path characteristic circuit generation unit, 122B, 122C, 122D Component combination generation unit, 123B, 123C, 123D Component information acquisition unit, 124B, 124C, 124D Circuit characteristic calculation unit, 125D Optimization processing unit, 130, 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D Estimated board characteristic output unit 131B, 131C, 131D Presentation data generating unit 131B, 132C, 132D presentation data output unit, 200 input / output device, 300 (300A, 300B, 300C, 300D) physical design parameter database, 400 (400A, 400B, 400C, 400D) parts database, 410 main table, 420 sub-table, 1001 integrated circuit parts, 1002 ground, 1003 (1003-1, 1003-2, 1003-3, . . . , 1003-n) bypass capacitors, 1011 integrated circuit parts, 1012 terminals (power terminals), 1013 substrate, 1014 power plane, 1015 ground plane, 1016 bypass capacitor parts, 2011 Integrated circuit parts, 2012 (2012-1, 2012-2, 2012-3) Terminals (power terminals), 2013 Substrates, 2014 Power plane, 2015 Ground plane, 2016 (2016-1, 2016-2, 2016-3) Capacitor components (bypass capacitors), 2017 (2017-1, 2017-2, 2017-3) VIA (power supply side VIA), 2018 (2018-1, 2018-2, 2018-3) VIA (ground side VIA), 2020 Single-path circuit, 2112 Terminal (power supply terminal), 2116 Capacitor components (bypass capacitors), 2117 VIA (power supply side VIA), 2118 VIA (ground side VIA), 2120 Equivalent circuit, 2200 Area, 2321 Area (Part A equalization circuit), 2322 Area (Part B equalization circuit), 2323 Area (Part C equalization circuit), 2324 Area (part D equivalent circuit section), 3100 impedance-cost diagram, 3110 equivalent circuit information. 10001 processor, 10002 memory, 10003 input / output interface, 10004 communication circuit, 20001 processing circuit, 20002 memory, 20003 input / output interface, 20004 communication circuit.

Claims

1. a design condition parameter acquisition unit that acquires design condition parameters that indicate design conditions of a board on which integrated circuit components are mounted; a board characteristic estimating unit that calculates, for each combination of a plurality of capacitor components, estimated board characteristics when the capacitor components included in the combination are mounted on the board as bypass capacitors, using the design condition parameters and component information including pre-stored characteristic information for each capacitor component; an estimated board characteristic output unit that outputs presentation data expressing the estimated board characteristics calculated by the board characteristic estimation unit for each combination; A circuit design support device equipped with the above.

2. The design condition parameter acquisition unit is acquiring, as the design condition parameters, physical design parameters selected by a user from among pre-stored physical design parameters; 2. The circuit design support device according to claim 1.

3. The design condition parameters include a base material, a layer configuration, a VIA diameter, a VIA structure, a copper foil thickness, and a terminal pitch of the integrated circuit component.

3. The circuit design support device according to claim 2.

4. The substrate characteristic estimation unit is Using the design condition parameters, a single-path equivalent circuit is generated that represents a single-path characteristic from a power supply terminal to a ground terminal connected to the integrated circuit component, and using the component information, for each combination of a plurality of capacitor components, the impedance characteristics of an equivalent circuit configured by fitting the capacitor components included in the combination to the single-path equivalent circuit are calculated as the estimated board characteristics.

2. The circuit design support device according to claim 1.

5. The component information is stored in advance for each frequency characteristic of the capacitor component, The substrate characteristic estimation unit is A single-path equivalent circuit is generated that represents a single-path characteristic from a power supply terminal to a ground terminal that is connected to the integrated circuit component using the design condition parameters, and a synthetic impedance characteristic of an equivalent circuit configured by combining each of the capacitor components included in the combination with the single-path equivalent circuit as a bypass capacitor for each frequency band is calculated as the estimated board characteristic.

2. The circuit design support device according to claim 1.

6. the component information includes a unit price for each of the capacitor components, The substrate characteristic estimation unit is calculating the estimated board characteristics and calculating a cost when the capacitor component is mounted on the board as a bypass capacitor using a unit price of each capacitor component; The estimated substrate characteristic output unit is outputting presentation data expressing both the estimated board characteristics and the cost for each combination; 6. The circuit design support device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second inputs are connected to the first and second inputs.

7. The component information further includes an estimated mounting cost that will be required for mounting each of the capacitor components, The substrate characteristic estimation unit is calculating the estimated board characteristics and calculating a cost when the capacitor component is mounted on the board as a bypass capacitor using the unit price of each capacitor component and the expected mounting cost; The estimated substrate characteristic output unit is outputting presentation data expressing both the estimated board characteristics and the cost for each combination; 7. The circuit design support device according to claim 6.

8. The component information for each capacitor component further includes path characteristic information related to a path connected to the capacitor component, The substrate characteristic estimating unit corrects the estimated substrate characteristic by using the path characteristic information.

6. The circuit design support device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second inputs are connected to the first and second inputs.

9. The path characteristic information includes a number of pattern paths and connection wiring characteristics.

9. The circuit design support device according to claim 8.

10. The substrate characteristic estimation unit is acquiring a target value of the estimated substrate characteristic or a target value of the cost, and outputting the estimated substrate characteristic and the cost that have been optimized using the target value of the estimated substrate characteristic or the target value of the cost; 7. The circuit design support device according to claim 6.

11. The component information for each capacitor component further includes path characteristic information related to a path connected to the capacitor component, the substrate characteristic estimating unit corrects the estimated substrate characteristic using the path characteristic information; Furthermore, the substrate characteristic estimation unit acquiring a target value of the estimated substrate characteristic and a target value of the cost, and outputting the estimated substrate characteristic and the cost that have been optimized using the target value of the estimated substrate characteristic and the target value of the cost; 7. The circuit design support device according to claim 6.

12. A design condition parameter acquisition step in which a design condition parameter acquisition unit of the circuit design support device acquires design condition parameters indicating design conditions of a board on which integrated circuit components are to be mounted; a board characteristic estimation step in which a board characteristic estimation unit of the circuit design assistance device calculates, for each combination of a plurality of capacitor components, estimated board characteristics when the capacitor components included in the combination are mounted on the board as bypass capacitors, using the design condition parameters and component information including pre-stored characteristic information for each capacitor component; an estimated board characteristic output step in which an estimated board characteristic output unit of the circuit design assistance device outputs presentation data expressing the estimated board characteristics calculated by the board characteristic estimation unit for each combination; A circuit design support method comprising:

13. a design condition parameter acquisition unit that acquires design condition parameters that indicate design conditions of a board on which integrated circuit components are mounted; a component database in which component information including characteristic information for each capacitor component is stored in advance; a board characteristic estimating unit that calculates, for each combination of a plurality of capacitor components, estimated board characteristics when the capacitor components included in the combination are mounted on the board as bypass capacitors, using the design condition parameters and component information including characteristic information for each of the capacitor components stored in the component database; an estimated board characteristic output unit that outputs presentation data expressing the estimated board characteristics calculated by the board characteristic estimation unit for each combination; A circuit design support system equipped with

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