Electronic Circuit Routing with Simultaneous Multi-Solution Display
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic circuit design tools either require manual, time-consuming wire routing or provide unsatisfactory automatic routing solutions that do not match user expectations, leading to inefficiencies in designer productivity.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that receives an indication of desired wire creation, determines multiple routing solutions, and simultaneously displays them at a graphical user interface, with a predicted preferred solution emphasized, allowing users to select and store their preferred option for subsequent use, based on user habits, settings, and parameters such as wire length and resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual wire routing is performed segment by segment, then routing precision and control are improved, but time consumption and productivity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically generating multiple complete routing solutions before the user makes a selection. The routing engine pre-computes various possible paths based on user settings and displays them simultaneously, allowing the user to review and select the best option without manually creating wires segment by segment. This resolves the contradiction by providing both automatic routing (saving time) and multiple pre-calculated options (maintaining precision and control).
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates multiple copies of routing solutions with different configurations and displays them simultaneously for comparison. Instead of generating one routing solution at a time, the system generates multiple candidate routes based on the same user settings, allowing the user to review several options and select the most appropriate one. This approach maintains routing precision while dramatically improving productivity by eliminating iterative manual adjustments.
2Productivity
If automatic routing is performed with fixed tool settings, then productivity is improved, but routing quality and user expectation matching deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts by generating multiple routing solutions with different characteristics based on the same user settings. Instead of producing a single static routing result, the system creates a dynamic set of options that vary in path, length, and configuration, allowing the user to select the solution that best matches their expectations. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining automatic routing speed while improving routing quality through user-selectable variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implicitly varies routing parameters such as path selection, routing style, and geometric constraints to generate multiple distinct solutions while maintaining the same user-defined settings. By changing internal routing parameters across multiple solutions, the system provides variety in routing quality and style without requiring the user to repeatedly adjust tool settings, thus improving both productivity and routing quality simultaneously.
3Manufacturing precision
If user settings are changed to locate the best routing option, then routing quality is improved, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs the time-consuming task of generating multiple routing variations in advance, before the user needs to make a selection. By pre-computing and displaying multiple routing solutions simultaneously based on the current user settings, the system eliminates the need for the user to spend time iteratively changing settings to explore different routing options. The user can immediately review all available options and select the best one, resolving the contradiction between routing quality and time consumption.
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple routing solutions are generated and displayed, then user choice and routing quality are improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the routing generation process into distinct components: a routing engine that generates multiple solutions based on user settings, and a display system that presents these solutions to the user. By separating the complex multi-solution generation task from the simple single-solution traditional approach, the system manages complexity through modular architecture while providing enhanced user choice and routing quality.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a method for use with an electronic design. Embodiments may include receiving, at a graphical user interface, an indication of a desired wire creation associated with an electronic design and determining a plurality of routing solutions, based upon, at least in part, the desired wire creation. Embodiments may further include simultaneously displaying the plurality of routing solutions at the graphical user interface, wherein a predicted preferred routing solution is graphically emphasized. Embodiments may also include receiving a selection from a user, at the graphical user interface, of one of the plurality of routing solutions and storing the selection for subsequent use.