Circuit Design Validation via Pin-Type Check Segmentation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current circuit design validation methods fail to efficiently identify potential problems such as mismatched driver and input levels, short-circuits, and other issues in complex circuit designs due to the time-consuming nature of applying comprehensive checks across thousands of components and connections.

Innovation Solution

A system and method that access circuit information, retrieve parametric models for components, determine relevant checks based on pin types, and apply these checks to validate circuit designs, focusing on subsets of components and connections to quickly identify potential problems while ensuring thorough validation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If comprehensive checks are applied to all components and connections in a circuit design, then validation thoroughness is improved, but processing time increases making the application infeasible

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevalidation thoroughnessVSAvoidprocessing time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The validation process is segmented into multiple passes: a first pass applies a subset of checks to identify obvious errors, and a second pass applies additional checks to remaining components. This segmentation allows comprehensive validation while managing processing time by dividing the workload into manageable stages.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies checks selectively rather than uniformly to all components. In the first pass, certain check types are applied to identify obvious errors, and in the second pass, different check types are applied to remaining components. This partial action approach ensures thorough validation of critical areas while avoiding unnecessary processing of already-validated sections.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

2Difficulty of detecting and measuring

If all check types are applied to every component and connection, then problem detection capability is improved, but computational complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproblem detection capabilityVSAvoidcomputational complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Difficulty of detecting and measuringVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The validation system dynamically adjusts which checks are applied based on the circuit design characteristics and results from previous validation passes. The set of checks is not fixed but adapts throughout the validation process, applying different check combinations in different passes based on what errors have been identified and what components remain to be validated.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

Different check types are applied to different components and connections based on their specific characteristics and risk profiles. Critical components and connections receive more rigorous checking, while less critical elements receive standard validation. This local quality approach ensures that problem detection capability is enhanced where needed without uniformly increasing computational complexity across the entire circuit.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS10380298B2Validation of circuit definitions
Publication Date: 2019.08.13 SIEMENS INDUSTRY SOFTWARE INC
  • US10380298B2 patent drawing
  • US10380298B2 patent drawing
  • US10380298B2 patent drawing

AI summary

Systems and methods for validating a circuit design are described. The circuit validation includes determining a subset of checks to apply to a portion of the overall circuit based on the pin type composition of the circuit portion.