Hierarchical Dynamic Heat Maps for IC Design Data Visualization
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Solution Overview
Problem
In large and hierarchical integrated circuit (IC) designs, the existing mechanism for back annotating data onto design schematics using interpreted placeholder labels becomes impractical, as labels become difficult to read and identify extreme values, requiring excessive zoom and pan operations, and fails to provide a clear overview of data distribution across the design hierarchy.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of heat map techniques integrated with relational database technologies to efficiently identify and color-code objects of interest, allowing for multiple quantities to be considered simultaneously, and enabling visual overlays that remain visible at high zoom altitudes, with dynamic redraw and filtering to highlight extreme-value objects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If placeholder labels are used for back annotation, then data values can be displayed on design schematics, but labels become difficult to read and require excessive zoom operations in large designs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color-coded visual indicators (heat maps) to represent data values on schematic elements. Different colors indicate different value ranges or extremes, allowing designers to quickly identify important data without reading text labels. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining data visibility through color encoding while eliminating readability issues associated with small text labels at zoomed-out views.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a visual dimension (color coding) to the data representation on schematics. Instead of relying solely on text labels in one dimension, the solution uses color as an additional dimension to encode data values, enabling information to be perceived at a glance without requiring zoom operations to read text.
2Ease of operation
If zoom level is increased to read labels, then label readability improves, but full design connectivity cannot be seen
Solution Approach 1:
By using color-coded heat maps instead of text labels, the patent allows designers to understand data values at any zoom level. The visual color indicators remain interpretable even when zoomed out to view the full design, eliminating the need to zoom in for label readability while maintaining comprehensive design visibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the essential information (data value magnitude) from the text labels and represents it through color coding. This extraction allows the core information to be conveyed without the textual overhead, enabling designers to perceive data values at any zoom level without needing to read text.
3Loss of information
If designer navigates through hierarchy to see values at each level, then detailed data becomes visible, but time and navigation operations increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color-coded heat maps across all hierarchical levels simultaneously. Designers can see data values at parent and child levels in the hierarchy at the same time through color encoding, eliminating the need to navigate through each hierarchical level sequentially. The color indicators provide immediate visual feedback about data extremes throughout the entire hierarchy.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat map visualization system serves multiple hierarchical levels simultaneously with a single display. Instead of requiring separate views for each hierarchy level, the universal color-coded representation works across all levels, allowing designers to obtain a comprehensive view of data distribution throughout the entire design hierarchy at once.
4Measurement precision
If all devices are inspected to find extreme values, then complete data review is achieved, but inspection time and cognitive load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses color-coded heat maps to visually highlight extreme values (maximum and minimum data points) with distinct colors. This allows designers to immediately identify which devices have extreme values without inspecting each device individually. The color encoding provides rapid visual filtering, reducing inspection time while maintaining accurate identification of extreme value locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies distinctive visual properties (color coding) specifically to elements with extreme values, making them stand out from normal elements. This local differentiation allows designers to quickly locate and focus on only the relevant devices with extreme data values, rather than uniformly inspecting all devices, thereby reducing time and cognitive load while maintaining precision in identifying extremes.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and method for generating graphical visualizations of an integrated circuit (IC) design may comprise configurations for generating interactive graphical visualizations of the IC design configured for providing informative overlays to the graphical visualizations based on a selected zoom level of the graphical visualization. In certain embodiments, the graphical overlays may be generated over corresponding objects for providing information regarding hierarchies of objects, or for generating perceptible overlays over objects regardless of a zoom level of the interactive graphical visualization.