Interactive Circuit Schematic Visualization for Analog Design Optimization
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current circuit design visualization tools are not integrated with schematic editors, requiring designers to switch between different views for optimization and characterization, leading to a time-consuming iterative process and lack of insight into multidimensional data.
Innovation Solution
An interactive circuit design visualization system that integrates a circuit schematic view with design particulars, allowing users to select components or variables to highlight corresponding information, providing graphic markings and statistical data for improved insight and efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If designers use separate schematic editors and visualization tools, then each tool can be optimized for its specific function, but the designer must switch between tools repeatedly, increasing time consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the schematic editor and visualization tools into a single integrated environment. The schematic viewer displays circuit schematics while simultaneously showing optimization and characterization data through visualizations such as scatter plots, bar charts, and histograms. This integration eliminates the need to switch between separate tools, directly reducing the time required for setting up optimization or characterization problems while maintaining the functional capabilities of each tool.
2Adaptability or versatility
If current visualization tools display standard textbook visualizations, then they provide basic data representation, but they do not provide domain-specific visualizations that leverage circuit schematic structure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by customizing visualizations to match the specific structure and context of circuit schematics. Instead of generic data representations, the system creates domain-specific visualizations where data points correspond to circuit components, and relationships are displayed according to circuit topology. This includes interactive schematics where selecting a component highlights related data, and visualizations that aggregate data by circuit module or signal path, providing tailored insights for analog and mixed-signal design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent leverages the two-dimensional layout of traditional schematics and builds upon it by adding interactive layers and multidimensional data visualization. The system displays optimization and characterization data in additional dimensions alongside the schematic, allowing designers to explore relationships between multiple variables simultaneously. This includes interactive plotting areas that can be filtered and sorted by different parameters, providing comprehensive insight into multidimensional data without requiring separate analysis tools.
3Device complexity
If schematic editors are not made for optimization variables, then they maintain simple circuit viewing functionality, but they cannot efficiently store and display optimization and characterization variables
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the schematic editor universal by enabling it to perform multiple functions: viewing circuit schematics, displaying optimization variables, showing characterization data, and facilitating the setup of optimization runs. The schematic viewer can display not only circuit topology but also associated data such as min/max ranges for optimization variables, statistical data for characterization, and results from previous runs. This multi-functionality is achieved through integrated data structures and unified display mechanisms that handle both circuit information and optimization data seamlessly.
Data Source
AI summary
For application to analog, mixed-signal, and custom digital circuits, a system and method to improve the flow of setting up a set of simulations, a characterization, or optimization problem via an interactive circuit schematic. A system and method to visualize circuit simulation data in which at least one of the views is an enhanced, interactive schematic view.