Non-rectangular Cell Placement via Shape Complementation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge in efficiently placing non-rectangular cells within a cell row, especially when the cells have rectilinear polygon boundaries, is maintaining the layout efficiency while accommodating new cells with complementary shapes, as existing methods struggle to optimize space utilization effectively.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced where a non-rectangular cell is represented as a dummy object, and a full map of the cell row is generated to identify complementary shapes for sharing space, allowing the dummy object to be fitted into a partial map by overlapping it with existing objects, thus enabling efficient placement without sacrificing the overall design efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If non-rectangular cells with rectilinear polygon boundaries are placed into a cell row, then space utilization can be improved by accommodating complementary shapes, but the complexity of cell placement increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the cell placement problem into two distinct phases: first placing rectangular cells using conventional methods, then separately handling non-rectangular cells by identifying complementary shapes among already-placed cells. This segmentation allows the complex non-rectangular placement to build upon the simpler rectangular placement foundation, reducing overall complexity while maintaining high space utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary placement of rectangular cells before attempting to place non-rectangular cells. By establishing the rectangular cell layout first, the system creates a structured foundation that makes it easier to identify complementary spaces for non-rectangular cells, thereby simplifying the overall placement process while maximizing area utilization.
2Area of stationary object
If non-rectangular cells are placed by identifying complementary shapes among existing cells, then area efficiency is improved, but the placement time and computational effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary placement of rectangular cells using efficient conventional algorithms before attempting non-rectangular cell placement. This preliminary action creates an organized layout that facilitates faster identification of complementary shapes, reducing the computational burden and time required for the subsequent non-rectangular placement phase.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses representation copies of cells (geometric models) to identify complementary shapes without requiring complex real-time calculations on the actual cell structures. By working with simplified representations, the system can efficiently match shapes and determine placement positions, thereby reducing computational time while maintaining area efficiency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If cell outlines are redesigned to have rectilinear polygon boundaries, then design flexibility is improved, but achieving efficient cell placement becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the placement process into rectangular cell placement followed by non-rectangular cell placement. This segmentation allows the system to maintain the design flexibility of rectilinear polygon boundaries while using different placement strategies for different cell types, thereby managing complexity through structured approach rather than attempting to handle all cell types uniformly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different placement qualities and methods to different cell types within the same cell row. Rectangular cells receive conventional placement treatment while non-rectangular cells receive specialized complementary-shape matching treatment. This local differentiation maintains design flexibility for non-rectangular cells while avoiding the application of complex algorithms to all cells, thus managing overall placement complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method of cell placement is provided. The method includes representing a non-rectangular cell to be placed into a cell row and searching the cell row to identify existing objects that are representative of cells in the cell row that are disposable to share space with the non-rectangular cell. The method further includes determining whether a representation of the non-rectangular cell is fittable into a modified mapping of the existing objects in the cell row and, in an event the representation is fittable into the modified mapping, overlapping the representation over one or more of the portions of the existing objects.