Grid-Based PCB Wiring for Constraint-Aware Path Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional PCB automatic design technologies face challenges in achieving high wiring connection success rates while satisfying complex constraint conditions such as wiring forbidden zones, line width and spacing, and multi-layer wiring, leading to increased design time and cost.
Innovation Solution
A grid-based wiring method using artificial intelligence to explore a shortest path for PCB wiring, updating costs of grid cells that violate constraints, and re-exploring paths to avoid these cells, ensuring compliance with various constraints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional PCB automatic design technologies are used, then design time and cost are reduced, but wiring connection success rate decreases and complex constraint conditions cannot be satisfied
Solution Approach 1:
The wiring exploration region is divided into multiple grid cells, transforming the continuous PCB space into discrete segments. This segmentation enables systematic exploration of wiring paths while satisfying constraint conditions, improving both wiring connection success rate and design efficiency through structured search methodology
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a cost dimension to the wiring exploration by assigning cost values to grid cells based on constraint satisfaction. This transforms the traditional 2D spatial search into a 3D search space (x, y, cost), enabling the system to evaluate and select optimal wiring paths that satisfy complex constraints while maintaining efficiency
2Manufacturing precision
If manual PCB design process is used, then complex constraint conditions can be satisfied, but design time and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical design processes with an automated computational system that uses grid-based search algorithms. This substitution enables the system to evaluate multiple wiring paths and constraint conditions automatically, achieving high precision in constraint satisfaction without the time consumption of manual iteration
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by updating cost values of grid cells based on whether they satisfy constraint conditions. This feedback mechanism guides the search algorithm to prefer paths that satisfy constraints, automatically achieving high manufacturing precision in constraint satisfaction while reducing design time through intelligent search direction
3Productivity
If wiring exploration is performed without grid-based approach, then design flexibility is maintained, but wiring path optimization and constraint satisfaction become inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the wiring exploration region into grid cells, the system transforms complex continuous space management into discrete cell management. This segmentation improves wiring path exploration efficiency through systematic search while reducing the complexity of managing wiring constraints through structured grid-based evaluation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter representation from continuous coordinates to discrete grid cell indices. This parameter transformation enables more efficient computational handling of wiring paths and constraints, improving productivity through discrete search while managing device complexity through standardized grid parameters
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a method and system for grid-based wiring. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and system for grid-based wiring capable of performing printed circuit board (PCB) automatic wiring by utilizing combinatorial optimization-based heuristic search.