Power Query Interface for Rapid Circuit Power Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Circuit designers face challenges in efficiently performing power analysis and optimization during the design and verification of circuits, as existing tools lack flexibility and speed in evaluating the impact of design changes on power consumption.
Innovation Solution
The Power Query Interface (PQI) provides a flexible and powerful environment for performing power analysis by allowing users to easily express design changes through 'when', 'where', and 'what-if' contexts, enabling quick feedback on power impacts and supporting incremental design database changes, simulation queries, and electrical power intent specification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional power analysis tools are used to evaluate the impact of design changes on power consumption, then power analysis can be performed, but the evaluation process is slow and lacks flexibility when dealing with incremental design changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the power analysis process into independent queryable units using a database infrastructure. Design changes are represented as separate transactions that can be individually queried and evaluated. This allows the system to analyze only the affected portions of the design rather than re-analyzing the entire design, thereby improving evaluation speed while maintaining flexibility for incremental changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a database intermediary layer between the power analysis tool and the design data. This database stores design information, power intent specifications, and simulation data in a structured format that can be efficiently queried. The database acts as a mediator that enables rapid retrieval and analysis of specific design portions, improving both evaluation speed and adaptability to incremental changes.
2Measurement precision
If power analysis tools require rewriting queries for each incremental design change, then accurate power analysis can be obtained, but the process becomes time-consuming and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-storing design information, power intent specifications, and simulation data in a database during the design phase. This pre-organized data structure allows the system to quickly retrieve and analyze only the relevant portions for incremental changes without requiring complete re-analysis or query rewriting, thus maintaining accuracy while reducing time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a database copy of the design information that can be queried without modifying the original design data. This copy contains all necessary power analysis information in a structured format, allowing rapid evaluation of incremental changes by querying the database copy rather than re-analyzing the original design, thereby preserving accuracy while minimizing time consumption.
3Reliability
If comprehensive power analysis is performed on the entire circuit design, then complete power information is obtained, but the analysis becomes computationally intensive and slow for incremental changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by enabling the power analysis system to focus computational resources on specific local regions or components of the circuit design that are affected by incremental changes. The database infrastructure allows the system to query and analyze only the relevant local portions rather than performing comprehensive analysis on the entire design, thus maintaining reliability for the affected areas while improving overall analysis throughput.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed below are representative embodiments of methods, apparatus, and systems for performing power analysis during the design and verification of a circuit. Certain exemplary embodiments include user interfaces and software infrastructures that provide a flexible and powerful environment for performing power analysis. For example, embodiments of the disclosed technology can be used to construct complex and targeted power queries that quickly provide a designer with power information during a circuit design process. The disclosed methods can be implemented by a software tool (e.g., a power analysis tool or other EDA tool) that computes and reports power characteristics in a circuit design (e.g., a system-on-a-chip design or other integrated design).