Representative Critical Path Rendering for LSI Timing Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
In the development of large-scale integrated circuits (LSI), analyzing hundreds of critical paths simultaneously is time-consuming and labor-intensive, while displaying all critical paths at once makes them difficult to identify visually.
Innovation Solution
A signal-propagating-path rendering apparatus with a critical-path detecting unit, a representative-critical-path extracting unit, and a path-image generating unit that extracts and displays representative critical paths, using different line thicknesses and colors to represent shared intervals and signal propagation delays, allowing for easier identification of critical paths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If all detected critical paths are displayed at the same time, then the completeness of critical path information is improved, but the visual identifiability of each critical path deteriorates due to crowding on the display screen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple similar critical paths into a single representative critical path for display. When multiple critical paths share common intervals (sequential connections between gates), they are consolidated into one representative path that reflects the shared routing pattern. This merging reduces the number of displayed paths from potentially hundreds to a manageable few, while still conveying the essential routing information of all similar paths through the representative display and its associated metadata.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If detected critical paths are displayed one by one, then the visual identifiability of each critical path is improved, but the time and labor required for analysis increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple critical paths into representative paths that capture shared routing characteristics. By grouping paths that traverse common intervals between gates and displaying them as single representative entities, the system reduces the analysis workload from examining hundreds of individual paths to analyzing a small set of representative paths, thereby dramatically reducing analysis time while preserving essential routing information.
Solution Approach 2:
The representative critical path serves multiple functions simultaneously: it displays the routing pattern shared by multiple similar paths, provides metadata indicating how many paths are represented, and enables engineers to understand common routing issues affecting multiple paths through a single visualization. This multi-functionality makes the representative path a universal tool for analyzing groups of similar critical paths.
Data Source
AI summary
A critical path detecting unit for detecting critical paths for a design in which cells are placed on an integrated circuit and information concerning timing constraints. A representative-critical-path extracting unit extracts a representative critical path by having one critical path represent critical paths which share more intervals than a certain number, and which are similar to one another, out of critical paths which have been detected by the critical path detecting unit. A path-image generating unit renders the representative critical path, which has been extracted by the representative-critical-path extracting unit and reflects information concerning other critical paths, which are similar to the representative critical path, on the representative critical path.