Memory-Efficient Routing Data Representation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional routing techniques face challenges in efficiently representing and storing large routing data for circuit designs, leading to memory overflow and performance degradation due to the need for frequent disk access.
Innovation Solution
A memory-efficient representation of routing shapes is achieved by using a sequence of points, where two consecutive points represent a routing shape, with full and compact representations allowing for reduced memory usage and efficient data storage, and the system ensures at least one point in consecutive points is represented fully to facilitate coordinate derivation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional routing techniques store entire routing data, then data completeness is maintained, but memory capacity is exceeded
Solution Approach 1:
The routing data is segmented into individual routing shapes that can be represented by sequences of points. Each routing shape is broken down into discrete geometric elements (lines, rectangles, curves) that can be independently stored and manipulated, allowing the data to be divided into manageable chunks that fit within memory constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from storing complete routing shape geometry to storing simplified point sequences with connectivity information. By representing routing shapes as sequences of connected points rather than full geometric definitions, the data dimensionality is reduced, enabling entire routing datasets to fit in memory while preserving topological relationships.
2Weight of stationary object
If routing data is stored on disk to reduce memory usage, then memory capacity is preserved, but access speed deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the representation parameters of routing data from detailed geometric definitions to simplified point sequences with connectivity markers. This parameter transformation reduces the storage size of routing data by approximately 4x, allowing entire datasets to reside in memory and eliminating slow disk access while maintaining routing topology integrity.
3Measurement precision
If full point representation is used for all points, then coordinate accuracy is maintained, but memory consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different representation qualities to different points based on their role in the routing shape. Start points and end points use full coordinate representations for accuracy, while intermediate collinear points use simplified representations that reference previous points. This local differentiation maintains necessary coordinate precision while significantly reducing overall memory consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of applying full coordinate representation to all points, the patent selectively applies simplified representations to intermediate points where full precision is not required. This partial application of the simplified representation method achieves sufficient accuracy for routing operations while maximizing memory efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
Some embodiments provide a system for generating a memory-efficient representation of a sequence of electrically connected routing shapes. The memory-efficient representation represents the sequence of electrically connected routing shapes using a sequence of points, such that two consecutive points represent a routing shape. At least some of the points can be represented using a compact representation, thereby reducing the memory required for storing the sequence of points. A full representation specifies a point's location using the point's two-dimensional coordinates, and a compact representation specifies a point's location using one of the point's two-dimensional coordinates and an orientation indicator which indicates the routing shape's orientation. The missing coordinate in a compact representation can be determined from the preceding points. The system can represent a via that joins two routing shapes by assigning different metal layers to the points associated with the two routing shapes.