Swappable Pin Labeling for Integrated Circuit Pattern Matching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current design analysis methods for integrated circuits (ICs) struggle to identify and maintain complex swappability relationships between nodes, which are crucial for inexact pattern matching and circuit analysis, often leading to loss of essential information due to increased computational complexity.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced to assign labels to nodes based on swappability relationships, creating common nodes for swappable inputs and unique labels for non-swappable nodes, allowing for the decomposition of complex swappability into trivial relations, facilitating inexact pattern matching and circuit analysis without significant computational overhead.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If complex swappability relationships are tracked using detailed node labeling, then measurement precision of swappability relationships is improved, but device complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex swappability relationship into hierarchical levels: first identifying trivial swappability (complete interchangeability), then partial swappability (some but not complete interchangeability), and finally non-swappability. This segmentation allows the system to track complex relationships without requiring a single complex labeling mechanism, as each level can be handled independently with appropriate simplification.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different labeling qualities to different nodes based on their specific swappability characteristics. Rather than using a uniform complex labeling scheme for all nodes, the system assigns labels appropriate to each node's local swappability properties - trivial nodes receive simple labels, partially swappable nodes receive intermediate labels, and non-swappable nodes receive unique labels. This local adaptation reduces overall system complexity while maintaining precision.
2Manufacturing precision
If manual extraction of circuit information is used, then manufacturing precision of circuit analysis is improved, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements automated algorithms that perform circuit information extraction without requiring manual intervention. The system uses computer vision and pattern recognition techniques to automatically identify circuit elements, their connections, and swappability relationships, allowing the extraction process to serve itself rather than relying on human operators. This maintains high accuracy through algorithmic consistency while dramatically improving throughput.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical process of manual circuit analysis with automated computational methods. Instead of human experts manually examining and extracting circuit information, the system uses software algorithms, image processing, and data structures to perform the same function automatically. This substitution preserves the precision of expert analysis while eliminating the time constraints of manual work.
3Measurement precision
If all nodes are assigned unique labels to maintain accuracy, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of information through computational overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges nodes that share the same swappability characteristics into equivalent classes. Nodes with identical swappability properties are grouped together and represented by a common label or identifier, reducing the total number of unique labels needed. This merging preserves all necessary identification information while eliminating redundant distinctions, thereby reducing computational overhead without losing meaningful information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates universal label types that can represent multiple nodes with similar properties. Instead of creating unique labels for each individual node, the system develops multi-functional label categories that can apply to any node within a swappability class. These universal labels serve multiple nodes simultaneously, reducing the overall label space and computational requirements while maintaining the ability to distinguish between different swappability relationships.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention seeks to provide a simple, but novel regime, for re-labelling swappable pins that permits swappability information to be maintained without significantly increasing computational complexity and is conducive to inexact pattern matching for the purposes of developing more complex logical processing blocks from elementary components in design analysis. The method comprises a recursive application of a simple labelling procedure. This method is repeated recursively until all gate instances in the circuit fragment have been assigned a swappability number.