Digital Equipment Corporation

James L Finnerty

Donald F Hooper

David B Fite, Jr

Snehamay Kundu

The interconnection costs of electronically linked objects is minimized by the successive partitioning of the initial logic design. The partitioning is based upon the electrical properties of the drivers and loads of the linked objects forming the design. Further, time critical connections are weighted so as to further minimize interconnection cost. A further method refines the result of the successive partitioning by calculating each linked object's contribution to the overall delay of the design. Both the design of device function and timing and the physical realization of the electronically linked objects are solved jointly to make use of the information available from the logical and physical designs.

Minimizing the interconnection cost of electronically linked objects

A method for simplifying Boolean AND-OR logic in a circuit synthesis system. Rules are associated with model instances representing circuit components and contained in a data base. During testing of an antecedent portion of a rule, a benefit value representing a decrease in pins or an improvement in timing is calculated and compared to the value of a 'benefit variable', which represents a minimum acceptable benefit that must be gained from application of a rule. If a sufficient benefit will result from application of the rule, the rule is applied. Some rules simplify the circuit and then recursively call themselves. Some rules indicate other model instances in the data base, search the set of rules for rules applicable to that model instance, and apply the rule discovered during the search.

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Lexington, MA, United States of America

James L Finnerty