Patent US5481474A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5481474A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Double-sided placement of components on printed circuit board
Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Inc
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Filing: 1993-07-22
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Granted: 1996-01-02
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Expires: 2013-07-22
Abstract
Abstract A computer-aided engineering (CAE) tool simulates physical floor-planning of electronic components to be placed and interconnected on both sides of a printed circuit board (PCB). Initially components are placed in a raw portion of the PCB, until an evaluator determines where to re-place selected components in refined portions on both sides of the PCB. The evaluation process is repeated until all components are selected from the raw portion and re-placed in a refined portion. During evaluation, a profile of the raw portion is generated, and the generated profile is searched for a location for placing each selected component.
Inventors
- 👤 Tsu-Chang Lee
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 12:30
CPC Classifications
H; H05; H05K; H05K3/00; H05K3/0005; G; G06; G06F; G06F30/00; G06F30/30; G06F30/39; G06F30/392; H05K13/00; H05K13/08; H05K13/085; H05K2203/00; H05K2203/15; H05K2203/1572; H05K3/30; H05K3/303
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
157 words
A method for placing objects on both sides of a board, the method comprising the steps of: placing an least one object in a first portion of a board; selecting a placed; evaluating a selected object for re-placement in one of a second portion of a first side of the board and a third portion of a second side of the board comprising the steps of: generating a first profile of said first portion, said first profile including a second profile for a first sub-portion of said first portion on the first side, and a third profile for a second sub-portion on the second side; and searching said first profile for a placement location for the evaluated selected object in one of said second portion and said third portion, by considering each possible placement orientation of said selected objects; and placing the selected object in one of said second and said third portion according to the evaluation.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
157 words
A method for placing objects on both sides of a board, the method comprising the steps of: placing an least one object in a first portion of a board; selecting a placed; evaluating a selected object for re-placement in one of a second portion of a first side of the board and a third portion of a second side of the board comprising the steps of: generating a first profile of said first portion, said first profile including a second profile for a first sub-portion of said first portion on the first side, and a third profile for a second sub-portion on the second side; and searching said first profile for a placement location for the evaluated selected object in one of said second portion and said third portion, by considering each possible placement orientation of said selected objects; and placing the selected object in one of said second and said third portion according to the evaluation.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 1 wherein: the board comprises a rectangular printed circuit board.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 1 wherein: each object comprises a rectilinearly-shaped electronic component.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 1 wherein: each object is placed initially in the first portion according to a random procedure.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 1 wherein: the first portion comprises a first sub-portion on the first side and a second sub-portion on the second side.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 1 wherein: the steps of selecting, evaluating and placing the selected object are repeated until each object placed in the first portion has been selected and evaluated.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 1 wherein: the selected object is evaluated for re-placement in the second or third portion according to a placement direction.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 7 wherein: the placement direction comprises down, right, up, or left.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 1 wherein: each object placed in the first portion is selectable for evaluation when such object is determined to be in a longest critical path.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 1 wherein: each object placed in the first portion is selectable for evaluation when such object is un-obstructed by another object in the first portion.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 1 wherein: the selected object is evaluated by calculating a value for placing such object in a position in the second or third portion.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 11 wherein: a set of values corresponding to various possible positions in the second and third portions is calculated.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 11 wherein: the value comprises a cost for packing components in a fixed-size frame.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 13 wherein: object re-placement is completed when a newly-calculated cost is higher than a previously-calculated cost for an iteration cycle such that no cost improvement is indicated between consecutive iterations of all objects.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
50 words
The method of claim 1 wherein: when each object placed in the first portion has been evaluated and re-placed in the second or third portion, the second or third portion is redefined as a new first portion, and the first portion is redefined as a new second or third portion.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 1 wherein: the selected object is placed such that a length of wire interconnecting such object to other objects is minimized.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
103 words
A simulation method for placing components on both sides of a printed circuit board (PCB), the simulation method comprising the steps of: placing a plurality of components in a raw portion of the PCB; evaluating a selected component placed in the raw portion for re-placement in a first refined portion of the first side of the PCB or in a second refined portion of a second side of the PCB; re-placing the selected component in the first or second refined portion according to the evaluation; and repeating the evaluating and re-placing steps until each component placed in the raw portion has been evaluated.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
103 words
A simulation method for placing components on both sides of a printed circuit board (PCB), the simulation method comprising the steps of: placing a plurality of components in a raw portion of the PCB; evaluating a selected component placed in the raw portion for re-placement in a first refined portion of the first side of the PCB or in a second refined portion of a second side of the PCB; re-placing the selected component in the first or second refined portion according to the evaluation; and repeating the evaluating and re-placing steps until each component placed in the raw portion has been evaluated.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 17 wherein: the raw portion comprises a first sub-portion on the first side and a second sub-portion on the second side.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 17 wherein: the evaluating step comprises the steps of generating a profile of the raw portion, and searching the profile for a placement location for the evaluated selected component in the first or second refined portion.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
93 words
A computer-assisted tool for placing objects on both sides of a board comprising: an initializer, for placing at least one object in a first portion of a board; an object selector, for selecting a placed object; an evaluator, for determining where to re-place a selected object placed in the first portion in a second portion of the first side of the board or in a third portion of a second side of the board; and a placement updater, for placing the selected object in the second or third portion according to the determination.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
93 words
A computer-assisted tool for placing objects on both sides of a board comprising: an initializer, for placing at least one object in a first portion of a board; an object selector, for selecting a placed object; an evaluator, for determining where to re-place a selected object placed in the first portion in a second portion of the first side of the board or in a third portion of a second side of the board; and a placement updater, for placing the selected object in the second or third portion according to the determination.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1999-01-01 | 1999-07-03 | 2000-01-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2003-01-01 | 2003-07-03 | 2004-01-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2007-01-01 | 2007-07-03 | 2008-01-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |