JPH0367370A - Interactive circuit simulation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To stops the execution of circuit simulation temporarily and to restart and carry on the execution at the analytic point by coupling processes for man-machine interface execution and interactive circuit simulator execution by an inter-process communication channel. CONSTITUTION:The process 8 for interactive circuit simulation execution and process 9 for man-machine interface program execution are executed individually and simultaneously. Those processes 8 and 9 are coupled by the inter-process communication channel 3, and the process 9 controls the execution of the process 8, which is stopped temporarily and interactively and restarted and carried on from the analytic point.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] This invention relates to an interactive circuit simulation device that can sequentially graphically display circuit simulation results as waveforms and perform interactive execution control (-temporal stop/continuous execution) of a circuit simulator. It is something.

[Conventional technology]

FIG. 4 is a system configuration diagram showing a conventional interactive circuit simulation device.

In the figure, (1) is a circuit simulator input data file, (2) is an interactive circuit simulator, (
3) is an inter-process communication channel, (4) is a waveform display program, (5) is a graphic display device, (
6) is a circuit simulation execution list, (7) is a keyboard and mouse for inputting commands to edit the waveform displayed on the graphic display (5), and (8) is for running the interactive circuit simulator (2). Process (9) is a process for executing the waveform display program (4).

Next, the operation will be explained. First, the operation of the interactive circuit simulator (2) shown in FIG. 4 will be explained using FIG. 5. A preprocessing step (101) reads circuit information data (input data file (1) in FIG. 4) for simulating circuit characteristics and prepares for simulation execution.

Next, set the analysis points for simulation calculation (step 11), calculate circuit characteristics (step 12), and output the simulation results to the interprocess communication channel (step 13) to the interprocess communication channel (3). Writes simulation result data. Then, it is determined whether the current analysis point is the analysis end point (step 16), and if the analysis end point has not been reached, the process returns to the analysis point setting process (step 11) and repeats the same process.

Furthermore, if the analysis point is the analysis end point, post-processing (step 17) is performed and the circuit characteristic simulation is completed. Therefore, simulation result data flows into the interprocess communication channel (3) from the start to the end of the analysis.

Next, the operation of the waveform display program (4) shown in FIG. 4 will be explained using FIG. 6.

Preprocessing (step 18) performs processing for creating a simulation result waveform display screen.

Next, when the simulation result data is written from the interactive circuit simulator ((2) in Figure 4) to the inter-process communication channel (3), the inter-process communication channel reading process for the simulation result (step 20) is performed. The simulation result is displayed in waveform on the graphic display (step 24) through coordinate data conversion processing (step 22) and graphic display processing (step 23).

Next, it is confirmed that the inter-process communication channel (3) has been opened by the interactive circuit simulator ((2) in FIG. 4) (step 25), and the process returns to the inter-process communication channel reading process (step 20). This (step 20), (step 22).

(Step 23) and (Step 25) are performed in synchronization with the simulation result data output from the interactive circuit simulator ((2) in Figure 4) to the interprocess communication channel (3). Circuit simulation results can be displayed in real time for each analysis point.

Post-processing of circuit simulation (Step 1 in Figure 5)
7)) is completed, the interprocess communication channel (3)
is closed, post-processing (step 26) is performed and the processing ends.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

Conventional interactive circuit simulation devices were configured as described above, so the interactive circuit simulator unilaterally outputs simulation result data to the interprocess communication channel, and the waveform display program receives it and displays it graphically. There is. Therefore, there are problems in that it is not possible to interactively control the execution of the simulation, such as stopping the execution of the simulation interactively or continuing the execution of the simulation from the analysis point.

This invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it provides an interactive circuit simulation in which the execution of the circuit simulation can be interactively paused, and the simulation can be continued and resumed from the analysis point. The purpose is to obtain equipment.

[Means to solve the problem]

An interactive circuit simulation device according to the present invention simultaneously executes an interactive circuit simulation program and a machine interface program on separate processes, and transfers simulation result data from the interactive circuit simulator to the man-machine interface program through interprocess communication. means and
Means for transferring single-circuit simulation control data from a man-machine interface program to an interactive circuit simulator in synchronization with input events from a keyboard, means for determining this control data and continuing or stopping the simulation, and simulation results. The apparatus is equipped with means for sequentially reading data and sequentially displaying waveforms on a graphic display device.

[For production]

In the interactive circuit simulator of the present invention, simulation execution is interactively controlled by circuit simulator control data transferred from a man-machine interface program through inter-process communication in synchronization with input events from a keyboard, etc., and the simulation is paused. /Perform continuous execution processing.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an interactive circuit simulation device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the interactive circuit simulator,
Figure i3 is a flowchart of the man-machine interface program. In FIG. 1, (11 is a circuit simulator input data file, (2) is an interactive circuit simulator, (3) is an interprocess communication channel, (4) is a man-machine interface program,
(5) is a graphic display device, (6) is a circuit simulation execution list, and (7) is displayed on the keyboard and graphic display (5) for inputting interrupt events for interactively controlling the interactive circuit simulator (2). (8) is the process of operating the interactive circuit simulator (2);
f9) is a man-machine interface program (4
).

Next, the operation will be explained. First, the operation of the interactive circuit simulator (2) shown in FIG. 1 will be explained using the flowchart shown in FIG. Pre-processing (step 1
0) reads circuit information data (input data file (1) in FIG. 1) for simulating circuit characteristics and prepares for simulation calculations. Next, step 11) sets analysis points for performing simulation calculations.

The circuit characteristics are calculated (step 12), and the simulation results are output to the interprocess communication channel (step 13), thereby outputting the simulation result data to the interprocess communication channel (3).

Next, processing is stopped until control data is transferred from the man-machine interface program ((4) in Figure 1) via the interprocess communication channel (3), and at the time the control data is transferred, Perform loading process (step 1
4). Here, if a circuit simulation stop command is transferred as control data, this is determined in step 15 and the communication channel is inserted into the communication channel (step 14).
and stops processing until the next control data is transferred. In addition, if a circuit simulation continuation command is transferred as control data, this is determined in step 15 and the next process is to determine whether the current analysis point is the analysis end point (step 16). If so, the process returns to the analysis point setting process (step 11) and the same process is repeated. If the current analysis point is the analysis end point, post-processing (step 17) is performed and the circuit simulation process ends.

Next, the operation of the man-machine interface program (4) shown in FIG. 1 will be explained using FIG. 3. Preprocessing (step 18) performs processing for creating a simulation result waveform display screen. Next, control data settings (
In step 19), if an event to temporarily stop the circuit simulation is input from the keyboard or the like ((7) in FIG. 1).

A circuit simulation-time stop command is set in the control data, and if an event to stop the circuit simulation is not input, a circuit simulation continuation command is set in the control data. Next, wait until the simulation result data is transferred from the interactive circuit simulator ((2) in Figure 1) via the interprocess communication channel (3), and then perform the interprocess communication channel loading process (step 20). Next, step 21) outputs the control data to the inter-process communication channel (3), converts the simulation result data to coordinate data step 22),
Graphic display processing (step 23) is performed on the graphic display device. Next, it is confirmed that the interprocess communication channel (3) is opened by the interactive circuit simulator ((2) in FIG. 1) (step 25), and the process returns to step 19.

Post-processing of circuit simulation (Step 1 in Figure 2)
When step 7) ends, the inter-process communication channel (3) is closed, so post-processing (step 26) is performed and the process ends.

In addition, although the case of a circuit simulator was described in the above embodiment, a logic simulator or other program that creates a graph by repeated calculations may be used, and the same effects as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the circuit simulator and the man-machine interface program are executed simultaneously in separate processes, and the circuit simulator is controlled from the man-machine interface program by connecting the two through inter-process communication. Since the circuit simulation is configured as
This has the effect of improving the effectiveness of circuit design by eliminating wasteful circuit simulation processing.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an interactive circuit simulation device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an interactive circuit simulator according to an embodiment of the invention, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a system configuration diagram showing a conventional circuit simulation device, FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a conventional interactive circuit simulator, and FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a conventional waveform display program. In the figure, (1) is an input data file, (2) is an interactive circuit simulator, (3) is a channel for interprocess communication, (4) is a man-machine interface program, (5) is a graphic display device,
(6) shows the circuit simulator execution list, (7) shows the input keyboard and mouse, (8) shows the execution process of the interactive circuit simulator, and (9) shows the execution process of the man-machine interface program. In addition, in the figures, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a circuit simulation device that analyzes the electrical characteristics of electronic circuits, there is a circuit simulator that sequentially transfers simulation result data to other processes using inter-process communication for each analysis point where circuit characteristics are calculated, and an interactive An interactive circuit simulation device characterized by being equipped with a man-machine interface program that reads and internally processes data transferred from an execution control and circuit simulator via inter-process communication and displays it as a simulation waveform on a graphic display device.