Boots – shoes – and leggings
Patent
1990-10-02
1993-06-29
Cosimano, Edward R.
Boots, shoes, and leggings
364578, G06F 1520
Patent
active
052240550
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the design of electric circuits, and in particular a machine for assisting a designer in the design and development of electric circuits.
2. Description of Related Art
There are currently available custom designed LSI integrated circuits known as ASICs (application specific integrated circuits) or uncommitted logic arrays (ULA--registered trade mark). These are intended for the customers that may require not only digital functions on a chip, but also input/output, and where appropriate, analogue requirements. In order to make optimum use of such ASICs it is necessary to use an effective computer aided design software system (CAD) which is used for system and interconnection design and also verification of the circuits.
Whilst such CAD systems work satisfactorily with digital circuits which can be tested in software form, the use of such systems for designing analogue circuits and mixtures of analogue and digital circuits has proved far more difficult since it is necessary in order adequately to test an analogue circuit to test its operation in the real world. A common method for simplifying the design of analogue circuits is to build a breadboard in which discrete components and standard integrated circuits are hand wired and then coupling the bread board to the real system. This allows digital voltage meters and oscilloscopes to be connected to points of interest and the external switches sensors and displays to be attached.
Thus although the use of ASIC has decreased the need for breadboarding, CAD systems have only previously proved effective where the bulk of the system is digital. When a significant proportion of the system is linear (i.e. analogue), there is no automatic design system currently available which can adequately cope with the entire design problem.
Papers which illustrate the state of the art are as follows: 7th International Conference on Custom and Semi Custom ICs Nov. 3/5, 1987, Penta Hotel, Heathrow, G. W. Birchby and D. J. Wardle. ASICs on equipment design" Savoy Place, London Jan. 11, 1988, G. W. Birchby. Design Automation Conference, Wembley Conference Centre, June 27/30, 1988, G. W. Birchby.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With a view to overcoming the above noted problem, the present invention provides a machine for circuit design comprising a processor, a configurable logic device and a design tablet device;
the processor having a graphics capability and including a display, a design means which compiles a graphics representation of the circuit on said display to a set of coded instructions for the setting of the logic device and the design tablet device;
wherein the logic device comprises a set of configurable circuit elements in integrated circuit form for providing a hardware representation of some or all of the digital part of the circuit displayed on said display, said coded instructions being operative to control the logic device to appropriately program said circuit elements;
and wherein said design tablet device includes a plug board for plugging in discrete electrical components and devices, bus lines coupled to said processor means, and wherein said processor means is operative to provide appropriate energising signals to said bus lines to actuate the discrete electrical components and devices.
Thus the machine in accordance with the invention provides a comprehensive method of design of a mixed analogue and digital circuit, wherein the digital parts of the circuit are represented in programmable circuit elements and can make use of proven techniques for development and testing, and the analogue parts of the circuit which are difficult to represent with said logic device can be implemented in discrete form on the programmable design tablet means. In addition standard interfacing parts, such as photodiodes, speed sensors for electric motors, may be coupled to ports of the design tablet means in order to provide appropriate interfacing with the external world.
In a further preferred feature of
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"Silicon Compilers in an Automated Design Environment" presented at 7th International Conference on Custom & Semi Custom ICs Nov. 3-5, 1987, Penta Hotel, Heathrow, G. W. Birchby and D. J. Wardle.
"Recent Advances in Gate Array Technology", IEE Colloquium The Impact of ASICs on equipment design; Savoy Place, London, Jan. 11, 1988, G. W. Birchby.
"Mixed Analogue and Digital Design-the CDI alternative", Electronic Design Automation Conference, Wembley Conference Centre, Jun. 17-30, 1988, G. W. Birchby.
Birchby Glenn W.
Broadhurst Denzil J.
Grundy David L.
Cosimano Edward R.
Plessey Semiconductors Limited
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