Automatic determination of power plane shape in printed circuit board
A system and method to automatically determine power plane shape in a printed circuit board (PCB) involve obtaining inputs. The inputs include a size and shape of the PCB, a set of sources, and a set of sinks associated with a power plane. The method also includes determining a center of charge (CoC) as a center of largest current density for the set of sources and the set of sinks, and creating a sub-shape corresponding with a path from each source of the set of sources and from each sink of the set of sinks to the CoC. The creating the sub-shape includes determining a width of a conductor in the path corresponding with each of the sub-shapes. The sub-shapes created for the set of sources and the set of sinks are combined as the power plane shape.
1. A computer-implemented method of automatically determining power plane shape in a printed circuit board (PCB), the method comprising:
obtaining inputs at a processor, wherein the inputs include a size and shape of the PCB, a set of sources, and a set of sinks associated with a power plane;
determining, using the processor, a center of charge (CoC) as a center of largest current density for the set of sources and the set of sinks;
creating, using the processor, a sub-shape corresponding with a path from each source of the set of sources and from each sink of the set of sinks to the CoC, wherein the creating the sub-shape includes determining a width of a conductor in the path corresponding with each of the sub-shapes; and
combining the sub-shapes created for the set of sources and the set of sinks as the power plane shape, wherein the obtaining the inputs includes obtaining a location of one or more obstacles, the one or more obstacles including a via, and the creating the sub-shape includes creating one or more obstacle avoidance points to avoid one or more of the one or more obstacles.
2. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more obstacles includes another component such as one of the set of sources or the set of sinks, a connector, a processor, or an integrated circuit, or a void.
3. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the obtaining the inputs includes obtaining a thickness of the conductor used to create the path for each of the sub-shapes.
4. The computer-implemented method according to claim 3 , wherein the determining the width of the conductor in the path corresponding with each of the sub-shapes includes calculating a resistance R of the path as:
R
=
Vdrop
I
,
where
Vdrop is a maximum allowable voltage drop between one of the set of sources and a corresponding one of the set of sinks and I is a desired current to be transmitted via the sub-shape.
5. The computer-implemented method according to claim 4 , wherein the determining the width W of the conductor in the path corresponding with each of the sub-shapes includes solving for the width W based on:
R
=
ρ
L
W
*
H
,
where
ρ is a resistivity of the conductor, L is a length of the path, and H is the thickness of the conductor.
6. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the combining the sub-shapes includes joining the sub-shapes at the CoC.
7. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the combining the sub-shapes includes filling and smoothing overlap areas among the sub-shapes.
8. A system to automatically determine power plane shape in a printed circuit board (PCB), the system comprising:
a memory device configured to store a size and shape of the PCB, a set of sources, and a set of sinks associated with a power plane; and
a processor configured to determine a center of charge (CoC) as a center of largest current density for the set of sources and the set of sinks, to create a sub-shape corresponding with a path from each source of the set of sources and from each sink of the set of sinks to the CoC, wherein the creating the sub-shape includes determining a width of a conductor in the path corresponding with each of the sub-shapes, and to combine the sub-shapes created for the set of sources and the set of sinks as the power plane shape, wherein the processor is further configured to obtain a location of one or more obstacles, the one or more obstacles including a via, and to create the sub-shape by creating one or more obstacle avoidance points to avoid one or more of the one or more obstacles.
9. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the one or more obstacles including another component such as one of the set of sources or the set of sinks, a connector, a processor, or an integrated circuit, or a void.
10. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the processor is further configured to obtain a thickness of the conductor used to create the path for each of the sub-shapes.
11. The system according to claim 10 , wherein the processor is configured to determine the width of the conductor in the path corresponding with each of the sub-shapes by calculating a resistance R of the path as:
R
=
Vdrop
I
,
where
Vdrop is a maximum allowable voltage drop between one of the set of sources and a corresponding one of the set of sinks and I is a desired current to be transmitted via the sub-shape, and by solving for the width W based on:
R
=
ρ
L
W
*
H
,
where
ρ is a resistivity of the conductor, L is a length of the path, and H is the thickness of the conductor.
12. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the processor is configured to combine the sub-shapes by joining the sub-shapes at the CoC and filling and smoothing overlap areas among the sub-shapes.
13. A computer program product for automatically determining power plane shape in a printed circuit board (PCB), the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:
obtaining inputs, wherein the inputs include a size and shape of the PCB, a set of sources, and a set of sinks associated with a power plane;
determining a center of charge (CoC) as a center of largest current density for the set of sources and the set of sinks;
creating a sub-shape corresponding with a path from each source of the set of sources and from each sink of the set of sinks to the CoC, wherein the creating the sub-shape includes determining a width of a conductor in the path corresponding with each of the sub-shapes; and
combining the sub-shapes created for the set of sources and the set of sinks as the power plane shape, wherein the obtaining the inputs includes obtaining a location of one or more obstacles, the one or more obstacles including a via, and the creating the sub-shape includes creating one or more obstacle avoidance points to avoid one or more of the one or more obstacles.
14. The computer program product according to claim 13 , wherein the one or more obstacles includes another component such as one of the set of sources or the set of sinks, a connector, a processor, or an integrated circuit, or a void.
15. The computer program product according to claim 13 , wherein the obtaining the inputs includes obtaining a thickness of the conductor used to create the path for each of the sub-shapes.
16. The computer program product according to claim 15 , wherein the determining the width of the conductor in the path corresponding with each of the sub-shapes includes calculating a resistance R of the path as:
R
=
Vdrop
I
,
where
Vdrop is a maximum allowable voltage drop between one of the set of sources and a corresponding one of the set of sinks and I is a desired current to be transmitted via the sub-shape.
17. The computer program product according to claim 16 , wherein the determining the width W of the conductor in the path corresponding with each of the sub-shapes includes solving for the width W based on:
R
=
ρ
L
W
*
H
,
where
ρ is a resistivity of the conductor, L is a length of the path, and H is the thickness of the conductor.
18. The computer program product according to claim 13 , wherein the combining the sub-shapes includes joining the sub-shapes at the CoC.
19. The computer program product according to claim 13 , wherein the combining the sub-shapes includes filling and smoothing overlap areas among the sub-shapes.