Announced
The Artificial Engineer - Automation of PCB layout
Announced:
2017-02-01
Description
When an electronic product is to be made, a circuit diagram is drawn, which describes the logic, i.e. what components to include and how these should be connected. This information is then used in the development of a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) layout, where the physical design, i.e. board outline, attachment points, placement of the components and how traces and powerplanes are to be formed to achieve desirable electrical properties. This is still today largely a manual task, i.e. the engineer must do it using a CAD program, which takes time and resources. In addition to that there is the risk of costly mistakes and negligence due to stress. The goal of this master thesis is to as far as possible develop a module for component placement. The module shall be capable of, given a board outline, components and design rules, create an optimized component placement, i.e. floor plan. It shall be designed to be independent of what CAD program is used. However, during the thesis work we will be using Mentor Graphics PADS.
More information (pdf)
Contacts: Lennart Edenfjord (Source Tower AB) and Fredrik Edman (EIT)