Patent ID: 7353482

Claim:
A layout editor apparatus, comprising: a data memory to store a program, logical design data concerning a circuit, and layout data concerning the circuit; an image frame memory to store display data representing a display screen; and a computation unit configured to process the logical design data and the layout data based on the program stored in the data memory, wherein the computation unit executes the program to extract, from the layout data stored in the data memory, data of a net of interest indicative of at least one output pin, one or more input pins, and line segments constituting the net of interest, and physical lengths and physical widths of the line segments, and draws the display screen in the image frame memory based on the data of the net of interest, and wherein the computation unit performs: drawing the output pin of the net of interest; drawing each of the line segments constituting a first interconnect line connecting between the output pin and a first input pin selected from the one or more input pins so as to draw the first interconnect line as a straight line formed of the line segments connected in a line extending from the output pin only in a first direction, such that displayed lengths of the line segments are proportional to the physical lengths thereof, and such that displayed widths of the line segments reflect the physical widths thereof; drawing the first input pin at a terminal end of the first interconnect line extending from the output pin; drawing a mark indicative of a branch point on the first interconnect line drawn as the straight line for a second input pin to couple to the output pin; drawing each of the line segments constituting a second interconnect line connecting between the branch point and the second input pin so as to draw the second interconnect line as a straight line formed of the line segments connected in a line extending only in the first direction from a point that is displaced by a predetermined distance from the branch point on the first interconnect line in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction on the display screen, such that displayed lengths of the line segments are proportional to the physical lengths thereof, and such that displayed widths of the line segments reflect the physical widths thereof; and drawing the second input pin at a terminal end of the second interconnect line extending from the displaced point.