Applications of interval analysis for circuit design

In top-down circuit design, a principal task is to partition and map design constraints on a normal operating range of a collection of subblocks. This problem is propagated through each hierarchical level until the solutions for all levels are found. This top-down parameter assignment and instantiation of subblocks may eventually break down at some level due to an unrealizable circuit. Then the process has to be restarted a number of times before a realizable partition can be produced. An application of interval analysis in the design environment is presented to assure in advance that this process will always yield a solution. The presented methodology and corresponding algorithm can be used in hierarchical design strategies. At each hierarchical level, the solution space, if nonempty, is valid for all lower levels and is in agreement with decisions taken earlier in the hierarchy