The paper shows that engineering design may be enhanced through the use of computers to automate the generation and evaluation of design alternatives. A computer program based on this concept has been developed for the design of voltage multiplier circuits. This program has generated some unconventional circuits that give better performance than the conventional circuits for some applications. The paper describes the theory and implementation of this program, presents some results and discusses several research issues related to this approach.
computer-aided engineering, artificial intelligence, electrical circuit design, circuit synthesis
Engineering designs are based on and constrained by physical laws and principles. For the design of an artifact for a certain application, these constraints form a surface enclosing a space within which lie all possible design variations for that application. If the feasible design space is large, it will be difficult for a human designer to cover the various possible alternatives within that space to determine the best solution based on a given set of criteria. If the feasible design space is very small, the human designer may have difficulty in finding the few solutions available. Design involves a search process within the feasible design space.
The design of an electrical or electronic circuit for a certain application may be viewed as a search for solution(s) within a design space formed by constraints pertaining to that application. The design process in general involves the generation of feasible alternatives, the analysis of these alternatives, and the selection of the most appropriate alternative(s) based on a set of criteria. Usually, due to limitations on time and resources, decisions need to be made before alternatives can be explored. A circuit designer's knowledge and experience influences the choice of the alternatives to be pursued further.
Computer-aided engineering (CAE) and design (CAD) tools have been developed to facilitate the circuit design process and to enhance the productivity of