A review of automatic schematic generation techniques and their application to printed circuit boards

Abstract

The printed circuit board (PCB) stands as the cornerstone of electronic equipment, with its schematic holding paramount importance for system performance and reliability. In light of the pervasive use of electronic devices in society, concerns regarding maintenance, safety, backdoors, and other latent issues have garnered significant attention. Automatic schematic generation (ASG), with its distinct capability for generating circuit schematics autonomously, not only plays a pivotal role in electronic design automation (EDA) but also aids in deciphering the fundamental principles of PCB equipment to effectively address these underlying issues. However, constrained by the increasingly sophisticated manufacturing processes of PCBs and the inherent legal and ethical controversies surrounding reverse engineering, the development of related technologies faces notable bottlenecks. To break through technical barriers and advance technological progress, this paper comprehensively combs through the existing ASG, offers in-depth description of the core algorithms of the technology-layout and routing, and for the application of the technology in PCB reverse engineering, analyzes in detail the current challenges and the faced problems. Around these challenges, feasible solutions are discussed in this paper, with the aims of promoting the research of automatic PCB schematic generation technology and contributing new strength to EDA and PCB reverse engineering automation.

Keywords

Automatic schematic generation / Layout / Routing / Printed circuit board / Reverse engineering / Automation

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Zhejiang University Press