What design methodology is used in traditional circuit design methods

Traditional circuit design methods use a hierarchical design approach. The basic idea is to describe the design in modules and hierarchies. The design of electronic circuits and systems is oriented to three different levels: system level, circuit level, and physical realization level.

The design that describes the total function of the system is the top-level design, the design that describes the circuit level is the middle-level design, and the design that describes the smaller units in the physical realization level is the bottom-level design. The whole design process can be understood as a series of conversion processes from the top-level abstract description of the hardware to the bottom-level structural description, until finally a realizable description of the hardware unit is obtained.

Principles to know

The hierarchical design approach is more liberal, and can be used for both top-down and bottom-up design. The top-down design approach starts with the overall requirements of the design and divides the design top-down into functional sub-modules, each accomplishing a specific function. This design approach first determines the design of the top-level module and then proceeds to the detailed design of the sub-modules.

And in the design of the sub-modules can call the existing, mature, classic modules in the library or the successful examples retained in the design process. The bottom-up design approach is the reverse direction of the top-down design approach. There are two types of modules used in hierarchical design, one is a pre-designed standard module, and the other is a module with application-specific functionality designed according to need.