A Lossless Compression Method for VCD Files Based on Signal Function Relationships, Value Prediction and Bit-Plane Reorganization

This paper proposes a VCD file compression method based on signal function relationships, signal value prediction, and bit-plane reorganization. The method aims to address the bottleneck issues related to the storage and transmission of VCD files as the scale of integrated circuit designs continues to grow. The paper develops separate compression strategies for different sections of the VCD file, such as the header, node information, and value change sections, in order to enhance compression efficiency. By analyzing the functional relationships between signals in the value change section and integrating techniques including variable-length encoding, signal value prediction, and bitplane reorganization, the proposed method significantly improves the compression ratio. The experimental results demonstrate that, for KB-level VCD files, the compression ratio of the method proposed in this paper reaches twice that of other methods. For MB-level files, the compression ratio can reach up to 86.9 times, representing a 142% improvement over existing compression algorithms. Additionally, this paper also addresses special cases, such as the handling of keywords like "$dumpon", ensuring comprehensive optimization and correctness of the compressed VCD files.