System and method for teaching programming of devices

• US 10,163,365 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2016
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Engino-Net Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Engino.Net Ltd.
• Inventors: Sisamos, Costas
• Primary Examiner(s): Coburn, Corbett B
• Application Number:
  US15/166,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20160284232A1
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0053 Computers, e.g. programming
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/02 with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/00 Simulators for teaching or training purposes for the use of weapons F41; computing aspects G06; protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality H04L67/131

Abstract

A system and method for teaching computer programming contains software for providing a reference to a device and providing multiple views of a programming of the device. A textual view has programming code for controlling the device, a graphical view has icons to be placed, interconnected, and modified in a flow diagram in a programming area, and a simulation view displays a configuration of the device and a response of the device to the programming code. A configuration of the icons, when placed in the programming area, represent blocks of the programming code, where each block corresponds to a behavior of a respective programming object. The blocks behave in a specific manner based on the configuration of the icons. An input device modifies the programming code in the textual view, icons and interconnection in the graphical view, and configuration of the device in the simulation view, thus modifying the programming.

Claims

1. A robotics system for teaching concepts of computer programming to a user, the robotics system containing software for:

providing a reference to a device;

concurrently providing on a display a plurality of views associated with a programming of the device, the plurality of views comprising;

a textual view, wherein a programming code for controlling the device is displayed as text;

a graphical view, wherein a plurality of icons are provided in the graphical view, wherein the plurality of icons are configured to be selectively placed, interconnected, and modified in the form of a flow diagram in a programming area of the graphical view, and wherein a configuration of the plurality of icons, when placed in the programming area, respectively represent a plurality of blocks of the programming code, wherein each of the plurality of blocks of the programming code respectively corresponds to a behavior of a respective programming object of the device, and wherein the plurality of blocks of the programming code behave in a specific manner and in relation to one another based on the configuration of the plurality of icons; and

a simulation view, wherein the simulation view is configured to display a configuration of the device and a response of the device to the programming code; and

accepting input from an input device by the user for modifying the programming code in the textual view, the icons and selective interconnection thereof in the graphical view, and the configuration of the device in the simulation view, therein modifying the programming of the device.

2. The robotics system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of icons respectively comprise a selectable operation option comprising a “

WITH PREVIOUS” and

“

AFTER PREVIOUS”

indicator, wherein the selectable operation option is selectively configured as one of a “

WITH PREVIOUS”

configuration and an “

AFTER PREVIOUS”

configuration, respectively, wherein the “

WITH PREVIOUS”

configuration concurrently executes a first of the plurality of blocks of the programming code and a second of the plurality of blocks of the programming code, and wherein the “

AFTER PREVIOUS”

configuration serially executes the second of the plurality of blocks of the programming code after the execution of the first of the plurality of blocks of the programming code.

3. The robotics system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of icons are further selectively configured to provide a selectable delay, wherein the “

AFTER PREVIOUS”

configuration serially executes the second of the plurality of blocks of the programming code after the execution of the first of the plurality of blocks of the programming code and the selectable delay.

4. The robotics system of claim 3, wherein the “

AFTER PREVIOUS”

configuration serially executes the second of the plurality of blocks of the programming code after a completion of the execution of the first of the plurality of blocks of the programming code and the selectable delay.

5. The robotics system of claim 2, wherein the configuration of the plurality of icons further comprises one or more icon options selectably presented to the user, wherein the one or more icon options are selected from a group consisting of a port associated with the programming object, a condition of the programming object, a nature of an action of the programming object, a start time of the action, and a duration of the action.

6. The robotics system of claim 5, wherein the programming object comprises one or more of a sensing object and an acting object.

7. The robotics system of claim 6, wherein the sensing object comprises one or more of a proximity sensor, a video sensor, and an audio sensor, and wherein the acting object comprises one or more of a motor, a visual device, an audio device, an LED, and a buzzer.

8. The robotics system of claim 7, wherein the one or more icon options further comprise one or more conditional commands associated with the programming object.

9. The robotics system of claim 8, wherein the one or more conditional commands are based on the nature of the action of the sensing object, the port associated with the sensing object, the condition of the sensing object, a signal level condition of the sensing object, and a response of a dependent acting object to the condition of the sensing object, wherein the response of the dependent acting object comprises an action of the acting object that occurs concurrent with the condition of the sensing object or after a change in the condition of the sensing object occurs.

10. The robotics system of claim 8, wherein the one or more conditional commands comprise one or more of an “

IF”

command and a “

WHILE”

command.

11. The robotics system of claim 8, wherein the one or more conditional commands associated with the programming object execute the acting object for as long as a status of the respective conditional command holds true when the respective conditional command comprises the “

WHILE”

command, and wherein the one or more conditional commands associated with the programming object execute the acting object when the status of the respective conditional command changes when the respective conditional command comprises the “

IF”

command.

12. The robotics system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of views are updated and synchronized after the modification of one or more of the programming code, the plurality of icons, and the configuration of the device in any of the plurality of views, wherein plurality of views are configured to be updated and synchronized manually, automatically, or after a predefined pause after said modification.

13. The robotics system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of views are reset to a previous state upon a request by the user after the plurality of views are updated and synchronized.

14. The robotics system of claim 1, wherein one or more icons are placed in the programming area of the graphical view by one or more of a drag and drop operation from an icon bar, a double-click-and-select operation from the icon bar, and a selection action performed in the programming area of the graphical view.

15. The robotics system of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a robotic toy in one or more of a physical form and a virtual form.

16. The robotics system of claim 15, further comprising a physical device and a computer, wherein the software resides on the computer, and wherein providing the reference to the device comprises providing a link between the physical device and the computer.

17. The robotics system of claim 1, wherein the configuration of the plurality of icons comprises one or more options selectably presented to the user, wherein the one or more options are selected from a group consisting of a port associated with the programming object, a condition of the programming object, a nature of an action of the programming object, a start time of the action, and a duration of the action.

18. The robotics system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of icons respectively comprise a selectable operation option comprising a “

WITH PREVIOUS” and

“

AFTER PREVIOUS”

indicator, wherein the selectable operation option is selectively configured as one of a “

WITH PREVIOUS”

configuration and an “

AFTER PREVIOUS”

configuration, respectively, wherein the “

WITH PREVIOUS”

configuration concurrently executes a first of the plurality of blocks of the programming code and a second of the plurality of blocks of the programming code, and wherein the “

AFTER PREVIOUS”

configuration serially executes the second of the plurality of blocks of the programming code after the execution of the first of the plurality of blocks of the programming code, and wherein the “

WITH PREVIOUS”

configuration and “

AFTER PREVIOUS”

configuration are further displayed as text in the textual view.

19. The robotics system of claim 18, wherein the plurality of icons are further selectively configured to provide a selectable delay, wherein the “

AFTER PREVIOUS”

configuration serially executes the second of the plurality of blocks of the programming code after the execution of the first of the plurality of blocks of the programming code and the selectable delay.

20. The robotics system of claim 19, wherein the “

AFTER PREVIOUS”

configuration serially executes the second of the plurality of blocks of the programming code after a completion of the execution of the first of the plurality of blocks of the programming code and the selectable delay.