Graphical application development system for test, measurement and process control applications

• US 20030058280A1
• Filed: 08/28/2002
• Published: 03/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alfred A. Molinari, Andreas Claus Randow, Dirk Rick Schmischke, Frank Gabler
• Original Assignee: Alfred A. Molinari, Andreas Claus Randow, Dirk Rick Schmischke, Frank Gabler
• Inventors: Schmischke, Dirk Rick, Gabler, Frank, Randow, Andreas Claus, Molinari, Alfred A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,275,235 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/771
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 13/345 for displaying sampled signals by using digital processors by intermediate A.D. and D.A. convertors (control circuits for CRT indicators)

Abstract

A graphical application development environment is provided, for the development of test, measurement and process control applications. Said environment comprises thematically organized groups of “panels” representing components of virtual instruments, and said panels are combined and interconnected via data channels, control channels and event channels to form a complete instrument “front panel.” Each panel represents a quasi-autonomous “aspect” software object that has the attributes, properties and connectivities of the represented instrument component, and that is associated with executable code segments, including code segments that are usable by a plurality of aspects and are maintained in libraries accessible to an aspect handler for the construction of aspects. A representation of a user-developed application program, as created in a textual language, comprises an executable description of front panel aspects and their attributes and interconnections, and serves to invoke said associated code segments to run said user application.

Claims

1. A graphical application development environment, adapted for the development of user-defined test, measurement or process control applications, said environment comprising:

(a) a graphical desktop providing user access to a plurality of selectable panels;

(b) at least one data source type panel for providing access to a source of streaming data;

(c) at least one data sink type panel for receiving streaming data from a data source type panel and for displaying a representation of such streaming data on said desktop; and

(d) at least one controlling type panel for controlling a property of another of said panels,

(e) wherein there is associated with each of said panels an aspect-type software object that comprises attributes and properties embodied in executable code segments.

2. A graphical application development environment according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said aspects form a class of data sink type aspects.

3. A graphical application development environment according to claim 2, wherein each aspect in said class of data sink type aspects shares a common set of data sink aspect properties and functionalities, and each such data sink type aspect additionally contains specific properties concerning a specific instrument component function.

4. A graphical application development environment according to claim 3, wherein at least one of said specific properties of a data sink type aspect that concern a specific instrument component is subject to configuration by a user from said graphical desktop.

5. A graphical application development environment according to claim 2, wherein said class of data sink aspects comprises functionalities enabling a user, for each data sink aspect within said class, to access a property page of said aspect, and from said property page to effect a connection between said aspect and data channels provided by a selected data source aspect.

6. A graphical application development environment according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said aspects form a class of controlling type aspects.

7. A graphical application development environment according to claim 6 wherein each aspect in said class of controlling type aspects shares a common set of controlling aspect properties and functionalities, and each such controlling type aspect additionally contains specific properties concerning a specific instrument component function that is subject to configuration by a user.

8. A graphical application development environment according to claim 7, comprising at least one controlling aspect containing functionality for user control of at least one property of a data source type aspect.

9. A graphical application development environment according to claim 7, comprising at least one controlling aspect containing functionality for user control of at least one property of a data sink type aspect.

10. A graphical application development environment according to claim 7, comprising at least one controlling aspect containing functionality for simultaneous user control of at least one property of a plurality of other aspects.

11. A graphical application development environment according to claim 10, comprising at least one controlling aspect containing functionality for user control of at least one property of a first property type of one aspect, and simultaneous user control of at least one property of a second property type of the same or another aspect.

12. A graphical application development environment according to claim 7, comprising at least one controlling aspect containing functionality for user control of at least one action property of a data source type aspect.

13. A graphical application development environment according to claim 7, comprising at least one controlling aspect containing functionality for user control of at least one action property of a data sink type aspect.

14. The graphical application development environment of claim 1 further comprising means for the automatic creation of a file containing a human-readable description of all aspects as selected and configured for use in an application, in a form enabling the execution of said application through the invocation of executable code segments associated with said description.

15. A graphical application development environment, adapted for the development of user-defined test, measurement or process control applications, said environment comprising:

(a) a plurality of aspect-type software objects wherein each of said aspects comprises

(b) a panel associated with a graphical representation of a specific virtual instrument component,

(c) a set of attributes and properties corresponding to and expressed by immediately accessible executable code segments, and

(d) and a set of connectivity functions enabling the establishment of a data link between each said aspect and at least one other aspect.

16. A graphical application development environment according to claim 15, wherein each said aspect constitutes functionally a specific user-visible component of a virtual instrument.

17. A graphical application development environment according to claim 15, wherein each such aspect is associated with a property page accessible to a user from a graphical desktop, whereby said user is enable to configure from within said property page at least one property of at least one aspect in said plurality of aspects.

18. A graphical application development environment according to claim 16, wherein a user is enabled to control a property of at least one of said plurality of aspects via a control channel established from the property page of another aspect.

19. A graphical application development environment according to claim 15 comprising at least one aspect having characteristics of a data source aspect, at least one aspect having characteristics of a data sink aspect, and at least one aspect having characteristics of a controlling aspect.

20. A graphical application development environment according to claim 19, wherein each aspect having characteristics of a data sink aspect comprises connectivity means for establishing a data link with at least one aspect having characteristics of a data source aspect, enabling the transport of streaming data to said data sink aspect from said data source aspect.

21. A graphical application development environment according to claim 20, wherein said each data sink aspect further comprises means enabling a user to select, from a property page of said data sink aspect accessible from a graphical desktop, at least one specific data channel from among a plurality of data channels provided by a data source to said data sink aspect.

23. The graphical application development environment of claim 21, wherein each of said panels comprises a property page accessible to a user from said graphical desktop, whereby said user may from said property page configure at least one defined property of the software aspect associated with said panel.

24. The graphical application development environment of claim 21, wherein at least one of said panels comprises a property page accessible to a user from said graphical desktop, whereby a user may establish a control channel for controlling at least one property of an aspect associated with another of said panels.

25. The graphical application development environment of claim 21, wherein said plurality of panels comprises a data source group of panels, a data sink group of panels, and a controlling panel group of panels.

26. The graphical application development environment of claim 24, wherein the property page of each panel in said group of data sink panels comprises means for a user to establish a data link providing for the streaming of data from a selected data source represented by a data source panel to the data sink panel.

27. The graphical application development environment of claim 25, further providing means, accessible from the property page of each data sink panel, for establishing a data link with a data source panel for streaming data provided by a specific data channel of said data source.

28. The graphical application development environment of claim 24, wherein each panel in said controlling panels group of panels has a property page accessible to a user from a graphical desktop, whereby a user may establish a control channel data link between any panel in said group of controlling panels and at least one other panel from another panel group, for controlling at least one property of said at least one other panel.

29. The graphical application development environment of claim 28, wherein an event channel data link is automatically established upon the establishment of a controlling channel link between a controlling panel and any other panel, whereby any change in the state of the property controlled via said control channel is reported to said controlling panel.

22. A graphical application development environment, adapted for the development of user-defined test, measurement or process control applications, said environment comprising:

A desktop for the placement by a user of a plurality of panels each representing a different functional component of an instrument for accomplishing a user-defined task, wherein there is associated with each such panel an

aspect-type software object having properties and attributes corresponding to immediately accessible executable code segments.

30. A graphical application development environment comprising:

(a) libraries of executable code segments corresponding to attributes and properties appropriate for the construction of aspect-type software objects that represent components of instruments usable in the development of user-defined test, measurement or process control applications;

(b) a base class containing core functionalities selected from said executable code segments and common to all aspects, including functionalities providing for the establishment of data links between any one aspect and any other aspect;

(c) a plurality of aspect-type software objects grouped into aspect classes including a data source aspect class, a data sink aspect class, and a controlling aspect class,

(d) wherein each of said aspect classes comprises class attributes and properties selected from executable code segments in said libraries,

(e) and wherein each aspect in each of said aspect classes additionally comprises attributes and properties specific to said aspect that serve to characterize said aspect as a single function element for use in a user-defined virtual instrument.

31. The graphical environment of claim 30 further comprising means for a user to select and configure panels representing virtual instrument components each corresponding to a said aspect, to form a complete virtual instrument for performing a test, measurement or control task.

32. The graphical environment of claim 31 further comprising means for representing said complete virtual instrument in a textual description of the aspects selected and configured by the user, in a form whereby execution of said textual description directly invokes and activates the executable code segments associated with each of said aspects.

33. A test, measurement or process control software application for accomplishing a specific user-defined task, said application comprising:

(a) a plurality of aspect-type software objects whereby each of said aspects constitutes a single specific and configured function element for performing at least a partial solution of said user-defined task;

(b) data links connecting each of said plurality of aspects with at least one other aspect;

(c) a store of executable code segments for implementing all attributes, properties, functions, actions and connectivities associated with said aspects and said data links; and

(d) a descriptive listing of said plurality of aspects and data links, in a form usable to invoke and activate said executable code segments;

(e) whereby at least one aspect characteristic of a data source is enabled to provide streaming data to at least one aspect characteristic of a data sink, via a said data link, for display in a form associated with said data sink.