Performing wireless communication in a graphical program

• US 20040150667A1
• Filed: 02/18/2003
• Published: 08/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: National Instruments Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: National Instruments Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Rowland, Stephanie E., Hadikusuma, Miko, Dove, Andrew Philip
• Application Number:
  US10/369,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20040150667A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/763
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming

Abstract

A graphical program may be created and configured to perform wireless communication. The user may include one or more wireless communication nodes provided by the graphical programming development environment in the graphical program. The wireless communication nodes may be operable to wirelessly send data to a remote computer system and/or may be operable to receive data sent wirelessly from the remote computer system. The graphical program may then be executed to perform the wireless communication.

Claims

1. A method for performing wireless communication in a graphical program, the method comprising:

storing the graphical program in a memory of a first computer system, wherein the first computer system includes first wireless communication hardware; and

executing the graphical program, wherein the graphical program executes to perform the wireless communication.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the graphical program comprises a graphical data flow program.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein the graphical program comprises a plurality of interconnected nodes that visually indicate functionality of the graphical program.

4. The method of claim 3,

wherein the plurality of interconnected nodes visually indicate the wireless communication performed by the graphical program.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein said graphical program executing to perform the wireless communication comprises the graphical program executing to cause the first wireless communication hardware to perform the wireless communication.

6. The method of claim 5,

wherein said graphical program executing to cause the first wireless communication hardware to perform the wireless communication comprises the graphical program executing to cause the first wireless communication hardware to send data to second wireless communication hardware.

7. The method of claim 5,

wherein said graphical program executing to cause the first wireless communication hardware to perform the wireless communication comprises the graphical program executing to cause the first wireless communication hardware to receive data from second wireless communication hardware.

8. The method of claim 1,

wherein the graphical program executes to communicate wirelessly with a program executing on a second computer system.

9. The method of claim 8,

wherein the program executing on the second computer system is a graphical program.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating the graphical program, wherein said creating the graphical program comprises configuring the graphical program to perform the wireless communication.

11. The method of claim 10,

wherein said creating the graphical program comprises:

arranging a plurality of nodes on a display; and

interconnecting the plurality of nodes in response to user input.

12. The method of claim 10,

wherein said configuring the graphical program to perform the wireless communication comprises connecting a data source to a first node in the graphical program, wherein the first node is operable to wirelessly send data from the data source to a remote computer system.

13. The method of claim 10,

wherein said configuring the graphical program to perform the wireless communication comprises connecting a data sink to a first node in the graphical program, wherein the first node is operable to wirelessly receive data from a remote computer system and pass the data to the data sink.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

displaying a graphical user interface for configuring the graphical program to perform the wireless communication;

receiving user input to the graphical user interface; and

configuring the graphical program to perform the wireless communication according to the user input received to the graphical user interface.

15. The method of claim 14,

wherein said receiving user input to the graphical user interface comprises receiving user input specifying a second computer system with which to perform the wireless communication;

wherein said configuring the graphical program to perform the wireless communication according to the user input received to the graphical user interface comprises configuring the graphical program to perform the wireless communication with the second computer system.

16. The method of claim 14,

wherein said receiving user input to the graphical user interface comprises receiving user input specifying one or more communication properties;

wherein said configuring the graphical program to perform the wireless communication according to the user input received to the graphical user interface comprises configuring the graphical program to perform the wireless communication according to the one or more specified communication properties.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said performing the wireless communication comprises performing one or more of the following types of communication:

infrared communication;

802.11 communication;

Bluetooth communication;

HomeRF communication;

TCP/IP communication.

18. The method of claim 1,

wherein the graphical program comprises a block diagram portion and a user interface portion.

19. The method of claim 1,

wherein the graphical program executes to cause the first wireless communication hardware to perform the wireless communication to perform one or more of:

an industrial automation function;

a process control function;

a test and measurement function.

20. A method for performing wireless communication in a graphical program, the method comprising:

creating the graphical program, wherein said creating the graphical program comprises configuring the graphical program to perform the wireless communication;

storing the graphical program in a memory; and

executing the graphical program, wherein said executing the graphical program comprises performing the wireless communication.

21. A method for performing wireless communication in a graphical program, the method comprising:

creating the graphical program, wherein said creating the graphical program comprises configuring the graphical program to communicate wirelessly with a first computer system;

storing the graphical program in a memory of a second computer system; and

executing the graphical program, wherein said executing the graphical program comprises performing wireless communication to communicate with the first computer system.

22. A method for creating a graphical program that performs wireless communication, wherein the method operates in a computer including a display screen and a user input device, the method comprising:

displaying on the screen a first node in the graphical program in response to user input; and

configuring the first node to perform the wireless communication;

wherein, during execution of the graphical program, the first node is operable to perform the wireless communication.

23. The method of claim 22,

wherein the graphical program comprises a graphical data flow program.

24. The method of claim 22,

wherein the graphical program comprises a plurality of interconnected nodes that visually indicate functionality of the graphical program.

25. The method of claim 22,

wherein said configuring the first node to perform the wireless communication comprises one or more of:

configuring the first node to send data to a first wireless address; and

/or

configuring the first node to receive data from the first wireless address.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

displaying on the screen a second node in the graphical program in response to user input;

wherein said configuring the first node to perform the wireless communication comprises connecting a wire from the second node to the first node, wherein the wire visually indicates that data is propagated from the second node to the first node;

wherein the first node is operable to wirelessly send the data propagated from the second node to the first node.

27. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

displaying on the screen a second node in the graphical program in response to user input;

connecting a wire from the first node to the second node, wherein the wire visually indicates that data is propagated from the first node to the second node;

wherein the first node is operable to wirelessly receive data and propagate the received data to the second node.

28. The method of claim 22,

wherein said configuring the first node to perform the wireless communication comprises configuring the first node with information specifying a wireless address with which to communicate.

29. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

executing the graphical program;

wherein said executing the graphical program includes executing the first node;

wherein the first node executes to perform the wireless communication.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein the first node is operable to perform one or more of the following types of communication:

infrared communication;

802.11 communication;

Bluetooth communication;

HomeRF communication;

TCP/IP communication.

31. A system for enabling a first graphical program to communicate with a second graphical program, the system comprising:

a first computer system including;

a first processor;

a first memory coupled to the first processor, wherein the first memory stores the first graphical program; and

a second computer system including;

a second processor;

a second memory coupled to the second processor, wherein the second memory stores the second graphical program;

wherein the first processor is operable to execute the first graphical program, wherein the first graphical program is configured to wirelessly send first data to the second graphical program;

wherein the second processor is operable to execute the second graphical program, wherein the second graphical program is configured to receive the first data sent by the first graphical program.

32. The system of claim 31,

wherein the second graphical program is configured to wirelessly send second data to the first graphical program;

wherein the first graphical program is configured to receive the second data sent by the second graphical program.

33. A system for performing wireless communication, the system comprising:

a first computer system; and

a handheld computing device including a processor and a memory that stores a graphical program;

wherein the graphical program stored in the memory of the handheld computing device is configured to perform wireless communication;

wherein the processor of the handheld computing device is operable to execute the graphical program to communicate wirelessly with the first computer system.

34. The system of claim 33,

wherein the handheld computing device includes first wireless communication hardware;

wherein the first computer system includes second wireless communication hardware;

wherein said executing the graphical program to communicate wirelessly with the first computer system comprises one or more of;

executing the graphical program to cause the first wireless communication hardware to send data to the second wireless communication hardware; and

/or

executing the graphical program to cause the first wireless communication hardware to receive data from the second wireless communication hardware.

35. The system of claim 33,

wherein said executing the graphical program to communicate wirelessly with the first computer system comprises executing the graphical program to communicate with a graphical program executing on the first computer system.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein the handheld computing device comprises one or more of:

a personal digital assistant (PDA);

a cellular telephone;

a wearable computing device.

37. The system of claim 33,

wherein the processor of the handheld computing device is operable to execute the graphical program to communicate wirelessly with the first computer system using one or more of the following types of communication:

infrared communication;

802.11 communication;

Bluetooth communication;

HomeRF communication;

TCP/IP communication.