GRAPHICAL FEEDBACK OF DISPARITIES IN TARGET DESIGNS IN GRAPHICAL DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT

• US 20040168107A1
• Filed: 02/25/2003
• Published: 08/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Etegent Technologies, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Sheet Dynamics Ltd.
• Inventors: Rensing, Matthew Joseph, Sharp, Thomas Dean
• Granted Patent: US 7,185,315 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/33
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software

Abstract

An apparatus, program product and method visually represent the disparities between a target design such as a DSP program design and a reference system in connection with the display of a graphical representation of the design, specifically in association with one or more connection elements representing connections defined within the target design. By doing so, a designer, developer or tester who is working with a particular target design is better able to identify and analyze potential problems or other unexpected and/or unintended behaviors in a target design.

Claims

1. A method of debugging a digital signal processor (DSP) program in a graphical development environment, the method comprising:

(a) displaying a graphical representation of at least a portion of a target design of the DSP program on a computer display, wherein the target design includes a plurality of functional blocks coupled to one another by a plurality of connections, and wherein the graphical representation includes a plurality of block elements and a plurality of connection elements respectively representing functional blocks and connections in the target design;

(b) generating for the target design of the DSP program, target data representative of a plurality of values output by the plurality of functional blocks over the plurality of connections;

(c) comparing the target data to reference data associated with a reference system for the DSP program to determine disparities between the target and reference data; and

(d) displaying the plurality of connection elements in selected colors among a plurality of colors to visually represent the disparities between the target and reference data.

2. A method of displaying a target design in a graphical development environment, the method comprising:

(a) displaying a graphical representation of at least a portion of a target design on a computer display, wherein the target design includes at least one functional block configured to output a signal, and wherein the graphical representation of the portion of the target design includes a connection element representing a signal path over which the signal is output by the functional block;

(b) comparing at least one target value of the signal that is captured for the target design with at least one reference value for the signal to determine a disparity between the target and reference values; and

(c) visually representing the disparity between the target and reference values in association with the connection element in the graphical representation of the portion of the target design.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the target design comprises a software design for a digital signal processor (DSP) program.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein visually representing the disparity includes highlighting the connection element.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein highlighting the connection element includes controlling a display attribute of the connection element selected from the group consisting of color, pattern, thickness, animation and combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein controlling the display attribute of the connection element includes selecting from among a set of display attribute values based upon the disparity, wherein each display attribute value is associated with at least one of a range of disparity magnitudes and a range of disparity types.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising displaying a legend that visually represents the association of each display attribute value with a range of disparity magnitudes or types.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein comparing the target value to the reference value includes:

(a) calculating a difference between the target value and the reference value; and

(b) normalizing the difference.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein comparing the target value to the reference value includes comparing the target and reference values in at least one of a time domain and a frequency domain.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein comparing the target value to the reference value includes correlating the disparity to a disparity type selected from the group consisting of time shift, amplitude scaling, DC offset, linear transformation, nonlinear transformation, and uncorrelated noise.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the reference value to which the target value is compared is generated from a reference system.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the reference system comprises a reference specification.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the reference system comprises a simulatable reference system, the method further comprising generating the reference value by performing simulation of the simulatable reference system.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the reference system comprises a hardware reference system, the method further comprising generating the reference value by capturing the reference value during operation of the hardware reference system.

15. The method of claim 2, further comprising generating the target value by performing simulation of the target design.

16. The method of claim 2, further comprising generating the target value by capturing the target value during execution of the target design on a hardware device.

17. The method of claim 2, further comprising displaying additional data associated with the disparity in response to user input directed to the connection element.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising generating a plot associated with the disparity in response to user input.

19. The method of claim 2, further comprising, in response to user input to drill down into the target design:

(a) displaying graphical representations of a plurality of subcomponents for the first functional block, the plurality of subcomponents including a second functional block configured to output a second signal during operation of the target design, and a second signal path over which the second signal is output by the second functional block, wherein displaying the graphical representations of the plurality of subcomponents includes displaying a second connection element associated with the second signal path; and

(b) visually representing disparities between target and reference values associated with the second signal path in association with the second connection element.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising, prior to receiving the user input to drill down into the target design and displaying graphical representations of the plurality of subcomponents for the first functional block, visually representing in association with the graphical representation of the first functional block that a disparity exists between target and reference values associated with the second signal path.

21. The method of claim 2, wherein comparing the at least one target value of the signal with the at least one reference value includes comparing a plurality of target values of the signal with a plurality of reference values to determine disparities between the target and reference values over time, the method further comprising displaying an animation in association with the connection element to visually represent the disparities between the target and reference values over time.

22. The method of claim 2, further comprising disabling the visual representation of the disparity between the target and reference values in response to user input indicating that the disparity is not relevant.

23. The method of claim 2, wherein the functional block is configured to output a plurality of signals, and wherein the connection element represents a plurality of signal paths over which the plurality of signals are output by the functional block.

24. An apparatus, comprising:

(a) a memory and at least one processor;

(b) a target design resident in the memory and including at least one functional block configured to output a signal over a signal path; and

(c) program code configured to be executed by the processor to display a graphical representation of at least a portion of the target design in a graphical development environment by displaying a graphical representation of the functional block and a connection element representing the signal path over which the signal is output by the functional block, comparing at least one target value of the signal that is captured for the target design with at least one reference value for the signal to determine a disparity between the target and reference values, and visually representing the disparity between the target and reference values in association with the connection element in the graphical representation of the portion of the target design.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the target design comprises a software design for a digital signal processor (DSP) program.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the program code is configured to visually represent the disparity by highlighting the connection element.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the program code is configured to highlight the connection element by controlling a display attribute of the connection element selected from the group consisting of color, pattern, thickness, animation and combinations thereof.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the program code is configured to control the display attribute of the connection element by selecting from among a set of display attribute values based upon the disparity, wherein each display attribute value is associated with at least one of a range of disparity magnitudes and a range of disparity types.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, the program code is further configured to display a legend that visually represents the association of each display attribute value with a range of disparity magnitudes or types.

30. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the program code is configured to compare the target value to the reference value by calculating a difference between the target value and the reference value, and normalizing the difference.

31. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the program code is configured to compare the target value to the reference value by comparing the target and reference values in at least one of a time domain and a frequency domain.

32. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the reference value to which the target value is compared is generated from a reference system.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the reference system comprises a reference specification.

34. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the reference system comprises a simulatable reference system, and wherein the program code is further configured to generate the reference value by performing simulation of the simulatable reference system.

35. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the reference system comprises a hardware reference system, and wherein the program code is further configured to generate the reference value by capturing the reference value during operation of the hardware reference system.

36. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the program code is further configured to generate the target value by performing simulation of the target design.

37. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the program code is further configured to generate the target value by capturing the target value during execution of the target design on a hardware device.

38. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the program code is further configured to display additional data associated with the disparity in response to user input directed to the connection element.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the program code is configured to generate a plot associated with the disparity in response to user input.

40. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the program code is further configured to, in response to user input to drill down into the target design, display graphical representations of a plurality of subcomponents for the first functional block, wherein the plurality of subcomponents includes a second functional block configured to output a second signal during operation of the target design, and a second signal path over which the second signal is output by the second functional block, wherein the program code is configured to display the graphical representations of the plurality of subcomponents by displaying a second connection element associated with the second signal path, and wherein the program code is further configured to visually represent disparities between target and reference values associated with the second signal path in association with the second connection element.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the program code is configured to, prior to receiving the user input to drill down into the target design and displaying graphical representations of the plurality of subcomponents for the first functional block, visually represent in association with the graphical representation of the first functional block that a disparity exists between target and reference values associated with the second signal path.

42. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the program code is configured to compare the at least one target value of the signal with the at least one reference value by comparing a plurality of target values of the signal with a plurality of reference values to determine disparities between the target and reference values over time, and wherein the program code is further configured to display an animation in association with the connection element to visually represent the disparities between the target and reference values over time.

43. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the program code is further configured to disable the visual representation of the disparity between the target and reference values in response to user input indicating that the disparity is not relevant.

44. A program product, comprising:

(a) program code configured to display a graphical representation of at least a portion of a target design in a graphical development environment, wherein the target design includes at least one functional block configured to output a signal over a signal path, the program code further configured to display a graphical representation of the functional block and a connection element representing the signal path over which the signal is output by the functional block, compare at least one target value of the signal that is captured for the target design with at least one reference value for the signal to determine a disparity between the target and reference values, and visually represent the disparity between the target and reference values in association with the connection element in the graphical representation of the portion of the target design; and

(b) a computer readable medium bearing the program code.

45. The program product of claim 44, wherein the computer readable medium includes at least one of a recordable medium and a transmission medium.