Automatic graph display

• US 20050035967A1
• Filed: 03/25/2004
• Published: 02/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Instruments Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: National Instruments Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Joffrain, Philippe G., Cifra, Christopher G., Restat, Christophe A., Moriat, Alain G., Pasquarette, John A., Fletcher, J. Clinton
• Granted Patent: US 7,366,993 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/440
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2273 Test methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/964 CAD or CAM, e.g. interactive design tools
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/97 Instrumentation and component modelling, e.g. interactive control panel

Abstract

System and method for displaying signals. First user input requesting display of a first signal is received, e.g., to a graphical user interface (GUI) comprised in a signal analysis function development environment, and the first signal programmatically analyzed in response to the first user input. A display tool operable to display the first signal is programmatically determined based on said analyzing, and the first signal displayed in the display tool, e.g., a data type of the first signal is determined, e.g., integer, floating point, Boolean, or user-defined data in a time-domain, frequency-domain, or spatial-domain, and the display tool programmatically determined based on the determined data type, e.g., via a loop-up table, where the display tool comprises an indicator operable to display the signal data. The signal comprises signal data, e.g., signal plot data, where the display tool comprises a graph, or tabular data, where the display tool comprises a table.

Claims

1. A memory medium which stores program instructions for displaying signals, wherein the program instructions are executable to implement:

receiving first user input requesting display of a first signal;

programmatically analyzing the first signal in response to the first user input;

programmatically determining a display tool operable to display the first signal based on said analyzing; and

displaying the first signal in the display tool.

2. The memory medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further executable to implement:

displaying a Graphical User Interface (GUI);

wherein said receiving first user input comprises receiving said first user input to the GUI; and

wherein said displaying the first signal in the display tool comprises displaying the first signal in the GUI.

3. The memory medium of claim 2, wherein the GUI is comprised in a signal analysis function development environment.

4. The memory medium of claim 1, wherein the first signal comprises signal data.

5. The memory medium of claim 4, wherein the signal data comprise signal plot data, and wherein the display tool comprises a graph.

6. The memory medium of claim 4, wherein the signal data comprise tabular data, and wherein the display tool comprises a table.

7. The memory medium of claim 4, wherein the display tool comprises an indicator operable to display the signal data.

8. The memory medium of claim 1,

wherein said programmatically analyzing the first signal in response to said first user input comprises:

determine a data type of the signal; and

wherein said programmatically determining a display tool operable to display the first signal based on said analyzing comprises;

programmatically determining the display tool based on the determined data type.

9. The memory medium of claim 8, wherein said programmatically determining the display tool based on the determined data type comprises:

performing a table look-up based on the determined data type to determine the display tool.

10. The memory medium of claim 8, wherein the data type of the signal comprises one or more of:

time-domain;

frequency-domain; and

spatial-domain.

11. The memory medium of claim 8, wherein the data type of the signal comprises one or more of:

integer;

floating point;

Boolean.

12. The memory medium of claim 8, wherein the data type of the signal comprises a user-defined data type.

13. The memory medium of claim 12, wherein the display tool comprises a user-defined display tool.

14. The memory medium of claim 8, wherein the program instructions are further executable to implement:

displaying a default display tool prior to said receiving first user input, wherein the default display tool is operable to display signals of a default data type;

wherein, said programmatically determining the display tool comprises;

if the determined data type is compatible with the default data type,

determining that the default display tool comprises the display tool; and

if the determined data type is not compatible with the default data type,

determining a replacement display tool operable to display signals of the determined data type; and

replacing the default display tool with the replacement display tool.

15. The memory medium of claim 14, wherein said determining the replacement display tool comprises creating the replacement display tool.

16. The memory medium of claim 14, wherein said receiving first user input requesting display of a first signal comprises:

the user dragging and dropping a signal icon corresponding to the first signal onto the default display tool.

17. The memory medium of claim 8, wherein the program instructions are further executable to implement:

displaying a first display tool prior to said receiving first user input, wherein the first display tool displays a prior signal of a first data type;

wherein, said programmatically determining the display tool comprises;

if the determined data type is compatible with the first data type,

determining that the first display tool comprises the display tool; and

if the determined data type is not compatible with the default data type,

determining a second display tool operable to display signals of the determined data type.

18. The memory medium of claim 17, wherein said displaying the first signal in the display tool comprises:

if the determined data type is compatible with the first data type,

displaying the first signal in the first display tool with the prior signal; and

if the determined data type is not compatible with the first data type,

displaying the second display tool; and

displaying the first signal in the second display tool.

19. The memory medium of claim 18, wherein said determining the second display tool comprises creating the second display tool.

20. The memory medium of claim 17, wherein said receiving first user input requesting display of a first signal comprises:

the user dragging and dropping a signal icon corresponding to the first signal onto the first display tool.

21. The memory medium of claim 8, wherein the program instructions are further executable to implement:

displaying a plurality of display tools prior to said receiving first user input, wherein the plurality of display tools correspond respectively to a plurality of data types, and wherein each display tool displays one or more respective signals of a respective data type of the plurality of data types;

wherein, said programmatically determining the display tool comprises;

programmatically determining if the plurality of display tools comprises a matching display tool operable to display signals of a data type compatible with the determined data type;

if the plurality of display tools comprises a matching display tool,

determining that the matching display tool comprises the display tool; and

if the plurality of display tools does not comprise a matching display tool,

determining a second display tool operable to display signals of the determined data type, wherein the second display tool comprises the display tool.

22. The memory medium of claim 21, wherein said displaying the first signal in the display tool comprises:

if the plurality of display tools comprises a matching display tool,

displaying the first signal in the matching display tool; and

if the plurality of display tools does not comprise a matching display tool,

displaying the second display tool; and

displaying the first signal in the second display tool.

23. The memory medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further executable to implement:

receiving second user input requesting display of a new display tool;

displaying a default display tool in response to the second user input, wherein the default display tool is operable to display signal data of a default data type;

receiving third user input requesting display of a second signal,

programmatically analyzing the second signal in response to said third user input to determine a data type of the second signal; and

if the determined data type of the second signal is compatible with the default data type,

displaying the second signal in the default display tool; and

if the determined data type is not compatible with the default data type,

replacing the default display tool with a replacement display tool operable to display the second signal; and

displaying the second signal in the replacement display tool.

24. A method for displaying signals, comprising:

receiving first user input requesting display of a first signal;

programmatically analyzing the first signal in response to the first user input;

programmatically determining a display tool operable to display the first signal based on said analyzing; and

displaying the first signal in the display tool.

25. A system for displaying signals, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory stores program instructions for specifying a signal analysis function, wherein the program instructions are executable by a processor to;

receive first user input requesting display of a first signal;

programmatically analyze the first signal in response to the first user input;

programmatically determine a display tool operable to display the first signal based on said analyzing; and

display the first signal in the display tool.

26. A system for displaying signals, comprising:

means for receiving first user input requesting display of a first signal;

means for programmatically analyzing the first signal in response to the first user input;

means for programmatically determining a display tool operable to display the first signal based on said analyzing; and

means for displaying the first signal in the display tool.