Design system using visual language

• US 4,914,567 A
• Filed: 10/24/1988
• Issued: 04/03/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: M.K. Global Ventures, St Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Company (The Travelers Cos., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Savoir
• Inventors: Mark, William S., Lipkis, Thomas A., Pirtle, Melvin W.
• Primary Examiner(s): MacDonald, Allen
• Application Number:
  US07/261,953
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: 364/188, 364/189, 364/190, 364/191, 364/192, 364/193, 364/200, 364/300, 364/900, 364/578
• US Class Current: 700/83
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30

Abstract

A computer-based tool, in the form of a computer system and method, for designing, constructing and interacting with any system containing or comprising concurrent asychronous processes, such as a factory operation. In the system according to the invention a variety of development and execution tools are supported. The invention features a highly visual user presentation of a control system, including structure, specification, and operation, offering a user an interactive capability for rapid design, modification, and exploration of the operating characteristics of a control system comprising asynchronous processes. The invention captures a representation of the system (RS) that is equivalent to the actual system (AS)--rather than a simulation of the actual system. This allows the invention to perform tests and modification on RS instead of AS, yet get accurate results. RS and AS are equivalent because AS is generated directly from RS by an automated process. Effectively, pressing a button in the RS environment can "create" the AS version or any selected portion of it, by "downloading" a translation of the RS version that can be executed by a programmable processor in the AS environment. Information can flow both ways between AS and RS. That AS and RS can interact is important. This allows RS to "take on" the "state" of AS whenever desired, through an "uploading" procedure, thereby reflecting accurately the condition of AS at a specific point in time.

Claims

1. An apparatus for designing and debugging a control system comprising in combination:

means for preparing a specification of said control system, including means for developing requirements for said control system and for documenting said control system requirements;

means coupled to said preparing means to receive said specification for designing and organizing said control system as an abstraction with abstraction documentation;

means coupled to receive said abstraction and said specification for developing said control system including means for implementing said abstraction as a design implementation and means for generating design implementation documentation to produce a developed system;

means for simulating and emulating said control system, including means coupled to receive said design implementation for activating said design implementation in an artificial environment to demonstrate control system dynamics;

means for debugging said system, including means for isolating and correcting cause of undesired behavior using simulation techniques to anticipate eventual behavior;

means coupled to receive said developed system for translating and transferring said developed system into an operational system;

means for integrating and checking out said control system in an operating environment, including means coupled to said operational system for verifying that each element of said operational system interacts and cooperates properly with the other ones of said elements;

means coupled to said operational system for monitoring and interacting with said operational system;

means coupled to said operational system for diagnosing malfunctions of devices and undesired behavior in said operational system; and

means coupled to said diagnosing means, to said monitoring means and to said debugging means to receive said specification for modifying said operational system by modification of said specification.

2. The apparatus recited in claim 1 further including means for communicating information using the Manufacturing Automation Protocol.

3. The apparatus recited in claim 1 further including a third programming object that provides means for creating visual images of Grafcet objects.

4. An apparatus comprising a computer and a computer program for designing, constructing and interacting with a control system, said control system comprising functional elements running on computer processors, said functional elements capable of operating concurrently and asynchronously, said computer program comprising in combination:

means for designing said control system as a combination of objects, including means for creating a visual representation of said control system;

means coupled to said designing means for generating actual instructions that implement said control system from said objects;

means coupling to said generating means for sending said actual instructions to selected ones of said computer processors;

a run time module means for operating on selected ones of said computer processors and for controlling execution of said actual instructions; and

means coupled to said computer processors and to said designing means for allowing said run time module means to interact with said objects such that a user interacts with a single representation of said control system for specifying, designing and implementing said control system.

5. The apparatus recited in claim 4 further including means for communicating information using the Manufacturing Automation Protocol.

6. The apparatus recited in claim 4 further including a third programming object that provides means for creating visual images of Grafcet objects.

7. A method for designing, constructing and interacting with a control system, said control system comprising functional elements running on computer processors, said functional elements capable of operating concurrently and asynchronously, comprising the steps of:

designing said control system by creating a plurality of interacting objects;

generating actual instructions that implement said control system from said objects, thereafter;

simulating effects of the actual instructions;

sending said actual instructions to selected ones of said computer processors;

operating a run time module means on selected ones of said computer processors to control the execution of said actual instructions; and

allowing said run time module means to interact with said objects such that a user interacts with a single common representation of said control system for specifying, designing and implementing said control system.

8. An apparatus comprising a computer and a computer program, said computer program comprising in combination:

a plurality of design objects for designing a control system that includes functional elements that are capable of operating concurrently and asynchronously;

first programming objects that provide a means for generating a graphical description of a set of concurrent asynchronous functional elements that comprise an integrated control system;

second programming objects that provide means for generating programming code that implements said integrated control system; and

a run time module means for managing the execution of a portion of said integrated control system, whereby a complex system can be easily designed and implemented.

9. The apparatus recited in claim 8 further including:

programming objects that provide means for generating means for communicating between concurrently operating one of said functional elements.

10. The apparatus recited in claim 9 further including:

programming objects that include means for simulating the operation of said integrated control system.

11. The apparatus recited in claim 9 further including:

programming objects that include means for presenting visual representations of static structure of said integrated control system.

12. The apparatus recited in claim 9 further including:

programming objects that include means for presenting visual representations of dynamic behavior of said system.

13. The apparatus recited in claim 8 further including a third programming object that provides means for creating visual images of Grafcet objects.

14. The apparatus recited in claim 8 further including means for transmitting communication objects for communicating information between said functional elements.

15. The apparatus recited in claim 14 wherein said transmitting means comprises means for communicating information using the Manufacturing Automation Protocol.