Method and system for a building database manipulator

• US 6,721,769 B1
• Filed: 08/04/2000
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Extreme Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Wireless Valley Communications Incorporated (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rappaport, Theodore, Skidmore, Roger
• Primary Examiner(s): Kazimi, Hani M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Colbert, Ella
• Application Number:
  US09/633,120
• Time in Patent Office: 1,348 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/10, 707/101, 707/205, 709/217, 709/218, 348/460, 348/563, 348/906, 708/62, 455/39, 455/63, 345/964, 345/600
• US Class Current: 707/737
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/50 of still image data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/13 Architectural design, e.g. computer-aided architectural design [CAAD] related to design of buildings, bridges, landscapes, production plants or roads
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/915 Image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/921 Spatial
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/922 Communications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/955 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/957 Multidimensional
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99956 File allocation

Abstract

A Building Databases Manipulator builds databases for a variety of physical environments including buildings, terrain, and other site parameters, by scanning in or rapidly tracing or editing data, and verifying that the data is formatted and sufficient for use in other engineering applications, and generating a set of formatted data which is transportable. Grouping objects in layers allows for simultaneous conversion of all objects in one layer to have certain predetermined attributes (e.g., converting objects to be made from glass versus cement; converting objects within a layer to have a uniform, smaller or larger, height or width dimension).

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for manipulating data representing a physical environment in which an in-building or campus communications network is or will be deployed, comprising the steps of:

(a) using a computer for creating and formatting one or more objects defining an environment in which an in-building or campus communications network is or will be deployed comprising at least one of floors, walls, partitions, buildings, building complexes or compounds, terrain, foliage or other sites or obstructions;

(b) verifying, using a computer, the sufficiency of said one or more objects to ensure a useful definition of said environment and notifying a user of results of said verification of sufficiency;

(c) generating a set of formatted data in a form transportable to and usable by a computer based engineering planning model or other application, said set of formatted data including at least one layer which includes grouped objects of said one or more objects; and

(d) rendering a three-dimensional view of said environment.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, said method further comprising at least one of the steps:

(e) inputting existing data, vectors or drawing objects, said existing data, vectors or drawing objects either partially or fully describing said environment; and

(f) removing extraneous drawing objects to simplify said definition of said environment.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein said existing data is in the form of raster files, or in the form of vector files, wherein said raster files are selected from the group consisting of Windows Bitmaps (BMP), Joint Photographic Experts Group format (JPEG), Graphical Interchange Format (GIF), Tagged-Image File Format (TIFF), Targa format (TGA), PICT, and Postscript, and wherein said vector files are selected from the group consisting of AutoCAD (DWG), AutoDesk (DXF), AutoDesk (DWF) and Windows MetaFile (WMF).

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said step of rendering a three-dimensional view may be performed at any time after at lease one of said one or more objects has been created.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein said rendering step includes the step of selecting a three-dimensional view of a selected perspective of said environment.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises the step of adjusting partition colors, and physical and electrical descriptions of said partitions.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said formatted data defines said environment and each said object is associated with at least one of the group consisting of a specific location in said environment, an attenuation factor, a color, a height, a surface roughness value, a reflectivity value, an electrical value, a mechanical value, and an aesthetic value.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein step (b) automatically prompts a user to verify that each piece of necessary information to define said environment has been added to said definition of said environment before executing the verification of said each piece of necessary information, and if said user answers in the negative, prompts said user to enter missing information before proceeding.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said formatted data comprises at least one vectorized drawing of said environment.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the step of simultaneously converting said grouped objects in said at least one layer to a selected category.

11. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the step of simultaneously designating dimensions of said grouped objects in said at least one layer.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of adding measurements to said formatted data.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of specifying or invoking a propagation model for performing predictions of performance.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of specifying or invoking a listing of communications equipment.

26. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of scaling at least one part of said set of formatted data.

15. An apparatus for manipulating data representing a physical environment in which an in-building or campus communications network is or will be deployed, comprising:

computer implemented means for creating and formatting one or more objects defining an environment in which an in-building or campus communications network is or will be deployed comprising one or more of floors, walls, partitions, buildings, building complexes or compounds, terrain, foliage or other sites or obstructions;

means for verifying, by a computer, the sufficiency of said one or more objects to ensure a useful definition of said environment and notifying a user of results of said verification of sufficiency;

means for generating a set of formatted data in a form transportable to and usable by a computer based engineering planning model or other application, said set of formatted data including at least one layer which includes grouped objects of said one or more objects; and

means for rendering a three dimensional view of said environment.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising means for removing extraneous drawing objects from said one or more objects.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising means for inputting existing raster data, vector data, vectors, drawings, or drawing objects which either partially or fully describe said environment.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a means for grouping a number of objects in said one or more objects into one layer.

19. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a means for adjusting partition colors, physical properties, electrical properties, aesthetic properties, or spatial configurations.

20. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a means for automatically prompting a user to enter information required to verify that there is sufficient information to generate said set of formatted data.

21. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a means for scaling or designating dimensions of grouped objects in said at least one layer.

22. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein notifying performed by said means for verifying and notifying is performed in an automatic fashion without feedback being provided to the user.

23. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein notifying performed by said means for verifying and notifying is performed by prompting the user and, when required to provide said useful definition, requires the user to correct any insufficiencies in response to an insufficiency notification.

24. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said engineering planning model or other application is selected from the group consisting of wireless communication propagation models, measurement tools, component placement tools, optimization tools, bill of materials generating tools, and wireless prediction tools.

25. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a means for adding measurements to said formatted data.

27. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising means for scaling at least one part of said formatted data.

28. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising means for specifying or invoking a propagation model for performing predictions of performance.

29. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a means for specifying or invoking a listing of communications equipment.