Data view of a modelling system

• US 7,027,055 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2002
• Issued: 04/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Commonwealth of Australia
• Original Assignee: Commonwealth of Australia
• Inventors: Anderson, Mark Stephen, Randhawa, Suneel Singh, Engelhardt, Dean Crawford, Marriott, Damian Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phu K.
• Application Number:
  US10/312,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20040017403A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: 345/473, 345/474, 345/475, 709/202, 709/208, 709/230, 703/6, 703/13
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/328 Computer systems status display G06F11/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3447 Performance evaluation by modeling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/30 Circuit design
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0686 Additional information in the notification, e.g. enhancement of specific meta-data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

An observation sub-system is described wherein in three-dimensional (3D) views of objects and their interactions over time are provided. Each different view is based on a fundamental visualization paradigm. Heavily interacting objects can be depicted as being located “close together”. Rules are created so as to define the position of objects not only from the perspective of whether interaction occurred, but also the amount of interaction, and the rate of interaction. Despite using proximity to show whether an object is interacting with another, further visual mechanisms are used for the user to be able to analyze the type of data interaction, and the current state of affairs of interaction within a specified time slice. There are two types of forces acting on objects in the data view universe, gravitational (as a result of the mass of an object) and electrostatic (as a result of the charge on an object).

Claims

1. A system for creating human observable objects in a modelling system consists of:

one or more representations of real or virtual objects;

one or more virtual universes wherein

a universe selection function determines whether a representation of a real or virtual object is presented as one or more virtual objects in one or more virtual universes; and

a start position function determines the start position of a virtual object in a universe;

a mapping from a representation of a real or virtual object to a virtual object with one or more visual, aural or haptic attributes and force related properties such that the position of a virtual object in a universe is determined by the force-related properties of said virtual object and the relative position and force related properties of zero or more other virtual objects.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein a human determines said universe selection function.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein a human determines said start position function.

4. A system according to claim 3 wherein said start position function places all virtual objects in a random position.

5. A system according to claim 3 wherein said start position function places all virtual objects in a conmmon position.

6. A system according to claim 3 wherein said start position function places all virtual objects evenly distributed about the edge of said universe.

7. A system according to claim 1 wherein a real or virtual object is presented in zero or more virtual universes.

8. A system according to claim 1 wherein a said universe is two or three-dimensional.

9. A system according to claim 1 or 8 wherein a said universe has finite size and said virtual objects are constrained to be positioned within said universe.

10. A system according to claim 1 wherein said human observes a said universe from any position with any orientation.

11. A system according to claim 1 wherein a virtual object is deleted or changed.

12. A system according to claim 1 wherein a virtual object is added.

13. A system according to claim 1 wherein said mapping is changed.

14. A system according to claim 1 wherein force-related properties comprise attractive and/or repulsive force components between virtual objects and within a universe are calculated and summed to produce a resultant force and consequent possible change in position of a virtual object.

15. A system according to claim 1 wherein virtual objects can be grouped and said group has force related properties that are the aggregate of the force-related properties of the elements of said group.

16. A system according to claim 1 wherein a human temporarily changes the attributes or position of one or more virtual objects.

17. A system according to claim 1 wherein a function determined by a human determines a set of selected real or virtual objects that have a corresponding virtual object'"'"'s attributes or position changed.

18. A system according to claim 17 wherein said human controls the degree of change.

19. A system according to claim 17 or 18 wherein a further function determined by a human determines a subset of said selected real or virtual objects that have a corresponding virtual object'"'"'s attributes changed.

20. A system according to claim 1 wherein a human temporarily changes the attributes or position of one or more virtual objects for a predetermined period.

21. A system according to claim 17 wherein a corresponding virtual object'"'"'s attributes or position are changed for a predetermined period.

22. A system according to claim 20 or 21 wherein said period begins when a predetermined state in a respective universe occurs.

23. A system according to claim 20 or 21 wherein said period begins at a predetermined time.

24. A system according to claims 20 or 21 wherein said period begins periodically.

25. A system according to claim 24 wherein said periodicity is changed by said human.

26. A system according to claim 1 wherein said universe selection function is changed.

27. A system according to claim 1 wherein universes can be added or deleted.

28. A system according to claim 1 wherein one or more universes is temporarily not human observable.

29. A system according to claim 1 wherein one or more universes is human observable at the same time.

30. A system according to claim 29 wherein said human determines the way in which a said one or more universe is represented.

31. A system according to claim 1 wherein said force-related properties are constrained to act within two or three dimensions.

32. A system according to claim 1 wherein a human determines the limit of the rate of change in position of a virtual object.

33. A system according to claim 1 wherein a function determined by a human determines a set of selected real of virtual objects that will also determine a corresponding virtual object'"'"'s force related properties.

34. A system according to claim 33 wherein a force related property of a virtual object may result from being associated with one or more of said sets where force-related properties comprise attractive and/or repulsive force components between virtual objects and within a universe are calculated and summed to produce a resultant force and consequent possible change in position of a virtual object.

35. A system according to claim 33 wherein a human determines whether force related properties are to apply so as to create an interaction set of virtual objects.

36. A system according to claim 1 wherein a human determines that one or more of the force related properties of a virtual object decays over time.

37. A system according to claim 36 wherein said decay is zero or in accordance with a predetermined time related function.

38. A system according to claim 14 wherein the rate of change in a position of a virtual object is proportional to the resultant force exerted.

39. A system according to claim 14 wherein the rate of change of the rate of change in position of a virtual object is proportional to the resultant force exerted.

40. A system according to claim 1 wherein a human determines sets of virtual objects for which one or more prior positions are represented.

41. A system according to claim 40 wherein a human determines the time interval between the corresponding times of said one or more prior positions.

42. A system according to claim 41 wherein the representation is made visible.

43. A system according to claim 41 wherein a human determines the colour and transparency of the representation.

44. A system according to claim 41 wherein a human determines the number of representations to be made visible.

45. A system according to claim 1 wherein a human determines a set of virtual objects and also the relationship between virtual objects such that all virtual objects within the set have that relationship with any other virtual object that exists in the same universe or any other universe.

46. A system according to claim 45 wherein said relationship is represented by a line between virtual objects of predetermined style, width and colour.

47. A system according to claim 46 wherein a human determines when the representation is temporally not human observable.

48. A system according to claim 47 wherein a human can control the state of the representation by manipulation of a control device.

49. A system according to claim 48 wherein said control device is physically manipulated.

50. A system according to claim 48 wherein said control device is aurally manipulated.

51. A system according to claim 1 wherein a human determines a subset of virtual objects and also determines a radius of influence for each virtual object in said subset such that according to the force related properties of said virtual objects there is interaction with other virtual objects within the said radius of influence within the same universe.

52. A system according to claim 51 wherein a human determines the subset of virtual objects for which a radius of influence is represented.

53. A system according to claim 52 wherein the representation of a predetermined style, size and colour.

54. A system according to claim 51 wherein a human determines when the representation is temporarily not human observable.

55. A system according to claim 51 wherein a human can control the state of the representation by manipulation of a control device.

56. A system according to claim 55 wherein said control device is physically manipulated.

57. A system according to claim 55 wherein said control device is aurally manipulated.

58. A system according to claim 1 wherein a human determined perturbation function is applied to all virtual objects in a universe.

59. A system according to claim 58 wherein a human determines a set of zero or more virtual objects that are to be fixed in position before a perturbation such that the position of those virtual objects remains unchanged as a result of said perturbation.

60. A system according to claim 58 wherein a human determines a set of zero or more virtual objects that are to be fixed in position after a perturbation.

61. A system according to claim 58 wherein said perturbation function is a random positioning of said virtual objects.

62. A system according to claim 58 wherein said perturbation function is a movement in a random direction of virtual objects from their current position by a constrained random distance.

63. A system according to claim 58 wherein said perturbation function is a positioning of said virtual objects to a common position.

64. A system according to claim 58 wherein said perturbation function is a positioning of said virtual objects so as to be evenly distributed about the edge of said universe.

65. A system according to claim 1 wherein a human determines the position of one or more virtual objects.

66. A system according to claim 1 wherein a human determines the position of a subset of virtual objects that maintain their position within the universe.

67. A system according to claim 1 wherein a human determines the position and period of existence of a force related property within a universe.

68. A system according to claim 1 wherein said mapping determines an attribute value according to the first attribute,condition pair of an ordered list of pairs where the condition is satisfied by the representation of the real or virtual object.