Registering rules for entity attributes for validation and inference

• US 7,610,256 B1
• Filed: 08/20/2007
• Issued: 10/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Inventors: Yang, Dongzhe
• Primary Examiner(s): Holmes; Michael B
• Application Number:
  US11/841,871
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• Field of Search: 706/52
• US Class Current: 706/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and system for registering rules for attributes of an entity with an entity validation and inference unit. The entity validation and inference unit can further validate input values for an entity and/or infer attributes of an entity using the associated registered rules. The entity validation and inference unit can also provide information regarding attributes, relations, and behaviors of an entity using the associated registered rules in response to a query. The present invention also provides a mechanism for a user to query an entity or the entity validation and inference unit regarding valid values for an entity. The mechanism also allows the user to query the registered rule associated with the entity.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for describing entity attributes in a modeling application, the method comprising:

generating an entity in the modeling application, wherein the entity includes one or more attributes associated with the entity;

defining one or more rules, wherein at least one of the one or more rules comprises a constraint on a value of the one or more attributes of an entity; and

registering the one or more rules with an entity validation and inference unit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more rules comprise at least one of a behavior of the entity, a relation of the one or more attributes of the entity, a relation of an entity to one or more other entities, and a valid value of the one or more attributes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity further comprises an aspect of a model that has an associated value.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the entity is an aspect of a graphical model comprising at least one of a model, a block, a model reference block, a signal, a bus, a bus signal, a struct signal, a parameter, a block parameter, a model option, a subsystem option, a block option, a block display option, a signal display option, an optimization setting, a graphical dialog, a dynamic dialog, and a relative tolerance of a numerical solver.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising inferring the value of one or more attributes associated with the entity using a registered rule.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein inferring the value of one or more attributes associated with the entity using a registered rule further comprises inferring the value of one or more attributes associated with the entity using a predefined value from at least one different attribute.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining the one or more rules based on at least one of a condition and an action, prepositional logic, first-order logic, an event, a temporal constraint, a probability, and fuzzy logic.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing at least one or more default rules comprising a constraint on a value of the one or more attributes of an entity.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating validation code based on the on the one or more rules.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising executing the validation code to validate the entity is valid.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the validation code is generated separately from a system function described by a model in the modeling application.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the validation code further comprises identifying a conflict in the one or more rules.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the entity comprises a custom entity generated by a user.

14. A system for describing entity attributes in a modeling application, the system comprising:

a modeling engine for generating a system model in a modeling application, wherein the modeling engine generates an entity with one or more attributes associated with the entity;

a rules engine for defining one or more rules, wherein at least one of the one or more rules comprises a constraint on a value of the one or more attributes of the entity; and

a validation and inference component for registering the one or more rules.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the validation and inference component is further adapted to infer the value of the one or more attributes associated with the entity using a registered rule.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the validation and inference component is further adapted to validate the value of the one or more attributes associates with the entity using a registered rule.

17. The system of claim 14, further comprising a storage component for providing one or more default rules, wherein the one or more default rules comprise a constraint on a value of the one or more attributes of the entity.

18. The system of claim 14, the system further comprising a code generation component for generating validation code based on the one or more rules.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising an execution component for executing the validation code to perform at least one of the functions including inferring the value of the one or more attributes, validating the value of the one or more attributes, and resolving conflicting constraints in the one or more rules.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the code generation component generates the validation code separately from a function of the system model.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the modeling engine provides for a user to generate a custom entity.

22. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable signals stored thereon that define instructions that, as a result of being executed by a computer, instruct the computer to perform a method for describing entity attributes in a modeling application, the computer-readable medium comprising:

instructions for generating an entity in the modeling application, wherein the entity includes one or more attributes associated with the entity;

instructions for defining one or more rules, wherein at least one of the one or more rules comprises a constraint on a value of the one or more attributes of an entity;

instructions for registering the one or more rules with an entity validation and inference unit; and

instructions for generating validation code based on the on the one or more rules.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, further comprising:

instructions for identifying a conflict in the one or more rules; and

instructions for indicating a status of at least one identified conflict.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the instructions for indicating the status of at least one identified conflict includes at least one of an indication of automatic resolution and an indication of required user intervention.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, further comprising:

instructions for providing one or more default rules for an entity in the modeling application; and

instructions for indicating a violation of the one or more default rules.