User-defined hierarchies of user-defined classes of graphical objects in a graphical modeling environment

• US 8,166,452 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2007
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Inventors: Kinnucan, Paul F. Jr., Mosterman, Pieter J., Mestchian, Ebrahim Mehran
• Primary Examiner(s): Tecklu, Issac
• Application Number:
  US11/890,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20080092111A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,726 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4492 Inheritance

Abstract

The present invention allows a user to graphically define a hierarchy of user-defined, executable classes of graphical objects that can be implemented in a graphical model. The present invention supports the features of inheritance, abstraction and polymorphism. Further, descendant classes of graphical objects can graphically extend the behavior and/or structure of ancestor classes of graphical objects.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for specifying a hierarchy of user-defined classes of graphical objects comprising:

graphically specifying a first class of graphical objects and a second class of graphical objects in a graphical modeling environment; and

graphically specifying, in the graphical modeling environment, at least one child class of graphical objects that is a subclass of the first class of graphical objects and the second class of graphical objects,

wherein a number of inputs and a number of outputs of the at least one child class depend respectively on a number of inputs and a number of outputs of the first class of graphical objects and the second class of graphical objects,

wherein the number of outputs of the at least one child class is equal to a sum of the number of outputs of the first class of graphical objects and the number of outputs of the second class of graphical objects.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the at least one child class of graphical objects inherits inputs and outputs from the first class of graphical objects and the second class of graphical objects in a parallel inheritance.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the number of inputs of the at least one child class is equal to a sum of the number of inputs of the first class of graphical objects and the number of inputs of the second class of graphical objects.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein a position of the first class of graphical objects and the second class of graphical objects in a class hierarchy determines an order in which inputs and outputs of the first class of graphical objects and the second class of graphical objects appear in an interface of the at least one child class.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the at least one child class of graphical objects inherits inputs and outputs from the first class of graphical objects and the second class of graphical objects in a serial inheritance.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the number of inputs of the first class of graphical objects is equal to the number of inputs of the second class of graphical objects and the number of outputs of the first class of graphical objects is equal to the number of outputs of the second class of graphical objects.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein inputs of the first class of graphical objects are connected to outputs of the second class of graphical objects.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein inputs of the at least one child class of graphical objects are equal to the inputs of the first class of graphical objects and outputs of the at least one child class of graphical objects are equal to the outputs of the second class of graphical objects.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the at least one child class of graphical objects inherits inputs and outputs in a mixed mode multiple inheritance, wherein the mixed mode comprises serial inheritance and parallel inheritance.

10. A computing system comprising:

a processor providing;

a graphical modeling environment for specifying a hierarchy of user-defined classes of graphical objects, wherein the graphical modeling environment includes;

a first graphical user interface for defining a class of graphical objects; and

a second graphical user interface for developing the hierarchy of user-defined classes of graphical objects, wherein the hierarchy of user-defined classes of graphical objects comprises a first class of graphical objects, a second class of graphical objects and a third class of graphical objects that is a child of the first class of graphical objects and the second class of graphical objects, wherein a number of inputs and a number of outputs of the third class depend respectively on a number of inputs and a number of outputs of the first class of graphical objects and the second class of graphical objects,

wherein the number of outputs of the at least one child class is equal to a sum of the number of outputs of the first class of graphical objects and the number of outputs of the second class of graphical objects.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the identifying further comprises identifying parallel inheritance with a first visual cue.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the identifying further comprises identifying serial inheritance with a second visual cue.

13. The computing system of claim 10, wherein the second graphical user interface enables a user to identify aspects of the hierarchy with visual cues.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the visual cues are created using one or more of highlighting, blinking effect, dashed lines, thin lines, thick lines, shades and colors.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the hierarchy of user-defined classes of graphical objects comprises a first class of graphical objects and a second class of graphical objects that is a descendant of the first class of graphical objects, wherein at least one of the first class of graphical objects or the second class of graphical objects can be instantiated in an executable graphical model.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein contents of the second class of graphical objects are represented by a relationship diagram.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the relationship diagram is at least one of a block diagram, a state transition diagram or a flow diagram.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the relationship diagram includes propagated characteristics.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein a propagated characteristic is one of a sample time or a data type.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the second user interface depicts a relationship between the first and second class of graphical objects.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the second class of graphical objects inherits at least one aspect from the first class of graphical objects and the relationship depicted is an inheritance relationship.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the first user interface enables a user to develop a graphical model that includes an instance of at least one of the first or second classes of graphical objects.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the system further comprises:

a compiler to compile a graphical model implemented in the graphical modeling environment and that includes at least the first class of graphical objects; and

a simulator for initiating execution of the compiled graphical model.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the simulator propagates characteristics in the graphical model.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the simulator includes an interface for dynamically specifying the instance as of one of the first class of graphical objects or the at least one descendant class of graphical objects in the graphical model based on one of an input to an instance of the first class of graphical objects, an output from an instance of the first class of graphical objects, a state variable of an instance of the first class of graphical objects, or a simulation parameter or a user-specified parameter.

26. The system of claim 13, wherein the first user interface enables a user to graphically modify at least one of the first or second classes of graphical objects.

27. The system of claim 13, wherein the graphical modeling environment further comprises:

a symbol editor to edit a symbol that represents each class of graphical objects in the user-defined hierarchical class of graphical objects; and

a dialog box designer for creating a dialog box for entering instance-specific values of a set of parameters for each instance of a class of graphical objects in the hierarchy.

28. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for generating a hierarchy of user-defined classes of graphical objects in a graphical modeling environment, the medium comprising:

instructions for graphically specifying a root class of graphical objects in the graphical modeling environment wherein the root class of graphical objects comprises at least a first class of graphical objects and a second class of graphical objects;

wherein a number of inputs and a number of outputs of the client class depend respectively on a number of inputs and a number of outputs of the first class of graphical objects and the second class of graphical objects;

instructions for graphically specifying, in the graphical modeling environment, a child class of graphical objects that is a subclass of the root class of graphical objects for the hierarchy of classes of graphical objects;

instructions for graphically specifying a definition of a behavior of at least one of the root class of graphical objects or the child class of graphical objects; and

instructions for instantiating at least one of the root class or the child class of graphical objects in an executable graphical model using the definition wherein the number of outputs of the child class is equal to a sum of the number of outputs of the first class of graphical objects and the number of outputs of the second class of graphical objects.

29. The medium of claim 28, wherein graphically specifying the root class of graphical objects comprises generating a class of graphical objects as the root class of graphical objects.

30. The medium of claim 28, wherein graphically specifying the root class of graphical objects comprises specifying an existing class of graphical objects as the root class of graphical objects.

31. The medium of claim 28, further comprising:

instructions for displaying a hierarchical menu to a user, wherein the hierarchical menu displays one or more instances of each class in the hierarchy of classes of graphical objects at different levels.

32. The medium of claim 31, wherein the user inserts one or more instances of a class of graphical objects in the executable graphical model.

33. A non-transitory computer-readable medium holding instructions for generating a hierarchy of user-defined classes of graphical objects in a graphical modeling environment, the instructions comprising:

graphically specifying;

a first class of graphical objects,

a second class of graphical objects;

a descendant class of graphical objects that is a subclass of the first class of graphical objects for the hierarchy of classes of graphical objects, and

a definition of a behavior of at least one of the first class of graphical objects or the descendant class; and

instantiating the first class or the descendant class in an executable graphical model using the definition wherein a number of inputs and a number of outputs of the descendant class depend respectively on a number of inputs and a number of outputs of the first class of graphical objects and the second class of graphical objects,

wherein the number of outputs of the descendant class is equal to a sum of the number of outputs of the first class of graphical objects and the number of outputs of the second class of graphical objects.

34. The medium of claim 33, wherein the instructions further comprise:

compiling a graphical model that includes the first class of graphical objects;

initiating execution of the graphical model; and

dynamically specifying one of the first class of graphical objects or the at least one descendant class of graphical objects after initiating execution.

35. The medium of claim 34, wherein the dynamically specifying is based on at least one of an input to an instance of the first class of graphical objects, an output from an instance of the first class of graphical objects, a state variable of an instance of the first class of graphical objects, or a simulation parameter or a user-specified parameter.

36. The medium of claim 33, wherein the instructions further comprise:

specifying a number of connections on a connection interface of at least one of the classes of graphical objects in the hierarchy of user-defined classes of graphical objects; and

specifying a data type for each connection on the connection interface.