System and method for transforming graphical models

• US 8,589,870 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2007
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Inventors: Ogilvie, Brian K., Devane, Charles J., Orofino, Donald Paul II, Kintali, Kiran Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Nahar, Qamrun
• Application Number:
  US11/879,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20070261040A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,317 Days
• Field of Search: 717/109, 717/106, 717/113
• US Class Current: 717/109
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A modeling system includes a graphical programming environment that receives a first graphical model from a user. The system may also receive a configuration control set for the first graphical model. A code generation engine converts the first graphical model into an intermediate representation (IR). A second graphical model is created from the IR and the configuration control set. The second graphical model is displayed to the user, and may be subject to one or more modifications. Code in a target language may be generated from the second graphical model.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a first graphical model representing a dynamic system and a configuration set for the first graphical model, where;

the configuration set includes a user-specified change to be performed on the first graphical model,

the user-specified change changes a numerical or timing behavior of the first graphical model,

the user-specified change includes;

adding or removing one or more graphical elements to/from the first graphical model;

or

modifying one or more parameters associated with the first graphical model;

converting the first graphical model into an intermediate representation (IR);

altering the IR based on the user-specified change included in the configuration set, where;

the altering generates an altered IR,

the altered IR represents the dynamic system with the user-specified change;

generating a second graphical model based on the altered IR and the configuration set; and

generating code in a target language, the code in the target language generated from the second graphical model.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

altering the IR two or more times prior to generating the second graphical model.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the altering includes:

applying one or more transform operations to the IR.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the altered IR has a hierarchical structure of records that describe one or more blocks of the first graphical model and one or more connections among the one or more blocks, and the generating the second graphical model includes:

examining the hierarchical structure of records of the altered IR.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first graphical model is in a source language that differs from the target language of the generated code.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first graphical model is one of a statechart, a block diagram or a circuit design.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving one or more modifications to the IR or the altered IR in response to detecting an unacceptable change between the first graphical model and the second graphical model.

8. A method comprising:

receiving a first graphical model representing a dynamic system and a configuration set, where;

the configuration set includes a plurality of user-specified parameters to be applied to one or more graphical elements of the first graphical model,

the plurality of parameters specify a plurality of behaviors for the one or more graphical elements of the first graphical model;

converting the first graphical model into an intermediate representation (IR);

applying a transform operation to the IR to alter the IR, where;

the applying generates an altered IR,

the transform operation being controlled by the plurality of parameters,

the altered IR represents the dynamic system with a change in a behavior as specified by one or more of the plurality of parameters;

generating a second graphical model from the altered IR; and

generating code in a target language, the code in the target language generated from either the altered IR or the second graphical model.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium storing program instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

receive a first graphical model that models a system and a configuration set, where;

the configuration set includes a user-specified change to be performed on the first graphical model,

the user-specified change changes a behavior of the first graphical model,

the user-specified change includes;

adding or removing one or more graphical elements to/from the first graphical model;

or

modifying one or more parameters associated with the first graphical model;

convert the first graphical model into a first intermediate representation (IR);

apply a transform operation to the first IR to alter the first IR, where;

the applying generates an altered IR,

the transform operation is controlled by the configuration set,

the altered first IR represents the system with the user-specified change;

generate one or more modifications based on the altered first IR;

apply the one or more generated modifications to the first graphical model to produce a second graphical model that models the system;

receive from the user one or more modifications to the second graphical model to produce a third graphical model;

convert the third graphical model into a second IR suitable for conversion to a target language; and

generate code in the target language, the code in the target language generated from either the third graphical model or the second IR.

10. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 9 wherein the transform operation includes one or more operations selected from the group consisting of an elaboration transform operation, a lowering transform operation, and an optimization transform operation.

11. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 9 further storing program instructions to:

simulate operation of the system modeled by the second graphical model.

12. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 9 wherein the first graphical model is one of a statechart, a block diagram or a circuit design.

13. An apparatus for validating a graphical model, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a first graphical model representing a dynamic system and a configuration set, where;

the configuration set includes a user-specified change to be performed on the first graphical model,

the user-specified change changes a behavior of the first graphical model,

the user-specified change includes;

adding or removing one or more graphical elements to/from the first graphical model;

or

modifying one or more parameters associated with the first graphical model, and

the first graphical model includes multiple source languages;

means for converting the first graphical model into a single intermediate representation (IR), the single IR suitable for conversion to a target language;

means for altering the IR of the first graphical model based on the user-specified change included in the configuration set, where the altered IR represents the dynamic system with the user-specified change;

means for converting the altered IR into a second graphical model; and

means for displaying the second graphical model to a user for validation.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising means for generating code in a target language from either the second graphical model or the altered IR.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the first and second graphical models each model a physical system, and the apparatus further comprises means for simulating operation of the physical system modeled by one or more of the first and the second graphical models.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the first and second graphical models each have at least one behavior, and the at least one behavior of the first graphical model differs from the at least one behavior of the second graphical model.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the difference in the at least one behavior of the first and second graphical models is either a numerical difference or a latency difference.

18. A system comprising:

a processor for;

receiving a first graphical model representing a dynamic system in one or more source languages and a configuration set from a user, where;

the configuration set includes a user-specified change to be performed on the first graphical model,

the user-specified change changes a behavior of the first graphical model,

the user-specified change includes;

adding or removing one or more graphical elements to/from the first graphical model;

or

modifying one or more parameters associated with the first graphical model,

converting the first graphical model into an intermediate representation (IR) that is suitable for conversion to a target language and that is independent of the one or more source languages,

applying one or more transform operations to the IR to produce an altered IR, the one or more transform operations being controlled by the configuration set, where the altered IR represents the dynamic system with the user-specified change,

converting the altered IR into a second graphical model for display to the user, and

generating in the target language, the code in the target language generated code from either the second graphical model or the altered IR.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the first and second graphical models each model a physical system, and the processor further simulates an operation of the physical system modeled by the first or the second graphical model.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the one or more transform operations is selected from the group consisting of an elaboration operation, a lowering operation and an optimization operation.

21. The system of claim 18 wherein the target language is with one of Verilog, VHDL, SystemC, C, C++, Java or M code.

22. The system of claim 18 wherein the first graphical model is one of a statechart, a block diagram or a circuit design.

23. The system of claim 18 wherein the second graphical model differs from the first graphical model.

24. The system of claim 18 wherein the processor is further for:

receiving one or more modifications to the second graphical model in response to detecting an unacceptable change between the first graphical model and the second graphical model.