Managing dynamic state of a physical system

• US 8,768,652 B1
• Filed: 05/17/2011
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Inventors: Mirtich, Brian, Wendlandt, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Jacob, Mary C
• Application Number:
  US13/109,741
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• Field of Search: 703/1
• US Class Current: 703/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/12 characterised by design entry means specially adapted for CAD, e.g. graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for CAD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/17 Mechanical parametric or variational design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30

Abstract

In an embodiment, a network may represent a physical system. The network may have an element that represents an entity of the physical system. A value of a state associated with the network may be identified (e.g., generated) using various techniques. The state may be a low-level state associated with the network. The techniques may include, but are not limited to, for example, generating the value based on a scaffold defined for the network, generating the value based on a target value for the state, and/or generating the value based on applying an operation to various values of the state. The identified value may be associated with an identifier. The identifier may distinguish the value, for example, from other values of other states in the network and/or other values of states in other networks.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing, for display, a first geometric configuration of a model that represents a physical system,

providing the first geometric configuration being performed by a computing device;

receiving an input to change the first geometric configuration into a second geometric configuration,

receiving the input being performed by the computing device;

acquiring a scaffold that specifies a high-level definition for a state associated with the model,

acquiring the scaffold being performed by the computing device;

identifying an element of the model that is associated with the scaffold,

identifying the element being performed by the computing device;

determining a position of the element in the second geometric configuration,

determining the position being performed by the computing device;

determining that the scaffold is feasible based on the position of the element in the second geometric configuration,

determining that the scaffold is feasible being performed by the computing device;

determining that the scaffold applies to the second geometric configuration based on determining that the scaffold is feasible,

determining that the scaffold applies to the second geometric configuration being performed by the computing device; and

establishing a value of the state, associated with model, based on the second geometric configuration and the scaffold after determining that the scaffold applies to the second geometric configuration,

establishing the value being performed by the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, where the received input includes information related to dragging the first geometric configuration to change the first geometric configuration into the second geometric configuration.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the value in a state object associated with one or more portions of the model,

the state object being stored separate from the model.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating an identifier with the value,

the identifier distinguishing the value from one or more other values associated with the model.

5. The method of claim 4, where the identifier further distinguishes the value from one or more other values associated with another model.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing the model,

executing including generating a plurality of values for the state associated with the element,

the plurality of values including the value.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, for display, a time series for the state;

receiving a selection of a time element in the time series; and

establishing the value of the state for an execution of the model based the selection of the time element.

8. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

provide, for display, a first geometric configuration of a model that represents a system;

receive an input to change the first geometric configuration into a second geometric configuration;

acquire a target value for a state associated with the system;

identify an element of the system that is associated with the target value;

determine that the target value is feasible based on the second geometric configuration;

determine that the target value applies to the second geometric configuration based on determining that the target value is feasible; and

establish a value of the state based on the second geometric configuration and the target value after determining that the target value applies to the second geometric configuration.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

determine that another target value does not apply to the second geometric configuration; and

exclude the other target value from a state object that includes the target value and other information regarding a portion of the model.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, where the received input includes information related to dragging the first geometric configuration to change the first geometric configuration into the second geometric configuration of the system.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

store the value in a state object

the state object being stored separately from the model.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

associate an identifier with the value,

the identifier distinguishing the value from one or more other values associated with the model.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12, where the identifier further distinguishes the value from one or more other values associated with another model.

14. A device comprising:

one or more processors to;

provide, for display, a first geometric configuration of a model that represents a physical system;

receive an input to change the first geometric configuration into a second geometric configuration;

acquire a scaffold that specifies a high-level definition for a state associated with the system;

identify an element of the system that is associated with the scaffold;

determine that a target value is feasible based on the second geometric configuration;

determine that the scaffold applies to the second geometric configuration based on determining that the target value is feasible; and

establish a value of the state based on the second geometric configuration and the scaffold after determining that the scaffold applies to the second geometric configuration.

15. The device of claim 14, where the one or more processors are further to:

determine that another scaffold does not apply to the second geometric configuration; and

exclude the other scaffold from a state object that includes the scaffold and other information regarding a portion of the model.

16. The device of claim 14, where the scaffold is acquired from a state object that is stored separately from the model.

17. The device of claim 14, where the input includes information related to dragging the first geometric configuration to change the first geometric configuration into the second geometric configuration.

18. The device of claim 14, where the scaffold indicates a direction of movement of the element from a position.

19. The device of claim 14, where the one or more processors are further to:

provide, for display, information identifying a plurality of scaffolds arranged in a hierarchy,

the plurality of scaffolds including the scaffold;

receive a selection of the scaffold; and

enable the scaffold based on the received selection.

20. The device of claim 14, where the one or more processors are further to:

provide a text box for display; and

receive the high-level definition for the scaffold via the text box.