Pattern modeling methods and systems

• US 8,776,015 B1
• Filed: 08/06/2007
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Inventors: Hosagrahara, Arvind S., Smith, Paul F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dam, Tuan Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wei, Zheng
• Application Number:
  US11/882,825
• Time in Patent Office: 2,528 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/113
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/24 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming

Abstract

A list of constructs is displayed on a user interface screen for a user to select a desired construct. A construct selected by the user is determined. Computing environments are presented on the user interface screen for the user to place the selected construct. The computing environments include at least one textual and at least one graphical computing environment. A selected computing environment into which the selected construct is being placed is identified. A position of the placed construct in the selected computing environment is determined. A template based on the selected computing environment is selected. The selected template is inserted into the selected computing environment.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for inserting content into a model using a design tool, the method comprising:

displaying, by a computer, a list of user-selectable construct icons on a user interface screen of the design tool, the construct icons associated with constructs;

determining, by the computer, a construct icon selected by the user;

displaying, by the computer, a plurality of computing environment interface screens able to receive the selected construct icon, the plurality of computing environment interface screens being simultaneously displayed on the user interface screen of the design tool and associated with a plurality of computing environments including at least one textual computing environment and at least one graphical computing environment;

receiving, by the computer, a selection of a selected computing environment interface screen from the plurality of computing environment interface screens into which the construct associated with the user selected construct icon is placed;

identifying, by the computer, a selected computing environment from the plurality of computing environments, wherein the selected computing environment is associated with the selected computing environment interface screen;

determining, by the computer, a position of the placed construct in the selected computing environment;

selecting, by the computer, a template based on the selected computing environment and the placed construct; and

inserting, by the computer, the selected template into the selected computing environment at the determined position in the selected computing environment.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the textual computing environment includes at least one of a C environment, a Python environment, a Javascript environment, an Octave environment, a dynamically typed language environment, or Hardware Description Language environment, and the graphical computing environment includes at least one of a time-based graphical modeling environment, a block-based environment, a chart-based environment, a state-based diagram environment, a data flow diagram environment, an entity flow network diagram environment, an electronic design automation environment, a Schematic Layout environment, or a Unified Modeling Language environment.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the construct includes computer-readable medium encoded with at least one of:

IF-END-IF,

IF-cascade of ELSE IF-END IF,

SWITCH condition—

cascade of CASE,

DO-WHILE loop,

REPEAT-UNTIL loop,

Proportional-Integral-Derivative controller,

Proportional-Integral controller,

Proportional-Derivative controller,

Integral-Derivative controller,

Proportional controller,

Derivative controller,

Integral controller,

IF-nested IF condition-nested IF condition-END IF-END IF,

FOR loop,

SIMPLE STATE MACHINE,

TOP LEVEL ARCHITECTURE,

IF-THEN-ELSE-IF,

IF-THEN-IF,

IF-THEN,

IF-THEN-ELSE,

IF,

cascade of IF-THEN,

FOR-WHILE,

FOR-loop,

WHILE-loop,

parameterized construct,

case,

combination of logical signals,

vector signals,

conditions,

conditions with subconditions,

UNLESS conditions,

algorithmic components,

physical systems,

physical subsystems, or

conditions which are visually separated.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

creating a construct based on a user input;

storing the construct in the design tool;

creating a second construct icon that corresponds to the created construct; and

displaying the second construct icon corresponding to the created construct in the list of constructs on the user interface screen.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

at least one of exporting or importing the created construct among selected client computers; and

sharing the created construct by users of the selected computers.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

automatically updating design tools of the selected client computers with the created construct.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

automatically updating a list of constructs of a user interface screen associated with each selected computer with the second construct icon; and

displaying the second construct icon in the updated list of constructs of the user interface screen of each selected computer.

8. A method for designing models, comprising at least one of:

downloading software to a computer system, which software, when executed by the computer system, causes the computer system to perform operations comprising the method of claim 1;

or

providing downloadable software to a computer system, which software, when executed by the computer system, causes the computer system to perform operations comprising the method of claim 1.

9. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising software that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform operations for designing models with a design tool, the at least one computer-readable medium comprising:

one or more instructions for displaying a list of user-selectable construct icons on a user interface screen of the design tool, the construct icons associated with constructs;

one or more instructions for determining a construct icon selected by the user;

one or more instructions for presenting a plurality of computing environment interface screens able to receive the selected construct icon, the plurality of computing environment interface screens being simultaneously displayed on the user interface screen of the design tool and associated with a plurality of computing environments including at least one textual computing environment and at least one graphical computing environment;

one or more instructions for receiving a selection of a selected computing environment interface screen from the plurality of computing environment interface screens into which the construct associated with the user selected construct icon is placed;

one or more instructions for identifying a selected computing environment from the plurality of computing environments based on the selected computing environment interface screen;

one or more instructions for determining a position at which the selected construct is placed into the selected computing environment;

one or more instructions for selecting a template based on the selected computing environment and the placed construct; and

one or more instructions for inserting the selected template into the selected computing environment at the determined position in the selected computing environment.

10. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the textual computing environment includes at least one of a C environment, a Python environment, a Javascript environment, an Octave environment, a dynamically typed language environment, or Hardware Description Language environment and the graphical computing environment includes at least one of a time-based graphical modeling environment, a block-based environment, a chart-based environment, a state-based diagram environment, a data flow diagram environment, an entity flow network diagram environment, an electronic design automation environment, a Schematic Layout environment, or a Unified Modeling Language environment.

11. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the construct includes at least one of:

IF-END-IF,

IF-cascade of ELSE IF-END IF,

SWITCH condition—

cascade of CASE,

DO-WHILE loop,

REPEAT-UNTIL loop,

Proportional-Integral-Derivative controller,

Proportional-Integral controller,

Proportional-Derivative controller,

Integral-Derivative controller,

Proportional controller,

Derivative controller,

Integral controller,

IF-nested IF condition-nested IF condition-END IF-END IF,

FOR loop,

SIMPLE STATE MACHINE,

TOP LEVEL ARCHITECTURE,

IF-THEN-ELSE-IF,

IF-THEN-IF,

IF-THEN,

IF-THEN-ELSE,

IF,

cascade of IF-THEN,

FOR-WHILE,

FOR-loop,

WHILE-loop,

parameterized construct,

case,

combination of logical signals,

vector signals,

conditions,

conditions with subconditions,

UNLESS conditions,

algorithmic components,

physical systems,

physical subsystems, or

conditions which are visually separated.

12. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9, further comprising:

one or more instructions for creating a construct based on a user input;

one or more instructions for storing the construct in the design tool;

one or more instructions for creating a second construct icon which corresponds to the created construct; and

one or more instructions for displaying the second construct icon corresponding to the created construct in the list of constructs on the user interface screen.

13. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 12, further comprising:

one or more instructions for at least one of exporting or importing the created construct among selected client computers.

14. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 13, wherein one or more instructions for at least one of exporting and importing the created construct comprises:

one or more instructions for automatically updating design tools of the selected client computers with the created construct.

15. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 14, further comprising:

one or more instructions for automatically updating a list of constructs of a user interface screen associated with each selected computer with the created second construct icon; and

one or more instructions for displaying the created second construct icon in the updated list of constructs of the user interface screen of each selected computer.

16. A system for designing models, comprising:

a display device which displays a list of user-selectable construct icons on a user interface screen, the construct icons associated with constructs and a plurality of computing environment interface screens able to receive the selected construct icon, the plurality of computing environment interface screens being simultaneously displayed on the user interface screen and associated with a plurality of computing environments including at least one textual computing environment and at least one graphical computing environment;

one or more computing systems programmed to perform the following;

determining a construct selected by the user;

receiving a selection of a selected computing environment interface screen from the plurality of computing environment interface screens into which the construct associated with the user selected construct icon is placed;

identifying a selected computing environment from the plurality of computing environments, wherein the selected computing environment is associated with the selected computing environment interface screen;

determining a position at which the construct is placed into the selected computing environment;

selecting a template based on the selected computing environment and the placed construct; and

inserting the selected template into the selected computing environment at the determined position and interconnecting the inserted construct with content of the selected computing environment at the position of insertion.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the textual computing environment includes at least one of a C environment, a Python environment, a Javascript environment, an Octave environment, a dynamically typed language environment, or Hardware Description Language environment and the graphical computing environment includes at least one of a time-based graphical modeling environment, a block-based environment, a chart-based environment, a state-based diagram environment, a data flow diagram environment, an entity flow network diagram environment, an electronic design automation environment, a Schematic Layout environment, or a Unified Modeling Language environment.

18. The system according to claim 16, wherein the construct includes at least one of:

IF-END-IF,

IF-cascade of ELSE IF-END IF,

SWITCH condition—

cascade of CASE,

DO-WHILE loop,

REPEAT-UNTIL loop,

Proportional-Integral-Derivative controller,

Proportional-Integral controller,

Proportional-Derivative controller,

Integral-Derivative controller,

Proportional controller,

Derivative controller,

Integral controller,

IF-nested IF condition-nested IF condition-END IF-END IF,

FOR loop,

SIMPLE STATE MACHINE,

TOP LEVEL ARCHITECTURE,

IF-THEN-ELSE-IF,

IF-THEN-IF,

IF-THEN,

IF-THEN-ELSE,

IF,

cascade of IF-THEN,

FOR-WHILE,

FOR-loop,

WHILE-loop,

parameterized construct,

case,

combination of logical signals,

vector signals,

conditions,

conditions with subconditions,

UNLESS conditions,

algorithmic components,

physical systems,

physical subsystems, or

conditions which are visually separated.

19. The system according to claim 16, wherein the one or more computing systems are further programmed to perform the following:

creating a construct based on a user input;

storing the construct;

creating a second construct icon which corresponds to the created construct; and

displaying the second construct icon corresponding to the created construct in the list of constructs on the user interface screen.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the one or more computing systems are further programmed to perform at least one of exporting or importing the created construct among selected client computers.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein the exporting and importing automatically updates selected client computers with the created construct and displays the created construct icon on selected client computers.

22. A system for designing models, comprising:

a graphical user interface which displays a list of user-selectable construct icons, the construct icons associated with constructs; and

a processor which is programmed to perform steps of;

presenting the list of construct icons on the graphical user interface,

determining the construct icon selected by the user,

displaying a plurality of computing environment interface screens on the graphical user interface, the computing environment interface screens are able to receive the selected construct icon, the plurality of computing environment interface screens being simultaneously displayed and associated with a plurality of computing environments including at least one textual computing environment and at least one graphical computing environment,

receiving, a selection of a selected computing environment interface screen from the plurality of computing environment interface screens into which the construct associated with the user selected construct icon is placed,

identifying a computing environment from the plurality of computing environments, wherein the selected computing environment is associated with the selected computing environment interface screen the construct,

determining a position of the placed construct in the selected computing environment,

selecting a template based on the selected computing environment and the placed construct,

inserting the selected template into the selected computing environment at the determined position in the selected computing environment,

interconnecting the selected template with content of the selected computing environment at the position of insertion, and

displaying the designed model on the graphical user interface.