Managing dynamic state of a physical system

• US 9,201,986 B1
• Filed: 05/17/2011
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• 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): Mui, Gary
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHILLIPS, MICHAEL K
• Application Number:
  US13/109,676
• Time in Patent Office: 1,659 Days
• Field of Search: 717/104, 717/135, 717/114, 717/137, 703/6, 703/7, 703/8, 703/1, 703/2, 716/106, 706/920, 715/239, 707/760, 606/130
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 30/18 Network design, e.g. design based on topological or interconnect aspects of utility systems, piping, heating ventilation air conditioning [HVAC] or cabling circuit design at the physical level G06F30/39; network planning tools for wireless communication networks H04W16/18

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:

receiving, using a computing device, a network including a plurality of elements,

the network representing a physical system,

the plurality of elements representing one or more entities of the physical system, and

the plurality of elements being associated with a plurality of states;

acquiring, using the computing device, a scaffold for the network,

the scaffold specifying information regarding a position for a particular element, of the plurality of elements of the network, within the physical system,

the scaffold including a high-level definition of a plurality of desired states for one or more elements of the plurality of elements, and

the one or more elements including the particular element;

simulating, using the computing device, at least a portion of the physical system using at least a portion of the network;

modifying, using the computing device, at least one of the plurality of elements, of the network, to generate a modified network;

determining, using the computing device, whether the plurality of desired states defined by the scaffold are applicable to the modified network;

establishing, using the computing device, one or more values of one or more states associated with one or more elements of the modified network based on the when the plurality of desired states defined by the scaffold are applicable to the modified network;

providing, using the computing device and for display, a presentation of a first geometric configuration of the modified network;

receiving, using the computing device, an input that includes information related to dragging the presentation of the first geometric configuration;

providing, using the computing device and for display, a presentation of a second geometric configuration based on the input; and

applying, using the computing device, the scaffold to the second geometric configuration.

2. The method of claim 1,

where the scaffold is stored in a first storage entity,

where the network is stored in a second storage entity, and

where the second storage entity is different from the first storage entity.

3. The method of claim 2, where the first storage entity is one of a file, a record, or a database table.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the one or more established values in a state object.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a user interface element for display; and

receiving the information regarding the position of the particular element via the user interface element.

6. One or more non-transitory computer-readable 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;

receive a network including a plurality of elements,

the network representing a physical system,

the plurality of elements representing one or more entities of the physical system, and

the plurality of elements being associated with a plurality of states;

acquire, through a graphical user interface, a scaffold for the network,

the scaffold specifying information regarding a position for a particular element of the plurality of elements of the network,

the scaffold including a high-level definition of a plurality of desired states for one or more elements of the plurality of elements, and

the one or more elements including the particular element;

simulate at least a portion of the physical system using at least a portion of the network;

modify at least one of the plurality of elements, of the network, to generate a modified network;

acquire the scaffold from a state object;

determine whether the plurality of desired states defined by the scaffold are applicable to the modified network;

identify a plurality of values for a plurality of states associated with one or more elements of the modified network based on the scaffold when the plurality of desired states defined by the scaffold are applicable to the modified network;

provide, for display, a presentation of a first geometric configuration of the modified network;

receive an input that includes information related to dragging the presentation of the first geometric configuration;

provide, for display, a presentation of a second geometric configuration based on the input; and

apply the scaffold to the second geometric configuration.

7. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 6,

where the scaffold is stored in a first storage entity,

where the network is stored in a second storage entity, and

where the second storage entity is different from the first storage entity.

8. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7, where at least one of the first storage entity or the second storage entity is one of a file, a record, or a database table.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 6, 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 plurality of values in the state object that stores the scaffold.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 6, where the one or more instructions to modify the network to generate the modified network include:

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

receive an instruction to remove a different element, of the plurality of elements, from the network,

the at least one of the plurality of elements including the different element; and

remove the different element from the network to generate the modified network.

11. A system comprising:

one or more processors to;

receive a network that includes a plurality of elements,

the network representing a physical system, and

the plurality of elements representing one or more entities of the physical system;

simulate at least a portion of the physical system using at least a portion of the network;

modify at least one of the plurality of elements, of the network, to generate a modified network;

acquire a scaffold from a state object,

the scaffold specifying information regarding a position for a particular element of the plurality of elements, and

the scaffold including a high-level definition of a plurality of desired states for at least a portion of the plurality of elements that include the particular element;

determine whether the plurality of desired states defined by the scaffold acquired from the state object are applicable to the modified network;

establish one or more values of one or more states associated with one or more elements, of the plurality of elements, of the modified network based on the scaffold acquired from the state object when the plurality of desired states defined by the scaffold, acquired from the state object, are applicable to the modified network;

provide, for display, a presentation of a first geometric configuration of the modified network;

receive an input that includes information related to dragging the presentation of the first geometric configuration;

provide, for display, a presentation of a second geometric configuration based on the input; and

apply the scaffold to the second geometric configuration.

12. The system of claim 11, where the one or more processors are further to:

store the one or more values in the state object.

13. The system of claim 11, where the state object is stored separately from the network.

14. The system of claim 11, where the one or more processors are further to:

provide a text box for display;

receive the information regarding the position of the particular element via the text box; and

define the scaffold based on the information regarding the position of the particular element.

15. A method comprising:

receiving a network that includes a plurality of elements,

the network representing a physical system,

the plurality of elements representing one or more entities of the physical system,

the plurality of elements being associated with a plurality of states, and

the receiving the network being performed by a computing device,

acquiring a scaffold for the network from a state object,

the scaffold specifying information regarding a position of a particular element of the plurality of elements, and

the acquiring the scaffold being performed by the computing device;

simulating at least a portion of the physical system using at least a portion of the network,

the simulating the at least the portion of the physical system being performed by the computing device;

modifying at least one of the plurality of elements, of the network, to generate a modified network,

the modifying the at least one of the plurality of elements being performed by the computing device;

determining that a plurality of desired states defined by the scaffold are applicable to the modified network,

the determining being performed by the computing device;

establishing a value of a state associated with an element of the modified network based on determining that the plurality of desired states defined by the scaffold, acquired from the state object, are applicable to the modified network,

the establishing the value of the state being performed by the computing device;

providing, for display, a presentation of a first geometric configuration of the modified network,

the providing the presentation of the first geometric configuration being performed by the computing device;

receiving an input that includes information related to dragging the presentation of the first geometric configuration,

the receiving the input being performed by the computing device;

providing, for display, a presentation of a second geometric configuration based on the input,

the providing the presentation of the second geometric configuration being performed by the computing device; and

applying the scaffold to the second geometric configuration,

the applying the scaffold to the second geometric configuration being performed by the computing device.

16. The method of claim 15,

where the state object is stored in a first storage entity, and

where the network is stored in a second storage entity that is different from the first storage entity.

17. The method of claim 15, where modifying the network to generate the modified network includes:

receiving an instruction to remove a different element, of the plurality of elements, from the network,

the at least one of the plurality of elements including the different element; and

removing the different element from the network to generate the modified network.

18. The method of claim 15, where the scaffold indicates the position of the element in relation to another element of the plurality of elements.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

providing a text box for display;

receiving the information regarding the position of the particular element via the text box; and

defining the scaffold based on the information regarding the position of the particular element.