Modeling a physical component interface in a unified modeling language model

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10181059-B1
Application number	US-82055107-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jun 19, 2007
Priority date	Jun 19, 2007
Publication date	Jan 15, 2019
Grant date	Jan 15, 2019

Abstract

Methods, mediums and systems are provided to enable a user to build and edit a UML model for a system containing one or more physical component, which includes the across variable and/or the through variable of the components. A UML model may include classifiers, such as classes, interfaces, datatypes, signals, components, nodes, use cases and subsystems, that describes the structural and behavioral features of the system. A UML model may include at least one of the classifiers that is described using the across variables and/or the through variables of the system. For example, the interface of a component in a UML model may be described using the across variables and/or the through variables of the component.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method comprising:
defining, in a software architecture modeling environment used for designing a software architecture, across and through variables of a system based on user input,
the software architecture modeling environment using at least one of Unified Modeling Language (UML), SysML, or Advanced Architecture Description Language (AADL) to model the software architecture, and
the defining the across and through variables being performed by a computing device;

generating, in the software architecture modeling environment, a model of a system,
the model including a first element representing a first physical component included in the system and a second element representing a second physical component included in the system,
the model including at least one of a class, an object that is an instance of the class, or a link that is an instance of an association, and
the generating the model being performed by the computing device;

creating, in the software architecture modeling environment, a first physical component interface and a second physical component interface between the first element and the second element based on the across and through variables,
the first physical component interface and the second physical component interface specifying continuous time connections, between the first element and the second element, associated with the across and through variables, and
the creating the first physical component interface and the second physical component interface being performed by the computing device;

associating, in the software architecture modeling environment, the first physical component interface with the first element in the model,
the associating the first physical component interface being performed by the computing device;

associating, in the software architecture modeling environment, the second physical component interface with the second element in the model,
the associating the second physical component interface being performed by the computing device;

importing the model into a graphical programming environment,
the importing the model being performed by the computing device; and

executing, in the graphical programming environment, the model,
the graphical programming environment enabling a behavior to be generated for the first element and the second element, of the model generated in the software architecture modeling environment, using the across and through variables associated with terminals based on the first physical component interface and the second physical component interface, and
the executing the model being performed by the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a variable associated with at least one of the first physical component interface or the second physical component interface,
where the variable comprises at least one of:
a position variable in a translational mechanical system,
an angle variable in a rotational mechanical system,
a pressure variable in a hydraulic system,
a voltage variable in an electrical system, or
a temperature variable in a thermal system.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a variable associated with at least one of the first physical component interface or the second physical component interface, where the variable comprises at least one of:
a force variable in a translation mechanical system,
a torque variable in a rotational mechanical system,
a flow rate variable in a hydraulic system,
a current variable in an electrical system,
an enthalpy flow, or
a heat flow variable in a thermal system.

4. The method of claim 1 , where the model is a UML model.

5. The method of claim 1 , where the model is a UML model,
where the model is associated with a graphical model that includes a first graphical model element representing the first physical component, a second graphical model element representing the second physical component, a third graphical model element representing the first physical component interface, and a fourth graphical model element representing the second physical component interface, and
where the method further comprises generating the graphical model in the graphical programming environment, and
where generating the graphical model includes:
generating, in the graphical programming environment, one or more hierarchical graphical blocks representing one or more of the first element or the second element included in the UML model.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a first variable and a second variable associated with at least one of the first physical component interface or the second physical component interface,
where determining the first variable and the second variable includes:
determining the first variable and the second variable based on computer-aided design (CAD) data, associated with the model, that defines a geometric compatibility of the first physical component and the second physical component.

7. The method of claim 1 , where the model is associated with a graphical model that includes a first graphical model element representing the first physical component, a second graphical model element representing the second physical component, a third graphical model element representing the first physical component interface, and a fourth graphical model element representing the second physical component interface,
where the graphical model is generated in the graphical programming environment, and
where the graphical programming environment comprises at least one of:
a time-based block diagram environment,
a state-based and flow diagram environment, or
a physical modeling environment.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a text-based format of the model,
where generating the text-based format of the model includes:
including information identifying a first variable and a second variable, associated with at least one of the first physical component interface or the second physical component interface, in the text-based data format of the model.

9. The method of claim 1 , where the model is associated with a graphical model that includes a first graphical model element representing the first physical component, a second graphical model element representing the second physical component, a third graphical model element representing the first physical component interface, and a fourth graphical model element representing the second physical component interface,
the method further comprising:
receiving, via the software architecture modeling environment, information identifying a specification of a behavior of one or more connections between the first physical component and the second physical component; and
generating the graphical model,
where generating the graphical model includes:
generating the third graphical model element based on the behavior of the one or more connections.

10. The method of claim 9 , where receiving the information identifying the specification of the behavior includes:
receiving information identifying a temporal behavior of the one or more connections between the first physical component and the second physical component.

11. The method of claim 1 , where the model is associated with a graphical model that includes a first graphical model element representing the first physical component, a second graphical model element representing the second physical component, a third graphical model element representing the first physical component interface, and a fourth graphical model element representing the second physical component interface,
the method furth

Assignees

• Brewton Nathan E
• Brunel Jean Yves
• Moore Alan
• Mosterman Pieter J
• Mathworks Inc

Inventors

• Brewton Nathan E
• Brunel Jean-Yves
• Moore Alan
• Mosterman Pieter J

Classifications

• G06G7/64 Primary

  for non-electric machines, e.g. turbine · CPC title

• G06F8/20 Primary

  Software design · CPC title