Self-testing graphical component algorithm specification

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10360310-B2
Application number	US-201313838344-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2013
Priority date	Oct 28, 2012
Publication date	Jul 23, 2019
Grant date	Jul 23, 2019

Abstract

A system and method automatically ensures consistency among a design model, an interface specification and one or more tests that test the design model. The system may include a broker adapted to construct the interface specification. The interface specification identifies the interface of the design model, e.g., its external inputs, external outputs, and initialization settings. It may also identify the outputs, inputs, and initialization setting objects of the tests. Proposed changes to any one of the design model's interface, the interface specification and the interfaces of the tests may be captured by the broker, and applied to the other two.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
accessing, from a memory, an executable design model, the design model including a plurality of design model external interface elements, the plurality of design model external interface elements including:
first graphical objects for receiving input data into the design model, during execution of the design model
second graphical objects for providing output data computed by the design model, during the execution of the design model, wherein the design model, during the execution, implements first functionality that simulates operation of a system;

associating an executable test with the design model, the test including a plurality of test interface elements;
executing the test, wherein, during the executing the test, the plurality of test interface elements:
provide first information to the first graphical objects of the design model and
receive second information from the second graphical objects of the design model, and further wherein the test, during the executing the test, implements second functionality including testing at least part of the design model, and the second functionality implemented by the test differs from the first functionality implemented by the design model;

generating, by a processor, an interface specification, the interface specification including a mapping of the first graphical objects or the second graphical objects of the design model to corresponding one or more of the plurality of test interface elements of the test;
detecting, by the processor, a modification to the interface specification;
automatically modifying, by the processor, the design model to conform to the modification to the interface specification based on the mapping included in the interface specification; and
automatically modifying, by the processor, the test to conform to the modification to the interface specification based on the mapping included in the interface specification,
to maintain consistency among the test and the design model.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a plurality of executable tests are associated with the design model, the method further comprising:
automatically modifying the plurality of tests to conform to the modification to the interface specification.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the modification to the interface specification, the automatically modifying to the design model, and the automatically modifying to the test are performed as part of a single transaction.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
analyzing the test to identify respective test interface elements of the test that correspond to the plurality of design model external interface elements of the design model.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of design model external interface elements of the design model include at least one:
initialization settings;
model-level settings;
model-level parameters; or
control signals.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
generating a displayable form of the interface specification; and
presenting the displayable form of the interface specification to a user.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein
the displayable form of the interface specification is user-editable; and
the modification to the interface specification is received through the displayable form of the interface specification presented to the user.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
automatically determining a need for a default condition for the design model as modified to conform to the modification to the interface specification;
selecting a given default condition; and
assigning the given default condition to the design model as modified to conform to the modification to the interface specification.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the given default condition permits successful execution of the design model following the automatically modifying the design model.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein
the automatically modifying the design model adds a new first graphical object, and
the given default condition is a ground value for the new first graphical object.

11. A method comprising:
accessing, from a memory, an executable test model, the test model including a reference to a sub-model, the sub-model including a plurality of external interface elements, the plurality of external interface elements including:
first graphical objects for receiving input data into the reference to the sub-model; and
second graphical objects for providing output data to the reference to the sub-model;

instrumenting, by a processor coupled to the memory, the test model to log data exchanged with the reference to the sub-model through the first graphical objects and the second graphical objects;
executing the test model;
capturing, by the processor, the data exchanged with the reference to the sub-model through the first graphical objects and the second graphical objects during one or more executions of the test model; and
automatically generating, by the processor, a data driven test for a design model utilizing the data, the data driven test including a mapping of the data to the first graphical objects and the second graphical objects of the sub-model, wherein
the sub-model, during the executing the test model, implements first functionality that simulates operation of a system, and
the test model, during the executing the test model, implements second functionality including testing at least part of the sub-model, and the second functionality implemented by the test model differs from the first functionality implemented by the sub-model.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein
the sub-model represents a version of the design model.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein
the reference to the sub-model is a model reference block of the design model.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein
the test model and the sub-model are graphical models.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the data includes a plurality of signal traces, the method further comprising:
mapping, by the processor, the signal traces of the data to the first graphical objects and the second graphical objects of the sub-model.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein at least some of the first graphical objects and at least some of the second graphical objects of the sub-model are coupled to respective interface elements of the test model, the method further comprising:
accessing, by the processor, an interface specification that stores information concerning the plurality of external interface elements of the sub-model and the interface elements of the test model; and
utilizing, by the processor, the information stored in the interface specification to perform the mapping.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein
the design model generates results during execution of the design model, and
the data driven test includes
input data for processing by the design model, and
output data for comparison to the results generated during the execution of the design model.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions, the program instructions when executed by a processing element operable to:
access, from a memory, an executable design model, the design model including a first plurality of external interface elements, the first plurality of external interface elements including:
first graphical objects for receiving input data into the design model, during execution of the design model; and
second graphical objects for providing output data computed b

Assignees

• Mathworks Inc

Inventors

• Aberg Robert O

Classifications

• G06F11/3684

  for test design, e.g. generating new test cases · CPC title

• G06F11/368 Primary

  for test version control, e.g. updating test cases to a new software version · CPC title

• G06F8/355

  Round-trip engineering · CPC title

• G06F17/50 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F30/00

  Computer-aided design [CAD] · CPC title