Message-based model verification

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9268622-B2
Application number	US-201113117859-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 27, 2011
Priority date	May 28, 2010
Publication date	Feb 23, 2016
Grant date	Feb 23, 2016

Abstract

A system and method may generate executable block diagrams having blocks that run in accordance with message-based execution semantics. A message may include an input data payload that does not change over time, and the message may persist for only a determined time interval during execution of block diagram. A verification engine may provide one or more tools for evaluating and verifying operation of message-based blocks. The verification engine may support one or more verification blocks that may be added to the block diagram and associated with the diagram's message-based blocks. The verification blocks may capture and present messages exchanged among the message-based blocks. The verification blocks may also specify an expected interaction of messages, and determine whether the actual messages are equivalent to the expected interaction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
accessing, from a memory, an executable block diagram, at least a portion of the executable block diagram having message-based execution semantics, the at least a portion of the executable block diagram
including a plurality of interconnected message-based blocks, where the message-based blocks send and receive messages during execution of the block diagram, the messages
including payloads that remain fixed while the messages travel between respective pairs of the interconnected message-based blocks, and
persisting for determined execution time intervals, the determined execution time intervals, during which the messages persist, being defined time periods occurring within a simulation time of the executable block diagram that starts with an execution start time and ends with an execution stop time of the block diagram;

adding an observer block to the executable block diagram, the observer block configured to observe one or more of the messages generated by the message-based blocks;
executing, by a processor coupled to the memory, the at least a portion of the executable block diagram, the executing producing information associated with the one or more messages being observed by the observer block; and
presenting, on a display coupled to the processor, the information associated with the one or more messages being observed by the observer block during the executing of the executable block diagram.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving, for the observer block, a configuration of the one or more messages to be observed by the observer block through either
a dialog box associated with the observer block, or
a command line Application Programming Interface (API).

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:
connecting the observer block to one or more of the message-based blocks, the connecting providing a visual indication in the block diagram of the one or more messages to be observed by the observer block.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 wherein the observer block is connected to the one or more of the message-based blocks:
graphically,
textually, or
a combination of graphically and textually.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the information associated with the one or more messages is one or more of:
an identifier of a message source block,
an identifier of one or more message destination blocks,
a message payload,
a message type,
a time sent of a message, and
a time received of a message.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the payload of a message includes input data, the method further comprising:
receiving a given message by a destination message-based block during execution of the block diagram; and
processing, by the destination message-based block, the input data included in the payload of the received given message to produce one or more results.

7. A computer-implemented method comprising:
accessing, from a memory, an executable block diagram, at least a portion of the executable block diagram having message-based execution semantics, the at least a portion of the executable block diagram
including a plurality of interconnected message-based blocks, where the message-based blocks send and receive messages during execution of the block diagram, the messages
including payloads that remain fixed while the messages travel between respective pairs of the interconnected message-based blocks, and
persisting for determined execution time intervals, the determined execution time intervals, during which the messages persist, being defined time periods occurring within a simulation time of the executable block diagram that starts with an execution start time and ends with an execution stop time of the block diagram;

adding a message source block to the executable block diagram, the message source block configured to generate one or more predetermined messages at one or more predetermined times during execution of the block diagram to verify at least a part the block diagram;
configuring one or more of the message-based blocks of the executable block diagram to receive the one or more predetermined messages generated by the message source block during execution of the block diagram; and
executing, by a processor coupled to the memory, the at least a portion of the executable block diagram, where the one or more predetermined messages are
generated by the message source block, and
received by the one or more message-based blocks of the executable block diagram.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 wherein the one or more message-based blocks configured to receive the one or more predetermined messages generated by the message source block execute in response to receiving the one or more predetermined messages.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 wherein the one or more predetermined messages include a predetermined payload including input data, the method further comprising:
processing the input data included in the payload of the one or more predetermined messages by the one or more message-based blocks upon receiving the one or more predetermined messages.

10. A computer-implemented method comprising:
accessing, from a memory, an executable block diagram, at least a portion of the executable block diagram having message-based execution semantics, the at least a portion of the executable block diagram
including a plurality of interconnected message-based blocks, where the message-based blocks send and receive messages during execution of the block diagram, the messages
including payloads that remain unchanged while the messages are exchanged between respective pairs of the interconnected message based-blocks, and
persisting for determined execution time intervals, the determined execution time intervals, during which the messages persist, being defined time periods occurring within a simulation time of the executable block diagram that starts with an execution start time and ends with an execution stop time of the block diagram;

adding a message sink block to the executable block diagram, the message sink block configured to receive one or more messages generated by a selected one of the message-based blocks of the block diagram during execution of the block diagram to verify at least a part of the block diagram;
executing, by a processor coupled to the memory, the at least a portion of the executable block diagram, the executing producing information associated with the one or more messages generated by the selected message-based block; and
presenting, on a display coupled to the processor, the information associated with the one or more messages received by the message sink block during the executing of the executable block diagram.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 wherein the information associated with the one or more messages is at least one of:
an identifier of a message source block,
a message payload,
a message type,
a time sent of a message, and
a time received of a message.

12. A computer-implemented method comprising:
accessing, from a memory, an executable block diagram, at least a portion of the executable block diagram having message-based execution semantics, the at least a portion of the executable block diagram
including a plurality of interconnected message-based blocks, where the message-based blocks send and receive messages during execution of the block diagram, the messages
including payloads that remain fixed while the messages travel between respective pairs of the inte

Assignees

• Moore Alan J
• Mestchian Ebrahim Mehran
• Mathworks Inc

Inventors

• Moore Alan J
• Mestchian Ebrahim Mehran

Classifications

• G06F8/34

  Graphical or visual programming · CPC title

• G06F9/546 Primary

  Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues · CPC title