Block diagram simulator using a library for generation of a computer program

Means for ordering computer software procedures in an order for modeling in a computing machine, each of multiple blocks of a block diagram the block diagram being capable of having at least one feedback loop, each said block corresponding to at least one of the software procedures for performing at least one function and comprising at least one input or at least one output, one or more of such block diagrams having interconnections for passage of representations between the inputs and the outputs of such blocks forming the block diagram,

• the at least one software procedure corresponding to each such block comprising an update output procedure which defines the representation for at least one of said outputs for such block as a function of the representation for at least one of said inputs for such block, or an update state procedure which defines at a current time a state for such block as a function of the representation for at least one of the inputs for such block at a prior time or an update output procedure which defines at a current time the representation for at least one of the outputs of such block as a function of either the current state or the representation for at least one of the inputs of the corresponding block, the means for ordering, comprising:
• a) means for generating a list of the inputs for each of such blocks;
• b) means for generating at least one feed-through list for each of at least some of the such outputs of such blocks, the feed-through list comprising a list of any said input which directly affects the output of the same block;
• and
• c) a computing machine for processing each of such input and feed-through lists for the one of the block diagrams for ordering of such procedures and comprising means for determining the occurrence of a predetermined relation between any said input in the feed-through list and the input list for one of such blocks in the one block diagram and, means for selectively, depending on the occurrence of the predetermined relation, ordering one of the update state procedures that corresponds to the same block relative to the other update state and update output procedures in the order, so that a representation of the input for such update state procedure will have been define by one of said update output procedures previous in the order.

A method for ordering in a computer for machine processing, procedures representing each of multiple blocks of a block diagram, the block diagram being capable of having at least one feedback loop, each such block corresponding to at least one of the procedures for performing at least one function representative of such block and comprising at least one input or at least one output, said blocks having interconnections between the inputs and outputs of the blocks forming the block diagram, at least one such block being a delay block for use in the feedback loop having an input that directly effects an output of such block and at least one such block having an input that effects an output of such block after a delay, one of such block diagrams having interconnections for passage of representations between the inputs and outputs of such blocks forming such block diagram,

• the at least one procedure corresponding to each such block comprising an update output procedure which defines the representation for at least one of said outputs for such block as a function of the representation for at least one of said inputs for such block or, in the case of a delay block, an update state procedure which defines at a current time a state for such block as a function of the representation for at least one of the inputs for such block at a prior time or an update output procedure which defines at a current time the representation for at least one of the outputs of such delay block as a function of either the current state or the representation for at least one of the inputs of such delay block, the method of ordering comprising the steps of:
• a) providing a list of each of any said input for each of such blocks;
• b) providing in addition to the list of inputs, at least one feed-through list for each such delay block, the feed-through list comprising a list of each of any said input for such delay block which directly affects such output of the same delay block;
• and
• c) processing, in the computer, such input and feed-through lists for the one of the block diagrams for ordering of such procedures in an order for machine processing and comprising the step of determining the occurrence of a predetermined relation between any said input in the feed-through list and the input list for one of such blocks in the one block diagram and, the step of selectively, depending on the occurrence of the predetermined relation, ordering one of an update state procedures that corresponds to the same block in the order relative to the other update state and update output procedures so that a representation of the input for such update state procedure will have been defined by one of said update output procedures previous in the order.