Data elements with selectable signal/parameter behavior control
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorSteven Christopher Bray
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for designing software in a software design includes providing, in a software design tool, a software block including one or more data elements of one of signal-type or parameter-type. At least one of the one or more data elements is designated as one of a port or a property. If the at least one data element is designated as a property, a value associated with the property is established. Alternatively, if the at least one data element is designated as a port, a connection with one or more software blocks associated with the software design environment is established. The method also includes generating at least a portion of software code associated with the software block based on the designation of the at least one data element.
Claims20
A method for designing software for an embedded system in a software design environment, comprising:
- providing, in a software design tool, a software block including one or more data elements of one of signal-type or parameter-type, wherein a signal-type data element has a variant data value that varies during operation of the embedded system, and a parameter-type data element has an invariant data value that cannot vary during operation of the embedded system;
- designating at least one data element of the one or more data elements as a port in a first use of the software block and designating the same data element as a property in a second use of the software block;
- establishing, if the at least one data element is designated as a property, a constant value associated with the property, wherein the at least one data element is not connected to one or more software blocks associated with the software design environment, and the constant value is an invariant data value;
- establishing, if the at least one data element is designated as a port, a connection with one or more software blocks associated with the software design environment, wherein variant data values or invariant data values are routed between the at least one data element and the one or more connected software blocks;
- and
- generating at least a portion of software code associated with the software block based on the designation of the at least one data element.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium for use on a computer system, the non-transitory computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing a method comprising:
- providing, in a software design tool, a software block for designing software for an embedded system, the software block including one or more data elements of one of signal-type or parameter-type, wherein a signal-type data element has a variant data value that varies during operation of the embedded system, and a parameter-type data element has an invariant data value that cannot vary during operation of the embedded system;
- designating at least one data element of the one or more data elements as a port in a first use of the software block and designating the same data element as a property in a second use of the software block;
- establishing, if the at least one data element is designated as a property, a constant value associated with the property, wherein the at least one data element is not connected to one or more software blocks associated with a software design environment, and the constant value is an invariant data value;
- establishing, if the data element is designated as a port, a connection with one or more software blocks associated with the software design environment, wherein variant data values or invariant data values are routed between the at least one data element and the one or more connected software blocks;
- and
- generating at least a portion of software code associated with the software block based on the designation of the at least one data element.
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising:
- a software block for use in a software design tool to design software for an embedded system;
- the software block comprising one or more data elements, each data element classified as one of signal-type or parameter-type, a signal-type data element having a variant data value that varies during operation of the embedded system and a parameter-type data element having an invariant data value that cannot vary during operation of the embedded system, and each data element designated, by a user of the software design tool, as a port in a first use of the software block and as a property in a second use of the software block based on the desired characteristics of software code associated with the data element, each of the one or more data elements configured to:
- receive, if the data element is designated as a property, a constant value associated with the property, wherein the data element is not connected to one or more software blocks associated with a software design environment, and the constant value is an invariant data value;
- receive, if the data element is designated as a port, a connection with one or more software blocks associated with the software design environment, wherein variant data values and invariant data values are routed between the data element and the one or more connected software blocks;
- and
- computer executable instructions for generatinq, when executed by the software design tool, at least a portion of software code associated with the software block based on the designation of the one or more data elements.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.