Determining a next value of a system-simulation parameter in response to a representation of a plot having the parameter as a dimension

An apparatus, comprising:

• a simulator that includes one or more computing circuits and that is configured to simulate a system and to propagate at least one state of the simulated system through time in response to a value of a parameter;
• a generator configured to generate
• a representation of a region of a plot having dimensions that respectively correspond at least to the parameter and to a characteristic of another state of the simulated system, and
• a representation of a level set;
• and
• a determiner configured to determine a next value of the parameter in response to the representation of the region by selecting the next value of the parameter equal to a coordinate of a representation of a point that lies on a same side of the level set as the region.

An apparatus, comprising:

• means for simulating a system and for propagating at least one first state of the simulated system through time in response to a value of a first parameter;
• means for generating a representation of a region of a plot having dimensions that respectively correspond at least to the parameter and to a characteristic of a second state of the simulated system, the representation of the region including
• a representation of a multi-point first subregion of the plot, the first subregion spanning a multi-value range of the characteristic, and
• a representation of a second subregion of the plot in which a rate of change in the characteristic relative to the parameter has a magnitude that is greater than a threshold;
• and
• means for determining a next value of the parameter in response to the representation of the second subregion of the plot.

A method, comprising:

• simulating a system;
• propagating at least one first state of the simulated system through time in response to a value of a first parameter;
• generating a representation of a region of a plot having dimensions that respectively correspond at least to the parameter and to a characteristic of a second state of the simulated system;
• searching the representation of the region of the plot for a representation of a multi-point first subregion of the plot spanning a multi-value range of the characteristic;
• searching the representation of the region of the plot for a representation of a second subregion of the plot in which a rate of change in the characteristic relative to the parameter has a magnitude that is greater than a threshold;
• and
• determining a next value of the parameter in response to the representation of one of the first and second subregions of the plot if the one of the first and second subregions exists.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one computing apparatus, cause the at least one computing apparatus:

• to simulate a system;
• to propagate at least one first state of the simulated system through time in response to a value of a first parameter;
• to generate a representation of a region of a plot having dimensions that respectively correspond at least to the parameter and to a characteristic of a second state of the simulated system;
• to search the representation of the region of the plot for a representation of a multi-point first subregion of the plot spanning a multi-value range of the characteristic;
• to search the representation of the region of the plot for a representation of a second subregion of the plot in which a rate of change in the characteristic relative to the parameter has a magnitude that is greater than a threshold;
• and
• to determine a next value of the parameter in response to the representation of one of the first and second subregions of the plot if the one of the first and second subregions exists.