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Lecture 15 - Flowcharting Methodologies

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Lecture 15 - Flowcharting Methodologies

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pifpaf
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Lecture 15 – Flowchart Methodologies

1
Outline
• Traditional Algorithm and System
FlowCharts
• Data Flow Diagrams
• System Flow Diagrams and Process
Flows
• State Diagrams
• Shuttle Malfunction Procedures
• Decision trees
• System Modeling Tools - UML
2
FlowCharts
• Flow charts show the process of algorithms by showing
the sequence of operation and decisions using standard
symbols
• Developed by Herman Goldstine and John Von
Neumann at Princeton in the 1940’s
• Useful in sequential machines with single flow of control
– These types of computers are called “Von Neumann Machines”
• Less useful in more modern computers with multiple
parallel processes
• Can be used to express flow of systems as well as
algorithms

3
www.bbc.co.uk

To follow a flow chart


•You start at start
•You follow the arrows
•Accomplish the actions within each shape
•Pick a direction when you reach a diamond based on the question posed in the diamond
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•Stop when you hit the end
The basics 5
More Complicated – computer oriented 6
Courtesy of xkcd

7
Shows the
order of Shows the
program connection
execution and flow of
data within
system
elements

8
Difference between a program flowchart and a system flowchart
Generalizing a system through a flowchart – this could be an all
analog implementation of control system or a software algorithm
or even a completely mechanical system 9
Watt Governor – The Mechanical Control
System that led to the industrial revolution –
can be described by the previous flowchart

10
Functional Flow Diagrams
• A functional flow show the process of
hardware through various stages
• These are very useful for industrial
process types of problems
• Next chart shows the hardware flow of
space shuttle components through
Kennedy Space Center
• These types of diagrams are important in
planning and explaining the interaction of
different components in a system and their
relation to each other
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Data Flow Diagrams
• Defining Data Flow Diagrams (DFD)
– Graphical representation of a system’s data and how the
processes transform the data is known as Data Flow Diagram
(or DFD).
– Unlike, flowcharts, DFDs do not give detailed descriptions of
modules but graphically describe a system’s data and how the
data interact with the system.
• DFDs are constructed using four major components
– external entries – e.g. sensors, keyboards
– data stores – e.g. disk, memory, cd
– processes – e.g. calibration, limit checking, computing averages
– data flows – how all of these are linked together
• System Flow Diagrams and Data Flow Diagrams are
very similar
– System Flow Diagrams tend to focus on connections and do not
tend to discuss processes

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Example – Temperature Data Acquisition Problem

Temperature Signal Data Acquisition Unit (Analog


Sensor Conditioning to Digital Converter)
Processor
Display
Disk Storage
Audible Alarm
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Start
Acquire
Sensor
Data
Convert Raw
Data to
Calibrated
Algorithmic Flow Chart –
Temperature Data
Acquisition Yes Yes
In Limits ? Set Alarm=Off
No

Set Alarm=On

Log and Display


Results

Delay
Stop ?
40 ms
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Stop
Analog To
Signal Alarm
Sensor Digital Calibration In Limits ?
Conditioning Off
Conversion

Alarm
On

Display Display
Log Log
Raw Calibrated Calibrated
Raw
Value Value
Value Value
Data Flow Diagram – Temperature Data
Acquisition
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LabVIEW – Programming thru dataflow
diagram

Temperature Measurement Example


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State Diagrams
• Often systems exist in different operating
states
• They transition rapidly between these
states
• These states are their transitions between
the states can be shown in a state
diagram
• States are drawn as circles or bubbles
• Transitions are indicated by arrows
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State Diagram for a traffic light

Red

Flashing
Red
Loss of
Comm
Green State
Power
Off Off
State

Yellow

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Shuttle Malfunction Procedures

• It is possible to put procedures in the forms of flowcharts


• The space shuttle malfunction procedures contain hundreds
of flowcharts for troubleshooting anomalies with shuttle
systems
• The next page is an example of dealing with a cabin fan
alarm
• Cabin fan alarms are triggered by a delta pressure sensor
which measure the difference in pressure on either side of
the fan
• Possible causes of the alarm are
– Failed sensor
– Failed fan
– Blockage in filter
– Blockage in line
– Leak in line
– Failed check valve
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Cabin Fan Diagram From Shuttle Systems handbook
Shuttle
Cabin Fan
Malfunction
procedure

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Decision Tree

• A technique for evaluating options based on


– Expected likelihood of outcome
– Expected value of outcome
• Typically done for economic value, can also be applied
to other values such as weight
• Build a tree to describe all possible outcomes
– Identify probability of reaching each outcome based on the
probabilities at each branch of the tree
– Identify potential value (or cost) of each end state
• Select option based on combination of likelihood and
cost/value
– Can directly form a product of these two parameters
– Can screen by probability of outcome, cost or value
– Can screen by proximity of undesirable outcomes to desirable
outcomes
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Example decision tree from Wikipedia
System Modeling Languages
• There are several systems modeling languages
• An example is Unified Modeling Language (UML) which allows expression of
– Relationships between items
– Behavior of items
• Activity diagram
• Case structure
• State machine diagram
– Interaction between items (flow of resources and information)
• Communication
• Sequencing
• Timing
• UML diagrams show
– Functional requirements
– Static structure
– Dynamic behavior
• SysML is a variant of UML that acts as a domain specific modeling language for
systems engineering
– Adds requirement and parametric diagrams
– Adds functionality for automatic verification and validation and automated gap
analysis
• Their use, in DOD programs particularly, is growing and they are worth
mentioning in our survey of flowcharting methodologies
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