System and method for providing an interface for com-compliant applications to communicate with embedded systems

• US 20030061292A1
• Filed: 03/22/2002
• Published: 03/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: S2 Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: S2 Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Underseth, Mark, Fertitta, Kirk, Valois, Hugues
• Application Number:
  US10/105,062
• Publication Number:
  US 20030061292A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3636 by tracing the execution of the program
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/542 Intercept
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/546 Xcast
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/547 Messaging middleware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A system and method for providing seamless communication with threads executing on an embedded computer. Using a DAT system, a programmer can test the communication interfaces of a thread via either a scripting program, any COM-compliant program, or a graphical test utility. The DAT system automatically formats a block of data that is transmitted between the embedded computer and a host computer and accounts for machine specific enumeration sizes, machine specific pointer sizes, machine specific structure alignment boundaries, machine specific integer sizes, and machine specific byte ordering.

Claims

1. A system for providing communication between a host computer and an embedded computer, the system comprising:

an embedded computer executing a plurality of threads that provide a plurality of communication interfaces, each communication interface having a plurality of data fields;

a communication database identifying each of the communication interfaces, wherein the communication database is automatically generated, at least in part, from information comprising;

an interface description file that defines the communications interfaces;

machine characteristics of the embedded device;

machine characteristics of a host platform; and

a communication module for providing an application programming interface for a COM-compliant application to access the communication interface, wherein the communication module is automatically generated based upon information from the communication database;

wherein an object in the COM-compliant application identifies at least one of the communication interfaces in the communication database and invokes a function with respect to at least one data field in the identified communication interface via the application programming interface, wherein the function is selected from the group comprising;

storing data in one of the data fields, reading data from one of the data fields, and testing a data field.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is either a message-based or a remote function call-based interface.

3. A system for providing communication between a host computer and an embedded computer, the system comprising:

an embedded computer executing a plurality of threads that each provide a communication interface;

a communication database identifying the communication interface of each of the threads; and

a COM object configured to provide a plurality of functions to a COM-compliant application for a communicating with each of the communication interfaces, wherein the COM object is automatically generated based, at least in part, upon the communication interfaces in the messaging database.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the messaging database is generated, at least in part, from information from an interface description file.

5. A system for providing communication between a host computer and an embedded computer, the system comprising:

a plurality of threads that each provide a communication interface;

a communication database identifying each of the communication interfaces; and

a COM object providing a plurality of functions for communicating with each of the communication interfaces, wherein the COM object is automatically generated based, at least in part, upon communication interfaces in the communication database.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the communication database is generated, at least in part, from information from an interface description file.

7. A method of providing communication with a thread, the method comprising:

retrieving a reference to a communication object, wherein the communication object provides an interface for a COM-compliant application to access a communication interface that is owned by a thread that is executing on an embedded computer; and

storing data in at least one data field in the communication interface.

8. The method of claim 7, additionally comprising invoking a send method of the communication object thereby transmitting the stored data to the thread that is executing on the embedded computer.

9. A method of providing communication with a thread, the method comprising:

retrieving a reference to a communication object, wherein the communication object provides an interface for COM-compliant application to access a communication; and

invoking a read method of the communication object thereby receiving via the interface a communication that is provided by a thread that is executing on an embedded computer.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the communication is a message.

11. A method of providing communication with a thread, the method comprising:

generating a communication database that describes at least one communication characteristic of a communication interface that is defined in an interface description file;

requesting a database object to provide an identifier for each of the communications interfaces;

requesting the database object to access a selected one of the communications interfaces;

retrieving a reference to a communication object, wherein the communication object provides an interface for a COM-compliant application to access a communication that is owned by a thread that is executing on an embedded computer; and

storing data in at least one data field in the communication.

12. A method of providing communication with a thread, the method comprising:

retrieving a reference to a communication object, wherein the communication object provides an interface for a COM-compliant application to access a communication interface that is managed by a thread that is executing on an embedded computer; and

storing data in at least one data field in the communication.

13. A method of providing access to a communication, the method comprising:

providing a communication object that comprises at least one function for accessing a communication interface from a COM-compliant application; and

accessing the communication interface via the COM-compliant application.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the communication interface is owned by an embedded thread that is executing on an embedded computer, and wherein accessing the communication interface via the COM-compliant application comprises transmitting to the embedded thread at least one element of data from a thread that is executing remotely.

15. A system for providing access to a communication, the method comprising:

a communication object that comprises at least one function for accessing a communication interface from a COM-compliant application; and

means for accessing the communication interface via the COM-compliant application.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the communication interface is owned by an embedded thread that is executing on an embedded computer, and wherein the means for accessing the communication interface via the COM-compliant application comprises means for transmitting to the embedded thread at least one element of data from a thread that is executing on a host computer.

17. An executable communication object, the communication object comprising:

at least one application programming interface for accessing a communication interface from a COM-compliant application, wherein the application programming interface is selected from the group comprising;

a broadcasting interface for broadcasting the communication,

an interface for sending the communication,

a registration interface for registering the communication, and

a subscription interface for subscribing to the communication,

wherein each of the plurality of interfaces are automatically generated based, at least in part, information that is stored in an interface description file that describes a communication interface.

18. A system for communicating with a thread, the system comprising:

means for generating a communication database that describes at least one communication characteristic of a communication interface that is defined in an interface description file;

means for requesting a database object to provide an identifier for each of the communications interfaces;

means for requesting the database object to access a selected one of the communications interfaces;

means for retrieving a reference to a communication object, wherein the communication object provides an interface for a COM-compliant application to access a communication that is owned by a thread that is executing on an embedded computer; and

means for storing data in at least one data field in the communication.

19. A system for providing communication with a thread, the system comprising:

means for retrieving a reference to a communication object, wherein the communication object provides an interface for a COM-compliant application to access a communication interface that is owned by a thread that is executing on an embedded computer; and

means for storing data in at least one data field in the communication.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the communication interface is a remote function call.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the communication interface is a message.

22. A system for providing access to a communication, the system comprising:

means for providing a communication object that comprises at least one function for accessing a communication interface from a COM-compliant application; and

means for accessing the communication interface via the COM-compliant application.

23. A system for providing a communication interface that is accessible by a plurality of components, the system comprising:

a COM-compliant object;

at least one thread executing on an embedded computer; and

at least one communication module which is configured to provide an application programming interface for the COM-compliant object to communicate with the thread.

24. A system for providing a communication interface that is accessible by a plurality of components, the system comprising:

a scripting program; and

at least one communication module which is configured to provide an application programming interface for a COM-compliant object to communicate with the scripting program.

25. A system for providing a communication interface that is accessible by a plurality of components, the system comprising:

a COM-compliant object;

a scripting program;

a thread executing on a host computer;

a thread executing on an embedded computer; and

at least one communication module which is configured to provide an application programming interface for the COM-compliant object to communicate with the scripting program, the thread executing on the host computer, and the thread executing on the embedded computer.