Universal system component emulator with human readable output

• US 20030233637A1
• Filed: 06/16/2003
• Published: 12/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joseph B Martin
• Original Assignee: Joseph B Martin
• Inventors: Martin, Joseph B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,280,955 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/134
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/261 by simulating additional hardware, e.g. fault simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/263 Generation of test inputs, e.g. test vectors, patterns or sequences ; with adaptation of the tested hardware for testability with external testers

Abstract

A system and method for emulating or monitoring the communications behavior of any system component connected to a data bus. These functions are accomplished through the implementation of software component emulators (SCE) that encode and decode message data for any system component automatically. The present invention includes a means for development of an interface specification based on information contained in an Interface Control Document (ICD), and enables the user to create the ICD file without having to worry about formatting considerations, and view and define message data in a meaningful, human-readable format. The information in the ICD is automatically reduced to an application that combines the user-friendly, time-efficient aspects of a traditional SCE with the flexibility and universality of a bus monitor;

Claims

1. A system for emulating a component in an environment and producing a human-readable output, wherein the system comprises:

(a) a protocol specific device to allow communication between the system and the environment;

(b) a memory configured for storing programs, interface specifications, and drivers for the protocol specific device; and

(c) a processor in communication with the interface device and the memory, wherein the processor is configured for;

(i) providing a user interface for receiving user input to enable a user to configure the system for emulation of a component within the environment;

(ii) receiving a pre-formatted interface specification stored in the system, wherein the pre-formatted interface specification substantively defines all of necessary data elements and formats to be exchanged between the component and the environment;

(iii) serving data interface activity between the component and the remainder of the environment in a human-readable format; and

(iv) serving data through the protocol specific device to the environment to emulate the component.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the pre-formatted interface specification is automatically developed and stored using an interface specification development editor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data received from the environment is archived in the memory for subsequent analysis.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the data served to the environment is archived for subsequent analysis in the memory.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the operator actions actuated through the user interface are archived for subsequent analysis in the system memory.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the component is selected from the group consisting of an airliner, a transmitter and a airport control tower.

7. A universal system component emulator for reading one of a plurality of ICD files to configure the emulator accordingly so that the emulator can encode and decode machine date into a human readable format, the emulator comprising:

a computer having a memory, the memory storing therein;

first means for providing an interface to a user, reading the plurality of ICD files to allow configuration based upon a read ICD file, generating responses to incoming and outgoing messages, loading DLL files and executing DLL files;

second means for encoding messages;

third means for decoding the incoming and outgoing messages;

fourth means for transmitting the outgoing messages to a driver and receiving messages incoming messages from the driver;

fifth means for logging the incoming messages from the fourth means, and logging the outgoing messages from the first means; and

sixth means for displaying the incoming and outgoing messages to the user in human readable format.

8. A universal system component emulator as recited in claim 7, wherein the first means is an emulator software module.

9. A universal system component emulator as recited in claim 7, wherein the second means is a sequence object software module.

10. A universal system component emulator as recited in claim 7, wherein the second means plays, pauses and stops a sequence of the incoming and outgoing messages.

11. A universal system component emulator as recited in claim 7, wherein the third means is a message log software module.

12. A universal system component emulator as recited in claim 7, wherein the third means records the incoming and outgoing messages.

13. A universal system component emulator as recited in claim 7, the fourth means is a protocol specific interface software module.

14. A universal system component emulator as recited in claim 7, wherein the fifth means is a message state software module.

15. A universal system component emulator as recited in claim 7, wherein the sixth means is a user interface software module.

16. A universal system component emulator as recited in claim 7, wherein the sixth means passes user commands to the first means.

17. A computer readable medium whose contents cause a computer system to perform emulation of a component in an environment so that a user can read data transmitted to and from the emulated component, the computer system having a program with functions for invocation by performing the steps of:

a) defining interface requirements that document data to be exchanged in a readable format;

b) providing a computer in communication with the environment, the computer having a memory with a software application for component emulation stored therein;

c) inputting the interface requirements into the software application to configure the software application;

d) launching the software application;

e) monitoring, sending, and receiving data exchanged between the component and the environment; and

f) displaying the exchanged data in a human readable format.

18. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 17, wherein the step of inputting the interface requirements includes the steps of:

determining a protocol of the interface requirements;

determining at least one component that the interface requirements define;

creating internal data objects that represent the at least one component;

determining messages that exist within the interface requirements;

creating internal data objects to represent the messages;

inspecting a route of each message identified in the interface requirements;

associating a copy of each message with components identified by the route;

populating the internal message objects with data objects representing message elements defined in the interface requirements, wherein the message elements are fields and each field defines a location of the respective field in raw message data, bit length, data type and least significant bit value;

creating internal field objects that reflect fields in the interface requirements; and

associating the internal field objects with an appropriate message element to enable the computer to extract field data from a received message and display the field data in a human readable format.