System and method for dependency management

• US 20060085365A1
• Filed: 09/26/2005
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cho, Yong-jin
• Granted Patent: US 8,028,053 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/921 Spatial
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/922 Communications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/96 Object-relational

Abstract

A system and method for dependency management are provided. The system for dependency management, includes a provider object management module managing a provider object that provides information, a consumer object management module managing a consumer object that executes a predetermined task based on the information provided by the provider object, an information object management module managing an information object that manages the provider object and the consumer object based on the information, a dependency storage module storing dependency information between the provider object and the consumer object, and a dependency management module examining dependency between the provider object and the consumer object based on the dependency information that is received from the dependency storage module and controlling activation and deactivation of the provider object and the consumer object according to a result of the dependency examination.

Claims

1. A system for dependency management, comprising:

a provider object management module managing a provider object that provides information;

a consumer object management module managing a consumer object that executes a predetermined task based on the information provided by the provider object;

an information object management module managing an information object that manages the provider object and the consumer object based on the information;

a dependency storage module storing dependency information between the provider object and the consumer object; and

a dependency management module examining dependency between the provider object and the consumer object based on the dependency information that is received from the dependency storage module and controlling activation and deactivation of the provider object and the consumer object according to a result of the dependency examination.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the information provided by the provider object is knowledge observed by the provider object.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the provider object is a sensor that observes the information and the consumer object is a context-aware service object (CAS) that determines whether to provide a service based on the information.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the dependency information is expressed as a list of the information needed to operate the consumer object.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the dependency examination is performed by checking the information included in the list to determine whether the provider object providing the information exists.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the dependency information is expressed as an AND-OR graph of the information needed to operate the consumer object.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the dependency examination is performed by performing a post-order traverse on all nodes included in the AND-OR graph and determining a value of a root node.

8. A system for dependency management, comprising:

a sensor management module managing a sensor that observes knowledge;

a context-aware service object (CAS) management module managing a CAS that provides a service when the knowledge satisfies a context corresponding to information determining a service action of the CAS;

an observed information management module managing observed information which is a target of the knowledge and managing the sensor and the CAS based on the observed information;

a dependency storage module storing dependency information regarding a relationship between the observed information and the context; and

a dependency management module examining dependency between the observation information and the context based on the dependency information received from the dependency storage module and controlling activation and deactivation of the sensor and the CAS according to a result of the dependency examination.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the dependency information is expressed as a list of the information needed for the CAS to determine the context.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the dependency examination is performed by checking the information included in the list to determine whether the sensor observing the information exists.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the dependency information is expressed as an AND-OR graph of the information needed for the CAS to determine the context.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the dependency examination is performed by performing a post-order traverse on all nodes included in the AND-OR graph and determining a value of a root node.

13. A method for dependency management, comprising:

examining dependency between a consumer object to be activated and a provider object providing information used by the consumer object; and

controlling activation and deactivation of the consumer object and the provider object according to a result of the examination.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the controlling of the activation and deactivation comprises setting a state of the consumer object to a resolved state when the dependency is detected as the result of the examination.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the controlling of the activation and deactivation comprises activating the provider object and the consumer object when the dependency is not detected.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the provider object is a sensor that observes the information and the consumer object is a context-aware service object (CAS) that determines whether to provide a service based on the information.

17. A method for dependency management, comprising:

inspecting whether information used by a consumer object to be deactivated is used by any other consumer object; and

when any other consumer object using the information does not exist, deactivating the provider object providing the information.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the provider object is a sensor that observes the information and the consumer object is a context-aware service object (CAS) that determines whether to provide a service based on the information.

19. A method for dependency management, comprising:

examining dependency of a consumer object that is in a resolved state among consumer objects using information provided by a provider object to be activated; and

controlling activation and deactivation of the consumer object according to a result of the examination.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the controlling of the activation and deactivation comprises setting a state of the consumer object to a resolved state when the dependency is detected as the result of the examination.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the controlling of the activation and deactivation comprises activating the provider object and the consumer object when the dependency is not detected.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the provider object is a sensor that observes the information and the consumer object is a context-aware service object (CAS) that determines whether to provide a service based on the information.

23. A method for dependency management, comprising:

examining dependency of a consumer object using information provided by a provider object to be deactivated; and

controlling activation and deactivation of the consumer object and the provider object having dependency with the consumer object, according to a result of the examination.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the controlling of the activation and deactivation comprises setting a state of the consumer object to a resolved state when the dependency is detected as the result of the examination.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the provider object is a sensor that observes the information and the consumer object is a context-aware service object (CAS) that determines whether to provide a service based on the information.

26. A recording medium having a computer readable program recorded therein, the program for executing a method for dependency management, comprising:

examining dependency between a consumer object to be activated and a provider object providing information used by the consumer object; and

controlling activation and deactivation of the consumer object and the provider object according to a result of the examination.

27. A recording medium having a computer readable program recorded therein, the program for executing a method for dependency management, comprising:

inspecting whether information used by a consumer object to be deactivated is used by any other consumer object; and

when any other consumer object using the information does not exist, deactivating the provider object providing the information.

28. A recording medium having a computer readable program recorded therein, the program for executing a method for dependency management, comprising:

examining dependency of a consumer object that is in a resolved state among consumer objects using information provided by a provider object to be activated; and

controlling activation and deactivation of the consumer object according to a result of the examination.

29. A recording medium having a computer readable program recorded therein, the program for executing a method for dependency management, comprising:

examining dependency of a consumer object using information provided by a provider object to be deactivated; and

controlling activation and deactivation of the consumer object and the provider object having dependency with the consumer object, according to a result of the examination.