Dynamically-generated operating system for sensor networks

• US 20070143452A1
• Filed: 12/21/2005
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Bornhoevd, Christof, Suenbuel, Asuman
• Granted Patent: US 9,015,652 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code

Abstract

Application requirements may be determined for executing an application using a sensor network, the sensor network including a plurality of devices. Hardware constraints associated with the devices may be determined, and an operating system may be generated, based on the application requirements and the hardware constraints. In this way, an operating system may be generated that is specific to, and optimized for, the the particular application and hardware resources.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining application requirements for executing an application using a sensor network, the sensor network including a plurality of devices;

determining hardware constraints associated with the devices; and

generating an operating system based on the application requirements and the hardware constraints.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining application requirements for executing an application using a sensor network comprises:

receiving a designation of the application for deployment on the sensor network; and

decomposing functionality associated with the application to determine the application requirements.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining application requirements for executing an application using a sensor network comprises:

receiving the application requirements from a user by way of a user interface.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein determining application requirements for executing an application using a sensor network comprises:

defining a condition to be sensed by a sensor associated with at least one of the devices; and

defining a desired response of the application to the condition.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein defining a desired response of the application to the condition comprises:

defining an operation of an output element associated with at least one of the devices as being included in the desired response.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining hardware constraints associated with the devices comprises:

determining hardware resources associated with at least one of the devices, the hardware resources including one or more of a sensor, an output element, a processor, a memory, a wireless communications device, or a power supply.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein determining hardware constraints associated with the devices comprises:

determining functionality provided by hardware resources associated with the devices, with respect to the application requirements.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein generating an operating system based on the application requirements and the hardware constraints comprises:

synthesizing the operating system using a plurality of operating system components combined with one another based on the application requirements and the hardware constraints.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein generating an operating system based on the application requirements and the hardware constraints comprises:

comparing the application requirements and the hardware constraints to determine functionality provided by the operating system in supporting the application and/or hardware resources of the devices.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein generating an operating system based on the application requirements and the hardware constraints comprises:

generating the operating system to provide support for a subset of available hardware resources of the devices, the subset of available hardware resources being sufficient to implement the application requirements and execute the application.

11. The method of claim 1 comprising:

determining network-wide constraints associated with the sensor network; and

generating the operating system based on the network-wide constraints.

12. The method of claim 1 comprising:

determining non-functional constraints that are not necessary for a function of the application, the non-functional constraints being associated with the sensor network or with the devices; and

generating the operating system based on the non-functional constraints.

13. The method of claim 1 comprising:

transmitting the operating system to the devices; and

injecting the operating system onto the devices for operation thereon.

14. The method of claim 13 comprising:

injecting the application onto the devices for execution thereof in conjunction with the operating system.

15. A system comprising:

a components repository that is operable to store operating system components associated with functionality to be provided to a plurality of devices of a sensor network; and

an operating system generator that is operable to generate an operating system from selected operating system components, based on application requirements associated with executing an application on the plurality of devices and on hardware constraints associated with the plurality of devices.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the components repository is operable to provide hardware drivers or communications elements associated with hardware resources of the devices.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the operating system generator is operable to determine the application requirements by way of a user interface.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the operating system generator is operable to determine the hardware constraints as being associated with hardware resources of the devices, the hardware resources including one or more of a sensor, an output element, a processor, a memory, a wireless communications device, or a power supply.

19. The system of claim 15 comprising:

a library code repository including programming code templates for use by the operating system generator in synthesizing the operating system from the operating system components.

20. An apparatus comprising a storage medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions including:

a first code segment for determining application requirements associated with an application to be deployed on a sensor network;

a second code segment for determining hardware constraints associated with hardware resources of the sensor network; and

a third code segment for generating an operating system that supports the application and the hardware resources.