Application Controlling Apparatus And Storage Medium Which Stores Software For The Apparatus

• US 20080141283A1
• Filed: 12/13/2005
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Minemura, Harumi, Koyasu, Takehiko, Shimotani, Mitsuo, Kohno, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 8,601,493 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0739 in a data processing system embedded in automotive or aircraft systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0757 by exceeding a time limit, i.e. time-out, e.g. watchdogs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1438 Restarting or rejuvenating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3612 by runtime analysis performance monitoring G06F11/3466
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/482 Application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/508 Monitor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/485 Task life-cycle, e.g. stopping, restarting, resuming execution G06F9/4881 takes precedence

Abstract

An application controlling apparatus includes a basic application storage means 1 for storing basic applications 3₁ to 3_n for implementing basic functions, a basic application execution means 2 for reading a basic application from the basic application storage means so as to make the basic application be executed, an extended application acquisition/storage means 5 for acquiring and storing extended applications 7₁ to 7_m for implementing additional functions, an extended application execution means 6 for reading an extended application from the extended application acquisition/storage means so as to make the extended application be executed, and a resource monitor means 8 for monitoring resources currently being consumed by the execution of the extended application, and for stopping a predetermined extended application while keeping the basic application running when the amount of usage of the resources exceeds a predetermined amount.

Claims

1. An application controlling apparatus comprising:

a basic application storage means for storing a basic application for implementing a basic function;

a basic application execution means for reading a basic application from said basic application storage means so as to make the basic application be executed;

an extended application acquisition/storage means for acquiring and storing an extended application for implementing an additional function;

an extended application execution means for reading an extended application from said extended application acquisition/storage means so as to make the extended application be executed; and

a resource monitor means for monitoring resources currently being consumed by the execution of said extended application, and for stopping a predetermined extended application while keeping the basic application running when an amount of usage of said resources exceeds a predetermined amount.

2. The application controlling apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that after the amount of usage of the resources being used by extended applications exceeds the predetermined amount, the resource monitor means returns an error to a request for resources from said extended application.

3. The application controlling apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that after the amount of usage of the resources being used by extended applications exceeds the predetermined amount, the resource monitor means inhibits a start of any other extended application.

4. The application controlling apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said apparatus includes an application-to-be-stopped selection means for selecting an extended application which is to be stopped when the amount of usage of the resources being used by extended applications exceeds the predetermined amount, and the resource monitor means stops the extended application selected by said application-to-be-stopped selection means when the amount of usage of resources being used by extended applications exceeds the predetermined amount.

5. The application controlling apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the resource monitor means monitors, as the resources currently being consumed by the execution of the extended application, at least one of a usage rate of a CPU, an amount of usage of a memory, an amount of usage of an external storage unit, a number of extended applications being executed, a number of objects displayed on a screen, and a sum of areas of the objects displayed on a screen.

6. The application controlling apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the resource monitor means also monitors an amount of usage of resources being used by basic applications, in addition to the amount of usage of the resources being used by extended applications.

7. The application controlling apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the resource monitor means stops extended applications by stopping the extended application execution means when the amount of usage of the resources being used by extended applications exceeds the predetermined amount.

8. The application controlling apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the resource monitor means restarts the extended application execution means from its initial state after stopping said extended application execution means, and restarts the extended applications which were running when stopping the extended application execution means from their initial states.

9. The application controlling apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the resource monitor means restarts the extended application execution means from its initial state when the amount of usage of the resources returns to an amount equal to or smaller than the predetermined amount after stopping the extended application execution means.

10. The application controlling apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the resource monitor means restarts the extended application which it has stopped from its initial state when the amount of usage of the resources returns to an amount equal to or smaller than the predetermined amount.

11. The application controlling apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that the resource monitor means restarts extended applications which it has stopped from their initial states in descending order of priority assigned to each of the extended applications in advance, in increasing order of an amount of resources used by each of the extended applications when stopped, or in increasing order of a maximum amount of usage of resources set to each of the extended applications in advance, and stops the restarting in progress when the amount of usage of the resources exceeds the predetermined amount as a result of the restarting.

12. The application controlling apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that said apparatus includes a communication unit which carries out communications via an external network, the resource monitor means, if it is connected to the external network via said communication unit when stopping the extended application execution means, disconnects this connection, after that, restarts said extended application execution means from its initial state, and reconnects to the external network via said communication unit when restarting extended applications which were running when stopping said extended application execution means from their initial states.

13. The application controlling apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that said apparatus includes a communication unit which carries out communications via an external network, the resource monitor means, if it is connected to the external network via said communication unit when stopping the extended application execution means, disconnects this connection, and, after that, if the amount of usage of the resources returns to an amount equal to or smaller than the predetermined amount, reconnects to the external network via said communication unit when restarting extended applications which the resource monitor means has stopped from their initial states.

14. The application controlling apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that said apparatus includes a watchdog timer for monitoring the extended application execution means by checking to see whether or not said extended application execution means is running normally at predetermined intervals, and the resource monitor means stops the monitoring of said watchdog timer when stopping said extended application execution means, and, after that, restarts said extended application execution means from its initial state and makes said watchdog timer restarts the monitoring when restarting extended applications which were running when stopping said extended application execution means from their initial states.

15. The application controlling apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that said apparatus includes a watchdog timer for monitoring extended applications by checking to see whether or not said extended applications are running normally at predetermined intervals, and the resource monitor means stops the monitoring of said watchdog timer when stopping extended applications, and, after that, if the amount of usage of the resources returns to an amount equal to or smaller than the predetermined amount, makes said watchdog timer restarts the monitoring when restarting the extended applications which it has stopped from their initial states.

16. The application controlling apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the resource monitor means checks to see whether the amount of usage of the resources exceeds the predetermined amount at predetermined intervals or when an extended application makes a request for resources.

17. The application controlling apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said apparatus includes a vehicle state acquiring means for acquiring a state of a vehicle, and the resource monitor means changes a length of intervals at which it checks to see whether the amount of usage of the resources exceeds the predetermined amount according to the state of the vehicle acquired by said vehicle state acquiring means.

18. The application controlling apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the resource monitor means is constructed as one extended application, a part of functions of the extended application execution means, one basic application, a part of functions of the basic application execution means, or a supervisory program which runs on external hardware.

19. The application controlling apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the resource monitor means uses, as the predetermined amount of usage of resources which is used as a criterion for stopping extended applications, a fixed value which is set up beforehand, a variation depending upon an amount of usage of resources being used by basic applications, a default or a user-defined value which is set up for each extended application, a default depending upon a type of extended applications, or a default which is set up for each user which has started an extended application.

20. The application controlling apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said apparatus includes a vehicle state acquiring means for acquiring a state of a vehicle, and the resource monitor means uses, as the predetermined amount of usage of resources which is used as a criterion for stopping extended applications, a variation depending upon the state of the vehicle acquired by said vehicle state acquiring means.

21. A storage medium which stores software which can be executed by a computer, the software comprising the steps of:

reading a basic application for implementing a basic function from a basic application storage means for storing the basic application so as to make the basic application be executed;

reading an extended application for implementing an additional function from an extended application acquisition/storage means for acquiring and storing the extended application so as to make the extended application be executed;

monitoring resources currently being consumed by execution of said extended application; and

stopping a predetermined extended application while keeping the basic application running when an amount of usage of said resources exceeds a predetermined amount.