METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DYNAMIC CONFIGURATION OF MULTIPROCESSOR SYSTEM

• US 20100017543A1
• Filed: 06/11/2009
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MicroPairing Technologies LLC (Micropairing Technologies Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Medius Inc
• Inventors: Lutter, Robert Pierce, Preston, Dan Alan
• Granted Patent: US 8,958,315 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/16
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2028 eliminating a faulty processor or activating a spare
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2035 without idle spare hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2046 where the redundant components share persistent storage G06F11/2043 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3013 where the computing system is an embedded system, i.e. a combination of hardware and software dedicated to perform a certain function in mobile devices, printers, automotive or aircraft systems testing or monitoring of control systems or parts thereof G05B23/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3051 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the configuration of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring the presence of processing resources, peripherals, I/O links, software programs verification or detection of system hardware configuration G06F11/2247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/328 Computer systems status display G06F11/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4081 Live connection to bus, e.g. hot-plugging current or voltage limitation during live insertion H02H9/004
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/46 Multiprogramming arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40169 Flexible bus arrangements arrangements for maintenance or administration involving management of faults; events, alarms H04L41/06; automatic restoration of network faults H04L41/0654
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 with centralised control, e.g. polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0809 Plug-and-play configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 : involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols

Abstract

A multiprocessor system used in a car, home, or office environment includes multiple processors that run different real-time applications. A dynamic configuration system runs on the multiple processors and includes a device manager, configuration manager, and data manager. The device manager automatically detects and adds new devices to the multiprocessor system, and the configuration manager automatically reconfigures which processors run the real-time applications. The data manager identifies the type of data generated by the new devices and identifies which devices in the multiprocessor system are able to process the data.

A communication system for a mobile vehicle, home, or office environment includes multiple processors. The multiple processors each run an Open Communication system that controls how data is transferred between processors based on data content as opposed to the links that connect the processors together. The open communication system enables data or messages to be effectively transferred and processed for real-time applications or other server based applications that may be running on the multiple processors in a secure environment regardless of processors, locations, or data links.

Claims

1. A system of multiple processors for an automobile, comprising:

(a) multiple on-board processors that run automobile applications, at least one of which on-board processors is a processor that is embedded in the automobile;

(b) a communication system that couples the multiple processors together; and

(c) a dynamic configuration system operating on multiple of the on-board processors and including software resident in memory that is executable to;

(i) automatically detect and incorporate new hardware devices into the system of multiple processors for communication with one or more of the multiple on-board processors, and

(ii) automatically reconfigure the system of multiple processors in real-time to run at least a specified portion of one of the automobile applications normally run on a first on-board processor on at least one different on-board processor in the system of multiple processors by executing on at least one different on-board processor the specified portion of the automobile application normally run by the first on-board processor.

2. A system of multiple processors according to claim 1 wherein:

(a) the dynamic configuration system includes a device manager operating on multiple on-board processors, and

(b) the device manager includes software resident in memory that is executable to;

(i) detect communication signals generated by a new hardware device that is within range of the vehicle, and

(ii) incorporate the new hardware device into the system of multiple processors when the detected signals conform with a communication protocol used by any of the multiple processors.

3. A system of multiple processors according to claim 1 wherein:

(a) the dynamic configuration system includes a configuration manager, and

(b) the configuration manager includes software resident in memory that is executable to;

(i) monitor the automobile applications operating in multiple of the on-board processors;

(ii) identify a high priority automobile application that has failed on a first of the monitored on-board processors;

(iii) identify a lower priority automobile application operating on a second of the monitored on-board processors; and

(iv) reconfigure the system of multiple processors to run the failed high priority application on the second of the monitored on-board processors.

4. A system of multiple processors according to claim 3 wherein the configuration manager includes software resident in memory that is executable to:

(a) store a copy of the application that has failed on the first on-board processors in a memory on a third of the monitored on-board processor that is currently running another automobile application,

(b) download the application from its stored location on the third on-board processor to the second on-board processor, and

(c) run the downloaded copy of the automobile application on the second on-board processor when the failure in the first on-board processor is detected.

5. A system of multiple processors according to claim 4 wherein:

(a) the dynamic configuration systems includes a data manager, and

(b) the data manager includes software resident in memory that is executable to;

(i) store critical data generated by the failed application running on the first on-board processor, and

(ii) download and run the stored critical data along with the copy of the application on the second on-board processor when the failure in the first on-board processor is detected.

6. A system of multiple processors according to claim 5 further comprising a display device that includes a user interface and that is configured to display

(a) at least one application running on an on-board processor that has failed, and

(b) applications running on other on-board processors that can be replaced by the failed application.

7. A system of multiple processors according to claim 6 wherein the data manager is configured to identify the different types of data transferred by different on-board processors, and the display device is configured to display the on-board processors in the system of multiple processors that can process each of the identified types of data.

8. A system of multiple processors in a car according to claim 7 including the capability of performing a plurality of the following applications:

automatic brake control;

audio player control;

video player control;

airbag deployment monitoring;

display control;

navigation control; and

sensor monitoring.

9. A system of multiple processors used in a vehicle, comprising:

(a) multiple processors located on-board the vehicle and adapted to run different real-time vehicle applications, at least one of which processors is an embedded processor hard wired to the vehicle;

(b) a communication system coupling the multiple processors together over multiple communication links;

(c) a dynamic configuration system that runs on multiple on-board processors and that includes a device manager that automatically detects and adds new hardware devices to the on-board system of multiple processors;

(d) a configuration manager that automatically reconfigures the system of multiple processors to run the different applications on different ones of the multiple on-board processors,

(e) a data manager that identifies data generated by the new devices and identifies other devices in the system of multiple processors that can input or output the identified data; and

(f) a display processor showing new hardware devices detected or added to the system of multiple processors and that further includes a user input system configured to allow the user to direct the operation of multiple processors.

10. A system of multiple processors according to claim 9 wherein the vehicle applications include any of the following:

car braking;

audio control;

video control;

car sensor monitoring;

car display control;

car security monitoring;

car temperature control;

car lighting control; and

car airbag monitoring.

11. A system of multiple processors according to claim 9 wherein the communication system includes support for an IEEE 802.11 link, a Bluetooth link, a hard-wired link, a satcom link, and a cellular link.

12. A system of multiple processors for an automobile, comprising:

(a) multiple on-board processors that run automobile applications, at least one of which on-board processors is a processor that is embedded in the automobile;

(b) a communication system that couples the multiple processors together; and

(c) a plurality of dynamic configuration systems, each dynamic configuration system operating on one of the on-board processors and including software resident in memory that is executable to;

(i) automatically detect and incorporate new hardware devices into the system of multiple processors for communication with one or more of the multiple on-board processors, and

(ii) automatically reconfigure the system of multiple processors in real-time to run at least a specified portion of one of the automobile applications normally run on a first on-board processor on at least one different on-board processor in the system of multiple processors by executing on at least one different on-board processor the specified portion of the automobile application normally run by the first on-board processor.

13. A system of multiple processors according to claim 12 wherein:

(a) a plurality of the dynamic configuration systems each include a device manager, and

(b) a plurality of the device managers include software resident in memory that is executable to;

(i) detect communication signals generated by a new hardware device that is within range of the vehicle, and

(ii) incorporate the new hardware device into the system of multiple processors when the detected signals conform with a communication protocol used by any of the multiple processors.

14. A system of multiple processors according to claim 12 wherein:

(a) a plurality of the dynamic configuration systems includes a configuration manager, and

(b) a plurality of the configuration managers include software resident in memory that is executable to;

(i) monitor the automobile applications operating in multiple of the on-board processors;

(ii) identify a high priority automobile application that has failed on a first of the monitored on-board processors;

(iii) identify a lower priority automobile application operating on a second of the monitored on-board processor; and

(iv) reconfigure the system of multiple processors to run the failed high priority application on the second of the monitored on-board processor.

15. A system of multiple processors according to claim 14 wherein a plurality of the configuration managers include software resident in memory that is executable to:

(a) store a copy of the application that has failed on the first of the on-board processors in the memory on a third of the monitored on-board processors that is currently running another automobile application,

(b) download the application from its stored location on the third on-board processor to the second on-board processors, and

(c) run the downloaded copy of the automobile application on the second on-board processor when the failure in the first on-board processor is detected.

16. A system of multiple processors according to claim 15 wherein:

(a) a plurality of the dynamic configuration systems includes a data manager, and

(b) a plurality of the data managers include software resident in memory that is executable to

(i) store critical data generated by the failed application running on the first on-board processor, and

(ii) download and run the copy of the application along with the stored critical data on the second on-board processor when the failure in the first on-board processor is detected.