METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING PHYSICAL ACTUATORS IN PERVASIVE COMPUTING ENVIRONMENTS

• US 20120185100A1
• Filed: 08/16/2010
• Published: 07/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Europe Ltd
• Inventors: Strohbach, Martin, Kovacs, Erno, Gessler, Stefan
• Granted Patent: US 9,342,361 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/275
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32328 Dynamic scheduling, resource allocation, multi agent negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5015 Service provider selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• 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: Y02P 80/10 Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier

Abstract

For achieving a coordinated and opportunistic actuator control a method for controlling physical actuators in pervasive computing environments is claimed, wherein an entity—actuation space—is provided, the actuation space being configured to manage actuation requests and actuation status information, wherein at least one resource user sends one or more actuation requests to the actuation space that stores the one or more actuation requests, wherein at least one actuator resource controls at least one physical actuator on the basis of one or more of the actuation requests stored in the actuation space, wherein the at least one actuator resource sends actuation status information corresponding to one or more of the actuation requests to the actuation space, and wherein the at least one resource user and the at least one actuator resource share the actuation space. Furthermore, a corresponding system is disclosed.

Claims

1. Method for controlling physical actuators in pervasive computing environments,

wherein an entity—

actuation space—

is provided, said actuation space being configured to manage actuation requests and actuation status information,

wherein at least one resource user sends one or more actuation requests to said actuation space that stores said one or more actuation requests,

wherein at least one actuator resource controls at least one physical actuator on the basis of one or more of said actuation requests stored in said actuation space,

wherein said at least one actuator resource sends actuation status information corresponding to one or more of said actuation requests to said actuation space, and

wherein said at least one resource user and said at least one actuator resource share said actuation space.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one resource user and said at least one actuator resource are decoupled spatially and/or temporally by updating and accessing said shared actuation space.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein updates, insertions and/or deletions of actuation requests in said actuation space are performed by said at least one resource user.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein at least one resource user monitors at least one of said actuation requests and/or actuation status information maintained in said actuation space.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein at least one actuator resource monitors at least one of said actuation requests and/or actuation status information maintained in said actuation space.

6. Method according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring of said actuation requests and/or actuation status information maintained in said actuation space is performed by subscribing to said actuation requests and/or actuation status information.

7. Method according to claim 6, wherein said subscribing is performed by sending subscription requests to said actuation space, wherein said subscription requests include a description of the actuation request and/or a flag indicating whether actuation status information is to be returned if available.

8. Method according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring of said actuation requests and/or actuation status information maintained in said actuation space is performed by polling said actuation space.

9. Method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one resource user and said at least one actuator resource are notified about changes in said actuation space by said actuation space or another entity being aware of changes in said actuation space.

10. Method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one actuator resource executes an actuation request after receiving a notification from said actuation space as a result of a change in said actuation space, in particular a change in an actuation request, that is performed by said at least one resource user.

11. Method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one actuator resource updates said actuation requests and said corresponding actuation status information in said actuation space after the execution of said actuation requests.

12. Method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one or at least one actuator resource is operational to function as resource user in order to indirectly control at least one physical actuator.

13. Method according to claim 1, wherein said actuation space is implemented in a distributed fashion, in particular in a hierarchy of actuation subspaces that manage said actuation requests and actuation status information for different and/or predefined geographic areas.

14. Method according to claim 1, wherein said actuation space contains individual entries including an actuation request that specifies a request for a predefined actuator and an actuation status information that provides information about the status of said actuation request.

15. Method according to claim 1, wherein said actuation requests consist of actuation tasks and associated meta data that specify what physical effects are achieved in specified environments.

16. Method according to claim 1, wherein said actuation tasks are entity-based, wherein said entity-based actuation tasks specify actuation effects in relationship to a physical entity.

17. Method according to claim 1, wherein said actuation tasks are conditional, wherein said conditional actuation tasks employ event-based rules that determine when an actuation request is to be executed.

18. Method according to claim 1, wherein said actuation tasks include temporal information about the planned and/or predefined time of execution.

19. Method according to claim 1, wherein said actuation tasks include permissible deviations, wherein said deviations include an error and/or spatial tolerance.

20. Method according to claim 1, wherein said actuation tasks are composed, wherein said composed actuation tasks define temporal constraints and relationships between actuation tasks.

21. Method according to claim 1, wherein said actuation status information corresponding to an actuation request include a list of actuator resources that are taking care of said corresponding actuation request and the resource user that specified said actuation request.

22. Method according to claim 1, wherein the information stored in said actuation space is implemented with an entity-attribute based data model in which actuation tasks are specified in terms of effects on real-world entities, wherein actuation task and actuation status information are represented as different attributes of said entities.

23. Method according to claim 1, wherein multiple physical actuators are controlled by monitoring a single actuation request of a resource user, wherein an actuator resource reacts to changes regarding said actuation request in said actuation space, wherein further actuation resources being deployed subscribe to said actuation request unbeknown to said resource user.

24. Method according to claim 1, wherein multiple physical actuators are controlled by composing actuator resources, wherein an actuation request originating from an resource user is received by an actuator resource having previously monitored said actuation request, wherein said actuator resource breaks down said actuation request in new separated actuation requests and inserts said new separated actuation requests in said actuation space, wherein further actuator resources are correspondingly notified to control their respective physical actuators according to said new separated actuation requests.

25. Method according to claim 1, wherein an actuator resource monitors an actuation request in said actuation space, wherein said actuator resource employs additional knowledge for making decisions about which physical actuator to control, wherein said additional knowledge is obtained from knowledge encapsulated in said physical actuators and/or by accessing an external system.

26. Method according to claim 1, wherein said actuator resources employ additional knowledge to request decomposed actuation tasks that are more concrete than the actuation task being monitored.

27. Method according to claim 1, wherein an actuator resource controls at least two physical actuators, wherein said actuator resource monitors an actuation request, wherein said actuator resource receives a notification ordering the actuation, and wherein said actuator resource employs additional knowledge in order to determine which actuator is to be controlled.

28. Method according to claim 1, wherein an actuator resource employs additional knowledge to decide whether the monitored actuation request requires actual control of the associated physical actuator.

29. Method according to claim 1, wherein before a resource user sends an actuation request, said resource user subscribes or queries the relevant parts in said actuation space, wherein a response of said actuation space indicates whether another actuator resource is already requesting a potentially conflicting actuation task.

30. Method according to claim 1, wherein a conflict resolution resource is provided in case of an actuator resource sends a conflicting actuation request, wherein said conflict resolution resource resolves the conflict by monitoring said actuation space and providing a resolved actuation request being accordingly marked.

31. Method according to claim 1, wherein a conflict resolution mechanism is provided, wherein said conflict resolution mechanism includes first-in-first-out, overwrite, prioritize and/or task modification mechanisms.

32. Method according to claim 1, wherein said actuation space comprises

at least one actuation space resource (7) that manages fragments of the actuation space,

a resolver (5) that receives all requests that modify the actuation space, and

at least one resource directory (6) employed by said resolver (5), wherein said at least one resource directory (6) returns the correct actuation space resource (7) to said resolver (5),

wherein said resolver (5) forwards the original actuation request received by an resource user (1) or an actuator resource (3) to said actuation space resource (7).

33. Method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one resource user and said at least one actuator resource interact directly with an actuation space resource and a resource directory.

34. Method according to claim 1, wherein an actuator resource implements a native legacy interface for a legacy actuator, wherein said native legacy interface intercepts calls from legacy resource users, wherein said calls are forwarded to the legacy actuator resource, and wherein a corresponding actuation request is inserted in said actuation space allowing further resource users to coordinate on the actuation tasks of said actuation request.

35. System for controlling physical actuators in pervasive computing environments, in particular for the execution of the method according to claim 1, the system comprising

an entity—

actuation space—

being configured to manage actuation requests and actuation status information,

at least one resource user being configured to send one or more actuation requests to said actuation space that stores said one or more actuation requests,

at least one actuator resource being configured to control at least one physical actuator on the basis of one or more of said actuation requests stored in said actuation space,

wherein said at least one actuator resource further being configured to send actuation status information corresponding to one or more of said actuation requests to said actuation space, and

wherein said at least one resource user and said at least one actuator resource being configured to share said actuation space.