DYNAMIC FUNCTIONALITY PARTITIONING

• US 20140115128A1
• Filed: 10/19/2012
• Published: 04/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Myrberg, Mats Eric, DeJean, Gerald Reuben III, Greenwade, Lance Eric, Tremblay, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 9,417,925 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/509 Offload
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5061 Partitioning or combining of resources

Abstract

A sensor and processing system dynamically partitions functionality between various remote sensor nodes and a processing subsystem based on available communication capabilities. Redundant functionality is located at the processing subsystem and each of the various remote sensor nodes, and each sensor node coordinates with the processing subsystem to determine the location (e.g., at the processing subsystem or at the sensor node) at which a particular functionality is executed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting communication capabilities of a communications channel between a sensor node and a processing subsystem, the communications channel carrying a sensor data stream; and

adjusting allocation of functionality between the sensor node and the processing subsystem based on the detected communication capabilities, the adjusted functionality changing characteristics of data communicated in the sensor data stream.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the characteristics of data communicated between the sensor node and the processing subsystem in the sensor data stream before the adjusting operation and the characteristics of data communicated between the sensor node and the processing subsystem in the sensor data stream after the adjusting operation differ by the communication bandwidth used to communicate sensor data between the sensor node and the processing subsystem.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the characteristics of data communicated between the sensor node and the processing subsystem in the sensor data stream before the adjusting operation and the characteristics of data communicated between the sensor node and the processing subsystem in the sensor data stream after the adjusting operation differ by a level of encryption applied to sensor data communicated between the sensor node and the processing subsystem.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing subsystem and the sensor node each include a preprocessor block that performs the same preprocessor functionality.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein at least one of the processing subsystem and the sensor node further includes a preprocessor block that provides preprocessor functionality that is unique to the at least one of the processing subsystem and the sensor node.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the adjusting operation comprises:

enabling one or more preprocessor blocks of at least one of the sensor node or the processing subsystem to accommodate a change in communication channel bandwidth.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the adjusting operation comprises:

disabling one or more preprocessor blocks of at least one of the sensor node or the processing subsystem to accommodate a change in communication channel bandwidth.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the adjusting operation comprises:

enabling a preprocessor block of one of the sensor node or the processing subsystem; and

disabling a corresponding preprocessor block in the other one of the sensor node or the processing subsystem.

9. One or more computer-readable storage media encoding computer-executable instructions for executing on a computer system a computer process, the computer process comprising:

detecting communication capabilities of a communications channel between a sensor node and a processing subsystem, the communications channel carrying a sensor data stream; and

adjusting allocation of functionality provided by preprocessor blocks between the sensor node and the processing subsystem based on the detected communication capabilities, the adjusted functionality changing characteristics of data communicated in the sensor data stream.

10. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 9 wherein the adjusting operation comprises:

enabling one or more preprocessor blocks of at least one of the sensor node or the processing subsystem to accommodate a change in communication channel bandwidth.

11. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 9 wherein the adjusting operation comprises:

disabling one or more preprocessor blocks of at least one of the sensor node or the processing subsystem to accommodate a change in communication channel bandwidth.

12. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 9 wherein the adjusting operation comprises:

enabling a preprocessor block of one of the sensor node or the processing subsystem; and

disabling a corresponding preprocessor block in the other one of the sensor node or the processing subsystem.

13. A system comprising:

a communications interface configured to detect communication capabilities of a communications channel between a sensor node and a processing subsystem, the communications channel carrying a first sensor data stream; and

a partitioning controller configured to adjust allocation of functionality between the sensor node and the processing subsystem based on the detected communication capabilities, the adjusted functionality changing characteristics of data communicated in the sensor data stream.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the characteristics of the data in the sensor data stream before the adjusting operation and the characteristics of the data in the sensor data stream after the adjusting operation differ by an amount of preprocessing performed on the sensor data by the sensor node or the processing subsystem.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the processing subsystem and the sensor node each include one or more preprocessors block that are capable of performing overlapping preprocessor functionality.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the processing subsystem and the sensor node each include a preprocessor block that performs the same preprocessor functionality.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein at least one of the processing subsystem and the sensor node further includes a preprocessor block that provides preprocessor functionality that is unique to the at least one of the processing subsystem and the sensor node.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein the a partitioning controller is configured to adjust the allocation of functionality by enabling one or more preprocessor blocks of at least one of the sensor node or the processing subsystem to accommodate a change in communication channel bandwidth.

19. The system of claim 13 wherein the a partitioning controller is configured to adjust the allocation of functionality by disabling one or more preprocessor blocks of at least one of the sensor node or the processing subsystem to accommodate a change in communication channel bandwidth.

20. The system of claim 13 wherein the a partitioning controller is configured to adjust allocation of functionality by enabling a preprocessor block of one of the sensor node or the processing subsystem and disabling a corresponding preprocessor block in the other one of the sensor node or the processing subsystem.