Embedded controllers and development tool for embedded controllers

• US 8,347,282 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2008
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Yoshimura, Kentaro, Miyazaki, Taizo, Yokoyama, Takanori
• Primary Examiner(s): DAO, THUY CHAN
• Application Number:
  US12/194,948
• Publication Number:
  US 20080313614A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,595 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse

Abstract

An embedded controller development tool which generates an interface means for preserving and outputting a control data calculated by the control operation means based on a specific computational procedure, and providing said control data to a plurality of control operation means including said control operation means; wherein the control operation means is described as a function in the source code of the program, the reference data used for calculation by said control operation is an argument of the function, said control data calculated by said control operation means is the argument of the function which points the return value or the address of said function.

Claims

1. A control unit comprising:

a signal receiving section which captures an input signal from outside and converts captured said input signal into a form of data;

a processor which processes said input signal in said form of data to compute a control data;

a signal outputting section which outputs said control data to an external device to be connected thereto as a control signal therefor;

a memory which memorizes an embedded software to make said processor execute said computation of said control data;

wherein

said embedded software includes an application software and a basic software;

wherein

said application software includes a first software component and a second software component, and an interface layer that includes a first interface software corresponding to said first software component and a second interface software corresponding to said second software component, and a basic controlling software that controls an execution sequence of said first software component and said second software component;

wherein

said first interface software independently controls input to and output from said first software component, and said second interface software independently controls input to and output from said second software component, and said basic software controls starting said application software, and reading-out said input signal and sending-out said control signal according to commands generated from said application software;

wherein

said first software component performs computation based on said input signal or a control data that is a result of controlling computation performed by said second software component;

wherein

said interface layer controls exchange of said control data between said first software component and said second software component through the first interface software and the second interface software; and

wherein

said control data that is the result of the second software component controlling computation is input to the first software component through the first interface software and the second interface software of the interface layer.

2. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein

said first interface software preserves said control data which is computed by said first software component supported by said first interface software;

and

said second interface software refers to said control data preserved in said first interface software.

3. The control unit according to claim 2, wherein

said first interface software collects said control data referring to said control data preserved in said second interface software or referring to said control data preserved in said first interface software;

and

said data to be collected is a data that said first software component, which is supported by said first interface software, uses in its execution of computation.

4. The control unit according to claim 3, wherein

said first interface software commands said first software component to execute computation over said control data collected by said first interface software for said computation by said first software component;

said first interface software provides said first software component with such a condition that said first software component can refer to said specified control data in its execution of commanded computation; and

said control data to be computed is specified by said first interface software from among said collected control data.

5. The control unit according to claim 4, wherein said first interface software preserves a control data that is a result of computation by said first software component;

and

said second interface software preserves a control data that is a result of computation by said second software component;

wherein the number of said control data to be preserved is only one for each of said first software component and said second software component.

6. The control unit according to claim 3, wherein said first interface software preserves a control data that is a result of computation by said first software component;

and

said second interface software preserves a control data that is a result of computation by said second software component;

wherein the number of said control data to be preserved is only one for each of said first software component and said second software component.

7. The control unit according to claim 2, wherein said first interface software preserves a control data that is a result of computation by said first software component;

and

said second interface software preserves a control data that is a result of computation by said second software component;

wherein the number of said control data to be preserved is only one for each of said first software component and said second software component.

8. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein said first interface software preserves a control data that is a result of computation by said first software component;

and

said second interface software preserves a control data that is a result of computation by said second software component;

wherein the number of said control data to be preserved is only one for each of said first software component and said second software component.

9. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein

said second software component computes a variable that is used by said application software.

10. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein said signal receiving section captures an input signal by a sensor or other control unit, and said external device is an actuator or other control unit.