Method and apparatus of resource allocation or resource release

• US 9,003,039 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2012
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ground Transportation Systems Canada Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Thales Canada Incorporated (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Amorim, Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): HOANG, HIEU T
• Application Number:
  US13/689,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20140149594A1
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 709/226, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 19/06 Interlocking devices having electrical operation
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 21/04 Electrical locking and release of the route; Electrical repeat locks
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/20 Trackside control of safe travel of vehicle or train, e.g. braking curve calculation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/17306 Intercommunication techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]

Abstract

A method of resource allocation by a resource controlling device includes receiving, from a sending device, a list of resource devices requested by a resource requesting device. Allocation of a first resource device on the list of resource devices is performed. A list of remaining resource devices is sent to a next resource controlling device if the first resource device on the list of resource devices is successfully allocated for the resource requesting device and the first resource device is not a last resource device on the list of resource devices. An allocation failure message is sent to the sending device if the first resource device on the list of resource devices is not successfully allocated for the resource requesting device.

Claims

1. A method of resource allocation by a resource controlling device, comprising:

receiving, by a processor of the resource controlling device from a sending device, a first list of resource devices requested by a first resource requesting device;

performing allocation of a first resource device on the first list of resource devices, if the first resource device is associated with the resource controlling device and the first resource requesting device is authorized;

sending a list of remaining resource devices to a next resource controlling device, a first resource device on the list of remaining resource devices is associated with the next resource controlling device, if the first resource device on the first list of resource devices is successfully allocated for the first resource requesting device and the first resource device is not a last resource device on the first list of resource devices; and

sending an allocation failure message to the sending device, if the first resource device on the first list of resource devices is not successfully allocated for the first resource requesting device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending an allocation completion message to the first resource requesting device if the first device on the first list of resource devices is successfully allocated for the first resource requesting device and the first resource device is the last resource device on the first list of resource devices.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending an allocation completion message to the sending device, if the first resource device on the first list of resource devices is successfully allocated for the first resource requesting device and either (1) the first resource device is the last resource device on the first list of resource devices or (2) an allocation completion message from the next resource controlling device is received.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an allocation failure message from the next resource controlling device; and

releasing, responsive to the allocation failure message from the next resource controlling device, the allocation of the first resource device on the first list of resource devices.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an allocation failure message from the next resource controlling device; and

sending, responsive to the allocation failure message from the next resource controlling device, an alternative list of remaining resource devices for the first resource requesting device to another next resource controlling device, a first resource device on the alternative list of remaining resource devices is associated with the another next resource controlling device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from another sending device, a second list of resource devices for a second resource requesting device, a first resource device on the second list of resource devices being the first resource device on the first list of resource devices; and

performing allocation of the first resource device on the second list of resource devices for the second resource requesting device after receipt of a confirmation regarding whether all resource devices on the list of remaining resource devices are successfully allocated for the first resource requesting device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the allocation of the first resource device on the second list of resource devices for either the first resource requesting device or the second resource requesting device is performed on a first-come-first-serve basis.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending the allocation failure message to the sending device if the first resource device on the first list of resource devices is not associated with the resource controlling device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the first resource requesting device is authorized if the first resource requesting device is on a predetermined list of authorized resource requesting devices.

10. A method of resource release by a resource controlling device, comprising:

receiving, by a processor of the resource controlling device from a sending device, a list of resource devices to-be-released for the first resource requesting device;

performing release of a first resource device on the list of resource devices if the first resource device is associated with the resource controlling device and is currently allocated for the resource requesting device;

sending a list of remaining resource devices to-be-released for the resource requesting device to a next resource controlling device, a first resource device on the list of remaining resource devices is associated with the next resource controlling device, if the first resource device on the list of resource devices is not a last resource device on the list of resource devices; and

sending a release failure message to the sending device if the first resource device on the list of resource devices is not successfully released for the resource requesting device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

sending a release completion message to the first resource requesting device if the first resource device on the list of resource devices is successfully released for the resource requesting device and the first resource device is the last resource devices on the list of resource devices.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

sending a release completion message to the sending device if the first resource device on the list of resource devices is successfully released for the resource requesting device and either (1) the first resource device are the last resource device on the list of resource devices or (2) a release completion message from the next resource controlling device is received.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

relaying one or more of release failure messages and release completion messages regarding resource devices on the list of remaining resource devices to the sending device.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

sending the release failure message to the sending device if the first resource device on the list of resource devices is not associated with the resource controlling device.

15. A resource controlling device comprising:

a communication interface configured to communicate with a resource requesting device and another resource controlling device; and

a processor configured to be coupled with one or more resource devices, the processor being configured to;

receive a list of resource devices to be allocated or released for the resource requesting device;

perform allocation or release of a first resource device on the list of resource devices if the first resource device is coupled with the processor; and

sending a list of remaining resource devices to the another resource controlling device, a first resource device on the list of remaining resource devices is associated with the another resource controlling device, if the first resource device is not a last resource device on the list of resource devices.

16. The resource controlling device of claim 15, wherein the allocation performed by the processor comprises further causing the processor to:

set the first resource device on the list of resource devices to an allocated state for the resource requesting device if the first resource device is currently set to an unallocated state.

17. The resource controlling device of claim 15, wherein the allocation performed by the processor comprises further causing the processor to:

set the first resource device on the list of resource devices to a pending state if the first resource device is currently set to an unallocated state resource and the list of remaining resource devices is not empty; and

set the first resource device on the list of resource devices to an allocated state for the resource requesting device after receipt of an allocation confirmation for all resource devices on the list of remaining resource devices if the first resource device is currently set to the pending state.

18. The resource controlling device of claim 15, wherein the allocation performed by the processor comprises further causing the processor to:

set the first resource device on the list of resource devices to a pending state if the first resource device is currently set to an unallocated state and the list of remaining resource devices is not empty; and

set the first resource device on the list of resource devices to the unallocated state after receipt of an allocation failure message for all resource devices on the list of remaining resource devices if the first resource device on the list of resource devices is currently set to the pending state.

19. The resource controlling device of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to:

send a message indicative of allocation completion or release completion to the resource requesting device if the first resource device is the last resource device on the list of resource devices.

20. The resource controlling device of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine if the resource requesting device is on a predetermined list of authorized resource requesting devices; and

ignore the list of resource devices to be allocated for the resource requesting device if the resource requesting device is not on the predetermined list of authorized resource requesting devices.