Cloud-based instrument driver system

• US 9,348,771 B1
• Filed: 02/14/2014
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Inventors: Desai, Ankit, Purser, Robert K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Anya, Charles E
• Application Number:
  US14/180,807
• Time in Patent Office: 830 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/102 where the programme performs an interfacing function, e.g. device driver G06F13/105 takes precedence; scheduling within device drivers G06F9/52; contention policies within device drivers G06F9/4881
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0058 Transmission between separate instruments or between individual components of a musical system G10H1/0083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/305 Internet or TCP/IP protocol use for any electrophonic musical instrument data or musical parameter transmission purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 7/002 using a common processing for different operations or calculations, and a set of microinstructions (programme) to control the sequence thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561

Abstract

A cloud-based instrument driver system enables a user device to interact with one or more instruments through a remotely located driver cloud. The driver cloud may store drivers and ancillary software. The user device may be connected to each instrument either directly or indirectly, for example, over one or more computer networks, and may be connected to and communicate directly with the driver cloud over the computer network. However, the driver cloud and the instrument may not be in direct communication. The user device relays commands and responses to and from the instrument to the driver cloud for translation into a format suitable for processing by the user device. Utilization of the driver cloud obviates the need to obtain, install and maintain any drivers and/or ancillary software on the user device in order to enable the device to interact with the instrument.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions, the instructions when executed by one or more processing elements configured to:

store, at a driver cloud that is located remotely from a user device, a plurality of instrument drivers for an instrument that responds to instrument commands that conform to an instrument protocol;

receive, at the driver cloud from the user device, a first command directed to the instrument, the first command;

evaluated by an application program, and

not conforming to the instrument protocol;

select, by the driver cloud, a particular instrument driver from among the plurality of instrument drivers for the instrument, where the particular instrument driver that is selected supports interaction with the instrument;

translate, at the driver cloud, using the particular instrument driver, the first command into one or more of the instrument commands, where the one or more of the instrument commands conform to the instrument protocol;

receive, at the driver cloud, a response following execution of the one or more of the instrument commands at the instrument;

following receipt of the response, determine, at the driver cloud, that the response is syntactically correct for the particular instrument driver that is to process the response;

process, at the driver cloud, the response utilizing the particular instrument driver to produce a user response; and

transmit, from the driver cloud to the user device, the user response.

2. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 further comprising instructions executable by the one or more processing elements to:

maintain, at the driver cloud, state information for a session with the instrument.

3. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 wherein the instrument is connected to or simulated at the user device.

4. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 further comprising instructions executable by the one or more processing elements to:

translate, using the particular instrument driver, the first response into the user response that is compatible with the application program.

5. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 1 wherein the application program is selected from the group consisting of:

a graphical modeling program, an array-based analysis program, and a browser.

6. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 5 wherein the graphical program is a dataflow program or a time-based simulation program.

7. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 1 wherein the instrument is a computer-controlled, data acquisition device.

8. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 7 wherein the computer-controlled, data acquisition device is a digital multimeter, a function generator, or an oscilloscope.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 1 wherein the user device is free from including a driver for the instrument.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 1 further comprising instructions executable by the one or more processing elements to:

store, at the driver cloud, a plurality of ancillary software modules;

select, by the driver cloud, from among the plurality of ancillary software modules, a particular ancillary software module for the instrument; and

use the particular ancillary software module with the particular instrument driver to translate the first command into the one or more of the instrument commands.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 10 wherein the particular ancillary software is one or more shared software components or a Virtual Instrument Software Architecture (VISA) interconnect layer.

12. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions, the instructions when executed by one or more processing elements configured to:

store, at a driver cloud that is located remotely from a user device, a plurality of instrument drivers for an instrument that responds to instrument commands that conform to an instrument protocol and a user application program;

receive, at the driver cloud from a browser application running at the user device, a designation of a first command directed to the instrument, the first command;

designated by the browser application running at the user device, evaluated by the user application program at the driver cloud, and not conforming to the instrument protocol;

select, by the driver cloud, a particular instrument driver from among the plurality of instrument drivers for the instrument, where the particular instrument driver that is selected supports interaction with the instrument according to the instrument protocol;

translate, at the driver cloud, using the particular instrument driver, the first command into one or more of the instrument commands, where the one or more of the instrument commands conform to the instrument protocol;

receive, at the driver cloud, a response following execution of the one or more of the instrument commands at the instrument;

following receipt of the response, determine, at the driver cloud, that the response is syntactically correct for the particular instrument driver that is to process the response;

process, at the driver cloud, the response utilizing the particular instrument driver to produce a user response; and

transmit, from the driver cloud to the user device, the user response.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12 further comprising instructions executable by the one or more processing elements to:

maintain, at the driver cloud, state information for a session with the instrument.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12 wherein the instrument is connected to or simulated at the user device.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12 further comprising instructions executable by the one or more processing elements to:

translate, using the particular instrument driver, the response into the user response that is compatible with the application program.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 12 wherein the application program is selected from the group consisting of:

a graphical modeling program, an array-based analysis program, and a browser.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions, the program instructions when executed by a processing element configured to:

receive, from an application program operating at a user device, a first command directed to an instrument that responds to instrument commands that conform to an instrument protocol, the first command;

received at a driver cloud that is remotely located from the user device, evaluated by the application program, and not conforming to the instrument protocol;

select a driver of a plurality of drivers for the instrument, the selected driver implementing the instrument protocol;

use the selected driver, at the driver cloud, to translate the first command into a second command that conforms to the instrument protocol;

receive, at the driver cloud, a response following execution of the second command at the instrument;

following receipt of the response, determine, at the driver cloud, that the response is syntactically correct for the selected instrument driver that is to process the response;

process, at the driver cloud, the response utilizing the selected instrument driver to produce a user response; and

transmit, from the driver cloud to the user device, the user response.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the application program is executing either on the user device, or remotely to the user device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 further comprising instructions executable by the processing element to:

utilize the selected driver to, translate the response into the user response that conforms to a format of the application program.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein the response is received from the application program operating on behalf of the user device, or the instrument.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein the driver cloud and the instrument are in one sub-network.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 further comprising instructions executable by the processing element to:

determine one or more characteristics of the instrument, wherein the driver is selected based on the one or more characteristics of the instrument.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 22 wherein the one or more characteristics of the instrument include at least one of:

a type of instrument,

a manufacturer of the instrument,

a model of the instrument,

a revision of software installed on board the instrument,

one or more optional features of the instrument,

one or more user specified characteristics, and

a type of physical connection between the device and the instrument.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein

the driver cloud includes a driver store having a plurality of drivers, and

the driver is selected from the driver store.

25. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 24 further comprising instructions executable by the processing element to:

update one or more drivers in the driver store.

26. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 further comprising instructions executable by the processing element to:

select one or more ancillary programs, wherein

the translate includes translating the first command to conform to the one or more selected ancillary programs.

27. A method comprising:

storing, at a driver cloud that is located remotely from a user device, a plurality of instrument drivers for an instrument that responds to instrument commands that conform to an instrument protocol;

receiving, at the driver cloud from the user device, a first command directed to the instrument, the first command;

evaluated by an application program, and not conforming to the instrument protocol;

selecting, by the driver cloud, a particular instrument driver from among the plurality of instrument drivers for the instrument, where the particular instrument driver that is selected supports interaction with the instrument according to the instrument protocol;

translating, by the driver cloud, using the particular instrument driver, the first command into one or more of the instrument commands, where the one or more of the instrument commands conform to the instrument protocol;

receiving, at the driver cloud, a response following execution of the one or more of the instrument commands at the instrument;

following receipt of the response, determining, at the driver cloud, that the response is syntactically correct for the particular instrument driver that is to process the response;

processing, at the driver cloud, the response utilizing the particular instrument driver to produce a user response; and

transmitting, from the driver cloud to the user device, the user response.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising:

maintaining, at the driver cloud, state information for a session with the instrument.