METHOD OF DYNAMIC ALLOCATION ON A STATICALLY ALLOCATED AND EMBEDDED SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE

• US 20120210160A1
• Filed: 02/10/2011
• Published: 08/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Fuhrman, Thomas E., Menon, Sandeep
• Granted Patent: US 8,566,633 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/4.12
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0428 Safety, monitoring G05B19/0423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25069 Pseudo redundance, eliminate failing element and reconfigure system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0739 in a data processing system embedded in automotive or aircraft systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2025 using centralised failover control functionality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2038 with a single idle spare processing component
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/805 Real-time

Abstract

A method of dynamically allocating a task or a signal on a statically allocated and embedded software architecture of a vehicle includes identifying a faulty component. The faulty component may include a software component, a hardware component or a signal or communications link between components. Once the faulty component is identified, any tasks performed by or signals associated with the faulty component are identified, and the tasks performed by or the signals associated with the faulty component are re-allocated to an embedded standby component so that performance of the re-allocated task and/or signal for future system operations is performed by the standby component.

Claims

1. A method of dynamically allocating one of a task and data/signal information on a statically embedded architecture of a vehicle, the method comprising:

analyzing a system operation to identify a faulty component;

identifying one of a task performed by the identified faulty component and data/signal information associated with the faulty component; and

re-allocating the one of the task performed by the faulty component and the data/signal information associated with the faulty component to a statically allocated and embedded standby component so that performance of the re-allocated task for future system operations is performed by the standby component.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the faulty component includes one of a hardware component, a software component or a signal.

3. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the identified faulty component is associated with a first electrical control unit, and wherein the standby component is also associated with the first electrical control unit.

4. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the identified faulty component is associated with a first electrical control unit, and wherein the standby component is associated with a second electrical control unit.

5. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein identifying a task performed by the faulty component includes determining what type of component the faulty component includes.

6. A method as set forth in claim 5 wherein determining what type of component the faulty component includes is further defined as determining if the faulty component is one of a signal or communications link, an electrical control unit or hardware component, or a software component.

7. A method as set forth in claim 6 wherein identifying a task performed by the faulty component includes one of identifying a signal sent by the faulty component or identifying a software task performed by the faulty component.

8. A method as set forth in claim 7 further comprising determining if data re-configuration is possible.

9. A method as set forth in claim 8 further comprising substituting pre-determined fail safe data values when it is determined that data re-configuration is not possible.

10. A method as set forth in claim 8 further comprising determining if the standby component and the faulty component are co-associated with a common electrical control unit.

11. A method as set forth in claim 10 further comprising re-configuring an internal signal routing table when the standby component and the faulty component are co-associated with a common electrical control unit.

12. A method as set forth in claim 10 further comprising re-configuring a network signal routing table when the standby component and the faulty component are not co-associated with a common electrical control unit.

13. A method as set forth in claim 8 further comprising deactivating a signal from the faulty component.

14. A method as set forth in claim 13 further comprising activating a signal from the standby component.

15. A system for dynamically allocating one of a task and data/signal information on a statically embedded architecture of a vehicle, the system comprising:

a network;

a plurality of electronic control units in operative communication with each other and with the network;

wherein each of the plurality of electronic control units includes a local symptom collector;

wherein at least one of the plurality of electronic control units includes a state of health determination module;

wherein the state of health determination module is in operative communication with the plurality of electronic control units and the network; and

wherein the state of health determination module is configured to identify a fault condition using an output from the local symptom collectors, and provide fault condition information to a reconfiguration manager, wherein the reconfiguration manager is configured to trigger reallocation of at least one of a task or data/signal information associated with the identified faulty condition.

16. A system as set forth in claim 15 further comprising a reconfiguration signal manager and a reconfiguration event manager, each in operational communication with the reconfiguration manager, wherein the reconfiguration signal manager is configured to re-allocate data/signal information associated with the identified faulty condition and the reconfiguration event manager is configured to re-allocate one of a software component and a hardware component associated with the identified faulty condition.

17. A system as set forth in claim 15 wherein the identified faulty condition includes one of a faulty hardware component, a faulty software component or a faulty signal.

18. A system as set forth in claim 15 further comprising a standby component, wherein one of a task associated with the identified faulty condition and a signal associated with the identified faulty condition is re-allocated to the standby component.

19. A system as set forth in claim 15 further comprising a signal routing table, wherein the signal routing table is reconfigurable to re-allocate one of a task associated with the identified faulty condition and a signal associated with the identified faulty condition.

20. A system as set forth in claim 15 wherein the at least one state of health determination module includes a plurality of state of health determination modules, with each of the plurality of state of health determination modules is operable on a different electronic control unit and are in communication with each other through an agreement protocol to agree on the state of health of the vehicle.