Method and system for thread abstraction

• US 7,752,610 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2005
• Issued: 07/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Cabillic, Gilbert, Lesot, Jean-Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): Kendall; Chuck O
• Application Number:
  US11/189,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20060026566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,806 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/148
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0802 Addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means, e.g. caches
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1081 for peripheral access to main memory, e.g. direct memory access [DMA]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/6012 of operating mode, e.g. cache mode or local memory mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/30174 for non-native instruction set, e.g. Javabyte, legacy code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45504 Abstract machines for programme code execution, e.g. Java virtual machine [JVM], interpreters, emulators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media supporting thread abstraction in Java are provided. In some illustrative embodiments, a system is provided that includes a Java execution flow class that represents an execution flow context, an execution flow scheduler object including a Java native execution flow activation method, a Java virtual machine, a Java scheduler that executes on the Java virtual machine, and a Java thread class that extends the execution flow class. The execution flow class includes an execution flow execution method and a constructor that creates an execution flow context. The Java thread class includes an execution flow execution method that overrides the execution flow execution method of the execution flow class. In this system, a thread object including one or more instructions of a thread is instantiated using a custom thread class that extends the Java thread class, the constructor creates an execution flow context for the thread, and the Java scheduler invokes the execution flow activation method to switch from a currently executing execution flow context to the thread execution flow context to execute the one or more instructions.

Claims

1. A computer system, comprising

a Java execution flow class that represents an execution flow context, the execution flow class defining an execution flow execution method and a constructor that creates an execution flow context;

an execution flow scheduler comprising a Java native execution flow activation method, wherein the execution flow activation method causes a context switch to an execution flow context specified when the execution flow activation method is invoked;

a Java virtual machine executable on a processor of the computer system;

a Java scheduler executable on the Java virtual machine; and

a Java thread class that extends the execution flow class, wherein the Java thread class defines an execution flow execution method that overrides the execution flow execution method of the execution flow class,

wherein a thread object comprising one or more instructions of a thread is instantiated using a custom thread class that extends the Java thread class, the constructor creates an execution flow context for the thread, and the Java scheduler invokes the execution flow activation method to switch to the thread execution flow context.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the Java virtual machine invokes the execution flow execution method of the Java thread class to initiate execution of the one or more instructions.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the custom thread class defines an execution flow execution method comprising the one or more instructions that overrides the execution flow execution method of the Java thread class.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the Java virtual machine invokes the execution flow execution method of the custom thread class to initiate execution of the one or more instructions.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the Java thread class defines a scheduling method comprising one or more instructions to invoke the execution flow activation method, and the Java scheduler invokes the scheduling method to invoke the execution flow activation method.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the execution flow class defines a native execution flow creation method, and the constructor invokes the native execution flow creation method to create the execution flow context.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the execution flow class defines a native execution flow destruction method, and the Java scheduler invokes the native execution flow destruction method after the one or more instructions are executed to indicate that the execution flow context is no longer in use.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein

the execution flow class defines a monitor enter method comprising one or more instructions to notify the Java scheduler to halt execution of the thread because a monitor is taken, and a monitor exit method comprising one or more instructions to notify the Java scheduler that the monitor is released, and

the one or more instructions further comprise one or more synchronized instructions, wherein the Java virtual machine invokes the monitor enter method before the one or more synchronized instructions are executed if the monitor is taken by another thread, and the Java virtual machine invokes the monitor exit method after the one or more synchronized instructions are executed by the thread.

9. A method for executing a thread in a Java application, the method comprising:

instantiating a thread object comprising one or more instructions of the thread using a custom thread class that extends a Java thread class that extends an execution flow class, wherein an execution flow context for the thread is created and wherein the Java thread class defines an execution flow execution method that overrides an execution flow execution method of the execution flow class; and

invoking a Java native execution flow activation method comprised in an execution flow scheduler to switch to the thread execution flow context.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the custom thread class defines an execution flow execution method comprising the one or more instructions, the execution flow execution method overriding the execution flow execution method of the Java thread class.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein instantiating the thread object further comprises executing a constructor defined by the execution flow class that comprises one or more instructions to create the thread execution flow context.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the thread object further comprises a scheduling method defined in the Java thread class, the scheduling method comprising one or more instructions to invoke the execution flow activation method, and wherein invoking the Java native execution flow activation method further comprises invoking the scheduling method by a Java scheduler.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising destroying the thread object after the one or more instructions are executed.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein destroying the thread object further comprises executing a native execution flow destruction method defined by the execution flow class that comprises one or more instructions to indicate that the execution flow context is no longer used.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

invoking a monitor enter method before one or more synchronized instructions comprised in the one or more instructions is executed if a monitor of an object comprising the one or more synchronized instructions is taken; and

invoking a monitor exit method after the one or more synchronized instructions are executed,

wherein the execution flow class defines the monitor enter method comprising one or more instructions to notify the Java scheduler to halt execution of the thread because the monitor is taken, and the monitor exit method comprising one or more instructions to notify the Java scheduler that the monitor is released.

16. A computer-readable medium storing a Java software system that, when executed by a processor, performs a method for executing a thread, the method comprising:

instantiating a thread object comprising one or more instructions of the thread using a custom thread class that extends a Java thread class that extends an execution flow class, wherein an execution flow context for the thread is created and wherein the Java thread class defines an execution flow execution method that overrides an execution flow execution method of the execution flow class; and

invoking a Java native execution flow activation method comprised in an execution flow scheduler to switch to the thread execution flow context.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the custom thread class defines an execution flow execution method comprising the one or more instructions, the execution flow execution method overriding the execution flow execution method of the Java thread class.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein instantiating the thread object further comprises executing a constructor defined by the execution flow class that comprises one or more instructions to create the thread execution flow context.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the thread object further comprises a scheduling method defined in the Java thread class, the scheduling method comprising one or more instructions to invoke the execution flow activation method, and wherein invoking the Java native execution flow activation method further comprises invoking the scheduling method by a Java scheduler.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the method for executing a thread further comprises:

invoking a monitor enter method before one or more synchronized instructions comprised in the one or more instructions is executed if a monitor of an object comprising the one or more synchronized instructions is taken; and

invoking a monitor exit method after the one or more synchronized instructions are executed,

wherein the execution flow class defines the monitor enter method comprising one or more instructions to notify the Java scheduler to halt execution of the thread because the monitor is taken, and the monitor exit method comprising one or more instructions to notify the Java scheduler that the monitor is released.

21. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a Java software system configured to execute on the processor, the Java software system comprising a Java virtual machine, wherein the Java software system is configured

to instantiate an object comprising one or more instructions of a thread using a custom thread class that extends a Java thread class that extends an execution flow class, wherein an execution flow context for the thread is created and wherein the Java thread class defines an execution flow execution method that overrides an execution flow execution method of the execution flow class; and

to invoke a Java native execution flow activation method comprised in an execution flow scheduler to switch to the thread execution flow context.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the custom thread class defines an execution flow execution method comprising the one or more instructions, the execution flow execution method overriding the execution flow execution method of the Java thread class.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the Java software program is further configured to instantiate the thread object by executing a constructor defined by the execution flow class that comprises one or more instructions to create the thread execution flow context.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the thread object further comprises a scheduling method defined in the Java thread class, the scheduling method comprising one or more instructions to invoke the execution flow activation method, and wherein the Java software system is further configured to invoke the Java native execution flow activation method by invoking the scheduling method by a Java scheduler.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the Java software system is further configured:

to invoke a monitor enter method before one or more synchronized instructions comprised in the one or more instructions is executed if a monitor of an object comprising the one or more synchronized instructions is taken; and

to invoke a monitor exit method after the one or more synchronized instructions are executed,

wherein the execution flow class defines the monitor enter method comprising one or more instructions to notify the Java scheduler to halt execution of the thread because the monitor is taken, and the monitor exit method comprising one or more instructions to notify the Java scheduler that the monitor is released.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the system comprises a mobile device.