Generation of managed assemblies for networks

• US 9,128,727 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2006
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Java, Punit, Schueerholz, Stephan, Kumar, Pranish, Aasheim, Jered D., Whitehorn, Jason, Hendrixson, Cory, Houser, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Dam, Tuan Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wei, Zheng
• Application Number:
  US11/502,145
• Publication Number:
  US 20080127056A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,317 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/427 Parsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A network toolset enables developers to automatically generate a C header file and underlying signal software, as well as automatically generate a managed code assembly from a network description. The managed code assembly can be generated in a binary format and may include sufficient metadata to support extended functionalities for a network. The managed code assembly can be relatively easily integrated with an existing image (e.g., machine code for a network device) without any compilation required. A software development kit can also be generated to help programmers manage the generated assemblies.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for controlling a first memory device, comprising:

receiving a description of a network protocol for a control area network (CAN), wherein electronic control units (ECUs) communicate across the CAN, and wherein the description of the network protocol includes protocol requirements for communicating across the CAN;

translating the received network protocol description into a markup language description;

modifying the markup language description to include functionality for at least one of (1) communicating across the CAN when the description of the network protocol changes and (2) protocol requirements not provided in the received network protocol description;

generating CAN object definitions and related properties using the modified markup language description, wherein the related properties provide extended functionality for the ECUs to communicate across the CAN, and wherein the extended functionality includes at least usage hints for optimizing the communication across the CAN based on the usage;

creating a convergence image from the CAN object definitions and related properties, wherein the convergence image is in a binary format; and

porting the convergence image to at least one of the ECUs.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the related properties comprise a message map;

wherein the message map is modifiable without recompiling.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the message map comprises signal properties.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating an application programming interface (API) in response to the modified markup language description.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising adding metadata to the markup language description, wherein the metadata provides security permissions and low-level filtering.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the description of a network protocol is contained within a “

.dbc”

file.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating a memory image for a network device.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the network device is an electronic control unit (ECU).

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising applying an extensible stylesheet transformation (XSLT) to the markup language description.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising applying general rules to the markup language description to signals in each message comprised by a message map.

11. A system for event-based parsing of an input file, comprising:

at least one processor;

memory, operatively connected to the at least one processor, encoding computer executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method, the method comprising;

receiving a network description for a control area network (CAN) and generating a markup language description by using the received network description, wherein the network description includes network protocol requirements for communicating across the CAN;

adding metadata to the markup language description to include functionality for at least one of (1) communicating across the CAN when the network description changes and (2) protocol requirements not provided in the received network description and to produce a markup language description having metadata;

generating CAN object definitions and related properties using the markup language description having the added metadata, wherein the related properties provide extended functionality for communicating across the CAN, and wherein the extended functionality includes at least usage hints for optimizing the communication across the CAN based on the usage; and

generating a convergence image created from the CAN object definitions and related properties, wherein the convergence image is in a binary format, and wherein the convergence image is ported to an electronic control unit (ECU) that communicates over the CAN.

12. The system of claim 11, the method further comprising receiving a controller network database description as the received network description.

13. The system of claim 11, the method further comprising applying metadata for settings of electronic control units.

14. The system of claim 11, the method further comprising generating a system development kit for managing the network object.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the network object comprises a “

.dll”

for exposing an API.

16. The system of claim 11, the method further comprising maintaining IL (interaction layer) compatibility with version information comprising major versions and minor versions, wherein major version changes require application recompilation and minor version changes do not require application recompilation.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein a minor version change comprises an addition of a new signal.

18. A computer storage memory device having computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform a method comprising:

adding metadata to a network description for a control area network (CAN) to include functionality for at least one of (1) communicating across the CAN when the network description changes, and (2) protocol requirements not provided in the network description;

creating CAN object definitions and related properties using the network description with the added metadata, wherein the related properties provide extended functionality for communicating across the CAN, and wherein the extended functionality includes at least usage hints for optimizing the communication across the CAN based on the usage, wherein the related properties comprise a message map, and wherein generating CAN object definitions and the related properties comprises iterating through the message map and applying rules to the message map;

generating a convergence image created from the CAN object definitions and related properties, wherein the convergence image is in a binary format; and

porting the convergence image to a network device for execution on the network device.

19. The computer storage memory device of claim 18, the method further comprising generating a system developers kit for the network object.

20. The computer storage memory device of claim 18, the method further comprising generating a native header file for generating code for network devices.