Distributed real-time operating system
OwnerSivaram Balasubramanianinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A distributed control system and methods of operating such a control system are disclosed. In one embodiment, the distributed control system is operated in a manner in which interrupts are at least temporarily inhibited from being processed to avoid excessive delays in the processing of non-interrupt tasks. In another embodiment, the distributed control system is operated in a manner in which tasks are queued based upon relative timing constraints that they have been assigned. In a further embodiment, application programs that are executed on the distributed control system are operated in accordance with high-level and/or low-level requirements allocated to resources of the distributed control system.
Claims30
An interrupt manager for use in a distributed control system, the interrupt manager comprising:
- circuitry that:
- (i) receives interrupt signals including a current interrupt;
- (ii) determines whether the current interrupt can be processed without delaying processing of a non-interrupt task beyond a predetermined time;
- and
- (iii) inhibits, at least temporarily, processing of the current interrupt when it is determined that the processing of the current interrupt would delay the processing of the non-interrupt task beyond the predetermined time.
A method of handling interrupts for use with a processor in a distributed control system, the method comprising:
- receiving a current interrupt signal;
- determining whether processing of the current interrupt signal would delay processing of a non-interrupt task beyond a predetermined time;
- and
- inhibiting, at least temporarily, the processing of the current interrupt signal when it is determined that the processing would delay the processing of the non-interrupt task beyond the predetermined time.
A method of scheduling messages being transmitted on a network among spatially-distributed control components of a distributed control system, the method comprising:
- receiving a message;
- receiving a relative timing constraint concerning the message, wherein the relative timing constraint is indicative of an amount of time;
- and
- inserting the message into a queue at a location that is a function of the relative timing constraint.
A method of coordinating a new control application program with other control application programs being performed on a distributed real-time operating system, wherein the distributed real-time operating system is for use with a control system having spatially separated control hardware resources, the method comprising:
- (a) receiving the new control application program;
- (b) identifying control hardware resources from a resource list matching control hardware resources required by the new control application program;
- (c) allocating portions of a constraint associated with the new control application program to each identified control hardware resource;
- and
- (d) determining whether the allocated portions of the constraint of the new control application program can be met while requirements of the other control application programs also are met.
A method of operating an application program on a distributed control system having a plurality of hardware resources, the method comprising:
- receiving high-level requirements concerning the application program;
- determining low-level requirements based upon the high-level requirements;
- allocating at least one of the high-level requirements and the low-level requirements among at least some of the plurality of hardware resources;
- and
- operating the application program in accordance with the allocated requirements.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.