Method and device for automatically generating IMA platform configuration

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for automatically generating IMA platform configurations are described. The invention provides a method for automatically generating IMA platform configuration, and the method comprises the steps: obtaining a conversion rule set which comprises one or more structured conversion rules, wherein each structured conversion rule indicates a to-be-configured attribute of a target end element of the target machine, one of one or more attributes of a corresponding source end element, and a conversion formula; for each structured conversion rule, setting an attribute value for the to-be-configured attribute of the target end element based on the structured conversion rule so as to generate an assigned target end element; and generating a configuration interface file for the target machine based on a set of assigned target end elements generated by traversing the conversion rule set, the configuration interface file indicating IMA platform configuration for the target machine.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates generally to avionics systems, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for automatically generating IMA platform configurations. Background Technology

[0002] The Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) platform is a flexible, reusable, and interoperable collection of shared hardware and software resources. This forms an integrated platform that provides designed and validated services with predetermined safety levels and performance requirements to applications residing on it that perform aircraft functions. The hardware and software resources of the IMA platform can be shared by its member aircraft, and member aircraft exchange data with the IMA platform via defined interfaces. The sharing of IMA platform resources by member aircraft is achieved through the configuration of the IMA platform.

[0003] Typically, the IMA platform provides a unified IMA configuration model. The respective vendors then use their specific configuration interface generators / verification tools, which have hard-coded conversion rule files, to convert this unified IMA configuration model into configuration interface files for specific target machines, thereby enabling the configuration of the IMA platform. Specifically, for different target machine types, such as General Processing Modules (GSM), Remote Data and Interface Units (RDIUs), End Systems (ES), and Switches, various member machines using the IMA platform typically use their own configuration interface file generators / verification tools. These tools generate and verify corresponding configuration interface files based on the IMA configuration model provided by the IMA platform and the hard-coded conversion rule files within those tools. The configuration interface conversion tools then convert these files into loadable binary files, allowing the IMA platform to load and execute these binary files to complete the configuration.

[0004] However, because the conversion rule files are hard-coded into the configuration interface file generator / verification tool, the generator / verification tool is highly coupled with the conversion rules. Therefore, once the conversion rules change, the configuration interface file generator / verification tool needs to be modified accordingly. This increases the development cost of the IMA platform configuration and raises the complexity and difficulty of developing the configuration interface file generator / verification tool, hindering its reusability across different aircraft models and consequently significantly increasing the costs of development and airworthiness certification. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention provides a method and apparatus for automatically generating IMA platform configurations. Instead of using hard-coded conversion rule files in the configuration interface file generator / verification tool, the method and apparatus provided by this invention use a structured conversion rule, decoupling the conversion rule from the configuration interface file generator / verification tool. This allows modification of the conversion rule without redeveloping or reconfiguring the configuration interface file generator / verification tool.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method for automatically generating IMA platform configuration is provided, comprising: obtaining a set of transformation rules, the set of transformation rules including one or more structured transformation rules, wherein each of the structured transformation rules indicates a configurable attribute of a target element of a target machine, one or more attributes of a corresponding source element, and a transformation formula; for each structured transformation rule, setting an attribute value for the configurable attribute of the target element based on the structured transformation rule to generate an assigned target element; and generating a configuration interface file for the target machine based on a set of assigned target elements generated by traversing the set of transformation rules, wherein the configuration interface file indicates an IMA platform configuration for the target machine.

[0007] The method described in the first aspect above is characterized in that setting the attribute value of the target element to be configured based on the structured transformation rule includes: in response to determining that the attribute of the source element indicated by the structured transformation rule is empty, assigning a constant value to the corresponding target element's attribute to be configured.

[0008] The method as described in any one of the first aspects above is characterized in that setting the attribute value of the target element's configurable attribute based on the structured transformation rule includes: in response to determining that the attribute of the source element indicated by the structured transformation rule is not empty and the transformation formula is empty, copying the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element to the attribute value of the corresponding target element's configurable attribute, wherein the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element is obtained from a pre-imported IMA platform configuration model file.

[0009] The method as described in any one of the first aspects above is characterized in that setting the attribute value of the target element's configurable attribute based on the structured transformation rule includes: in response to determining that the attribute of the source element indicated by the structured transformation rule is not empty and the transformation formula is not empty, converting the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element into the attribute value of the corresponding target element's configurable attribute based on the transformation formula, wherein the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element is obtained from a pre-imported IMA platform configuration model file.

[0010] The method as described in any one of the first aspects above is characterized in that converting the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element into the attribute value of the corresponding target element's configurable attribute based on the conversion formula includes: performing one or more basic operations indicated by the conversion formula on the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element to obtain the attribute value of the corresponding target element's configurable attribute, wherein the basic operations include: constant assignment, data copying, mathematical operations, unit conversion, and format conversion.

[0011] The method as described in any one of the first aspects above is characterized by further comprising: obtaining a configuration interface file template, the configuration interface file template indicating a list of target end elements for the target machine, and generating a configuration interface file for the target machine comprising: updating the attribute values ​​of corresponding attributes of corresponding target end elements in the configuration interface file template using a set of assigned target end elements to generate the configuration interface file.

[0012] The method as described in any one of the first aspects above is characterized by further comprising: verifying the configuration interface file based on verification rules; and generating a loadable binary configuration file for the target machine in response to the configuration interface file passing verification.

[0013] According to a second aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for automatically generating IMA platform configuration is provided, comprising: a conversion rule acquisition module configured to acquire a set of conversion rules, the set of conversion rules including one or more structured conversion rules, wherein each of the structured conversion rules indicates a configurable attribute of a target element of a target machine, one or more attributes of a corresponding source element, and a conversion formula; a conversion rule execution module coupled to the conversion rule acquisition module, configured to, for each structured conversion rule, set an attribute value for the configurable attribute of the target element based on the structured conversion rule to generate an assigned target element; and a configuration interface file generation module coupled to the conversion rule execution module, configured to generate a configuration interface file for the target machine based on a set of assigned target elements generated by traversing the set of conversion rules, wherein the configuration interface file indicates an IMA platform configuration for the target machine.

[0014] The apparatus as described in the second aspect above is characterized in that the conversion rule execution module is configured to: in response to determining that the attribute of the source element indicated by the structured conversion rule is empty, assign a constant value to the attribute to be configured of the corresponding target element.

[0015] The apparatus as described in any one of the second aspects above, characterized in that the transformation rule execution module is configured to: in response to determining that the attribute of the source element indicated by the structured transformation rule is not empty and the transformation formula is empty, copy the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element to the attribute value of the corresponding target element to be configured, wherein the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element is obtained from a pre-imported IMA platform configuration model file.

[0016] The apparatus as described in any one of the second aspects above, characterized in that the conversion rule execution module is configured to: in response to determining that the attribute of the source element indicated by the structured conversion rule is not empty and the conversion formula is not empty, convert the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element into the attribute value of the corresponding target element's configuration attribute based on the conversion formula, wherein the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element is obtained from a pre-imported IMA platform configuration model file.

[0017] The apparatus as described in any one of the second aspects above is characterized in that the conversion rule execution module is configured to: perform one or more basic operations indicated by the conversion formula on the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element to obtain the attribute value of the corresponding target element's attribute to be configured, wherein the basic operations include: constant assignment, data copying, mathematical operations, unit conversion, and format conversion.

[0018] The apparatus as described in any one of the second aspects above is characterized in that it further comprises: a template acquisition module coupled to the configuration interface file generation module, configured to acquire a configuration interface file template, the configuration interface file template indicating a list of target end elements for the target machine, and the configuration interface file generation module is configured to: generate the configuration interface file by updating the attribute values ​​of corresponding attributes of corresponding target end elements in the configuration interface file template using a set of assigned target end elements.

[0019] The apparatus as described in any one of the second aspects above is characterized by further comprising a verification module coupled to a configuration interface file generation module and configured to: verify the configuration interface file based on verification rules; and generate a loadable binary configuration file for the target machine in response to the configuration interface file passing verification.

[0020] According to a third aspect of the present invention, an IMA platform configuration system is provided, comprising: an apparatus as described in any one of the second aspects above; and an IMA platform configuration module configured to configure IMA platform resources based on the loadable binary configuration file.

[0021] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a machine-readable storage medium is provided that stores one or more instructions, which, when executed, cause a machine to perform the method as described in any one of the first aspects above.

[0022] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a computer program product is provided, comprising one or more instructions, which, when executed, cause a machine to perform the method as described in any one of the first aspects above. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Some embodiments of this disclosure will be described below by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0024] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an IMA system is shown as an example;

[0025] Figure 2A schematic flowchart illustrating a method for automatically generating IMA platform configurations according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0026] Figure 3 A schematic flowchart illustrating a method for automatically generating IMA platform configuration according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating an embodiment of the present disclosure of an operation for setting attribute values ​​for a target element to be configured based on a structured transformation rule.

[0028] Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary data structure of structured transformation rules according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 6 A schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary data structure of an element node according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 7 A schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary data structure for configuring an interface node according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 8 A schematic block diagram of an apparatus for automatically generating IMA platform configurations according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0032] Numerous specific details are set forth in the following description. However, it should be understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known circuits, structures, and techniques have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this description.

[0033] References to "an embodiment," "an embodiment," "an exemplary embodiment," etc., in the specification indicate that the described embodiment may include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic; however, not every embodiment necessarily includes that specific feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Additionally, when a specific feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is believed that the influence of such feature, structure, or characteristic on such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments, whether explicitly described or not, is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0034] For the purposes of this disclosure, the phrase "A and / or B" means (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of this disclosure, the phrase "A, B, and / or C" means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B, and C).

[0035] In the following specification and claims, the terms “coupled” and “connected” and their derivatives may be used. It should be understood that these terms are not intended to be synonyms for each other. Rather, in certain embodiments, “connected” may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. “Coupled” may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. However, “coupled” may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, but still cooperate or interact with each other.

[0036] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an IMA system 10 as an example is shown. Figure 1 As shown, the IMA system 10 includes resident applications 102A-102N and the IMA platform 104. Figure 1 In this context, the IMA platform 104 includes computing resources 1042, data transmission resources 1044, interface resources 1046, etc. As those skilled in the art will understand, the IMA system can partition the resident applications 102A-102N through partitioning, so that each partition has its own independent data, context, and operating environment.

[0037] When configuring the IMA platform for a specific target machine type (e.g., the general processing module of partition P1), a corresponding configuration interface generator / verification tool is required to convert the unified IMA configuration model into a configuration interface file for the specific target machine. After verification by the verification tool, a loadable binary file is generated. The IMA system then uses this loadable binary file to allocate various resources in the IMA platform (e.g., computing resource 1042, data transmission resource 1044, interface resource 1046, etc.) to the general processing module of partition P1.

[0038] Similarly, for another target machine type (e.g., the remote data interface unit of partition P1), a configuration interface generator / verification tool corresponding to that target machine is needed to convert the unified IMA configuration model into a configuration interface file for the remote data interface unit. After the verification tool verifies the file, a loadable binary file is generated. The IMA system then uses this loadable binary file to allocate various resources in the IMA platform (e.g., computing resource 1042, data transmission resource 1044, interface resource 1046, etc.) to the remote data interface unit of partition P1.

[0039] This invention provides a universal configuration interface generation device / verification tool and method, which can automatically generate configuration interface files for the IMA platform for different target machine types.

[0040] Next reference Figure 2Here is a schematic flowchart describing a method 20 for automatically generating IMA platform configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] like Figure 2 As shown, method 20 begins at box 202, where a set of transformation rules is obtained. According to an embodiment of the invention, the set of transformation rules may include one or more structured transformation rules, wherein each structured transformation rule may indicate the configurable attribute of a target element of the target machine, the attribute of the corresponding source element, and a transformation formula. According to an embodiment of the invention, the attribute of the source element indicated by the structured transformation rule may be empty or not empty. Alternatively, according to an embodiment of the invention, each structured transformation rule may indicate the configurable target element of the target machine, the corresponding list of source elements, and a transformation formula, wherein the configurable target element may include one or more attributes, and the corresponding list of source elements may include a source element and the source element may include one or more attributes. According to an embodiment of the invention, the list of source elements indicated by the structured transformation rule may be empty or not empty.

[0042] According to embodiments of the present invention, the original transformation rules for different target machines can be structured into structured transformation rules. These structured transformation rules indicate one or more basic operations to be performed to obtain the attribute values ​​of the configurable attributes of the target element. According to embodiments of the present invention, the one or more operations indicated by the structured transformation rules can be selected from a set of basic operations based on the original transformation rules. As an exemplary implementation, the set of basic operations may include at least the following basic operations: constant assignment, data copying, mathematical operations, unit conversion, format conversion, etc.

[0043] like Figure 2 As shown, method 20 further includes: at block 204, executing a structured transformation rule from the set of transformation rules obtained at block 202, to set attribute values ​​for the configurable attributes of the target element indicated therein based on the structured transformation rule, thereby generating an assigned target element. According to embodiments of the present invention, executing a structured transformation rule may include setting attribute values ​​for the corresponding target element's attributes based on the attributes of the source element indicated by the structured transformation rule and the transformation formula. See below for reference. Figure 4 Operation 40 shown further details the operation performed at box 204.

[0044] like Figure 2As shown, method 20 further includes: at block 206, determining whether there are still unexecuted structured transformation rules in the transformation rule set. According to an embodiment of the present invention, in response to determining at block 206 that there are still unexecuted structured transformation rules in the transformation rule set, method 20 returns to block 204 to execute the unexecuted structured transformation rules in the transformation rule set.

[0045] like Figure 2 As shown, method 20 further includes: in response to determining at block 206 that there are no unexecuted structured transformation rules in the set of transformation rules (i.e., all structured transformation rules in the acquired set of transformation rules have been executed), at block 208, generating a configuration interface file for a target machine based on a set of assigned target elements generated by traversing the set of transformation rules. This configuration interface file indicates the IMA platform configuration for the target machine. According to embodiments of the present invention, the configuration interface file may include one or more configuration interface nodes that indicate attributes of target elements for the target machine and their corresponding attribute values.

[0046] like Figure 2 As shown, method 20 may optionally include: at box 210, validating the configuration interface file generated at box 208 based on validation rules. According to an embodiment of the invention, a validation tool can be used to execute each structured transformation rule in the set of transformation rules obtained at box 202 to generate the desired configuration interface file, and compare it with the configuration interface file generated at box 208.

[0047] According to an embodiment of the present invention, method 20 may optionally include: at block 212, determining whether the verification at block 210 has passed. As an exemplary implementation, the verification can be determined based on a comparison between the expected configuration interface file generated by the verification tool and the configuration interface file generated at block 208. According to an embodiment of the present invention, if the comparison result indicates that the expected configuration interface file generated by the verification tool is consistent with the configuration interface file generated at block 208 (for example, the attributes and corresponding attribute values ​​of the configuration interface nodes included in the expected configuration interface file are exactly the same as the attributes and corresponding attribute values ​​of the configuration interface nodes included in the configuration interface file generated at block 208), then the verification at block 210 is determined to have passed; if the comparison result indicates inconsistency, then the verification at block 210 is determined to have failed.

[0048] Further, method 20 may optionally include: in response to determining that the verification passed at block 212, generating a loadable binary configuration file for the corresponding target machine at block 214. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the configuration interface file generated at block 208 passes verification, indicating that the configuration interface file meets the design requirements, thereby enabling the generation of a loadable binary configuration file for configuring the IMA platform based on the configuration interface file.

[0049] According to an embodiment of the present invention, method 20 may optionally include: in response to determining that the verification failed at block 212, indicating at block 216 that the configuration interface file generated at block 208 has an error. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cause of the error in the configuration interface file can be further identified, and after resolving the corresponding problem, the configuration interface file can be regenerated, and a loadable binary file for the target machine can be finally generated based on the configuration interface file.

[0050] Figure 3 A schematic flowchart of a method 30 for automatically generating IMA platform configurations according to other embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0051] like Figure 3 As shown, method 30 begins at box 302, where a set of transformation rules is obtained. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the set of transformation rules may include one or more structured transformation rules, wherein each structured transformation rule may indicate the configurable attributes of the target element of the target machine, the attributes of the corresponding source element, and the transformation formula.

[0052] like Figure 3 As shown, method 30 further includes: at block 304, executing a structured transformation rule from the set of transformation rules obtained at block 302 to generate an assigned target element by setting attribute values ​​for the target element to be configured based on the structured transformation rule.

[0053] like Figure 3 As shown, method 30 further includes: at block 306, determining whether there are still unexecuted structured transformation rules in the transformation rule set. According to an embodiment of the present invention, in response to determining at block 306 that there are still unexecuted structured transformation rules in the transformation rule set, method 30 returns to block 304 to execute the unexecuted structured transformation rules in the transformation rule set.

[0054] like Figure 3As shown, method 30 further includes: in response to determining at block 306 that there are no unexecuted structured transformation rules in the transformation rule set (i.e., all structured transformation rules in the acquired transformation rule set have been executed), at block 307, obtaining a configuration interface file template indicating a list of target elements for the target machine, and at block 308, updating the attribute values ​​of the corresponding attributes of the corresponding target elements in the configuration interface file template using a set of assigned target elements generated based on traversing the transformation rule set, to generate a configuration interface file indicating IMA platform configuration for the target machine. According to another embodiment of the invention, the configuration interface file template can be obtained before, after, or simultaneously with obtaining the transformation rule set at block 302, and after traversing the entire transformation rule set, the attribute values ​​of the corresponding attributes of the corresponding target elements in the configuration interface file template can be updated using a set of assigned target elements generated based on traversing the transformation rule set, to generate a configuration interface file. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a configuration interface file template may include configuration interface nodes, and these configuration interface nodes have a predefined configuration interface node data structure for indicating the attributes of target end elements for the target machine.

[0055] According to an embodiment of the present invention, method 30 may optionally include... Figure 2 The operations shown in boxes 210-216 are similar to those in the diagram, used to verify the configuration interface file generated in box 308 and to generate a loadable binary file based on the verification results.

[0056] Figure 4 A schematic flowchart of an operation 40, according to an embodiment of the present invention, is shown, which sets the attribute value of the target element to be configured based on the structured transformation rule indicated in the structured transformation rule.

[0057] like Figure 4 As shown, operation 40 may include: parsing the structured transformation rule at box 401. According to embodiments of this disclosure, parsing the structured transformation rule may include reading the identifier of the target element, the identifier of the attribute to be configured, the identifier and attribute identifier of each corresponding source element, and the transformation formula, etc., indicated in the structured transformation rule.

[0058] According to an embodiment of the present invention, operation 40 may further include: based on the analysis at box 401, determining at box 402 whether the attribute of the source element indicated in the structured transformation rule is empty.

[0059] According to an embodiment of the present invention, operation 40 may further include: in response to determining at block 402 that the attribute of the source element indicated in the structured transformation rule is empty, at block 404, assigning a constant value to the attribute to be configured of the target element indicated in the structured transformation rule. As an exemplary embodiment, the constant value of the attribute to be configured of the target element indicated in the structured transformation rule may be assigned a default value.

[0060] According to an embodiment of the present invention, operation 40 may further include: in response to determining at block 402 that the attribute of the source element indicated in the structured transformation rule is not empty, at block 406, determining whether the transformation formula indicated in the structured transformation rule is empty.

[0061] According to an embodiment of the present invention, operation 40 may further include: in response to determining at block 406 that the transformation formula indicated in the structured transformation rule is empty, at block 408, performing a data copy operation on the attribute to be configured of the target element indicated in the structured transformation rule, to copy the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element indicated in the structured transformation rule to the attribute value of the corresponding attribute to be configured of the target element. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the attribute value of the source element can be obtained from a pre-imported IMA platform configuration model file. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the IMA platform configuration model can indicate one or more source element nodes, which can have a predefined element node data structure.

[0062] According to an embodiment of the present invention, operation 40 may further include: in response to determining at block 406 that the conversion formula indicated in the structured conversion rule is not empty, at block 410, based on the conversion formula indicated in the structured conversion rule, converting the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element indicated in the structured conversion rule into the attribute value of the corresponding target element's configurable attribute. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the structured conversion formula may include one or more basic operations, and the one or more basic operations may be performed on the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element indicated in the structured conversion rule to obtain the attribute value of the corresponding target element's configurable attribute. As an exemplary implementation, the one or more basic operations may at least include constant assignment, data copying, mathematical operations, unit conversion, format conversion, etc.

[0063] According to embodiments of the present invention, structured transformation rules may have a predefined transformation rule data structure. See below for reference. Figure 5 The exemplary structured transformation rule data structure 50 shown herein is used to further describe the structured transformation rules according to embodiments of the present invention.

[0064] like Figure 5As shown, the transformation rule data structure 50 can define a transformation rule identifier 502, a target-end element to-be-configured attribute 504 for the target machine, a corresponding source-end element attribute 506 for the IMA platform, and a transformation formula 508. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the transformation rule identifier 502 can be implemented as a transformation rule name, sequence number, etc., used to uniquely identify the structured transformation rule. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the target-end element to-be-configured attribute 504 for the target machine can be used to identify the attribute of the target element to be configured for the target machine, wherein a target-end element identifier 504A (e.g., the type, name, number, etc. of the target element to be configured) and a target-end element to-be-configured attribute identifier 504B (e.g., attribute name, etc.) are defined. According to an embodiment of the present invention, attribute 506 of a source element for an IMA platform can be used to identify an attribute of a source element corresponding to a configurable attribute of a target element for a target machine. This includes defining a source element identifier 506A (e.g., the type, name, number, etc. of each source element corresponding to the target element for the target machine) and a source element attribute identifier 506B (e.g., attribute name, etc.). According to an embodiment of the present invention, attribute 506 of a source element for an IMA platform can be empty or not. According to an embodiment of the present invention, conversion formula 508 can be empty or not, and is used to indicate one or more basic operations to be performed to set attribute values ​​for the configurable attributes of the target element.

[0065] According to embodiments of the present invention, the IMA platform configuration model can indicate one or more source element nodes, which may have a predefined element node data structure. See below for reference. Figure 6 The exemplary element node data structure 60 shown herein is used to further describe the source element according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0066] like Figure 6 As shown, the element node data structure 60 can define an element identifier 602 and an element attribute list 604. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the element node data structure 60 can also define parent element nodes and child element nodes. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the element identifier 602 can include an element type name, element name, element number, etc., used to uniquely identify a source element for the IMA platform. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the element attribute list 604 can be used to identify the attribute list of the corresponding source element, including one or more attributes. As an exemplary implementation, such as... Figure 6 As shown, attribute list 604 can define the attribute name 604A and attribute value 604B of each attribute in the attribute list of the corresponding source element.

[0067] According to embodiments of the present invention, a configuration interface file template may include configuration interface nodes for indicating attributes of target elements for a target machine, and these configuration interface nodes have a predefined configuration interface node data structure. See below for reference. Figure 7 The exemplary configuration interface node data structure 70 shown herein is used to further describe the configuration interface node (and thus, the target end element according to an embodiment of the invention) of the present invention.

[0068] like Figure 7 As shown, the configuration interface node data structure 70 can define a configuration interface node identifier 702 and a configuration interface node attribute list 704. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the configuration interface node data structure 70 can also define a parent configuration interface node and child configuration interface nodes. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the configuration interface node identifier 702 can include a configuration interface node type name, a configuration interface node name, a configuration interface node number, etc., used to uniquely identify the configuration interface node for the target machine (i.e., the corresponding target element). According to an embodiment of the present invention, the configuration interface node attribute list 704 can be used to identify the attribute list of the corresponding configuration interface node, including one or more attributes. As an exemplary implementation, such as... Figure 7 As shown, attribute list 704 can define the attribute name and attribute value of each attribute in the attribute list of the corresponding configuration interface node (that is, the attribute name and attribute value of each attribute of the corresponding target element).

[0069] According to embodiments of the present invention, by using structured transformation rules (e.g., transformation rule files hard-coded in the configuration interface file generator / verification tool are structured into structured transformation rules indicating the basic operations to be performed to set attribute values ​​for target elements), the transformation rules become configurable, allowing them to be decoupled from the configuration interface file generator / verification tool. Furthermore, according to embodiments of the present invention, an element node data structure for the IMA configuration model and a configuration interface node data structure for the configuration interface file are further proposed, which allows the configuration interface file generator / verification tool to be further decoupled from specific configuration models, templates, rules, etc. Thus, a general-purpose configuration interface file generator / verification tool can be developed and used, enabling modifications to the transformation rules without redeveloping or reconfiguring the configuration interface file generator / verification tool.

[0070] Figure 8 A schematic block diagram of an apparatus 80 for automatically generating IMA platform configurations according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0071] like Figure 8As shown, device 80 may include a conversion rule acquisition module 802. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the conversion rule acquisition module 802 may be configured to acquire a set of conversion rules. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the set of conversion rules may include one or more structured conversion rules, wherein each structured conversion rule may indicate the configurable attribute of a target element of the target machine, the attribute of the corresponding source element, and a conversion formula. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the attribute of the source element indicated by the structured conversion rule may be empty or not empty. Alternatively, according to an embodiment of the present invention, each structured conversion rule may indicate the target element to be configured of the target machine, the corresponding list of source elements, and a conversion formula, wherein the target element to be configured may include one or more attributes, and the corresponding list of source elements may include a source element and the source element may include one or more attributes. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the list of source elements indicated by the structured conversion rule may be empty or not empty.

[0072] like Figure 8 As shown, the apparatus 80 may further include a conversion rule execution module 804, which is coupled to the conversion rule acquisition module 802. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the conversion rule execution module 804 may be configured to execute each structured conversion rule in the set of conversion rules acquired by the conversion rule acquisition module 802: for each structured conversion rule, setting attribute values ​​for the target element's unconfigured attributes based on the structured conversion rule to generate a valued target element. According to an embodiment of the present invention, executing a structured conversion rule may include setting attribute values ​​for the corresponding target element's attributes based on the attributes of the source element indicated by the structured conversion rule and the conversion formula.

[0073] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the transformation rule execution module 804 can be configured to determine whether the attributes of the source element indicated in the structured transformation rule and the transformation formula indicated in the structured transformation rule are empty, and to perform one or more basic operations based on the determination, thereby setting attribute values ​​for the attributes to be configured of the target element to generate the assigned target element.

[0074] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the transformation rule execution module 804 can be configured to assign a constant value to the attribute to be configured of the target element indicated in the structured transformation rule in response to determining whether the attribute of the source element indicated in the structured transformation rule is empty. As an exemplary embodiment, the constant value of the attribute to be configured of the target element indicated in the structured transformation rule can be assigned a default value.

[0075] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the conversion rule execution module 804 can be configured to: in response to determining whether the attribute of the source element indicated in the structured conversion rule is empty and the conversion formula indicated in the structured conversion rule is empty, perform a data copy operation on the attribute to be configured of the target element indicated in the structured conversion rule, so as to copy the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element indicated in the structured conversion rule to the attribute value of the corresponding attribute to be configured of the target element.

[0076] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the conversion rule execution module 804 can be configured to: in response to determining whether the attribute of the source element indicated in the structured conversion rule is not empty and the conversion formula indicated in the structured conversion rule is not empty, convert the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element indicated in the structured conversion rule into the attribute value of the corresponding target element's unconfigured attribute based on the conversion formula indicated in the structured conversion rule. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the structured conversion formula may include one or more basic operations, and the one or more basic operations can be performed on the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element indicated in the structured conversion rule to obtain the attribute value of the corresponding target element's unconfigured attribute. As an exemplary implementation, the one or more basic operations may include at least constant assignment, data copying, mathematical operations, unit conversion, and format conversion.

[0077] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the attribute values ​​of the source element's attributes can be obtained from a pre-imported IMA platform configuration model file. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the IMA platform configuration model can indicate one or more source element nodes, which may have a predefined element node data structure. As an exemplary implementation, the apparatus 80 may optionally include an IMA platform configuration model acquisition module (…). Figure 8 (Not shown in the image), the IMA platform configuration model acquisition module can be coupled to the transformation rule execution module 804 and can be configured to acquire the IMA platform configuration model file. As another exemplary implementation, the transformation rule acquisition module 802 can be implemented together with the IMA platform configuration model acquisition module as an input module of the device 80. Figure 8 (Not shown in the image), this input module can be configured to obtain a set of transformation rules and to obtain the IMA platform configuration model file.

[0078] like Figure 8As shown, the apparatus 80 may further include a configuration interface file generation module 806, which is coupled to the conversion rule execution module 804. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the configuration interface file generation module 806 may be configured to: generate a configuration interface file for a target machine based on a set of assigned target elements generated by the conversion rule execution module 804 traversing a set of conversion rules. This configuration interface file indicates the IMA platform configuration for the target machine. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the configuration interface file may include one or more configuration interface nodes, which indicate attributes of target elements for the target machine and corresponding attribute values.

[0079] According to embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 8 As shown, the device 80 may optionally include a template acquisition module 805, which is coupled to the configuration interface file generation module 806 and configured to acquire a configuration interface file template indicating a list of target elements for the target machine. In an embodiment of the invention, the configuration interface file generation module 808 may be configured to: update the attribute values ​​of corresponding attributes of corresponding target elements in the configuration interface file template using the set of assigned target elements to generate a configuration interface file. As another exemplary implementation, the conversion rule acquisition module 802 may be implemented together with the template acquisition module 805 as an input module of the device 80. Figure 8 (not shown in the image), and the input module can be configured to obtain a set of transformation rules and to obtain a configuration interface file template.

[0080] According to embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 8As shown, the device 80 may optionally include a verification module 808, which is coupled to the configuration interface file generation module 806. According to an embodiment of the invention, the verification module 808 can be configured to verify the configuration interface file generated by the configuration interface file generation module 806 based on verification rules, and in response to successful verification, instruct the configuration interface file generation module 806 to generate a loadable binary file. According to an embodiment of the invention, the verification module 808 may be developed using a different programming language, different algorithm logic, different model design, etc., than the device 80, and generates the desired configuration interface file based on the same inputs obtained by the device 80 (e.g., a set of conversion rules, an IMA configuration model, and a configuration interface file template). According to an embodiment of the invention, the desired configuration interface file generated by the verification module 808 can be compared with the configuration interface file generated by the configuration interface file generation module 806, and the verification success or failure can be determined based on the comparison result. According to an embodiment of the present invention, if the comparison result indicates that the expected configuration interface file generated by the verification module 808 is consistent with the configuration interface file generated by the configuration interface file generation module 806 (for example, the attributes and corresponding attribute values ​​of the configuration interface nodes included in the expected configuration interface file are exactly the same as the attributes and corresponding attribute values ​​of the configuration interface nodes included in the configuration interface file generated by the configuration interface file generation module 806), then the verification module 808 determines that the verification has passed; if the comparison result indicates that they are inconsistent, then the verification module 808 determines that the verification has failed. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the verification module 808's determination that the verification has passed indicates that the configuration interface file generated by the configuration interface file generation module 806 meets the design requirements. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus 80 may further include a loadable binary file generation module ( Figure 8 (Not shown in the image) This module can be used to generate a loadable binary configuration file based on the configuration interface file in response to an indication from the verification module 808 that the configuration interface file has passed verification, so as to facilitate the configuration of the IMA platform. Alternatively, the verification module 808 can indicate to the configuration interface file generation module 806 that its generated configuration interface file has passed verification, and the configuration interface file generation module 806 can convert the configuration interface file into a loadable binary configuration file in response to the indication from the verification module 808, so as to facilitate the configuration of the IMA platform.

[0081] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the verification module 808 can also be configured to prompt an error in the configuration interface file generated by the configuration interface file generation module 806 in response to a verification failure. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cause of the error in the configuration interface file can be confirmed based on the error prompted by the verification module 808, and after resolving the corresponding problem, the configuration interface file can be regenerated using the calibrated device 80, and a loadable binary file for the target machine can be finally generated based on the configuration interface file.

[0082] According to an embodiment of the present invention, structured conversion rules are used instead of hard-coded conversion rule files in the configuration interface file generator / verification tool. The conversion rules are configurable, so that the conversion rules can be decoupled from the configuration interface file generator / verification tool. Thus, different structured conversion rules can be configured for different target machines, so that the device 80 can quickly and automatically generate corresponding configuration interface files for different target machines.

[0083] The present invention can also provide a system for automatically configuring an IMA platform. According to embodiments of the present invention, the system may include, for example... Figure 8 The apparatus 80 shown includes an IMA platform configuration module that can be configured to configure IMA platform resources based on a loadable binary configuration file generated by the apparatus 80.

[0084] One or more aspects of at least one embodiment of the present invention can be implemented as a computer program product, wherein program code is applied to input instructions to perform the functions described herein and generate output information. The output information can be applied to one or more output devices in a known manner. For the purposes of this application, the present invention also provides a computing device comprising any system having a processor, such as, for example, a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a microprocessor. The computing device further includes a memory coupled to the processor for storing program code. The program code can be implemented using a high-level procedural programming language or an object-oriented programming language.

[0085] One or more aspects of at least one embodiment of the present invention may be implemented by representational instructions stored on a machine-readable medium representing various logic in a processor, which, when read by a machine, cause the machine to produce logic for performing the techniques described herein.

[0086] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, it should be understood that the present invention can be implemented and modified in various ways without departing from its broad spirit and scope. Those skilled in the art can make many modifications and variations based on the concept of the present invention without creative effort. Therefore, all technical solutions that can be obtained by those skilled in the art based on the concept of the present invention through logical analysis, reasoning, or limited experimentation on the basis of the prior art should fall within the protection scope defined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for automatically generating IMA platform configurations, comprising: Obtain a set of transformation rules, the set of transformation rules including one or more structured transformation rules, wherein each structured transformation rule indicates the configuration attribute of the target element of the target machine, one or more attributes of the corresponding source element, and a transformation formula; For each structured transformation rule, attribute values ​​are set for the target element's configurable attributes based on the structured transformation rule to generate the assigned target element; as well as A configuration interface file for the target machine is generated based on a set of assigned target elements generated by traversing the set of transformation rules, wherein the configuration interface file indicates the IMA platform configuration for the target machine.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Setting attribute values ​​for the target element's configurable attributes based on the structured transformation rules includes: In response to determining that the attribute of the source element indicated by the structured transformation rule is empty, a constant value is assigned to the attribute to be configured of the corresponding target element.

3. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Setting attribute values ​​for the target element's configurable attributes based on the structured transformation rules includes: In response to determining that the attribute of the source element indicated by the structured transformation rule is not empty and the transformation formula is empty, the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element is copied to the attribute value of the attribute to be configured of the corresponding target element, wherein the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element is obtained from a pre-imported IMA platform configuration model file.

4. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Setting attribute values ​​for the target element's configurable attributes based on the structured transformation rules includes: In response to determining that the attribute of the source element indicated by the structured transformation rule is not empty and the transformation formula is not empty, the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element is converted into the attribute value of the corresponding target element's configurable attribute based on the transformation formula, wherein the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element is obtained from a pre-imported IMA platform configuration model file.

5. The method as described in claim 4, characterized in that, Converting the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element to the attribute value of the corresponding target element's configurable attribute based on the conversion formula includes: Perform one or more basic operations indicated by the transformation formula on the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element to obtain the attribute value of the corresponding target element to be configured. The basic operations include: constant assignment, data copying, mathematical operations, unit conversion, and format conversion.

6. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Obtain a configuration interface file template, which indicates a list of target elements for the target machine. Generating a configuration interface file for the target machine includes: updating the attribute values ​​of the corresponding attributes of the corresponding target elements in the configuration interface file template using the set of assigned target elements, thereby generating the configuration interface file.

7. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The configuration interface file is validated based on the validation rules; as well as In response to the configuration interface file being verified, a loadable binary configuration file for the target machine is generated.

8. An apparatus for automatically generating IMA platform configurations, comprising: The conversion rule acquisition module is configured to acquire a set of conversion rules, the set of conversion rules including one or more structured conversion rules, wherein each structured conversion rule indicates the configuration attribute of the target element of the target machine, one or more attributes of the corresponding source element, and a conversion formula; The transformation rule execution module, coupled to the transformation rule acquisition module, is configured to set attribute values ​​for the target element's unconfigured attributes based on the structured transformation rule for each structured transformation rule, so as to generate the assigned target element. as well as A configuration interface file generation module, coupled to the conversion rule execution module, is configured to generate a configuration interface file for the target machine based on a set of assigned target elements generated by traversing the set of conversion rules, wherein the configuration interface file indicates the IMA platform configuration for the target machine.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that, The conversion rule execution module is configured to: In response to determining that the attribute of the source element indicated by the structured transformation rule is empty, a constant value is assigned to the attribute to be configured of the corresponding target element.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that, The conversion rule execution module is configured to: In response to determining that the attribute of the source element indicated by the structured transformation rule is not empty and the transformation formula is empty, the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element is copied to the attribute value of the attribute to be configured of the corresponding target element, wherein the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element is obtained from a pre-imported IMA platform configuration model file.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that, The conversion rule execution module is configured to: In response to determining that the attribute of the source element indicated by the structured transformation rule is not empty and the transformation formula is not empty, the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element is converted into the attribute value of the corresponding target element's configurable attribute based on the transformation formula, wherein the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element is obtained from a pre-imported IMA platform configuration model file.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that, The conversion rule execution module is configured to: Perform one or more basic operations indicated by the transformation formula on the attribute value of one or more attributes of the source element to obtain the attribute value of the corresponding target element to be configured. The basic operations include: constant assignment, data copying, mathematical operations, unit conversion, and format conversion.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that, Also includes: The template acquisition module, coupled to the configuration interface file generation module, is configured to acquire a configuration interface file template, which indicates a list of target elements for the target machine. The configuration interface file generation module is configured to: update the attribute values ​​of the corresponding attributes of the corresponding target elements in the configuration interface file template using the set of assigned target elements, in order to generate the configuration interface file.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that, It also includes a verification module, which is coupled to the configuration interface file generation module and is configured to: The configuration interface file is validated based on the validation rules; and In response to the configuration interface file being verified, an instruction is given to generate a loadable binary configuration file for the target machine.

15. An IMA platform configuration system, comprising: The apparatus as described in claim 14; as well as The IMA platform configuration module is configured to configure IMA platform resources based on the loadable binary configuration file.

16. A machine-readable storage medium storing one or more instructions, which, when executed, cause a machine to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-7.

17. A computer program product comprising one or more instructions, which, when executed, cause a machine to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-7.

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