Agricultural Terminal Hypervisor for Safe Software Expansion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural machine operating terminals are limited to manufacturer-installed software, preventing the retrofitting of additional application software for enhanced functionality, which restricts operational efficiency and requires multiple devices in the cabin, while safety concerns restrict external software installations.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of hypervisor software abstracts guest systems and application software from hardware, allowing parallel operation of safety-critical and safety-uncritical applications, enabling independent development and installation of software beyond manufacturer limits through virtualization, ensuring safe resource allocation and abstraction from hardware interfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the operating terminal is configured as a closed system with only manufacturer-installed software, then system safety and reliability are ensured, but functionality and adaptability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into multiple virtual machine partitions (G1-GN), each isolated from others and the physical hardware. Guest system G1 is dedicated to additional application software, while G2-GN handle manufacturer functions. This segmentation allows independent operation and isolation of safety-critical functions from non-critical extensions, resolving the contradiction between safety and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The hypervisor software acts as an intermediary layer between the physical hardware and all guest systems. It manages resource allocation, controls communication between partitions, and enforces access rules. This intermediary enables additional software (G1) to run safely by mediating all hardware access requests and ensuring safety-critical functions (G2-GN) cannot be compromised by external applications.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple operating devices are installed in the driver's cabin to provide additional functions, then functionality is expanded, but device complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple operating systems and application software are merged into a single operating terminal through virtualization. The hypervisor consolidates manufacturer software (G2-GN) and additional application software (G1) into one physical device, eliminating the need for multiple separate terminals, navigation devices, and data loggers in the driver's cabin.
Solution Approach 2:
The operating terminal becomes universal by running multiple guest systems simultaneously. A single terminal can execute manufacturer functions, additional applications, navigation, documentation, and accounting purposes through different virtual machine partitions, making one device replace multiple specialized devices.
3Adaptability or versatility
If additional application software is retrofitted to expand functionality, then adaptability is improved, but system safety and stability are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Safety measures are implemented beforehand through the hypervisor's architecture. Communication between guest systems is controlled and filtered in advance. The hypervisor enforces access rules that prevent guest system G1 from directly accessing or interfering with safety-critical guest systems G2-GN, cushioning against potential safety violations before they can occur.
4Reliability
If application software is developed specifically for the target operating terminal platform, then software-hardware compatibility is ensured, but development flexibility and migration capability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The hypervisor creates virtual copies of hardware interfaces and resources for each guest system. Application software running in guest system G1 interacts with virtualized hardware interfaces rather than physical hardware directly. This copying mechanism allows software to be developed independently of the specific physical hardware platform while maintaining compatibility through the standardized virtual interface layer.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an operating terminal (2) of an agricultural machine. The aim of the invention is to further develop the operating terminal. This is achieved in that hypervisor software (6) is installed onto the operating terminal (2), said software abstracting guest systems connected to the hypervisor software and the application software contained in the guest systems from the computer hardware (4). The software also regulates the communication between the guest systems and attributes computing time of the computer hardware (4) to the guest systems. The hypervisor software (6) is configured to have a system architecture consisting of the guest systems G.sub.2 to Gn as the basis for the application software of the manufacturer of the operating terminal and/or driver for interfaces which are not to be provided to other partitions, Gx as the basis for security-critical application software, G.sup.y as the basis for other interfaces of drivers which are to allow the remaining guest systems, with the exception of the guest system Gx, access to different computer hardware and software interfaces, and G.sub.1 for retrofitting and installing an additional complete guest system including the application software contained therein.