Application Execution Apparatus with Segmented Data Acquisition

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Real-time applications on general-purpose Operating Systems (OS) face challenges in guaranteeing real-time properties due to interference from other processing tasks, making it difficult to ensure punctuality and meet deadlines, especially for IO processing tasks.

Innovation Solution

An application execution apparatus is designed with a data acquisition unit offloaded to a first calculation device, such as an FPGA, which minimizes interference, and a data utilization unit executed in a second space, allowing for guaranteed punctuality and deadline adherence even on general-purpose OS platforms.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a general-purpose OS is used to execute real-time applications, then the system can support various types of processing (AI, connectivity, data processing), but the real-time property (punctuality) of the application cannot be guaranteed due to interference from other processing tasks

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecapability to support AI and connectivity processingVSAvoidreal-time property guarantee
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system is segmented into a general-purpose OS portion and a real-time execution portion. The real-time application is divided into data acquisition processing and data utilization processing, which are executed in separate spaces. The data acquisition unit is offloaded to a first space (separate from the general-purpose OS) to guarantee punctuality, while the data utilization unit runs in the second space (general-purpose OS environment), allowing the system to support AI and connectivity processing without compromising real-time properties.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Device complexity

If data acquisition processing is executed in the same space as other processing tasks, then the system structure is simple, but punctuality cannot be guaranteed due to processing interference

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem structureVSAvoidpunctuality
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The data acquisition processing is extracted from the general-purpose OS execution space and offloaded to a separate first space. This extraction isolates the time-critical data acquisition tasks from interference by other processing tasks, ensuring that punctuality can be guaranteed. The data acquisition unit operates independently in this separated space, while still being able to communicate data to the data utilization unit in the second space.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Loss of time

If data acquisition processing is offloaded to a separate space, then punctuality can be guaranteed, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovepunctualityVSAvoidsystem structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

A data linkage unit acts as an intermediary between the first space (where data acquisition unit executes) and the second space (where data utilization unit executes). This intermediary component enables communication and data transfer between the two separate execution spaces without requiring complex integration mechanisms. The data linkage unit receives data from the data acquisition unit and makes it available to the data utilization unit, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining punctuality guarantees.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3716061B1Application execution apparatus and application execution method
Publication Date: 2024.05.01 HITACHI LTD
  • EP3716061B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3716061B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3716061B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

To provide an application execution apparatus that can achieve a real-time property of an application. An application execution apparatus (100, 1400) that executes an application including a data acquisition unit (170) that acquires data transmitted from an 10 device and a data utilization unit (131) that utilizes the data acquired by the data acquisition unit (170), includes: a first calculation device that implements the data acquisition unit (170) in a first space in which the application is able to be started after an occurrence of an event for starting the application within a time required for the application; a data linkage unit (132) that links the data acquired by the data acquisition unit (170) to the data utilization unit (131); and a second calculation device that implements the data utilization unit (131) in a second space different from the first space.