Extensible Sensing System With Automatic Composer
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current sensing systems are rigid, costly, and difficult to extend or reuse, leading to multiple isolated systems that cannot share sensor nodes or data, resulting in inefficient resource utilization and increased development costs.
Innovation Solution
A distributed sensing system with an automatic composer that dynamically generates and configures software modules across sensor nodes to meet user needs, utilizing a device database, sensing module registry, and sensing needs monitor to optimize sensor coverage and adapt to changing requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sensing systems are designed for a single purpose with dedicated sensor nodes, then reliability and performance for that specific application are improved, but adaptability and extensibility deteriorate, requiring multiple isolated systems for different applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal sensor node platform that can serve multiple sensing applications through dynamic software module composition. The system uses a common infrastructure with configurable software modules that can be composed at runtime to meet different sensing needs, allowing the same physical sensor nodes to be reused across multiple applications rather than requiring dedicated hardware for each purpose.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs dynamic composition of software modules at runtime based on sensed context and application requirements. The sensing system can adapt its configuration dynamically by composing different modules to satisfy varying sensing needs, enabling the system to transform from a static single-purpose design to a dynamic multi-purpose platform without hardware changes.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple isolated sensing systems are deployed for different applications, then each system can be optimized for its specific purpose, but resource utilization efficiency deteriorates due to inability to share sensor nodes and data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple sensing applications into a unified system that shares common sensor nodes, data infrastructure, and processing resources. By combining previously isolated systems into one integrated platform with shared resources, the system achieves improved resource utilization while maintaining application-specific optimization through modular software composition.
Solution Approach 2:
The universal sensor node platform enables multiple applications to share the same physical infrastructure. Sensor nodes, data storage, and processing capabilities are universally utilized across different applications through dynamic module composition, eliminating the need for duplicate isolated systems and improving overall resource efficiency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If sensing systems are designed to be extensible with multiple applications in mind, then adaptability and reuse are improved, but system complexity and difficulty of design increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments sensing applications into independent, composable software modules that can be developed, deployed, and managed separately. This modular segmentation allows the system to achieve extensibility without overall complexity, as each module can be designed independently and combined through standardized interfaces at runtime based on application needs.
4Ease of manufacture
If separate sensing systems are deployed for each application, then ease of deployment is improved, but cost increases due to inability to reuse sensor nodes
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple application requirements into a single deployed infrastructure, allowing sensor nodes to be shared across applications. This reduces the total quantity of sensor nodes needed compared to deploying separate systems for each application, while maintaining deployment simplicity through automated module composition and configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment of the present invention provides a method and apparatus for enabling extensibility in sensing systems. The distributed sensing system comprises a number of sensor nodes, a device database, a sensing module registry, a sensing needs monitor, and an automatic composer. The device database is in communication with at least one sensor node and configured to maintain physical information on at least one sensor node. The sensing module registry is configured to maintain a registry of a number of software modules that are available for extracting information from sensor data. The sensing needs monitor is configured to maintain a list of context pairs that represent a number of sensing needs of a sensing application. The automatic composer is configured to generate a composition of software modules, at runtime, to realize the sensing needs of users and applications.