Microcontroller Configuration via Intermediary Software Pack
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Solution Overview
Problem
Product vendors face challenges in modifying embedded software applications for microcontrollers due to limited memory constraints and complexity, especially when dealing with object-oriented programming languages and disparate software modules, which can lead to memory issues and improper functionality.
Innovation Solution
The systems and methods provide a software pack that allows product vendors to interact with microcontroller platforms at a higher level, enabling efficient customization and debugging by using predefined interfaces and software modules, allowing for memory optimization and module swapping without altering underlying code, thus ensuring proper functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If product vendors modify the microcontroller's embedded software application directly, then the software can be customized to meet specific product needs, but memory constraints are violated and system reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a configuration file as an intermediary layer between the vendor and the embedded software application. The configuration file contains vendor-specific parameters and settings that are processed by the software, allowing customization without direct code modification. This mediator approach enables adaptability while preserving the integrity of the original software and maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The embedded software application is segmented into modular components that can be independently configured through the configuration file. This segmentation allows vendors to customize specific functional modules without affecting the entire software system, enabling targeted adaptations while maintaining overall system reliability and memory constraints.
2Ease of operation
If product vendors use object-oriented programming languages for customization, then ease of operation improves, but memory usage increases beyond available resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the customization logic from the main embedded software application and places it in an external configuration file. This extraction removes the need for vendors to work with complex object-oriented programming code directly, simplifying the customization process while keeping the memory footprint of the embedded application minimal and within available resources.
3Adaptability or versatility
If product vendors modify the embedded software application, then adaptability improves, but development time increases due to complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-structuring the embedded software application to accept configuration files with standardized formats and interfaces. This preliminary preparation allows vendors to perform simple configuration modifications rather than complex code development, significantly reducing development time while maintaining adaptability for specific product needs.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided herein are various systems, methods and architectures for enabling a microcontroller manufacturer to provide certain modification and configuration functionality to product vendors, while still maintaining the level of control needed to ensure that a product vendor does not inadvertently (or otherwise) create code that causes the microcontroller to not work properly. In one embodiment, this functionality can be performed through the steps of displaying a set of microcontroller properties that are available for configuration, receiving user information regarding a first value corresponding to a first microcontroller property, determining whether the user information results in a valid microcontroller configuration, and in response to determining that the user information results in a valid microcontroller configuration, generating compiled code for the microcontroller.