RTOS Health Prognostication via Task Timing Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current real-time operating systems (RTOS) lack the ability to provide real-time measurement and analysis of task health during actual use, failing to forecast timing failures, which is particularly critical in applications affecting human safety, such as electric power steering systems.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system that monitor execution time, inter-arrival time, and blocking time for tasks executed by the RTOS, computing a state of health based on these metrics and initiating error handling when the health falls below a predetermined threshold.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If offline analysis tools are used to determine task timing behavior, then worst case timing can be identified, but real-time measurement and forecasting of task health during actual use cannot be provided
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes baseline task timing characteristics (execution time, inter-arrival time, blocking time) during an initial learning phase before actual operation. These baseline values are stored and used for real-time comparison during runtime to detect deviations indicating potential failures, enabling proactive error handling before critical failures occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors task timing parameters during runtime and compares them against baseline values. When deviations exceed predefined thresholds, the system generates alerts and triggers error handling procedures. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables real-time detection and response to RTOS health degradation.
2Reliability
If comprehensive monitoring of execution time, inter-arrival time, and blocking time is implemented, then RTOS health can be accurately assessed, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal RTOS health monitoring framework that can assess the health of multiple different tasks using the same set of timing parameters (execution time, inter-arrival time, blocking time). This multi-functional approach allows a single monitoring system to evaluate diverse tasks without requiring task-specific monitoring mechanisms, thereby reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system monitors three specific timing parameters (execution time, inter-arrival time, blocking time) that fundamentally characterize task behavior in RTOS. By focusing on these key parameters rather than comprehensive system state monitoring, the patent achieves effective health assessment with minimized monitoring overhead and complexity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If real-time monitoring and error handling are implemented, then system safety is improved, but processing overhead and execution time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements selective monitoring where only tasks identified as safety-critical are subjected to comprehensive real-time timing analysis. For non-critical tasks, simplified monitoring or periodic checking is sufficient. This partial application of full monitoring reduces processing overhead while maintaining safety for critical functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The RTOS performs self-diagnosis by automatically monitoring its own task timing characteristics and comparing them against baseline values. The system autonomously detects deviations and triggers error handling without requiring external monitoring tools, eliminating the time overhead associated with external analysis while maintaining continuous safety monitoring.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments are described for prognostication of real time operating system (RTOS) health. An example computer-implemented method includes monitoring, for a task from a plurality of tasks being executed by the RTOS, an execution time, an inter-arrival time, and a blocking time. The method further includes computing an RTOS state of health value based on the execution time, the inter-arrival time, and the blocking time of each task from the plurality of tasks. The method further includes, in response to the RTOS state of health value being less than a predetermined threshold, initiating performance of an error handling.