Vehicle Software Deployment Using Containers and Orchestration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Developing and deploying software on mobile venues such as aircraft, trains, and ships is challenging due to their diverse infrastructure and regulatory requirements, necessitating tailored software for each venue, which complicates the development and deployment process.
Innovation Solution
A software deployment system using software containers and container orchestrators enables modular updates by generating venue specifications and engineering configurations, allowing software to be developed independently of the venue's specific infrastructure and regulatory requirements, and deploying it using over-the-air or local installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If software is tailored specifically for each mobile venue's infrastructure and regulatory requirements, then compatibility and compliance are improved, but development complexity and deployment time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The software is divided into independent containers that can be individually developed, tested, and deployed. Each container encapsulates specific functionality and dependencies, allowing parallel development without interfering with other components. This segmentation enables tailored software for different venues while managing complexity through modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
A universal container orchestration system is implemented that can manage software across diverse mobile venue infrastructures. The orchestration layer provides venue-specific configuration and compliance rules, allowing the same containerized software to be deployed universally across different venues while adapting to local requirements through configuration rather than code changes.
2Reliability
If comprehensive testing is performed for each venue-specific software configuration, then software reliability is improved, but deployment time and productivity decrease
Solution Approach 1:
Software is developed and tested in isolated container environments before deployment to mobile venues. Unit tests, integration tests, and validation are performed on containers independently of the target venue infrastructure. This preliminary testing ensures reliability while enabling rapid deployment since venue-specific integration testing is minimized through standardized orchestration interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
Container images are created as portable, immutable copies of software environments. Once a container is validated in one venue, the same container image can be copied and deployed to other venues with different infrastructures, eliminating the need to re-test the same software configuration across multiple venues and significantly accelerating deployment.
3Reliability
If third parties are restricted from developing software without detailed venue knowledge, then software quality and compliance are improved, but adaptability and ease of manufacture decrease
Solution Approach 1:
A container orchestration intermediary layer is introduced between third-party developers and the mobile venue infrastructure. Developers create software in standard container formats without needing to know venue-specific details. The orchestration system acts as a mediator that handles venue-specific configurations, compliance checks, and infrastructure adaptations, allowing third parties to contribute software while maintaining quality and compliance standards.
4Extent of automation
If modular container-based deployment is implemented, then deployment flexibility and automation are improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The container orchestration system provides self-service capabilities for automated deployment. The system automatically discovers available containers, validates their compatibility with target venues, retrieves required containers, and deploys them without manual intervention. This automation handles the complexity internally while presenting a simple interface for software updates and deployments.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
Described herein are systems and methods for deploying software on mobile venues.