Vehicle Tracking System Memory Cache Processor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle tracking systems face challenges in managing large volumes of data from multiple vehicles without experiencing data losses or corruption, especially during busy periods, and may suffer from database record locking issues due to the use of multiple wireless protocols.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle tracking system with a central host that employs a memory cache processor, analysis engine, and receiver processors to manage data efficiently, featuring message normalization, backlog handling, and robust communication protocols like TCP, ensuring data integrity and processing even in the presence of failures or database issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple wireless protocols are used to handle diverse vehicle data uploads, then the system's adaptability and versatility improve, but database record locking and data corruption risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the data handling process into distinct components: receiver processors handle incoming data from different protocols independently, decoders specific to each protocol type process their respective formats, and memory caches store data separately before database insertion. This segmentation isolates protocol-specific operations, preventing locking conflicts between different data streams while maintaining comprehensive protocol support.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary components between the diverse wireless protocols and the central database: protocol-specific decoders act as translators that convert various protocol formats into a standardized internal representation, and memory caches serve as buffer intermediaries that decouple the asynchronous arrival of data from the sequential nature of database operations. These intermediaries prevent direct conflicts between multiple protocols accessing the database simultaneously.
2Reliability
If data is buffered in memory caches before database insertion, then data loss is prevented during high-volume periods, but memory usage and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary buffering of incoming vehicle data in protocol-specific memory caches before database insertion occurs. This preliminary action captures data in volatile memory at the point of receipt, ensuring that even during high-volume periods or system fluctuations, data is secured temporarily before being transferred to persistent storage. The buffering happens proactively rather than reactively, preventing data loss before it can occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The memory cache mechanism implements a discard-and-recover strategy where data is temporarily held in volatile memory during high-volume periods, then systematically transferred to the database when capacity allows. If system resources are constrained, the system can discard buffered data under controlled conditions while implementing recovery mechanisms to retrieve and process critical data from logs or backup storage, ensuring business continuity during resource constraints.
3Productivity
If scheduled transmit times are used for data uploads, then network traffic is managed efficiently, but data transmission delays and potential data losses occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic batch transmission where accumulated data from multiple vehicles is gathered during intervals and transmitted in organized batches at scheduled times. This periodic action optimizes network utilization by preventing continuous high-volume traffic while ensuring systematic data collection and transmission. The batch approach maintains network efficiency while minimizing individual vehicle data delays through accumulated throughput.
Solution Approach 2:
While transmission occurs in periodic batches, the data collection and buffering action continues continuously without interruption. Vehicles can upload data at any time to their designated receiver processors, and the memory cache system continuously accumulates and prepares data for transmission. This continuous useful action ensures no data is lost during the intervals between scheduled transmissions, maintaining an unbroken data capture stream that feeds the periodic transmission cycles.
4Speed
If fast initialisation routines are executed at startup, then system responsiveness improves, but incomplete initialisation and configuration errors may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system executes critical fast initialization routines at startup that perform essential functions immediately: establishing network connections, loading configuration parameters, initializing memory cache structures, and setting up protocol handlers. These preliminary actions get the system operational quickly for receiving and buffering data. Non-critical functions like comprehensive database schema validation and full system self-diagnostics are deferred to background processes that continue running without blocking the fast startup sequence.
Solution Approach 2:
The initialization process continues beyond the fast startup phase through continuous background operations. Configuration files are fully parsed and validated asynchronously, system parameters are continuously monitored and adjusted, and comprehensive self-diagnostics run in the background. This continuous initialization ensures that while the system becomes responsive quickly, complete and thorough initialization occurs without interruption, maintaining both speed and reliability.
Data Source
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AI summary
A vehicle tracking system central host (5, 6) comprises a memory cache processor for managing a plurality of memory caches (35) and a storage device (6) linked with the memory cache processor, for receiving messages from the memory caches and writing them to a database. There are n receiver ports (PORTi) each for receiving message packets of an associated protocol from remote vehicle on-board tracker units. There are also n receiver processors (PROCi), each associated with a port and each receiver processor being for: reading message packets received at the associated port, performing initial processing of the message packets including adding headers to provide processed messages, and writing the processed messages to a log dedicated to the receiver processor. There re also n decoders (DECi), each associated with a receiver processor log (LOGi) and being for (a) instantiating (56) a service object for each log, (b) executing each service object to instantiate (59) a message object in which data from a current message is written as attributes of the message object such that instantiation of the message object normalizes the message and the normalized fields include a vehicle identifier field, and (c) executing each service object to repeat step (b) for each successive message in the associated log, and (d) executing the service object to write each message object to one of said memory caches. The ports, the receiver processors, and the decoders operate in parallel.