Component-based Design Approach Research Articles

A distributed software system for integrating data-intensive imaging methods in a hard X-ray nanoprobe beamline at the SSRF.

The development of hard X-ray nanoprobe techniques has given rise to a number of experimental methods, like nano-XAS, nano-XRD, nano-XRF, ptychography and tomography. Each method has its own unique data processing algorithms. With the increase in data acquisition rate, the large amount of generated data is now a big challenge to these algorithms. In this work, an intuitive, user-friendly software system is introduced to integrate and manage these algorithms; by taking advantage of the loosely coupled, component-based design approach of the system, the data processing speed of the imaging algorithm is enhanced through optimization of the parallelism efficiency. This study provides meaningful solutions to tackle complexity challenges faced in synchrotron data processing.

A component-based design approach for energy flexibility in cyber-physical manufacturing systems

AbstractEnergy flexibility of manufacturing systems helps to meet sustainable manufacturing requirements and is getting significant importance with rising energy prices and noticeable climate changes. Considering the need to proactively enable energy flexibility in modern manufacturing systems, this work presents a component-based design approach that aims to embed energy flexibility in the design of cyber-physical production systems. To this end, energy management using Industry 4.0 technologies (e.g., Internet of Things and Cyber-physical Systems) is compared to the literature on energy flexibility in order to evaluate to what extent the energy flexibility practice takes advantage of Industry 4.0 technologies. Another dimension is the coverage of the life cycle of the manufacturing system which guarantees its sustainable design and the ability to achieve energy flexibility by configuring the energy consumption behaviour. A data-based design approach of the energy-flexible components is proposed in the spirit of the Reference Architectural Model Industrie 4.0 (RAMI 4.0), and then it is exemplified using an electric drive (as a component) in order to show the practical applicability of the approach. The energy consumption behaviour of the component is modelled using machine learning techniques. The digital twin of the studied component is developed using Visual Components virtual engineering environment, then its energy consumption behaviour is included in the model allowing the system integrator/decision-maker to configure the component based on the energy availability/price. Finally, external services in terms of an optimisation module and a deep learning module are connected to the digital twin.

Development complexity of cyber-physical systems: theoretical and practical benefits from Pre-Integrated Architectures

Aim: The growing complexity of cyber-physical systems impacts resources and development time. Hence, numerous component-based design approaches have been developed to mitigate complexity and, consequently, the R&D effort. But is complexity even measurable? The aims of this paper are: to contribute to the Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) and Product Line Engineering (PLE) fields of research; to understand and apply the tools estimating Cyber-Physical System complexity; to evaluate the benefits of Pre-Integrated Architectures (PIARCHs) from the point of view of Cyber-Physical System complexity. Methods: Based on prior studies, we found that complexity is measurable. We used a structural complexity metric to calculate the impact of PIARCHs by creating variants of a given system architecture. In a practical application project, we used PIARCHs on two types of use cases: generic ones, like localization and perception, and a highly specific one: Urban Automated Driving. Results: Based on the calculation established by complexity metrics, PIARCHs reduce complexity. This has been revealed in theoretical and practical approaches. Generic use cases like localization and perception of an automated vehicle have more benefits with PIARCHs than the complex Urban Automated Driving use case. This can be explained by the fact that the number of inputs and parameters is smaller, and after the initial investment, the field of applications is wider. Conclusion: Project complexity is measurable, and the impact of PIARCHs mitigating complexity can be assessed. Their impact varies according to the complexity of the use case and the width of the field of applications. A minimum of complexity is required to justify the initial investment. However, an excessive PIARCH complexity reduces the number of applications and the payback of the initial investment.

An Interoperable Component-Based Architecture for Data-Driven IoT System.

The advancement of the Internet of Things (IoT) as a solution in diverse application domains has nurtured the expansion in the number of devices and data volume. Multiple platforms and protocols have been introduced and resulted in high device ubiquity and heterogeneity. However, currently available IoT architectures face challenges to accommodate the diversity in IoT devices or services operating under different operating systems and protocols. In this paper, we propose a new IoT architecture that utilizes the component-based design approach to create and define the loosely-coupled, standalone but interoperable service components for IoT systems. Furthermore, a data-driven feedback function is included as a key feature of the proposed architecture to enable a greater degree of system automation and to reduce the dependency on mankind for data analysis and decision-making. The proposed architecture aims to tackle device interoperability, system reusability and the lack of data-driven functionality issues. Using a real-world use case on a proof-of-concept prototype, we examined the viability and usability of the proposed architecture.

A Design Approach to Creating Scalable Video Processing Systems beyond UHDTV1 on an FPGA

An unquenchable end-user thirst for enhanced video quality results in ever-scaling video frame size and frame rate requirements. As we move from UHDTV1 to UHDTV2 and 120 frames/sec to 300 frames/sec, inevitably the computational complexity of video processing systems required to consume, process, and deliver video content increases. The need for solutions to support combinations of frame sizes and rates, as well as future increments, emphasizes the need for system scalability. The computational complexity and scalability requirements pose exciting challenges for field-programmable gate array (FPGA) implementation of video processing pipelines. This paper presents implementation techniques and methodologies to overcome these challenges. We specifically concentrate on architectures whereby the input per-pixel video sample rate exceeds the system clock rate. Novel results include classifying pixel processing orders and presenting a component-based design approach for future-proofing video processing solutions against an ever-scaling computational complexity requirement. Resource and memory bandwidth requirements of such systems are also analyzed and trends are presented.

Rigorous design of robot software: A formal component-based approach

We have recently started an effort to combine a state of the art tool for developing functional modules of robotic systems (GenoM) with a component based framework for implementing embedded real-time systems (BIP). Unlike some works which study the connection between formal approaches and the highest (decisional) level of the robot software architecture, where deliberative activities such as planning, diagnostics, and execution control are conducted, we tackle the problem of using formal methods for developing modules of the functional level of robots. Little attention has been drawn to the development of these modules whose robustness is paramount to the robustness of the overall platform.To this end, we have successfully developed the GenoM/BIP component based design approach and applied it to the functional level of a complex exploration rover. Here, we report on this work, and show how we: (i) produce a very fine grained formal computational model of the robot functional level; (ii) run the BIP engine on the real robot, which executes and enforces the model semantics at runtime; and (iii) check the model offline for deadlock-freedom, as well as other safety properties.Moreover, we also extended this paradigm in a number of promising directions: (i) introduced a real-time BIP engine which can now use and control a timed BIP model; (ii) distributed the model and the engine over multiple CPUs; (iii) proposed a user-friendly language for specifying constraints on the model; and (iv) linked the model with a temporal plan execution controller. Interestingly, although our approach was initially proposed for the lowest level of robot architectures, these more recent extensions now allow us to model and manage the deliberation taking place at the decisional layer.

Polychronous design of embedded real-time applications

Embedded real-time systems consist of hardware and software that controls the behavior of a device or plant. They are ubiquitous in today's technological landscape and found in domains such as telecommunications, nuclear power, avionics, and medical technology. These systems are difficult to design and build because they must satisfy both functional and timing requirements to work correctly in their intended environment. Furthermore, embedded systems are often critical systems, where failure can lead to loss of life, loss of mission, or serious financial consequences. Because of the difficulty in creating these systems and the consequences of failure, they require rigorous and reliable design approaches. The synchronous approach is one possible answer to this demand. Its mathematical basis provides formal concepts that favor the trusted design of embedded real-time systems. The multiclock or polychronous model stands out from other synchronous specification models by its capability to enable the design of systems where each component holds its own activation clock as well as single-clocked systems in a uniform way. A great advantage is its convenience for component-based design approaches that enable modular development of increasingly complex modern systems. The expressiveness of its underlying semantics allows dealing with several issues of real-time design. This article exposes insights gained during recent years from the design of real-time applications within the polychronous framework. In particular, it shows promising results about the design of applications from the avionics domain.

Multiprocessor SoC platforms: a component-based design approach

A high-level, component-based methodology and design environment for multiprocessor SoC architectures reduces design time without significant efficiency loss in the final circuit. This design environment provides tools for automatic wrapper generation that synthesize hardware interfaces, device drivers, and operating systems implementing high-level interconnect APIs.