OBJECT ORIENTED COMPONENT AND FRAMEWORK ARCHITECTURE FOR SIGNAL PROCESSING

摘要

A reconfigurable distributed signal processing system (10) uses an object-oriented component-framework architecture in which the system permits large-scale software reuse. This is accomplished by the use of a framework and a number of reusable, reconfigurable software components (12) that are hardware independent. The components communicate over a data fabric (14) using open published APIs over one or more data communications mechanisms. Interchangeable software components are used that perform the signal processing. Interchangeability is assured by each component meeting a required interface in which the component inherits the required interface elements from component base classes. This use of inheritance to assure interface compliance also reduces the programming work required for developing a component. Most importantly, the interchangeable components are reconfigurable into various systems at runtime, as defined by a Plan. A Plan (18) is a schematic of the configuration of the various components to be used to solve a particular signal processing problem which includes the list of components, what computer each component is to execute on, how the components are interconnected, and the initial parameter values of the components. The system functionality and capability can be reconfigured at runtime based on a Plan read by a software element of the framework, the Framework Manager (16). Moreover, the source code for the components is platform independent. The system is able to use heterogeneous commercial off-the-shelf hardware to minimize equipment costs and lower non-­recurring engineering costs as well. The system uses the object-oriented programming and software development to reduce time to market and to ensure program success while at the same time exploiting a standard development methodology.