Embedded Digitization System

Abstract

An embedded digitization system enables a military platform to receive, transmit, and process a variety of types of information for a variety of purposes. An apparatus and method provides a means to ensure information interoperability between the invention and external sources. The invention provides a development environment that enables a developer to automatically and interactively develop the middleware services and functions that contain the aspects for interoperability with external sources. The invention ensures interoperability through reuse of functions and services known to satisfy requirements for interoperability. When functions and services that satisfy requirements for interoperability are not available, the invention provides a means to develop new functions and services that satisfy requirements for interoperability. The new functions and services are then added to those functions and services known to satisfy requirements for interoperability, and are also made available for use in future applications.

1 . An interoperability design apparatus comprising a single source and at least one external platform, the apparatus comprising; 
 means far application development;    means for modeling and simulating at least one single source;    means for modeling and simulating at least one external source;    a design repository;    an interface to at least one external repository containing information and network management components;    an agent that interacts with the at least one external repository containing information and network management components;    a query function; and    a user interface.    
   
   
       2 . The interoperability design apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the means for application development comprises a means to model and simulate static and dynamic behavior and performance of the single source and the at least one external platform.  
   
   
       3 . The interoperability design apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the means for application development comprises a means to design the platform applications.  
   
   
       4 . The interoperability design apparatus  claim 1  wherein the design repository contains the models and design for the single source and for the at least one external platform.  
   
   
       5 . The interoperability design apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the interface to the at least one external repository containing information and network management components is a network interface.  
   
   
       6 . The interoperability design apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the query function automatically builds queries with attributes from models of the single source and the at least one external platform.  
   
   
       7 . The interoperability design apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the agent automatically transmits queries from the query function to the at least one external repository containing information and network management components.  
   
   
       8 . The interoperability design apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the agent receives query results returned from the at least one external repository containing information and network management components.  
   
   
       9 . The interoperability design apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the agent forwards the query results returned from the at least one external repository containing information and network management components to the query function.  
   
   
       10 . The interoperability design apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the user interface is a graphical user interface.  
   
   
       11 . The interoperability design apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the query function comprises a means to interactively build the queries and analyze query results through the user interface.  
   
   
       12 . The interoperability design apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the means for application development comprises a means for design of information and network management components.  
   
   
       13 . The interoperability design apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the query function comprises a means to transmit information and network management components to the at least one external repository comprising information and network management components through the agent.