| Multiple microcontroller based systems are commonly used to address sophisticated application requirements. Current software design techniques used to build such systems result in application specific solutions that cannot be used to solve general problems.;This dissertation addresses the need for new design techniques. The object based paradigm is applied to develop techniques which are used to design object based distributed kernels for networks of microcontrollers. These techniques are based on the Coad/Yourdon analysis and design methodology modified to use Jacobson use case analysis.;An application taxonomy is developed based on application resource, concurrency and error handling requirements. Architectural models of object based kernels are presented based on threads, object properties and separation. The application taxonomy is mapped to the architectural models to aid the engineer in choosing kernel features for a specific application.;An object based distributed kernel is developed to support distributed objects on a network of microcontrollers. Issues such as distributed object definition, naming, locating, creation, destruction, method access, and recovery in the event of failure are explored in detail. An example of a security system is used to illustrate the application of the object based design methodology and the use of a kernel that supports distributed objects.;By using the design techniques, architectural models, and abstractions of the object based distributed kernel developed in this dissertation, the design engineer will be able to design complex real time embedded multiple microcontroller based systems in less time than possible with design methodologies currently in use. |
