The process trellis: a software architecture for intelligent monitors

Michael Factor, David Gelernter

Abstract: The process trellis software architecture aids the programmer in building intelligent monitors for hierarchical domains by providing a way to guarantee real-time performance, structuring the interactions between modules, guiding the decomposition of the computation, and providing a well-defined interface with the external world. There is a natural parallel execution strategy for these decision processes which enables programs that would otherwise be unable to meet their real-time constraints to do so and permits speedup of programs without real-time constraints. One way to demonstrate a software architecture's utility is by an existence proof; HEARSAY-II is such a proof for blackboard architectures. While still a research project, a process trellis shell, which implements most of the features of the process trellis software architecture, is being used for an intelligent cardiovascular monitor that is intended for eventual use in a cardiac intensive care unit.<>