B.U.’s Achievement in Securing a Patent in Information Technologies (January 20, 2015)

An “Integration System” developed at Boğaziçi University for simultaneous integration in the fields of software and hardware is the first project to receive a patent in this area in Turkey. The project, prepared by Associate Professors Arda Yurdakul, Alper Şen and Doğan Fennibay, aims to integrate virtual and real systems in various sectors, ranging from telecommunications to the automotive industry, by using “Embedded Systems”.

The use of new technology in the field of industrial automation has gained wide popularity in recent years. The speedy integration of present systems with new technologies facilitates the meeting of new business ideas and inventions with the real economy.

It has become possible to introduce a new technology to an existing system thanks to the system modeling method, which has become a current issue in recent years. In this context, the interaction between real and virtual system models has preoccupied those working in the field of information technologies.

The project team comprises Associate Professors Arda Yurdakul and Alper Şen, members of faculty at Boğaziçi University’s Computer Engineering Department, and Doğan Fennibay, a Computer and Industrial Engineer who holds a Master’s Degree in Engineering from Boğaziçi University and is currently working in the private sector.  They have earned the patent for their intersystem integration model – a first in Turkey in this field.

The Project titled “An Integration System” is the first method proposal to secure a patent in Turkey.  The study was also published in Computer-Aided Design of Integrated Circuits and Systems, a foreign-based magazine, and introduced to the international world of science.

We talked with Arda Yurdakul, Alper Şen and Doğan Fennibay about the project and the patenting process.

Today Systems Are Far More Interconnected

Arda Yurdakul, a graduate of the Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department of Boğaziçi University, has been working at this university since 2001 as member of faculty in the Computer Engineering Department. Yurdakul, whose major field of work is “Embedded Systems”, received second prize on behalf of Boğaziçi University in China in 2010 at an Embedded Systems Design Contest (2010 Intel Cup Undergraduate Electronic Design Contest-Embedded System Design Invitational Contest).

Dr. Yurdakul says they created a model as both a system and software in the new project.

“Systems have become far more interconnected today.  For example, while an electric meter used to be connected to only the electricity network, we see various connections in the smart meters we have today.  Another current example would be cell phones. Today cell phones have to communicate with many systems. If you are going to produce a new cell phone, you start from its existing model.  Modeling a cell phone requires another system with which this phone can be connected.”

A Hybrid Channel Model Has Been Developed With This Project

“An Integration System” model is a method that enables the virtual model in a computer to work together with the real system that works in real life. Alper Şen says that the main idea of the mentioned patent contains many devices and hardware such as the cell phones, recorders, cars, and refrigerators we use in daily life. He says, “The subject of our patent is a technique that promotes the development of embedded systems and increases the effectiveness of this process. The concept we call “Embedded Systems” is hardware systems developed toward a certain target.  It requires expert knowledge in both software and hardware. When you want to add a special feature to a system, you may start from scratch but when you want to add a new feature to your phone, you have to build on the existing system. The subject of our patent is to accelerate this process and increase its productivity.”

Designing New Products Will Become Easier

Arda Yurdakul gave us the following information on Embedded Systems:

“There is a concept called ‘The Internet of Things’, which is widely known in academia.   Actually embedded systems are a part of this concept. When you want to add a new feature to a system, it is important to integrate the existing system with the new feature. Therefore, you try out the feature that you will introduce to the system with a model first. If the model works, then you can integrate it into the existing system. With “An Integration System”, we have developed the hybrid channel that will establish this relationship.

Pointing to the fact that the important advantage of this model is its ability to shorten the design process and facilitate designing a new product, Yurdakul, Şen and Fennibay say that “An Integration System” can be used in a wide range of areas in daily life, from automation to telecommunication and to designing a washing machine or refrigerator.  The next phase for this patented model depends on creating the opportunities that will enable the project to meet with the real economy.