This paper presents design details adopting open embedded systems (OES) as real-time\ncontrollers in industrial distributed control systems. OES minimize development cost and enhance\nportability while addressing widely known shortcomings of their proprietary counterparts.\nThese shortcomings include the black box method of distribution which hinders integration to\nmore complex systems. However, OES are highly dependent on the compatibility of each software\ncomponents and essential benchmarking is required to ensure that the system can satisfy hard\nreal-time constraints. To address these issues and the notion that OES will find broader distributed\ncontrol applications, we provide detailed procedures in realizing OES based on an open source\nreal-time operating system on various low-cost open embedded platforms. Their performance\nwas evaluated and compared in terms of periodicity and schedulability, task synchronization, and\ninterrupt response time, which are crucial metrics to determine stability and reliability of real-time\ncontrollers. Practical implementations, including the modernization of a multi-axis industrial robot\ncontroller, are described clearly to serve as a comprehensive reference on the integration of OES in\nindustrial distributed control systems.
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