The other core real-time PC component is reliability. Failure of a real-time PC can cause loss of lives if applied in a hospital setting or economic losses that are hard to recover. The final component is the environment where the real-time PC is applied. For instance, when applied in a drive by wire system, the automobile must also be considered. Real-time PC applications are made up of a different cooperating tasks that are invoked at regulated intervals and operate on deadlines by which all executions must be completed. With every invocation, a task should sense the system’s state, perform required computations like deriving a control law and where necessary, send out commands to display or change the system’s state. A good example is automobile application where a task senses pressure from brake pedals and individual wheel speeds and performs computation in order to determine if any wheel is locked and where necessary activate the antilock brake system by changing the valve position in the system. This also applies in an aircraft control application where a task monitors the current throttle position and alters the engine’s thrust by regulating the fuel injected to the engine.

Such real-time computing tasks are referred to as periodic tasks; they are time critical tasks whereby, the system cannot continue operating until the tasks have been successfully executed. In the automobile application, if the antilock braking is not activated within a predetermined time following the locking of a wheel, the vehicle can spin and result in a bad accident. Likewise, in the aircraft application, the plane can crash if the thrust in not regulated in good time.

However, not all real-time computing tasks are activated at regular intervals. Some are activated once particular events occur; they are referred to as aperiodic tasks. A reconfiguration task for a system can be activated once the system detects a fault or error. In such cases, corresponding tasks do not execute at regular intervals. Therefore, if an event is time critical, the corresponding aperiodic task must have a deadline by which the execution must be completed. In case the event is not time critical, the corresponding aperiodic task will lack a deadline but it must be serviced within the shorted time possible without jeopardizing other task deadlines.

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EtherCAT in motion control

EtherCAT application in a dedicated motion control platform fully directs synchronization and control. Notably, sophisticated motion controllers are implemented on central control platforms; a design fact that is triggered by the need to fully synchronize servo updates from all axes by the controller. This ensures that multi-axis motion trajectories are executed in a coordinated manner. Centralization allows motion controller algorithms to gain access to real time motion and servo data while operating at a central processor’s speed. However, central processor resources reduce as axes increase in number. As such, the processor resources designated for real time control should be adequately distributed across the axes in a bid to reduce servo-update rates and lower performance.

Another motion controller platform architecture utilizes distributed processing and relies on powerful machine PC-based processor units to manage machine control responsibilities. However, it does not handle real time control algorithms; they are executed by SPs (Servo processors). A servo processor is assigned one or two axes to control. As such, servo processors are added as the axes are added to ensure a fixed update rate that is independent of axes numbers. The distributed processing architecture offers higher performance in coordinated motion control.

A distributed processor architecture based on real time platform with EtherCAT offers the synchronization, flexibility and bandwidth that matches centralized control power while guaranteeing the benefits of a distributed network. Notably, some of the processors that utilize this approach control up to 64 coordinated axes under a 20 kHz update and sampling rate. This includes; velocity, current loops, position and communication. With the use of a (COE) standard CAN over Ethernet protocol, the distributed processor facilitates the integration of different cross vendor devices like I/O modules and motor drives complying with the platforms standard. Additionally, motion programming languages, tools and development environments on dedicated control platforms assist system integrators and machine builders to save time and costs during implementation or high performance and powerful motion controls.

Note that, the efficiency of the “processing on the fly” mode of data transfer used in EtherCAT protocol positions it as the ideal option for use in high-bandwidth applications like servo control. Full machine controls can be constructed using dedicated motion control platforms that guarantee high speed update rates and synchronization. This approach offers higher performance as compared to network based solutions yet it requires minimal software and hardware integrations.

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Transport industry

Real time software used in the transportation industry for decades. Long distance trailers and trucks are equipped with global positioning systems (GPS) and sensors that track their routes and ensure timely delivery of goods across borders. The aim of real time software application in the transport industry is optimization of travel routes that guarantee fast deliveries. The real time sensors also report about fuel consumption habits as well as safe driving habits. As such real time analytics are not only applied to ensure timely delivery but also help business owners to save on fuel consumption costs. For instance, logistics companies utilize real time analytics to conserve energy and eliminate fuel wastage by recommending shorter routes in a bid to ensure timely performance.

The tech industry

The rise of social media has facilitated simple and interactive communication between the business community, their potential and existing clients. Social media is a real time channel that connects businesses with clients. In light of this, businesses utilize web analytics to analyze and integrate data that that they rely on to develop a personalized association with all their customers despite their unique tastes and preferences. Real time web analytics assist businesses through offering social media analysis used to determine customer patterns, enhancing sales through reinforcing products and services that customers are interested in, and providing a holistic end user view in a bid to engage their interest levels.

The manufacturing industry

In a bid to maximize profits, manufacturing industry are constantly seeking new ways of reducing production costs including embracing technological advancements. Notably, manufacturing industries are slowly adopting industry 4.0 that seeks to utilize machine based communications and sensors that operate in real time. This is automation of manufacturing processes that will reduce the industrial dependency on manual labor and operations. Ultimately, manufacturing industries will produce more and save resources they would have spent on manual labor and machine operations. The industrial automation process facilitates integration of manufacturing workflows in such a way that, completion of an industrial process in a USA factory can trigger subsequent flow of industrial processes in an affiliate factory located in another part of the world. Such flow of work processes is facilitated by data and analytics.

Gas and oil industry

Should a single component fail during an oil drill, the repair process can be time consuming and quite expensive because the required tools and personnel may not be available or notified in real time to address the problem. Moreover, it is hard to maintain a comprehensive inventory of all available tools and parts. However, with the use of real time analytics it would be easy to predict component failures and take action to address the problem before it cause losses. This guarantees preventive maintenance and saves on operation costs as opposed to incurring emergency repair costs.

Summary

Real time analytics offer power of data to different business and operation enterprises. Moreover, we have become a real time society where people expect immediate access to information as events unfold. As such, there is a rise in the use of applications that offer insights on data and what to do with it.

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Real time PC based systems offer two main benefits; enabling core isolation and a multi-core processor architecture. The core isolation feature allows system designers to assign definite control tasks to every CPU core as a means of optimizing system processing capabilities while reducing the time systems require to operate at maximum capacity. In turn, this boosts efficiency and extends the controller’s life as the processor becomes cooler due to reduced burden on the CPU. In addition real time PC based control systems leverage fastest and newest processors. Notably, some advanced PC based controllers utilize reliable Intel processors while entry level controllers incorporate ARM based processors. This guarantees consistent industry leading performances but at the least possible hardware, software, ownership and networking costs.

Other advantages of real time PC based control are; flexibility of migration paths and inherent scalability. In light of this, migration to larger systems is simplified in the event where an operation outgrows the scale or performance level of its control system. This mainly occurs in PC based controllers installed on Windows OS and other automation software with the aim of establishing real time control. As a result, the PD can operate in real time and deterministically. Note that, a processor’s end of life does not render software or system architecture obsolete. Real time PC users can replace old equipment with new IPC without altering the control system balance. This can be achieved through incorporating more system functionality into software and running it on standardized industrial PCs.

Real time PC based control systems ensure real time performance to the traditional PLCs. They streamline scalability and optimization as well as activate advanced features. Real time PC based controllers deliver the require performance levels to ensure that your operations remain competitive. However, the performance of systems relies heavily on the abilities possessed by machine builders when launching control platforms. This is because, the controller is a crucial part of the machine and always the first place experts examine when addressing performance issues and bottlenecks.

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Safety: EtherCAT supports black channel safety. In this context, the term black channel is used to mean that the safety network does not appear to be present. Note that, the black channel network in the bus system only serves as a transmission medium that does not perform any safety related duties.

Utilizes simplified masters: master devices issue messages and receive responses through a single message in – single message out protocol. This is easier than using EtherNet/IP Scanner that tracks messages sent out to all slave devices.

Simplified slave devices: slave devices can process TCP data without the need to implement TCP/IP stack. EtherCAT master device can perform TCP/IP processing while the TCP or UDP packet data is passed to slave devices.

Processing on the fly: the processing on the fly concept requires all I/O’s to be processed as messages move through the node from input to output ports. Inputs are added to messages while outputs are taken of the messages.

Huge data space: EtherCAT message telegrams can be as big as 60KB. As such, it is possible to move more data from the node to the master. Note that, there is no limit on the number of nodes an EtherCAT network can hold.

Real time EtherCAT master is a highly effective function library that facilitates the implementation of complex automation tasks. Moreover, its easy usability creates room for high flexibility and low development efforts that guarantee real time functions such as; automatic detection of EtherCAT topology present, fast service and process data communication, PC support as an EtherCAT slave, microsecond reaction durations for I/O data processing, high frequency and accuracy that supports the achievement or hard real time capabilities, command level real time networking of up to 40 Gbit/s, and extendibility with numerous additional functions and protocols like; EoE, FSoE, FoE, and SoE among others.

Summary

Real time EtherCAT has emerged as the most adaptable and fastest Ethernet field bus for industrial use. It is an open function library that facilitates seamless integration of industrial devices into the industrial automation process. It is a cost effective and flexible solution that is also easier to implement.

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In this case, performance in real time definition refer to application throughput; the reaction time for input signals to be processed by controllers with the aim of triggering an output event. In a normal control process application, this refers to the time difference from when an add ingredient signal is made to when the valve moves and permits flow of materials. in a divert-er conveyor application setting, this would be the time from when an input signal is made to indicate a product on conveyors to the time an arms moves diverting the product conveyor to the downstream conveyor. This actions differ between discrete controls and processes. However, it is assumed that most process control applications are designed to process changes within 100 ms to 1 s and 30 to 50 ms in more discrete applications.

Determinism is the guarantee that an event will occur within a specified duration; not slower and not faster. This is because, too fast or too slow can be problematic. However, most people prefer too fast as opposed to too slow. Technically, Ethernet network is non-deterministic. But, the latest Ethernet switch technology can be used through network routers or physically to separate control architectures from office and plant wide networks. In such a case, determinism is assured. With the help of RTOS, hardware chips, stacks and commercial shelf technologies, update times of at least 1 ms can be achieved to make Ethernet suitable for discrete control applications. According to device designers, the critical hard real time determinism aspect lies on how the Ethernet communication interface interacts with the controller of the device control features. With the right Ethernet hardware, stack and RTOS can offer suitable performance. However, optimal performance may not be achieved where device designers fail to manage hardware design and resources effectively. There must be a balance between meeting the communication network needs and device requirements.

Summary

For hard real time determinism to be achieved in plant floor control, control system designers must ensure that they comprehend the products’ optimal performance features as well as how it behaves within different system architectures. This entails knowing a device’s application throughput, network response duration, and controller reaction periods through control program and hardware interface.

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IoT Enterprise

IoT enterprise is similar to Windows 10 enterprise only that it offers extra lock-down controls. With the extra lock-down controls, it becomes possible to trigger Windows to display one kiosk app. As such, Windows runs on the background but the additional services are made inaccessible to average users. If you have been to a check out kiosk when the check-in app has crashed and noticed Windows 10 in view, you have encountered IoT Enterprise. IoT Enterprise licenses are available in stores since Microsoft distributes its licenses to their resale partners and OEM agreements. Being a full Windows version, users enjoy all features that come with it. However, IoT enterprise does not run on ARM processors; this is the only con.

IoT Core

Unlike IoT enterprise, IoT core is a stripped down version where users do not enjoy all Windows shell features. The IoT core operating system only runs background processes and single UWP (Universal Windows Program) app. But, IoT core runs effectively on ARM processors. Therefore, it would be the ideal choice to run simple programs that do not require a lot of direct user interactions. Additionally, the ARM processor capability means that IoT core can be run on simple boards such as; Raspberry Pi. This makes IoT core the perfect choice for one off personal projects or quick prototypes mainly required by manufacturers. Microsoft went a step further to demonstrate the Raspberry Pi-powered robot that utilizes Windows IoT and interacts with holograms as well. The combination provides the required resources for downloading personal use IoT core using a free license.Also, IoT core on Minnow-board or Raspberry can be paired with sensors and other mechanisms such as; PIR sensors, temperature sensors, servos, and cameras for diverse use. Hence, Windows 10 can communicate gathered data with the sensors which is the main premise for the Internet of Things. IoT Core is excellent for solo programs, sensors and simple boards because it is designed to run without a graphical interface. However, it connects to a Windows 10 machine for feedback and programming.

Summary

The average user may not require IoT core but this does not mean that they will never encounter it. IoT core could be powering the food restaurant or kiosk you visit daily. In addition, it is the ideal option for people who find Linux complicated or time consuming.

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By contrast to an OS, a Real time operating systems (RTOS) guarantees that an operation will happen in a certain timeframe and this insures the machine executes with the desired precision.  The task prioritization is not longer handled by the Operating System but decided by the engineer that writes the applications.  The RTOS grants a programmer lots of approaches or concepts to introduce the desire precision.  The primary approaches include admission control, hard and soft real time guarantees, reservations, resource kernels and reflection. Note that, most of these concepts work together with the aim of achieving the paradigm as presented by a specific kernel. Here is a brief explanation of the paradigm concepts in RTOS.

Hard and Soft Real Time Guarantees

More deterministic and smaller kernels are responsible for supporting hard deadline systems. In this concept, all system details and inputs are known, carefully designed and analyzed to ensure that hard deadline requirements are met. Safety critical hard real time operating systems feature comfortable resource utilization margins similar to ensuring that total resource utilization does not go beyond 50-60%. On the other hand, large, probabilistic and dynamic kernels support soft real time operating systems. In this case, service quality is guaranteed and executed in a probabilistic manner.

Admission Control

As the name implies, admission control determines whether new tasks entering a system should be admitted or not. The admission control concept entails; state of system resources model, exact algorithm required to make admission control decisions, action policies that should be taken upon admission or rejection and knowledge about the incoming task requests. Note that, the precise system admission control algorithms may vary from one system to the other. However, the algorithm is based on simple utilization sums of previously admitted works combined with new task requirements,

Resource Reservation

Resource reservation defines the action of assigning available resource portions to a task. In early OS resource reservations were not required to maintain reasonable multiprogramming levels. Integrated resource reservation is carefully designed to eliminate the need for semaphores. This precise resource reservation guarantee is ideal for hard real time operating systems that require strict time adherence. In soft real time operating systems, various types of reservations are applied to support QoS.

Reflection

Reflection offers information about a system’s Meta data. The Meta data information defines the application, performance, and properties of an OS or microkernels. According to Yokote, 1992, more flexible systems can be built once the reflection notion is elevated to a system’s central principle. It also makes it possible to highlight the importance of choosing the ideal reflective information for specific systems. This type of flexibility is used to boost performance and to meet real time constraints.

Resource Kernels

Resource kernels offer interfaces that are used to create or destroy resources set and reservations made on different resources, attach or detach the reservations to and from resource sets, resize system reservations, bind or unbind processes generated by the resource sets as well as obtain usage of resources information processes. As such, resources reservations must direct application information down to the operating system to ensure that application specific performance is obtained.

Summary

There are numerous real time operating systems that feature varying principles, ideas, and paradigms that allow a programmer to introduce the precision that a realtime application like a machine control requires. However, since the RTOS application domain is wide, different system approaches are necessary to cater to different situations and application requirements.

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A wide range of embedded systems apply real time constraints. For instance, in production control, all machines must receive their task orders at the right time to guarantee smooth plant operations and processing of orders within the shortest time possible. The situation is more restrictive in flight control systems where most operations rely on timing accuracy like the control of combustion engines and turbines. These are just examples of embedded systems that are bound to strict real time constraints.

The term real time implies that an IT system does not control its time domain. As such, time progress of an environment determines time progress in an IT system. The environmental time can be generated artificially or follow the real physical world time. However, the nature of environmental time does not affect embedded systems. This is because, the correctness of system operations depends on logical computation results and the physical time when the results are released. Meaning that, in strict real time operating systems, delayed results are not just wrong but have the potential to be fatal or cause unimaginable losses. A good example would be an airbag controller.

Evidently, in real time operating systems, application tasks’ program logic must be augmented by timing information. The timing information denotes the earliest time point when a specific task can be started and the latest time the task can be completed. The augmented time information combined with program logic act as computing system specifications defining what should be done and when it should be done. For tasks to be executed concurrently in a real time operating system, objective functionality must be applied.

Summary

Real time operating systems have gradually evolved from specialized single use systems to a wide range of general purpose operating systems like Windows that is transformed into an RTOS with a Real-Time Scheduler extension to deliver Real-Time Windows or Windows RTOS. There has also been an evolution of safety critical and predictable RTOS applications to RTOS applications that support soft real time systems. The support entails QoS (quality of service) concept for open real time systems.

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Architecture

There are three common RTOS architectures; monolithic, microkernel, and real time executive. All software components in the real time executive architecture run together in a single memory address space making it quite efficient. However, it has 2 drawbacks; pointer errors that occur in modules can corrupt kernel memory and cause system failure. Also, the system can crash and fail to offer any diagnostic information. In monolithic architectures, user applications run as memory protected processes where the kernel is protected from poor user codes but its components share an address space with protocol stacks, file systems, and other system services. Meaning that, a programing error in any system service can result to system failure. On the contrary, file systems, device drivers, applications and network stacks reside in a spate address space in a microkernel architecture. In this case, a fault in one system service cannot affect the entire system.

Real Time Commitments

RTOS support preemption of kernel operations to ensure that high priority processes get the CPU cycles they require without delay. Meaning that, the time window when preemptions occur must be brief and governed by an upper limit on how long interrupts should be disabled and preemptions held off.

Protection Against Priority Inversions

Priority inversion defines a condition where higher priority tasks are prevented from completing their task by low priority tasks which is a sub task of another high priority task. RTOS utilize priority inheritance to bar priority inversions through assigning the priority of a higher priority task that is blocked to the lower priority tasks responsible for the blocking until its task is completed.

Monitor, Restart, and Stop Processes

RTOS applies safeguards against process failures. As such, devices requiring safety guarantees and availability implement high availability hardware based solutions like software watchdogs. Software watchdogs monitor systems and perform clean shutdowns or multistage recoveries as prompted.

Summary

RTOS has been embraced due to the level of dependability it offers. However, to some extent, the level of dependability relies on the type of architecture in use. In light of this, microkernel RTOS is best for ensuring system dependability since it also supports a wide range of capabilities and features.

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