Embedded Systems Design Europe - November 2007 - (Page 20) RTOS In many cases, a hard real-time solution is required. Know the factors that’ll effect your system. Choose an RTOS for high-speed control BY GERARDO GARCIA n recent years, the explosion of embedded devices has blurred the line between a genuine real-time operating system (RTOS) and an operating system that can serve an embedded system. Generally speaking, RTOSs are a subset of embedded operating systems. While you can solve many application challenges with an embedded operating system, some challenges can only be solved with the determinism afforded by a hard RTOS. One of the most important applications that falls in this category is high-speed control. High-speed control is found in a host of devices and systems ranging from medical instruments and packaging machines to vehicle engine simulations. The most common type of control that requires real-time execution is a closed-loop control system. Closed-loop control systems normally perform three fundamental actions: I • • Acquire feedback signals from the system being controlled, often called the plant. Perform logic and/or signal processing on the input signals based on a desired behavior. 20 NOVEMBER – DECEMBER 2007 | embedded systems design europe | www.embedded.com/europe 020-022-024-025_ESDE.indd 20 6/11/07 16:42:30 http://www.embedded.com/europe
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