Embedded Real Time Systems

Embedded Real Time Systems

Prof. Davide Brugali
Università degli Studi di Bergamo
What is an Embedded System?

“Any sort of device which includes a

programmable computer but itself is not
intended to be a general-purpose computer”
(Marilyn Wolf)
Definition

Slide credit P Koopman, CMU

A short list of embedded systems

Slide credit Vahid/Givargis, Embedded Systems Design: A Unified Hardware/Software Introduction, 2000
How many do we use?
⚫ Average middle-class American home has 40 to 50 embedded
processors in it
⚫ Microwave, washer, dryer, dishwasher, TV, VCR, stereo, hair dryer,

coffee maker, remote control, humidifier, heater, toys, etc.

⚫ Luxury cars have over 80 embedded processors

⚫ Brakes, steering, windows, locks, ignition, dashboard displays,

transmission, mirrors, etc.

⚫ Personal computers have over 10 embedded processors

⚫ Graphics accelerator, mouse, keyboard, hard-drive, CD-ROM, bus

interface, network card, etc.

- Mike Schulte
Types of Embedded Systems

Slide credit P Koopman, CMU

Some common characteristics of embedded systems

⚫ Single-functioned
▫ Executes a single program, repeatedly

• Tightly-constrained
▫ Low cost, low power, small, fast, etc.

• Reactive and real-time

▫ Continually reacts to changes in the system’s environment
▫ Must compute certain results in real-time without delay

Slide credit Vahid/Givargis, Embedded Systems Design: A Unified Hardware/Software

Introduction, 2000
Design Constraints
Other Design Considerations
Dependability

▫ Reliability: probability of system working correctly

provided that it worked at time t=0

▫ Maintainability: probability of system working

correctly d time units after error occurred.

[Some systems require no maintenance

throughout their operating lives (e.g. electric
kettles, computer keyboards), while some may
need it such as mobile phones and airplane
flight control (software upgrade)]
Real-Time Consideration

Correct operation of real-time systems means:

▫ Working correctly (functionally correct)

▫ Producing outputs in time!

i.e. correct result at the right time

Hardware vs Software

• Many functions can be done by software on a general

purpose microprocessor OR by hardware on an
application specific ICs (ASICs)

• For examples: game console graphic, PWM, PID

control

• Leads to Hardware/Software Co-design concept

Hardware vs Software
Microcontrollers

finite impulse response (FIR) filters

Hardware vs Software

ASIC : Application Specific Integrated Circuit

DSP : Digital Signal Processing
FPGA : Field Programmable Gate Array Slide credit – Ingo
Sander
Field Programmable Gate Array

FPGA with 20.000 logic ports

Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are semiconductor devices that are based
around a matrix of configurable logic blocks (CLBs) connected via programmable
interconnects.
FPGAs can be reprogrammed to desired application or functionality requirements after
manufacturing.
This feature distinguishes FPGAs from Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs),
which are custom manufactured for specific design tasks.
Field Programmable Gate Array

FPGA with 20.000 logic ports

Digital Signal Processing

The main difference between is that a DSP processor has features

designed to support high performance, repetitive, numerically intensive
tasks.
DSP processors are designed specifically to perform a large number of
complex arithmetic calculations as quickly as possible.
As compared to general processors, the DSP processor is more efficient at
performing basic arithmetic operations, especially multiplications.
Digital Signal Processing

Applications of digital signal processing in communications

adaptive equalizers,
echo cancellers,
high-security encrypted low bit-rate speech transmission
Microcontroller-Based Embedded Computer
ROM or Flash to hold program
Flash ~256 KB ARM Core
~ 100 MHz

~100 KB
 The Arduino Development Board
USB
PWR IN
(to Computer)

A printed circuit board RESET

designed to facilitate
work with a particular
microcontroller. I2C Bus

POWER
5V / 3.3V / GND

Digital I\O
PWM(3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11)
Analog
INPUTS
Microcontrollers dominates processor market
General-Purpose Computer
Large Embedded Systems
• Embedded doesn’t mean small

• Large embedded systems such as network

switches and routers don’t use
microcontrollers
• CPU is typically in 100’s of MHz
• 500MB-1 GB RAM
• 250-500 MB Flash
• Power consumption could be an issue

• They are embedded systems like their smaller

counterparts in the sense that they perform a
single well-defined set of tasks
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Domestic Robots
Service robotics

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Service robotics

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Service robotics

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Agricultural Robots
Space Robotics
Autonomous vehicles
Correctness of Embedded Systems
Correctness
Response Time and Deadline
Real Time Systems
Segway
Controller design and implementation
What is special in ERTS
Real-Time Embedded control
▪ The responsiveness of the system (Car) can be measured by its rise time R.
▪ R is the time it takes to get close to its final state after the input changes.
▪ A good rule of thumb is the ratio R/T of rise time to sampling period is from
10 to 20.
▪ The faster a system respond to changes, the shorter the sampling period is.

Road slope, surface

SPORADICALLY R
+
Desired + Speed +
+ Actuator + Car
speed Controller
-

PERIODICALLY
Actual T
speed
Sensor
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Real-Time Embedded control
Set timer to interrupt periodically with Period T;
at each interrupt, do;
read data from Sensor;
compute control output u;
write command to Actuator;
end do;

Road slope, surface

SPORADICALLY R
+
Desired + Speed +
+ Actuator + Car
speed Controller
-

PERIODICALLY
Actual T
speed
Sensor
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Real-Time Embedded control
T

CPU

read comp write

Road slope, surface

SPORADICALLY R
+
Desired + Speed +
+ Actuator + Car
speed Controller
-

PERIODICALLY
Actual T
speed
Sensor
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Real-Time Embedded control
Real Time
Embedded PC Software Microcontroller
with OS without OS

Road slope, surface

SPORADICALLY R
+
Desired + Speed +
+ Actuator + Car
speed Controller
-

PERIODICALLY
Actual T
speed
Sensor
Real-Time Embedded control
Min distance

CRUISE CONTROL WITH OBSTACLE DETECTION

▪ Regulate the speed of a car by adjusting the throttle:
▪ Input by the driver → sets a speed and car maintains it.
▪ Measures the speed through device connected to the motor shaft
▪ Disturbances: road surface and slope, wind
▪ Automatically regulates the speed according to the distance to the preceding car

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Concurrent Real-Time Embedded control
T1

CPU { T2

communication
Obstacle distance
Distance
Sensor Environment
Monitor

PERIODICALLY T2
Road slope, surface
Desired +
speed + +
Speed
+ Controller
Actuator + Car
-
PERIODICALLY
Actual
speed
T1
Sensor
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Distributed Real-Time Embedded control
T1
CPU 1

Network
T2
CPU 2
Obstacle distance
Distance
Sensor Environment
Monitor

PERIODICALLY T2
Network
Road slope, surface
Desired + Actual
speed + + speed
Speed
+ Actuator + Car
Controller
-
PERIODICALLY
T1
Sensor
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Concurrent Real-time Applications
Real-time Application Real-time Application

Task Task
1 2 ...
Interrupt Interrupt
Handler Handler ... Real-time
1 2 Operating System

Hardware Hardware

NO
RT-Operating System RT-Operating System
Cyclic Executive &
Interrupt Handlers Scheduler

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Distributed Real-time Applications
Real-time Application Real-time Application

Task Task
1 2 ...
Interrupt Interrupt
Handler Handler ... Real-time
1 2 Operating System

Hardware Hardware

CAN
Transceiver

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Distributed Real-time Applications
Real-time Application Real-time Application

Task Task Task Task

1 2 ... 1 2 ...
Data / Events
Middleware Middleware
Real-time Real-time
Operating System Operating System
Ethernet / Ethercat
Hardware Hardware

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Need for Special Network Technologies
▪ General-purpose networks, such as Ethernet, exhibit random and
nondeterministic behaviour due to the conflict arbitration methods used (e.g.,
CSMA/CD)

▪ Results in nondeterministic delays, including arbitrarily long delays in the

worst-case

▪ Results in packet dropping during periods of heavy network activity

▪ Fieldbus, used in process and factory automation

PROFIBUS, used in factory and process automation

▪ CANBUS, used in automotive

EtherCAT, Ethernet for Control Automation Technology

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 Classification of RT Systems

Slides based on the book “Real-Time Systems: Design Principles

for Distributed Embedded Applications”, by H. Kopetz
 Hard RT System versus Soft RT System
The design of a hard real-time system, which must produce the
results at the correct instant, is fundamentally different from the
design of a soft-real time or an on-line system, such as a
transaction processing system.

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Hard RT System versus Soft RT System
Hard RT System versus Soft RT System
Hard RT System versus Soft RT System
 Fail-safe versus Fail-Operational
For some hard real-time systems one or more safe states which can be reached
in case of a system failure, can be identified. Consider the example of a railway
signaling system. In case a failure is detected, it is possible to stop all the trains
and to set all the signals to red to avoid a catastrophe. If such a safe state can
be identified and quickly reached upon the occurrence of a failure, then we call
the system fail-safe.
Fail-safeness is a characteristic of the controlled object, not the computer
system. In fail-safe applications the computer system must have a high error-
detection coverage, i.e., the probability that an error is detected, provided it has
occurred, must be close to one.

There are, however, applications where a safe state cannot be identified, e.g., a
flight control system aboard an airplane. In such an application the computer
system must provide a minimal level of service to avoid a catastrophe even in
the case of a failure.
This is why these applications are called fail-operational.
Course content and organization
Course syllabus
o Part one: embedded system programming
• Arduino (periodic and reactive programming)
• Introduction to operating systems and RT OS
• Concurrent programming with POSIX
• RT Communication : CANBUS, DDS
• Component-based development
• UML MARTE

o Part two: Real Time scheduling

• Priority-driven scheduling
• Shared resources
• Oveload management
• Scheduling Aperiodic tasks
• ResponseTime Analysis

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Teaching material
❑ Textbook
Giorgio C. Buttazzo, «Sistemi in Tempo Reale»,
Pitagora Editrice Bologna, 3° edizione

Giorgio C. Buttazzo, Hard Real-Time Computing

Systems, Springer

⚫ Course material
Send an email to [email protected]
Subject: ERTS
Body: Name, ID number (matricola)
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Exam
Written exam only
• Theoretical questions

• Scheduling exercises

• Preappello
• Monday 18 December 2023

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