parallelization; safety-critical control systems; multicore; manycore; real-time systems; embedded systems
Duration:
1.11.2007 - 31.12.2010
Topics and Goals:
Physical restrictions of today's single-core cpus force processor manufacturers to develop chips with multiple execution cores, called multi- and many-core processors. This evolution of processors coerces software developers to decompose their sequential software for multiple execution units. Multi-core cpus are already used in the area of desktop computers. But in embedded and safety-critical systems, which lag behind the desktop sector about two years, it is much more difficult to integrate multi-core processors. Such systems additionally have to meet real-time deadlines to be formally correct. Moreover, real-time systems have to satisfy safety properties. This boundary conditions are valid for the most control systems (e.g., robotic, motion or drive controls). The goal of the research project pCtrl is to improve methods and tools, which fulfil the requirements of safety-critical systems, in order to parallelize existent control systems.