Configurable Microcontroller I/O Interface for Deterministic Real-Time Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing microcontrollers fail to efficiently meet the diverse peripheral needs of industrial applications, leading to increased costs due to the requirement of either using multiple specialized microcontrollers or superset microcontrollers, and they lack direct control over real-time processing, which affects determinism and efficiency in task-switching and multi-threading operations.
Innovation Solution
A configurable microcontroller with a Universal I/O Controller (UIC) interface and peripheral DMA engine that allows programming for various communication protocols and peripherals, enabling a single microcontroller to be adapted for multiple applications with flexible FIFO memories and reduced instruction set computing (RISC) engines, minimizing intervention and ensuring deterministic execution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple specialized microcontrollers are used to meet diverse peripheral needs, then application-specific functionality is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal I/O controller that can be configured to support multiple communication protocols and peripheral interfaces through programmable logic. This single multi-functional controller replaces what would traditionally require multiple specialized controllers, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining adaptability to diverse application needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The I/O controller employs dynamic reconfiguration capabilities where the controller's functionality can be changed at runtime through programming. This allows the same hardware resource to adapt to different peripheral requirements dynamically, eliminating the need for multiple fixed-function controllers and reducing overall system complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a superset microcontroller is used to cover all peripheral requirements, then adaptability is improved, but cost and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than incorporating all possible peripherals into a single superset microcontroller, the patent uses a universal I/O controller that can be programmed to provide only the specific peripheral functions needed for each application. This on-demand functionality reduces manufacturing costs by avoiding integration of unnecessary features while maintaining full adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller's behavior and functionality are changed through programming parameters rather than through hardware configuration. This allows the same physical device to be adapted to different peripheral requirements through software configuration, eliminating the need to manufacture different hardware variants for different applications.
3Ease of operation
If RTOS is used to manage multi-threaded operations, then ease of operation is improved, but execution determinism and efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the system into two distinct parts: a lightweight RTOS layer that handles high-level task management and scheduling, and a deterministic execution layer that handles time-critical operations. This segmentation allows the RTOS to provide ease of operation for multi-threaded management while the deterministic layer ensures precise timing for real-time requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism between the RTOS and the deterministic execution environment. This intermediary manages context switching and task transitions in a way that preserves RTOS ease of operation while ensuring deterministic timing characteristics for real-time operations, effectively mediating between the two conflicting requirements.
4Reliability
If proprietary software packages are developed without RTOS, then real-time control is improved, but software complexity and maintenance difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex, error-prone aspects of real-time control from proprietary software packages and implements them in hardware or firmware at the controller level. This extraction leaves the remaining software to focus on higher-level application logic, reducing software complexity and maintenance difficulty while preserving timing precision through the hardened lower-layer implementation.
Data Source
AI summary
A configurable input/output interface is described that can be programmed to handle any one of a plurality of interfaces that embedded applications might have, including communication protocols and bus interfaces, data acquisition from multiple sensors and actuators, and controls of various motors.