Embedded World On the German Embedded World Show 2008 KUKA introduces the new product “RTOS-VM”
Virtualizing Real-Time Operating Systems with Windows
There are a lot of real-time operating systems (RTOS) in the field today, but the market continues to grow.
Often, the real-time devices are running standalone on hardware platforms like x86-based PCs. Because of the exploding computer power of modern PC-hardware, like the recently introduced multi-core technology, it is possible to use more than one operating system on the device or hardware. With new virtualization software from KUKA, it is possible to run a customer’s RTOS in real-time together with Microsoft Windows. The adaptation of the RTOS can be done by the customer.
But why do this? What is the benefit of having real-time applications together with Windows on the same PC?
In 1996, KUKA introduced the world’s first industrial robot controller that was based just on an industrial PC. Some of the reasons for KUKA’s subsequent commercial success are the well-known and accepted Human Machine Interface (HMI) of Windows technology and the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of the PC technology. The controlling of the robot movement in hard real-time is done by the RTOS WindRiver VxWorks, which runs together with Windows on the industrial PC of the robot controller. An earlier version of the new KUKA virtualization software makes this possible.
Besides the controlling of a machine, there can be other meaningful reasons for the combination of an RTOS and Windows. For example, one wants to run the RTOS software that is running on a controller on a laptop for simulation, training or presentation purposes. It also can be useful for the developers to have the control software available on a Windows PC.
Previously with KUKA’s Windows real-time extension software, it was possible to run VxWorks or Windows CE in hard real-time concurrent with Windows on single or multi-core processors. The reason there haven’t been other RTOS supported lies in the fact that additional RTOS could be adapted only by KUKA.
At the German Embedded World Show 2008, KUKA introduced the new product “RTOS-VM”. With this product, the restrictions of the previous KUKA real-time extension versions are gone. In this “RTOS Virtual Machine,” the old version has been enhanced in a way that not only VxWorks or Windows CE can be used as the RTOS, but virtually any x86 RTOS. In addition, not only one instance of the RTOS can be run, but on a multi-core processor – several of them or a multi core-able RTOS can make use of several cores. With the included documentation and sample applications, the adaptation of the RTOS can simply be made by the customer. For less complex requirements it is also possible not to use an RTOS at all, but to develop simple real-time software like real-time interrupt handlers by using the included sample source code.
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