Real Time Systems(17EC743)

Module -1
Introduction to Real Time Systems
 Historical Background
Brown and Campbell – 1950 – Earliest proposal - Computer operating in real time.
First digital computer – developed for real time control – for airborne operation
In 1954, a Digitrac digital computer was successfully used to provide an automatic

flight and weapons control system.

In late 1950s , digital computers were used for Industrial control
In 1958, September – Louisiana Power and Light Company - Daystrom

computer system’s installation – for plant monitoring – in their power station – at

Sterling, Louisiana. It was not the control system.

First industrial computer installation -Texaco Company –Ramo-Wooldridge

Company - RW-300 system’s installation -at Port Arthur refinery in Texas

 Historical Background
 In 1957-58 –Monsanto Chemical Company-with the coopertion of Ramo –

Woolridge Company-studied the control by computer.

 In 1958 October-it planned to have computer control for ammonia plant-at

Luling,Louisiana.
 In 1960,Jan 20th –Commisioning of computer control for ammonia plant at

Luling,Louisiana-began
 In 1960,April 4th -Closed loop control was achieved-after rewriting-the control

of the program-Noise problems were faced on the measurment of signals.

 In 1961,Monsanto Company began a Direct digital control(DDC) project for a

plant in Texas City and a hierarchial control scheme for the petrochemical
complex at Chocolate Bayou.
 Historical Background
In 1962,November,The first direct digital control(DDC) computer system was the

Ferranti Argus 200 system installed at the ammonia-soda plant at Fleetwood, UK.
The computers used in the early 1960s,with combined Magnetic core memories

and drum stores , the drums eventually giving way to hard disk drives.
In late 1960s,real-time opearting systems were developed and various PROCESS

FORTAN compilers made their appearance.

In 1970, 2 comptuers were used.

In 1974,Microprocessors advent made it economical to use distributed computer

control system.
Elements of a Computer Control
System:
Computer control of an Hot Air Blower:
Generalised Computer System:
Generalised Computer Control System:
Computer Control Showing Communication
Tasks:
 Real Time System:Definition
Real time: It is the time span taken by the system to complete all its tasks

and provides an output for an input. This time span should be the same for
computation of all its tasks.
Real time system: Real time systems are those which must produce the

correct response within the specified or defined time limit. If it exceeds

these time bonds it results in performance degradation and/or malfunction
of system.
For example an aircraft engine control system.

Real time program: A program for which the correctness of operation

depends upon the logical output of the computation and the time at which
the results are produced.
A typical real-time system:
 Example – Car driver:
Mission: Reaching the destination safely.

Controlled System: Car.

Operating environment: Road conditions.

Controlling System

- Human driver: Sensors - Eyes and Ears of the driver.

- Computer: Sensors - Cameras, Infrared receiver, Laser
telemeter, Navigation system, Street maps.

Controls: Accelerator, Steering wheel, Break-pedal.

Actuators: Wheels, Engines, and Brakes.

Example – Car driver (contd)
Critical tasks: Steering and breaking.

Non-critical tasks: Turning on radio.

Performance is not an absolute one. It measures the goodness

of the outcome relative to the best outcome possible under a

given circumstance.

Cost of fulfilling the mission → Efficient solution.

Reliability of the driver → Fault-tolerance is a must.

 Embedded vs. Real Time Systems:

 Embedded system: is a computer system that performs a

limited set of specific functions. It often interacts with its

environment.
 RTS: Correctness of the system depends not only on the logical

results, but also on the time in which the results are produced.

Real Time Embedded

Systems Systems
 Examples:
• Real Time Embedded:
– Nuclear reactor control
– Flight control
– Basically any safety critical system
– GPS
– MP3 player
– Mobile phone
• Real Time, but not Embedded:
– Stock trading system
– Skype
– Pandora
• Embedded, but not Real Time:
– Home temperature control
– Sprinkler system
– Washing machine, refrigerator, etc.
– Blood pressure meter
Classification of Real Time System
As per the clock and execution procedure of task the

real time systems are divided as follows

Clock based systems
Event based systems
Interactive systems
 Classification of Real Time System
1) Clock based real time system:
In this system the computation of its task has to be
completed in the specified time interval called real time
clock.
Most of plant control systems are in this category.
For example of feedback control of tank level
 Classification of Real Time System
2) Event based real time system:
In plants there are some systems where actions have to be
performed in response of some events instead of some
particular time intervals.
 For example the control system has to close the value if the
liquid level in the tank reaches its high level.
The specification of event based systems usually indicates that
the system must respond within specified maximum time to a
particular event.
These systems are basically aperiodic tasks and may have
deadlines expressed in terms of start up time or finish time.
For example after sensing of level of liquid the the valve
closer should start after some interval.
 Classification of Real Time System

3) Interactive systems:
The combination of Clock based system and Event based
system which gives the importance of average execution
time of the task is called interactive systems.
This covers the systems like Automatic teller machine,
reservation system for hotels, Airlines booking etc.
This systems receive the input from the plant or operator
and initiate the task and executes within the average
response time.
 Time Constraints
• Hard real-time — systems where it is absolutely
imperative that responses occur within the required
deadline. E.g. Flight control systems.

• Soft real-time — systems where deadlines are

important but which will still function correctly if
deadlines are occasionally missed. E.g. Data
acquisition system.
 Value of Result:
Hard Real-Time System
Soft Real-Time System

0
deadline time
An example for an Hard Real-Time Control
System: Hot air blower system
An example for an Soft Real-Time System: An
Automatic Teller Machine(ATM)
The Automatic Teller Machine is event initiated in that
it is started by the customer placing their card in the
machine.
The time constraint on the machine responding can
say,10 seconds, with the average being measured over
a 24 hour period.
Formal definitions of the Real Time Systems:
Classification Of Programs:
There are three types of Programming:

1) Sequential
2) Multi-Tasking
3) Real-Time
 Classification Of Programs:
1) Sequential : In Sequential programming, actions are strictly
ordered as a Time Sequence. The behaviour of the program
depends only on the effects of the individual actions and
their order.
2) Multi-Tasking: Actions are not necessarily disjoint in time ,
it may be necessary for several actions to be performed in
parallel .
3) Real-Time: Actions are not necessarily disjoint in time , and
the sequence of some of program actions is not determined
by the designer but the environment (by events occurring in
the outside world which occur in real-time and without
reference to the internal operations of the computer).
Sequential Programming:
Multi-tasking:
 Module -1(Unit-2)
Concepts Of Computer Control
Introduction:
In the industrial process control field, applications are
typically classified as follows:
1) Batch
2) Continuous
3) Laboratory(or test)
 Batch:
The term batch is used to describe processes in which a
sequence of operations are carried out to produce a quantity
of a product-the batch-and in which the sequence is then
repeated to produce further batches.
An important measure in batch production is set-up time,
i,e, the time taken to prepare the equipment for the next
production batch.
This is wasted time in that no output is being produced.
The ratio b/w Operation Time(the time during which the
product is being produced) and set-up time is important in
determining a suitable batch size.
Examples of Batch Production:

Baked goods.
Clothing.
Computer chips.
Computer software.
Die- or mold-making.
Electrical goods.
Flat-pack furniture.
Jet engine production.
Disadvantages of Batch production:

It requires very careful planning to decide what batch

will be produced when.
Over production is common causing a loss of money.
This method often requires a lot of mechanisation
resulting in redundancies of workers.
Continuous:
The term continuous is used for systems in which production
is maintained for long periods of time without interruption.
An example of a continuous system is the catalytic cracking of
oil in which the crude oil enters at one end and the various
products-fractionates-are removed as the process continues.
Continuous system may produce batches-product composition
may be changed from time to time-without halting the
production process.
A problem occurs in continuous processes is that during
change over from one specification to the next, the output the
plant is not within the product tolerance and must be scrapped.
 Laboratory Systems:
Laboratory based systems are frequently of the operator-initiated
type in that the computer is used to control some complex
experimental test or some complex equipment used for routine
testing.
A typical example is the testing of an audiometer, a device used
to test hearing.
The way in which the application is classified the activities being
carried out will include:
• Data acquisition
• Sequence control
• Loop control(DDC)
• Supervisory control
• Data analysis
• Data storage
• Human-computer interfacing
 Laboratory Systems:
The objectives of using a computer to control the
process will include:
• Efficiency of operation.
• Ease of operation.
• Safety
• Improved projects.
• Reduction in waste.
• Reduced environmental impact.
• A reduction in direct labour.
 Sequence control:
•Sequence control occurs in systems which often
predominates batch
systems and hence batch systems is used to illustrate it.
Chemical Batch Process:
 Loop Control(Direct Digital Control):
In Direct digital control(DDC) the computer is in the feedback
loop as shown in figure.
The system shown in the figure is assumed to involve several
control loops all of which are handled within one computer.
Direct Digital Control(DDC):

The advantages of DDC over analog signal are:

1) Cost
2) Performance
3) Safety
PID Control:
DDC Application:
DDC Techniques:

1) Inferential

2) Feed forward

3) Adaptive and Self tuning control

General structure of a feedback
control configuration:
 Inferential Control Configuration:
Inferential control is the term applied to the control where
the variables on which feedback control is to be based
cannot be measured directly, but have to be ‘inferred’ from
measurments of some other quantity.
 Feed forward Control Configuration:
Feed forward control configuration involves measuring the
disturbances on the system rather than measuring the outputs.
 Adaptive Control:
Adaptive control can take several forms.Three of the most
common are:

1) Preprogrammed adaptive control.

2) Self Tuning
3) Model-reference adaptive control
 Preprogrammed adaptive control:
The adaptive, or adjustment, mechanism makes present
changes on the basis of changes in auxillary process
measurments.
 Self-Tuning Adaptive Control:

Adaptive control using self tuning uses identification

techniques to achieve continual determination of the
parameters of the process being controlled, changes in the
process parametres are then used to adjust the actual
controller.
 Model reference Adaptive control:
Model reference relies on the ability to construct an accurate
model of the process and to measure the disturbances which
after the process.
 Supervisory Control:
The main reason for supervisory control were:
 Early days computers were not reliable and caution taken that the plant
should still run in the event of a computer failure.
 Computers were very expensive.
An example of Supervisory control i,e an evaporation plant is
shown in fig.
 Centralized Computer Control:
 In 1960-one single computer were used to convert the whole plant
because the computer were expensive.
 In 1970-the cost of computer hardware reduced that it became
feasible to consider the use of dual computer systems.
 Centralized Computer Control:
In dual control computer scheme:
The change over is manual.
Automatic failure detection is incorporated.
The reduction of the cost of hardware and the development of
the microprocessor has made multi-computer system feasible.
These fall into two types:

1) Hierarchial: Tasks are divided according to

function.

2) Distributed: Many Computers perform essentially

similar tasks in parallel.

 Hierarchial Systems:
 This is the most natural development in that it follows the typical
company decision-making structure shown in pyramid in fig:
Batch control using a Hierarchial Systems:
Batch control(Software):
 Questions on Module-1:Unit -1
1) What is meant by Real-Time-Systems. Explain the
classification of Real-Time Systems.
2) Explain Generalized computer control system with hardware
and software interface details.
3) Classify the Real-Time Systems based on Time Constraints
with an example.
4) Describe the elements of a computer control system.
5) Discuss the different types of programs in system design.
6) Explain : a) Sequential Program b) Multi-tasking program
c) Real-Time Program
7) Explain Batch process and Continuous process.
8) Explain the Supervisory control system with neat block
diagram.
 Questions on Module-1:Unit-2

7) Explain Batch process and Continuous process.

8) Explain the Supervisory control system with neat block
diagram.
9) With a neat block diagram. Explain Direct Digital
Control(DDC).
10) Write PID Control algorithm.
11) Write a note on Hierarchial Systems.
 Module -2
Computer Hardware Requirements for Real-time
Applications
General Purpose Computer