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Hard real-time multibody simulations using ARM-based embedded systems

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Abstract

The real-time simulation of multibody models on embedded systems is of particular interest for controllers and observers such as model predictive controllers and state observers, which rely on a dynamic model of the process and are customarily executed in electronic control units. This work first identifies the software techniques and tools required to easily write efficient code for multibody models to be simulated on ARM-based embedded systems. Automatic Programming and Source Code Translation are the two techniques that were chosen to generate source code for multibody models in different programming languages. Automatic Programming is used to generate procedural code in an intermediate representation from an object-oriented library and Source Code Translation is used to translate the intermediate representation automatically to an interpreted language or to a compiled language for efficiency purposes. An implementation of these techniques is proposed. It is based on a Python template engine and AST tree walkers for Source Code Generation and on a model-driven translator for the Source Code Translation. The code is translated from a metalanguage to any of the following four programming languages: Python-Numpy, Matlab, C++-Armadillo, C++-Eigen. Two examples of multibody models were simulated: a four-bar linkage with multiple loops and a 3D vehicle steering system. The code for these examples has been generated and executed on two ARM-based single-board computers. Using compiled languages, both models could be simulated faster than real-time despite the low resources and performance of these embedded systems. Finally, the real-time performance of both models was evaluated when executed in hard real-time on Xenomai for both embedded systems. This work shows through measurements that Automatic Programming and Source Code Translation are valuable techniques to develop real-time multibody models to be used in embedded observers and controllers.

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Abbreviations

AP:

Automatic Programming

AST:

Abstract Syntax Tree

BBB:

BeagleBone Black

CISC:

Complex Instruction Set Computing

DSL:

Domain Specific Language

ECU:

Electronic Control Unit

HIL:

Hardware-In-the-Loop

MB:

Multibody

MMU:

Memory Management Unit

OOP:

Object-Oriented Programming

OS:

Operating System

PC:

Personal Computer

PP:

Procedural Programming

RISC:

Reduced Instruction Set Computing

RPI:

Raspberry Pi Model B

RTOS:

Real-Time Operating System

SBC:

Single Board Computer

SCG:

Source Code Generation

SCT:

Source Code Translation

SLOC:

Source Lines Of Code

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the European Commission through the Marie Curie IAPP project “Interactive” (Innovative Concept Modelling Techniques for Multi-Attribute Optimization of Active Vehicles), with contract number 285808 (http://www.fp7interactive.eu), the IWT Flanders and ITEA2 through the MODRIO project, the Research Fund KU Leuven. This work benefits also from the Belgian Programme on Interuniversity Attraction Poles, initiated by the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (DYSCO). The research of Roland Pastorino is also funded by grant GCP2013/056 of the Galician Government. The research of Frank Naets is funded by a postdoctoral fellowship of the Fund for Scientific Research, Flanders (F.W.O).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. PMA division, Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 300b, 3001, Leuven, Belgium

    Roland Pastorino, Francesco Cosco, Frank Naets & Wim Desmet

  2. Laboratorio de Ingeniería Mecánica, Universidad de La Coruña, Mendizábal, 15403, Ferrol, Spain

    Javier Cuadrado

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  1. Roland Pastorino
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Correspondence to Roland Pastorino.

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Pastorino, R., Cosco, F., Naets, F. et al. Hard real-time multibody simulations using ARM-based embedded systems. Multibody Syst Dyn 37, 127–143 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11044-016-9504-0

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