Full Text Available

Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.

A computational architecture for real-time systems

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2000.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mostert, Sias
Other Authors: Du Plessis, J. J.
Format: Thesis
Language:en_ZA
Published: Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University 2012
Subjects:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1867613958602489856
access_status_str Open Access
author Mostert, Sias
author2 Du Plessis, J. J.
author_browse Du Plessis, J. J.
Mostert, Sias
author_facet Du Plessis, J. J.
Mostert, Sias
author_sort Mostert, Sias
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv Stellenbosch University
description Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2000.
format Thesis
id oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/51562
institution Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
language en_ZA
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:44:24.894Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
publishDate 2012
publishDateRange 2012
publishDateSort 2012
publisher Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
publisherStr Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
record_format dspace
source_str SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
spelling oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/51562 A computational architecture for real-time systems Mostert, Sias Du Plessis, J. J. Halang, W. A. Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept.of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Real-time data processing System design Computer architecture Dissertations -- Electronic engineering Dissertations -- Electronic engineering Theses -- Electronic engineering Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The engineering of dependable real-time systems for mission critical applications is a resource intensive and error prone process. Achieving dependability requires a general consensus on the correctness of a system with regard to its intended function. For a consensus to be achieved, the properties of the system must be well understood which, in turn, requires consensus on a rigorously defined computational architecture. There is currently no single agreed upon computational architecture at the application level which can serve as a common denominator for the design and implementation of real-time systems. It is the thesis of this dissertation that a rigorous computational architecture, applicable from design to implementation, enables engineers to better understand software for real-time systems. To substantiate this claim, the real-time data flow architecture RDF with its notation allowing the description of complete systems from design to implementation will be explored. Four distinct research areas for improving the engineering process of real-time systems are dealt with in the dissertation: 1) the development of an architecture for real-time systems being suitable for design and implementation in software and hardware, 2) the consolidation of a number of graphical languages into a graphical notation for functional specification, design and construction of real-time systems, 3) the development of a simple processor architecture for the execution of real-time applications, and 4) and the evaluation of the architecture in the framework of a microsatellite case study. In particular, the following original contributions are made: 1) the firing semantics of data flow systems are expanded to include disjunctive firing semantics in a novel way in addition to the classical conjunctive firing semantics, 2) the inherent real-time data flow property, Le. that a receiving task must be ready to receive the next incoming message when it is sent, is extended to the synchronous data flow model, 3) a notation for describing all properties of real-time systems is defined 'with the real-time data flow language RDF as base language, 4) two hardware processor architectures are introduced that offer one-to-one correspondence between design and implementation and, thus, reduce the semantic gap between design language and program execution, and 5) the class of systems that can be modelled with data flow architectures is shown to include control systems and data flow systems. The language set and processor architecture were applied to certain aspects of the SUNSAT microsatellite project. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING:Die skep van betroubare intydsestelsels vir missie kritiese toepassings is 'n proses wat baie hulpbronne verg en waarin maklik 'n fout gemaak kan word. Om 'n betroubare stelsel te skep vereis 'n konsensus oor die korrektheid van 'n stelsel, wat bereik word wanneer die eienskappe van die stelsel goed verstaan word. Dit vereis op sy beurt weer 'n konsensus oor 'n goed gedefinieerde berekenings argitektuur. Daar is tans geen enkel ooreengekome berekenings argitektuur op die toepassingsvlak wat kan dien as 'n gemeenskaplike voertuig vir die ontwerp en implementering van intydsestelsels nie. Dit is die hipotese van die proefskrif dat 'n berekenings argitektuur met 'n streng basis, wat toegepas kan word vanaf ontwerp tot implementering, ingenieurs in staat sal stel om intydsestelsels beter te kan verstaan. Die hipotese word ondersoek deur die intydse datavloei argitektuur, RDF, te gebruik om 'n stelsel vanaf ontwerp tot implementering te beskryf. Daar is vier spesifieke navorsings areas ter verbetering van die ingenieurswese proses vir intydsestelsels, wat in die proefskrif aangespreek word: 1) die ontwikkelling van 'n argitektuur vir intydsestelsels wat geskik is vir die ontwerp en implementering in programmatuur en apparatuur, 2) . die konsolidering van 'n aantal grafiese tale in 'n grafiese notasie vir die funksionele spesifikasie, ontwerp en implementering van intydsestelsels, 3) die ontwikkelling van 'n eenvoudige verwerker argitektuur vir die uitvoering van intydse toepassings en 4) die evaluering van die argitektuur in die konteks van 'n mikrosatelliet gevallestudie. Die volgende oorspronklike bydraes word gemaak: 1) die sneller voorwaardes vir datavloei stelsels word uitgebrei met 'n disjunktiewe patroon saam met die tradisionele konjunktiewe patroon, 2) die inherente intydse datavloei eienskap, n.l. dat'n taak wat boodskappe ontvang, alle verwerking wat met 'n vorige boodskap gepaard gegaan het moet afhandel, voordat 'n volgende boodskap ontvang word, word uitgebrei na die sinkrone datavloei model, 3) 'n notasie om al die eienskappe van 'n intydsestelsel te beskryf word gedefinieer met RDF as die basis taal, 4) twee apparatuur verwerker argitekture word beskryf wat 'n een-tot-een kartering aanbied tussen die ontwerp en die implementering, en wat gevolglik die semantiese gaping verklein tussen ontwerpstaal en die uitvoeringsargitektuur en 5) die klasse van stelsels wat gemodelleer kan word met RDF sluit beheerstelsels en datavloeistelsels in. Die grafiese notasie en verwerker argitektuur was toegepas op sekere aspekte van die SUNSAT mikrosatelliet projek. Doctoral 2012-08-27T11:34:34Z 2012-08-27T11:34:34Z 2000-12 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/51562 en_ZA Stellenbosch University 198 p. : ill. application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
spellingShingle Real-time data processing
System design
Computer architecture
Dissertations -- Electronic engineering
Dissertations -- Electronic engineering
Theses -- Electronic engineering
Mostert, Sias
A computational architecture for real-time systems
title A computational architecture for real-time systems
title_full A computational architecture for real-time systems
title_fullStr A computational architecture for real-time systems
title_full_unstemmed A computational architecture for real-time systems
title_short A computational architecture for real-time systems
title_sort computational architecture for real time systems
topic Real-time data processing
System design
Computer architecture
Dissertations -- Electronic engineering
Dissertations -- Electronic engineering
Theses -- Electronic engineering
url http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/51562
work_keys_str_mv AT mostertsias acomputationalarchitectureforrealtimesystems
AT mostertsias computationalarchitectureforrealtimesystems