FEATURE Industry 4.0
Embedded in robotic technologies
A
s technology advances, so too do the capabilities of robotics. Embedded systems are becoming increasingly
commonplace in robots, as they provide the necessary computing power and control. Embedded systems can be found in a variety of robotic technologies, from industrial and commercial applications to consumer products. One of the advantages of our embedded systems is that they can run multiple operating systems, aff ording greater fl exibility and customisability in robotic applications. Embedded systems can also be used to control other devices, such as sensors and actuators, giving robots the ability to interact with their environment in a more natural way through increased data availability. Industry leaders are seeking industrial computing hardware that can operate in harsh conditions. This equipment must not only manage severe situations such as high levels of vibration, humidity and temperature, but also fulfi l criteria regarding computing performance, real-time computing and communication, thermal management and safety standards - all vital for reliable and long-lasting robot control systems.
Robots working with humans Functional safety is critical for many modern robotic applications and will become even more important when innovations in robotics that deliver optimised functions are also enabling close collaboration between humans and robots in the same workspace. When a robot fails, there is a risk to the surrounding workers, product safety and public safety. Therefore, mitigating safety risks under these conditions will become a fundamental requirement that is considered an integral part of robot system design. One of our embedded partners, Congatec, off ers functional safety-certifi able computer modules to help robot builders and OEMs shorten time to market. Computer-on-modules (COMs) can be utilised as an application-ready building block that includes software components such as bootloader, hypervisor and BSP that is already certifi able for functional safety, and receive the support and documentation from us to speed up the development cycle.
Safety management with a hypervisor Hypervisor is a layer of software between the operating system and hardware that allows
automationmagazine.co.uk Embedded Intelligence
multiple virtual machines to share a single physical machine. Hypervisors help run multiple operating systems on a single computer, allowing each operating system to have its own set of applications and services. This is important for ensuring safe mixed-criticality workloads when designing the system with functional safety to separate safety-critical tasks from other tasks, and allows more computing power to be executed at a higher level of effi ciency on a single piece of hardware with low latency. The Board Support Package is the link between software and hardware in an embedded system. It provides a set of routines that allow the operating system to interface with the hardware, including device drivers, memory management and interrupt handling. The BSP also provides Board-Specifi c Information (BSI), which is data specifi c to the hardware platform. This information includes the memory map, I/O mapping and interrupt routing.
AI and 3D machine vision While sensor fusion helps robots be more accurate, leveraging artifi cial intelligence (AI) can help make robots intelligent. Incorporating AI into robot systems can help enable robots to intelligently perceive, make decisions and perform tasks. A robot with AI capabilities can intelligently detect the object and its position, to take action accordingly. Congatec’s COM Express modules provide the demanded performance scaleability from Intel’s low-power to high-end processors. Combining Intel’s heterogeneous processor technology with Intel’s OpenVINO AI toolkit off er deep-learning models, device portability and higher inferencing performance with fewer code changes to accelerate AI application development.
CONTACT:
Display Technology
www.displaytechnology.co.uk
Your Global Automation Partner Smart Factory Solutions
Wireless Networks
* More than 20,000 sensors.
* Factory Automation. * Process Automation. * Hazardous Areas. * Harsh Environments. * Measurement & Inspection. * LED Lighting. * Vision Systems. * Machine Safety. * Vehicle Detection. * Flow & Temperature.
Turck Banner Ltd. Blenheim House, Blenheim Court, Wickford, Essex, SS11 8YT
Tel: 01268 578888
more@turckbanner.co.uk www.turckbanner.co.uk
Automation | July/August 2022 35
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