Operating modern factories and processing workshops is technically very complicated. In order to achieve precise control of mechanical equipment and production processes, production companies need to adopt the latest series of sensors, actuators and servo systems. As an example of adding technology to gain the advantages of precise control functions, various networking and automation layers have been added to the factory production floor through the control network connected to the IT network. They can provide business information and strategies, which in turn drive production decisions. Of the formulation.
This networked centralized industrial control mode enables technicians and industrial control engineers to access a wealth of data to observe, fine-tune and optimize the operation of the factory. Factory directors and business executives can fully understand the efficiency of the entire factory by simply browsing the dashboard.
In the past, the processing process was controlled manually, and each link of the factory was operated independently. By accessing real-time data describing the actual operating status of the factory, managers can better understand the daily operation of the factory and adjust business strategies based on the real-time load.
It has undergone several years of gradual transformation from isolated nodes to fully networked facilities. Most of this transformation is specific or unplanned. At present, all aspects of industrial control design still focus on its own bus, network, and special classification of controllers, resulting in a separate industrial control system design.
Although there is now a unified networked industrial control model from top to bottom, if you look at it from a bottom-up perspective, that is, from the perspective of the central processing unit of each part, it appears very fragmented. So far, there is no single IC processor architecture that can efficiently run on all levels of the control bottom.
The latest development of processor technology has brought great opportunities for designers to achieve innovation under a unified industrial control model. Through careful analysis of performance, function and communication requirements at all levels of control, and using a unified standard processor core architecture, designers can not only obtain the optimal solution at a very competitive price, but also can reuse software To reduce the cost of software development and greatly shorten the design cycle.
Control levelA typical industrial control system can be described as a 4-layer hierarchical structure: sensors and actuators, used to monitor industrial processes, report status information, and change the status when needed; motors and such as induction heaters Other systems are used to implement changes in the production process or operating status; analyze the information transmitted by the sensor nodes and issue instructions to the drive system to achieve various controls for the required changes, including programmable logic controllers used to connect equipment ( PLC) network and programmable automation controller (PAC) network; human-machine interface (HMI) module and display screen, to provide engineers and technicians with visual factory conditions processed by algorithms.
Until today, there has not been a software-compatible processor architecture that can meet the needs of all four layers of industrial control with a high cost performance. Designers can reduce the number of software development tools that must be purchased by adopting a common processor architecture, increase the total amount of reusable code, and conduct special development in a familiar development environment.
The ARM architecture is a freely licensed open architecture, so there is no issue of access rights. As an open architecture, the ARM architecture has become a de facto standard, laying the foundation for the development of a robust, diversified, global third-party software and hardware ecosystem.
As a leader in the field of embedded processing, ARM provides a variety of processor cores that can meet the performance requirements of each layer of industrial control. The revolutionary development of the kernel has promoted the compatibility of the software and the continuity of the architecture. The upgrade from Cortex-M3 core to Cortex-A8 processor has complete software compatibility, which makes it easier to develop control systems with communication functions. These communication functions only need to be developed and tested once and can run under multiple performances. . It should be noted that some ARM cores have integrated hardware that supports industrial control functions such as deterministic behavior and multitasking.
Although the core provides a good starting point, microcontrollers (MCUs) and microprocessors (MPUs) that integrate the ARM architecture core must also provide an appropriate combination of integrated peripherals and memory options. With the continuous increase of applications in the field of industrial control, this requirement has transformed into a demand for large-scale product series, including various price, performance and functional solutions.
Finally, professional software development tools that can simplify the development process and maximize code reuse are of great significance to help designers realize a control system that uses a unified architecture model.
It is used to illustrate the flexibility and application scope of the ARM core, and the best method to determine the correct combination of MCU and MPU peripherals for discrete control functions. It is to analyze the requirements of each layer of the control hierarchy shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: The automated factory has 4 basic production process control layers
Human Machine Interface (HMI)From a processing point of view, the requirements for the HMI at the top of the control hierarchy are the highest.
The basic user interface with touch screen buttons, sliders, and basic 2D graphics can be handled by an MCU (such as an ARM Cortex-M3 based MCU). In addition to the copyright of the Control Engineering Network, an advanced operating system is also required, and the user interface solution must be transformed from an MCU to an MPU.
In the automation equipment, the operator working through the remote control station needs to monitor and observe the situation of the factory floor as much as possible. To achieve comprehensive observation, new graphics functions such as 3D graphics and video are needed. For example, CONTROL ENGINEERING China copyright, one of the ways for operators to observe distributed industrial control systems is to access them by clicking on the label of a specific machine or part on the display.
The advanced HMI can not only display the data processed by the algorithm, 2D and 3D graphics, and the video transmitted by the surveillance camera on the factory floor, but also display important process or production indicators in the window. Scaling, rendering, and window display are common functions of advanced HMI. Touch screen, keypad, and voice are all optional input types, and all of these require MPU interface or peripheral support.
High-level interactions with operations on the production floor are very important, including switching views of surveillance cameras, requesting reports of requirements, and issuing commands to change processes or assembly lines. The console can easily receive and process data from hundreds of devices on the basic control network layer.
From the perspective of the processor, interaction at this advanced level requires the processor to have built-in video graphics capabilities, rich I/O options, and super processing capabilities. Similarly, when selecting the appropriate processor, it is important to consider whether to provide appropriate peripherals and software libraries.
There are very few processors with all the above conditions, and they are all based on the ARM Cortex-A8 architecture. The specific peripherals, interfaces, and performance parameters of these processors will be introduced later in this article.
Figure 2: Sitara AM35x series MPU module diagram based on Cortex-A8
Control layerThe factory control layer is generally composed of many PLCs working in the control layer. The PLC collects sensor data and makes a decision whether to change the state of the production process and whether to control the state of relays and motors and other mechanical equipment in the factory. They can monitor and manage large I/O networks divided into hundreds of nodes.
PLCs usually require deterministic behavior, that is, the time (or processor cycle) used for each I/O behavior to occur is exactly the same, every time. In environments with less stringent requirements for real-time deterministic behavior, some PLCs can use a real-time operating system (RTOS) to ease task-based programming while ensuring that the system can respond within a specific time period.
One of the differentiating features of the ARM Cortex-M3 core is that its hardware supports deterministic behavior. The ARM Cortex-M3 core can directly fetch instructions and data from the on-chip flash memory without having to fetch them from the cache. This enables the hardware to save the CPU state in the event of an exception. After the processor receives an external interrupt, it takes only 12 cycles to transfer control to the interrupt handler, while back-to-back interrupts (ie, tail chains) transfer control to the interrupt handler only 6 cycles.
From a design point of view, the built-in determination mechanism of the Cortex-M3 core makes it possible to use a single MCU to replace the dual-chip solution for motor control. In the past, a digital signal processor (DSP) was needed to control the motor associated with the node, and an MCU was also needed to handle the connection with other parts of the system. The MCU based on Cortex-M3 has the ability to realize the above two functions.
Hardware support for deterministic performance can work best with network protocols designed to support determinism. The IEEE1588 Precision Time Protocol (PTP) with high time accuracy can provide this feature and has a multicast function. From the perspective of automation design, this means that the 10/100 Ethernet that provides hardware support for IEEE1588 PTP is a very important peripheral. In some instances of higher-end programmable automation controllers (PACs), the demand for Gigabit Ethernet is also increasing as the amount of data transmission increases.
Another commonly used communication method in factory automation systems is the Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol, which enables distributed and redundant system design.
Wireless networks have now become the trend of networking PLCs, sensors and other node-level devices. WLAN (Wireless Ethernet) is often used for communication between PLC and PAC.
Texas Instruments (TI) Sitara series ARM microprocessor integrates WLAN-oriented Ethernet MAC, CAN and SDIO on the chip, and has the necessary performance to support network protocols.
At the sensor level, the ZigBee protocol is gaining acceptance. Based on the IEEE802.15.4 radio specification, ZigBee uses mesh network technology to create a robust self-configuring network CONTROL ENGINEERING China. All rights reserved. It is an ideal choice for industrial applications.
The Cortex M3-based MCU has the performance required to implement the ZigBee protocol and all related tasks except radio. In addition, Cortex M3 also supports auto-MDIX to handle 10/100 Base T Ethernet communications (full-duplex and half-duplex).
TI's Stellaris series MCU based on ARM Cortex-M3 has more significant advantages of on-chip integration of Ethernet PHY and MAC, which not only saves costs than dual-chip solutions, but also saves board space. For designs that require performance higher than 10/100 Ethernet, designers should choose MPUs based on Cortex-A8, such as the TI Sitara series.
The Cortex-M3 core is optimized for single-cycle access to on-chip flash memory and SRAM, which can achieve high performance that designers have been unable to achieve in MCUs. Since the 50MHz Stellaris Cortex-M3 MCU has single-cycle flash memory and single-cycle SRAM, compared to other MCUs running at 100MHz, designers can obtain more raw performance with Stellaris MCUs running at 50MHz.
Design problemAn important decision point for the selection of a processor core is to see whether it can provide software that accelerates product launches, including operating systems, libraries, and communication protocol stacks.
Graphics requirements are usually the dominant factor in choosing an operating system. Control applications not only require 2D or 3D graphics, video streaming, and higher display resolutions, but also usually require a full-featured RTOS, Embedded Linux or Windows Embedded CE operating system, and will be used in the home through a powerful processor. These processors based on ARM9 or Cortex-A8 cores (as used in the Sitara ARM MPU) contain a complete memory management unit (MMU).
Smart display modules that can process text files, 2D basic primitives, and QVGA JPEG images are usually at the upper limit of Cortex-M3 MCUs. The Cortex-M3 kernel has a memory protection unit (MPU), which facilitates the efficient use of small RTOS and lightweight linux kernels (such as RoweBots' Unisom kernel).
One of the advantages of the ARM architecture is the powerful ecosystem mentioned above. This can lead to a large number of third-party certified communication protocol stacks, including dedicated industrial communication protocol stacks required for factory automation environments. TI Stellaris MCUs can accelerate the product launch process by providing StellarisWare software, which provides various peripheral driver libraries, graphics libraries, USB libraries (used to support USB Device, USB Host, and USB OTG), boot loader support, and IEC 60730 self-check library for realizing equipment diagnosis in industrial applications.
Sitara MPU supports the development of hardware, drivers, and circuit board support kits for open source Linux and Windows Embedded CE6, and has third-party support for RTOS such as Neutrino, Integrity, and VxWorks, so it has the advantage of accelerating product launch.
Power consumptionPower consumption has now become an important feature of all applications, including power-line applications. While portable design is mainly concerned with processor power consumption, industrial system designers focus on keeping utility costs as low as possible. And lower power consumption also has a positive environmental protection effect.
Motors are ubiquitous in production workshops and processing plants, and usually consume a large amount of electrical energy in the factory. Somewhat surprisingly, the deterministic performance of the MCU core can play an important role in power efficiency. For example, in Cortex-M3, when the MCU interrupt service response efficiency is increased by 60%, the system-level power consumption will be reduced. The 60% increase in interrupt service speed means that the MCU can increase the motor's stop and start speed by 60%, and the energy saved can be accumulated in a year. In addition, the high performance of the Cortex-M3 core can be used to achieve smart digital commutation, so that you can choose a smaller motor to put into use, you can also choose a higher efficiency motor or improve the motor performance (for example, AC induction motors are driven by space vector modulation , Instead of being driven by a simple sine algorithm), all of these can reduce the required system power. Stellaris MCU includes dedicated motor control PWM with dead-time timer and QEI for closed-loop control, which can help designers use the computing power of the Cortex-M3 core to improve efficiency and reduce power consumption.
Another power consumption issue is the design of a fully enclosed factory automation system to prevent the trend of dust and other pollutants that are prevalent in the workshop environment. If more than one heat sink is required to cool the processor and related electronic equipment, designers must consider the use of vents and fans. In order not to defeat the goal of the original fully enclosed system, an expensive forced ventilation cleaning system must be installed.
Sitara series MPU can meet the demand for lower power consumption through adaptive software and hardware technology. The product can dynamically control voltage, frequency and power consumption through IC operation.
Peripherals and I/OThe value of the processor core based on the standard ARM architecture lies in its numerous advantages. Because system-level designs are built on the basis of MPU and MCU, the functions provided by IC manufacturers in the system-on-chip surrounding the core are equally important. Memory options are an important factor. Because on-chip peripherals provide other product differentiation, the type and number of peripherals and IO interfaces are also very important factors.
Two important communication blocks are discussed above, the CAN controller and the Ethernet MAC and PHY that support the 1588 protocol. Various IO options are listed below, many of which have huge market demand because they can achieve a wide range of data Transfer application.
I2C: A multi-master serial computer bus used to connect low-speed peripherals.
UART/USART: Advanced high-speed universal communication peripherals.
SPI: A widely used synchronous serial data link running in full duplex mode.
Internal integrated voice control (I2S): It can drive low-distortion signals to external ICs for audio applications.
External peripheral interface (EPI): configurable memory interface with various modes, which can support SDRAM, SRAM/flash memory, traditional host bus x8 and x16 peripherals, and 150MB/sec fast machine-to-machine (M2M) parallel transmission interface.
Universal Serial Bus (USB): A USB interface used for point-to-point or multipoint applications, usually including a USB host that supports machine configuration external storage or USB OTG.
In industrial applications, functions such as ultra-high-speed general-purpose I/O (GPIO), pulse width modulation (PWM), quadrature encoding input, and analog-to-digital converter (ADC) channels are very important for motor control and other machinery and processing equipment.
Figure 3 is a block diagram of a high-end MCU, which mainly illustrates the number of functions that can be integrated on the chip.
Figure 3: Cortex-M3-based Stellaris 9000 series MCU provides a rich set of peripherals
Most IC manufacturers can provide all of the above-mentioned on-chip functions. In some instances, product differentiation can be achieved through more robust implementation. The integrated Ethernet MAC and PHY on the Stellaris series devices and the support for IEEE 1588 are good examples of product differentiation.
Another example is the programmable real-time unit (PRU) provided on the TI Sitara series ARM9 MPU. PRU is a small processor with a limited instruction set that can be configured to provide specific resources for real-time functions that are not available on-chip.
In industrial control applications, PRU is usually configured for IO. This may be a custom interface or IO block that no MPU in this product line has. Compared with adding an external chip to perform the same function, using PRU can help save costs in the system. For example, CONTROL ENGINEERING China copyright, industrial designers can use PRU to implement additional standard interfaces such as UART or industrial fieldbus (such as Profibus). The comprehensive programmability of the PRU can even help designers add proprietary interfaces to customers they have won.
Due to the copyright of PRU Programmable Control Engineering Network, it can replace different types of IO in different execution environments to reduce power consumption and improve system performance. For example, CONTROL ENGINEERING China all rights reserved, PRU can handle dedicated customized data processing, reducing the load of the ARM9 processor by turning off the ARM clock.
Summary of this articleWhen more and more semiconductor suppliers adopt ARM-based MCUs and MPUs, industrial control equipment designers will be able to obtain a wider range of IC choices. Product differentiation will be determined by the intelligent application of silicon (balanced memory system, fast I/O and peripherals, and communication integration that can accelerate product launch) and the availability of good software development tools, libraries, and industrial protocol stacks. So just having a large list of MCUs or MPUs is not enough. Having a detailed list of production-ready tools and open source software (such as graphics libraries for drivers or primitives and widgets, etc.) provides designers with a quick start to their designs, and only then will they have more market opportunities.
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