ControlShell: A Software Architecture for Complex Electromechanical Systems

Real-time system software is notoriously complex. Large projects must balance the special needs of real-time software—such as clock management, control systems, and strategy—with the needs of in teracting teams of programmers, managers, and long-term main tenance personnel. Successful projects require a solid software architecture, an intuitive graphical programming paradigm, a well- developed reuse system, and powerful system services. This paper walks through the methodology and application of ControlShell, the component-based real-time programming system. ControlShell provides an integrated development environment for building complex electromechanical systems. It targets complex systems that require both cyclic data processing and strategic event management and sequencing. ControlShell is specifically designed to facilitate team develop ment of complex electromechanical systems. Teams must share and reuse code; ControlShell provides component-level code shar ing and reuse. Complex systems require flexibility; ControlShell gains flexibility by supporting independent module-level code gen eration. Large systems are most easily designed as independent parts; ControlShell encourages easy interconnectivity of objects. Finally, complex systems are modal; ControlShellfeatures a unique configuration-control system for changing operating modes. The paper concludes by examining the application of this frame work to a dual-arm robotic work cell, a subsystem of the Space Shuttle Launch Processing System, and an underwater autonomous vehicle.

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