A Jitter-free operational environment for dependable embedded systems

Abstract

The paper presents a new real-time kernel architecture featuring component-based design, as well as advanced algorithms based on Boolean vectors and bitwise vector processing of kernel data structures. These have been consistently applied to all aspects of task management, as well as task synchronization and communication. Hence, the execution time of system functions no longer depends on the number of tasks involved, resulting in predictable, jitter-free operation of kernel subsystems. This approach has been further extended to time management resulting in a new type of kernel component, which can be used to implement Distributed Timed Multitasking - a novel computational model providing for predictable jitter-free execution of hard real-time tasks as well as distributed transactions in a dynamic scheduling environment.