Implementation of a Mobile Robot Control Platform using Real-Time Embedded Linux

The SoC and digital technology development recently enabled the emergence of information devices and control devices because the SoC presents many advantages such like lower power consumption, greater reliability, and lower cost. However, it is nearly impossible to use the SoC without operating systems because the SoC is included with many peripherals and complex architecture. It is required to use embedded operating systems and real-time operating systems may be used as an embedded operating system. So far, real-time operating systems are widely used to implement a Real-Time system since it meets developer's requirements. However, real-time operating systems have disadvantages including a lack of standards, expensive development, and license. Embedded Linux is able to overcome their disadvantages. In this paper, the implementation of control system platform for a mobile robot using real-time Embedded Linux is described. As a control hardware system platform, XScale board is used. As the real-time Embedded Linux, RTAI is adopted which is open source and royalty free, and supports various architectures and real-time devices, such like real-time CAN and real-time COM. This paper shows the implementation of RTAI on XScale board that means the porting procedure. We also applied the control system platform to the mobile robot and compared the Real-Time serial driver with non real-time serial driver. Experimental results show that that using RTAI is useful to build real-time control system with powerful functionalities of Linux.

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