Combining FPGAs & Atom x86 CPUs for SBC design flexibility
x86 CPUs & FPGAs: working together
Flexibility and openness characterize universal x86 technology. With flexible I/O execution, OEMs can precisely tailor I/O requirements to meet the needs of target applications. Conversely, FPGAs can manage tasks that could otherwise only be handled by dedicated controller components such as those used for real-time video signal processing ensuring quality control on manufacturing lines.
End devices such as cameras, sensors, actuators or servo drives are increasingly more digital and can now be connected directly to x86 hardware, bypassing the need for dedicated I/O cards.
Motion control for servo drives, which includes characteristic mapping and individual parameterization, can also be carried out by the x86-FPGA tandem. Even calculation of the path or trajectory can be shifted away from the servo regulator and onto the control for calculation via a fast field bus.
This requires fast industrial busses already available through different industrial Ethernet variants, and they in turn require specific processing mechanisms that can vary depending on the target application. These design challenges are readily managed by means of an FPGA-based Ethernet connection.
One hardware unit is capable of providing long-term support for all industrial Ethernet protocols – and the FPGA configuration required can be easily and flexibly adapted to future protocol developments by updating software along with its protocol stack.
Bridging the gap between current & legacy
Flexibility is a key factor associated with FPGA-based design, as performance can be adapted through updated programming rather than complex hardware revisions.
Redefining the basic function of these programmable circuits is a major advantage, and results from their use of reusable units of logic called IP cores.
These provide individual functionalities to the system, and enable the FPGA to take on features such as serial interfaces, industrial Ethernet controllers, user-defined I/Os or even the entire chipset functionality.
With the right combination of programming and peripheral boards, one system can manage a multitude of operations. For example, consider a sophisticated manufacturing environment incorporating the Kontron PCIe/104 MICROSPACE MSMST, the first embedded single board computer (SBC) to incorporate the configurable Intel Atom E600C processor series with industrial temperature range.
The Kontron MSMST pairs the Intel Atom E600 series processor with an Altera FPGA in a single package, dramatically simplifying application design. A single system could include a metal detector and a proximity detector to ensure safety requirements for materials traveling the production line, bar code scanner and reader, and a display application to view the data collected in real-time. Such a diverse and functional system could even be contained within reduced physical space, maximizing the advantages of small form factor, low power Atom-based features.
Further down the manufacturing line, the same physical board may be implemented as a completely different type of system. In this instance, perhaps the board is not just controlling whether the line is operating properly, but is also responsible for detecting objects that are improperly placed and therefore a threat to the safety of the production line.
The system could detect and recognize the object, and institute an automatic shutdown as a safety precaution. A similar system in an automotive manufacturing setting would detect proximity and initiate shutdown or other correction as needed to ensure safety of workers and equipment.
Platforms can be configured quickly and easily through validated IP cores, available for CAN-bus, serial interfaces (SPI Master / UART) and PCI-Express, I2C and GPIO. Interfaces can be executed by choosing the required IP core and corresponding High-Speed Mezzanine Cards (HSMCs) – wide availability of these components make SBCs such as the Kontron PCIe/104 MICROSPACE MSMST an ideal solution for dedicated RISC platforms.
Legacy designs supported by older interfaces such as ISA, RS232 and CAN often face issues because these interfaces are not supported by newer generation chipsets or dedicated hardware-designed I/O add-on cards.
PCI is anticipated to become obsolete, and it is becoming a deeper industry issue that current processor generations provide only PCI Express support, driving designers to implement alternatives such as PCI switches. This results in a design and performance trade-off, as switches must borrow resources that may be needed elsewhere within the application.
While new application designs benefit from continuing advancements in technology, designers need other options for improving performance within the 20-year installed base of actively deployed PCI-based applications.
Migrating these systems, which call for only 32-bit/66 MHz performance, to next-generation PCI Express or Gigabit Ethernet would be excessive and unrealistic. FPGAs provide an optimal solution, allowing designers to simply execute the right interface for the required I/O.
Loading comments... Write a comment