Objectif
This 12 months project aims at porting the EOS real time kernel on the ARM Thumb architecture. In addition it will produce a new Integrated Host Development Environment on Unix for writing applications in for Thumb with and without 3rd party RTOS support. Both the EOS operating system and the ARM CPU core are emerging technologies in their respective fields; both have received so far fundings for their development and an extremely positive response in the OMI framework. The project aims at making available, in a very short lapse of time, a complete real time kernel for deeply embedded systems based on the ARM Thumb architecture.
OMI/ThEOS is particularly focused in exploiting two related winning technologies (small, totally scalable real-time kernel and top performance/power ratio, compact instruction set RISC processors) to provide an extremely appealing platform for the development of cost and resource critical embedded systems. The platform integrates all the necessary characteristics to develop extremely compact code in high level languages, thus giving also strong accent to portability and re-usability of software.
Thumb has been designed to provide the developers of deeply embedded applications with a version of the ARM architecture with a novel 16 bit instruction set which is decoded in real time thus allowing a great reduction of code size (> 30% improvement in code occupation) whilst reducing speed by a minor quantity (about 5%). The Thumb instruction set consists of the most commonly used 32-bit ARM instructions squeezed into 16-bit wide codes. The new instructions can be executed on an ARM core equipped with a Thumb decompressor (a Thumb-aware core). The Thumb instruction set yields smaller programs than many common 8 and 16-bit CISC processors. Less external system memory is therefore needed allowing either a smaller ASIC die, reduced memory IC count or room for new software features. The narrow 16-bit system bus keeps power consumption and PCB area low. This all adds up to low system cost. Since Thumb-aware cores can execute both Thumb and ARM instructions, the high performance and richness of the 32-bit ARM core with its 32-bit operations and address space is retained. The designer gets high code density together with ARM's MIPS/Watt performance from 16-bit memory.
EOS is a scalable real time kernel designed for deeply embedded real-time applications, a highly tuneable and Modular Real-Time Operating System & Supporting tools based on work in the Framework 3 OMI/CLEAR project. The Company's proprietary background for the system software developments within OMI/ThEOS is an innovative technology regarding portability, scalability and modularity, an open micro-kernel with static and dynamic resource management. The system is well suited for the extensions and developments needed to provide embedded application developers with an open and integrated software modular design and development environment that aims to effectively reduce costs and improve time to market. The resource management in the microkernel is designed to separate policies from implementation mechanisms, in particular in the area of scheduling, communication and memory management.
The ARM Software Development Toolkit will be enhanced to support the development of Thumb code. The programmer can use this to write ARM code, Thumb code or routines of both which will sit together in system memory. The toolkit will be extended to provide portable debug monitor support and services called Angel, for Real Time Operating Systems such as EOS. This forms the basis of a Software Tools offering that when integrated with EOS will allow the creation of Deeply Embedded Applications running on a scalable real-time kernel.
The global costs for production of embedded systems will be reduced with the joint action of extremely compact code executable on high performance CPUs and the support of a very resource effective kernel like EOS.
Champ scientifique
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftwaresoftware applicationssystem softwareoperating systems
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringcomputer hardwarecomputer processors
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftwaresoftware development
Thème(s)
Appel à propositions
Data not availableRégime de financement
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinateur
20127 Milano
Italie