Engineering real-time systems

Advances in microelectronics increasingly allow control devices to be widely distributed and deeply embedded within systems. Control engineering therefore involves the integration of these controllers, acting in harmony across whole systems. Such systems, though, involve dynamic real-time processes, with inherent physical characteristics; controllers must therefore respond correctly, at the right time, safely and reliably. This paper introduces the tools available to produce the software for such integrated, distributed systems, and highlights the uses and deficiencies of these tools. Unless such tools are used, it is impossible to develop safe, efficient and dependable control systems with guaranteed correct real-time software and hardware performance.<>