Performance assessment of a motion control application based on linux RTAI

The use of General Purpose Processors (GPP) in conjunction with Real Time Operating Systems (RTOS) derived from non real time operating systems gives new solutions to the industrial control designer. Several factors work towards this direction and bring advantages in terms of reduced time for development and low cost of deployment. In particular, the Real Time Application Interface (RTAI) is a real time extension for the Linux kernel with a real time interface available in high-level simulation tools and in user space programs. In this work, an experimental implementation of a single-axis motion control based on RTAI will be presented, along with an assessment of its real time performance. Feasibility of proposed solutions to implement multi-axes controls using a large number of I/O channels will be exploited as well.