The trend towards large displays with high resolution is also finding its way into embedded systems. Often such systems have been designed using an industrial PC for the graphical user interface and a custom real-time controller, which both have their price. Today, due to the advancing integration in microprocessors, it is possible to implement this functionality with a multi-core microprocessor on one single control board.
First, from our building blocks you select the functions which your controller should offer. This way, you simply add features like touch operation, wireless interfaces and IIoT communication to your controller. Finally, we add your domain-specific functions, which we implement according to your requirements. And your customized control system is ready, either you can manufacture it yourself or we can manufacture it for you with our partners.
Since you get the sources and schematics of the whole project, there is no dependency, no vendor lock-in.
Fields of Application
- Machine control
- Operator terminals
- IIoT edge server
- Image processing, machine learning
Realize fast and efficiently a customized control system, based on our standard hardware and software toolbox.
Hardware
Our embedded control standard design is based on the i.MX microprocessor from NXP. The wide variability of this microprocessor family allows to build customized systems in terms of functionality, cost, size, computing power (multi-core), memory footprint and power consumption.
For a cost-optimized solution without Linux, our Real-Time/ DSP platform is a good choice, also allowing the use of a touchscreen interface.
Software
Of course you can also profit from our standard design for the software. The software kit contains ready-made solutions for recurring tasks, such as graphical user interface, device configuration, service interface (local or remote), data storage, web services and an infrastructure framework that leads to a maintainable software architecture. By using these components, it is possible to create a ready-to-run application quickly because development can focus entirely on your domain functions.
Functionality of the Standard Design
The platform offers these options (see also the drawing above: blue part):
- Operator interface
- via a local operator interface
- LCD/ OLED display up to 4'096 x 2160 pixel resolution
- touch
- camera
- with app on smartphone, tablet or laptop
- USB
- WLAN/ Bluetooth
- via a local operator interface
- Maintenance
- communication with e.g. service
- service interface incl. service tool
- remote maintenance
- via any interface, e.g. with MQTT
- communication with the internet/cloud:
- Gigabit Ethernet
- Wireless LAN
- communication with e.g. service
- Application framework
- infrastructure framework for modular and maintainable applications
- automatic generation of protocol code
- Data storage
- device configuration, event log...
The non-functional requirements that the design fulfills are also important. These are often the larger limitation than the functional aspects:
- Data security
- built-in hardware secure element (Root of Trust)
- secure processor/ system on chip
- secure certificate and key store
- encryption
- identification
- Secure software updates via the Internet, secure boot of the controller
- Industrial quality
- temperature range -40..+85 °C
- long product lifetime (long-term availability)
- EMC and radio certification
- developed according to Solcept processes (CMMI for Development (Maturity Level 3), ISO 9001)
Your Application
The specific application (developed in C/ C++ and C#) can include, but is not limited to:
- Operator interface
- local operating interface
- classic (Qt) or web-based GUI
- GUI development based on the platform framework
- e.g. automatic generation of menu trees
- local operating interface
- Analysis and signal processing of sensors (incl. simple AI (Artificial Intelligence))
- temperature, humidity, air quality
- position in space, position, distance
- vibrations, acceleration, forces, weight
- current, voltage measurements
- Control of actuators
- switching of (resistive) loads
- stepper, DC, BLDC motors
- Any control function
Technology Base
This standard system design is based on the following technologies:
- Applications domain
- Real-time domain
- Display
- MIPI DSI, LVDS, HDMI, DP
- Camera
- Security
- Unique ID
- Cryptography unit
- External Secure Element
- Interfaces & protocols
- Wired
- USB
- Gigabit-Ethernet, Ethernet-Switch
- IPv4, IPv6, TCP
- Profinet, EtherCAT, Profibus
- CAN, LIN, IOlink
- Wireless
- WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network)/ Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth Classic, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
- Near Field Communication (NFC)
- "IoT/ IIoT"
- MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport)
- AMQP (Advanced Message Queuing Protocol)
- CoAP (Constrained Application Protocol)
- Towards sensors, actors...
- USB, UART
- SPI, I2C
- ADC, DAC
- Current/ voltage interfaces
- Wired