A multimicro system for high performance control applications

A computing architecture based on digital signal processors (DSPs) is presented for high-performance control applications. This computing system efficiently handles heavy computational loads, which typically arise when controlled plants have fast and nonlinear dynamics. In fact, general purpose computer are not a cheap nor convenient solution in those cases. The system is designed upon the structure of a hierarchical controller and it consists of a "decision" level consisting of a general purpose HOST computer and an "actuator" level (DSPs), directly connected to the plant. The synchronization and the real-time communications between the HOST and a DSP are implemented by two memory banks alternatively connected to the HOST and the DSP . A complete transparency and a minimum overhead result for the tasks running on the DSP. The system has been tested in a high demanding robotics application.