Automatic Generation, Migration, and Tests of a Real Time Code to an Embedded Controller

A constant challenge for the mobility engineering is to build correctly, the right product at the right time, cost and quality. This challenge gives opportunities to adopt new paradigms in system development, especially in generation, migration and tests of controller codes. This work presents the automatic generation, migration, and tests of real time code to an embedded controller. This is part of the Attitude and Orbit Control System (AOCS) for the Multi-Mission Platform (MMP) of the National Institute for Space Research (INPE). The modeling and simulation paradigm associated with automatic code generation makes possible the migration of a real time embedded controller code to a wide variety of target processors and/or Real Time Operating Systems (RTOS) using the same controller model. The MATRIXx (XMath/SystemBuild/AutoCode/DocumentIt) modeling and simulation environment was used to analyze and design the controller and generate its real time code. For that, the whole control system was modeled including its sensors, actuators, controller, plant dynamics and external environment. After the controller design was considered satisfactory, its model was used to generate a real time source code capable to be embedded in a target processor. The ANSI C generated real time code with the RTEMS RTOS were migrated to an emulator of the ERC32 SPARC target. Tests have shown that the software controller results comply with the pointing and stabilization requirements of the MMP ACS.