Possibilities
xCORE provides a powerful solution for a wide range of demanding embedded system applications. The multiple cores in xCORE allow a higher level of integration than is possible with conventional microcontrollers.
Industrial
For hard real-time industrial applications, the xCORE architecture delivers unmatched deterministic response together with incredibly low latency to deliver class-leading performance. This, coupled with the winning combination of flexibility and integration makes the xCORE multicore microcontroller the perfect fit for your industrial application.
Where communications and control converge, XMOS can provide a tailored solution to your problems with our range of multicore microcontrollers, and our extensive library of xSOFTipTM peripheral components.
Some examples of industrial applications where xCORE is used today include:
Motor Control
The xCORE processor family is ideally suited for precise real-time control of all types of motors. Our ability to execute multiple fast control loops and generate precise PWM of your specification with 4ns resolution. The deterministic behavior of the processor core coupled with the rich set of xSOFTipTM functions allows rapid development of your motor control applications.
For applications requiring a high degree of integration, we can support a wide variety of communications standards including Ethercat, time stamped Ethernet and CAN. xSOFTip modules for HMI functions complete your design.
The high performance xCORE architecture, coupled with our PWM xSOFTip integrated into the Motor Control xKit, enables the construction of complex multi-axis motor control applications quickly, reducing your time to market.
Example application - Motor control
XMOS simplifies the development of motor controllers and drives for simple DC brushed and stepper motor through to high end PMSM and SRM motors. Our xCORE devices provide the performance and flexibility of FPGAs with a MCU-style development cycle. Design cycles for design description, compilation, simulation, and timing closure are measured in minutes instead of hours. xCORE resources can be assigned to increase the number of axes, increase control loop speed and complexity, or add communication interfaces, without affecting the functionality already present.
Motor Control Platform Core Diagram
Motor Control reference design
To get you up and running as quickly as possible, we offer a design kit and sample Field Orientated Control (FOC) algorithms developed in collaboration with Larsen & Toubro (L&T). Key features include:
- High performance motor control with 4 ns PWM resolution
- 125 kHz current loop speed -more than 250 spare MIPS per core available for advanced algorithms
- Develop faster using high level languages such as C and C++
- Close timing and verify performance in minutes using graphical tools.
XMOS/L&T Motor Control Platform
HMI
With increasing levels of automation in a multiplicity of industrial applications, there is an explosion in applications requiring an HMI. xCORETM multicore microcontrollers can be configured with our LCD controller xSOFTipTM to support multiple LCD panel resolutions along with custom HID USB devices, allowing a single device to support a wide variety of GUI applications. XMOS adopters can therefore leverage a single device to support both system bill of materials reduction and time-to-market advantage.
Example application - VGA LCD
xCORE devices support up to 800x600 display drive (LCD or VGA) with a high level of flexibility. This allows a broad range of LCD panels to be supported over a long product lifetime without a hardware redesign. As well as supporting graphical output, XMOS has developed xSOFTip for input processing, including USB/HID devices, legacy serial and low cost capacitive sensing buttons.
Example LCD controller core diagram
LED Architectural Lighting
The latest generation of LED lighting requires very precise current control – the XMOS xCORETM architecture, offers deterministic real-time responsiveness integrated DSP capabilities. Added to our extensive range of supporting xSOFTipTM including Ethernet SPI and transformation alogirthms, allows intelligent LED lighting applications to be generated quickly and simply.
Example application - Architectural LED controller
xCORE supports a broad range of long-reach communication standards including Ethernet and serial fieldbuses. It can also support any number and type of chip-to-chip driver interfaces such as SPI. This makes it ideal for distributed LED tile or array controllers. Not only can we transport and bridge pixel data from the host to the driver IC, but it is straightforward to integrate local processing for monitoring and image manipulation into an xCORE processor making the installation maintainable too. The diagram opposite shows a typical use of our devices in an architectural lighting installation.
Example LED controller configuration
Robotics
The complex algorithms necessary to support multiple sensors, actuators and control systems associated with industrial robotics is ideally suited to an xCORETM implementation. Our unique multicore microcontroller architecture allows integration of real-time sensor inputs with complex DSP motion control algorithms and system control applications in our XS-L1 and XS-L2 devices. Combining precise robotic control with industrial communications in a single device is now a reality with the xCORE devices.
Example application - Robot
xCORE devices are popular for robotics and unmanned autonomous vehicle control due to the unmatched real-time control ability. Multiple cores allow xCORE devices to handle multiple tasks simultaneously, all with completely predictable behavior and timing. We provide xSOFTip covering a wide range of control and communications interfaces and example software for various inner and outer control loops. Electro mechanical systems are hard real-time and so are broken if they miss a timing deadline. Only xCORE can guarantee response times, even for multiple inputs, making it the safe and easy to design choice for robotic and UAV systems.
Synapticon DYNARC
PLC
Programmable logic controllers cover a broad range of industrial applications including monitoring of large-scale plant, embedded data acquisition and small-scale laboratory applications. Interacting with the real world, in real-time, this class of application is ideally suited to the highly deterministic nature and the low latency of the xCORETM architecture. Flexible interfacing and the ability to support multiple channels is also a key requirement. Embodied in our range of deterministic high-performance 32-bit multicore microcontrollers, and supported by our library of xSOFTipTM, XMOS can provide low-cost solutions to all of your PLC needs.
Example application - Control
Automation of systems, consisting of a number of inputs controlling real-time outputs is a natural fit for XMOS. We offer a broad range of xSOFTip peripherals providing the connectivity and I/O needed in these systems such as Ethernet, CAN and a variety of other serial protocols. Our flow allows porting of C and C++ code directly providing a path from IEC 61131-3 compilation to our xCORE multicore microcontrollers. Unlike other processors, xCORE lets you scale the number of concurrent control tasks as far as you like, without ever exceeding the system scan time. The xTIMEcomposer development tools then allow thorough testing and verification of PLC implementations through capabilities including simulation, timing closure and real-time, in-circuit instrumentation for debugging.
Example real-time control core diagram
Industrial Communications
Inside every industrial system, there is a broad a range of communication interfaces from the latest real-time Ethernet standards to legacy serial protocols with a variety of physical layers. XMOS allows these disparate systems to communicate.
The xCORETM architecture with its low latency and deterministic processing, high performance and software flexibility, coupled with our xSOFTipTM communications library provides the ability to mix and match a variety of embedded communication standards, making XMOS the ideal solution for your industrial protocol bridging application.
Example application - Serial to Ethernet
xCORE is ideal for many varied protocol bridging and serial device servers. The core diagram opposite shows our highly cost optimised Ethernet (UDP/Telnet) to UART bridge application. Using a single low-cost XS1-L1 device, it provides up to eight full duplex 115Kbaud interfaces and includes an embedded web server for configuration.
Serial-to-Ethernet core diagram
Example application - Ethercat
The extreme low latency of xCORE makes it an ideal fit for real-time Ethernet, including timing sensitive protocols such as EtherCAT. Our EtherCAT slave uses less than one xCORE Tile worth of resources, allowing an XS1-L1 to be an EtherCAT slave NIC with host interface. Alternatively, using a larger xCORE device such as an XS1-L2, an intelligent network node consisting of controller (e.g. motor control) and communications can be supported by a single, flexible chip. These are just two examples that show how xCORE technology can solve your industrial communications challenges.
Example EtherCAT core diagram
Image Processing/Surveillance
The convergence of communications, CMOS sensors and advanced image processing has driven the development and deployment of generations of remote IP-based cameras and surveillance solutions. The demanding combination of high-complexity algorithmic development, real-time sensor acquisition and IP-based communication requires a class of performance and integration uniquely offered by the XMOS xCORETM architecture. Our Slicekit development environment allows for the rapid prototyping of advanced image processing or surveillance applications.
Example application - Imaging
The xCORE architecture allows direct interfacing to digital imagers up to 1Mpixel and supports scalable, low latency processing. This makes it ideal for real time imaging whether it be pure transport to an processing host, or local processing including region of interest selection and analytics. We offer xSOFTip for commonly used I/O as well as examples of processing algorithms and transforms.
Example image processing core diagram
sliceKIT core board with LCD slice