The „Android principle“ for mobile machines: Mobile Controllers with Linux support

Mr Klausner, STW has always stood for freely programmable mobile controls. What does this freedom mean to you?

It’s basically the Apple vs. Android principle, which is familiar from the smartphone market. We tend to the Android model and offer our customers a platform on which they are completely free to decide which applications they need, and how they want to realize and combine them. That is why we rely on openSYDE, our open-source software platform for implementing, commissioning and analyzing control systems. Our ESX.4cl controllers can also be equipped with an optional high-performance co-processor that offers a Linux operating system, and all the associated advantages in terms of user-friendliness, programming convenience and freedom.

What advantages do you mean specifically?

Linux offers development engineers a proven and user-friendly system that many programmers know how to use. We also supply a distribution generator with which the machine manufacturer can build his own system. This generator can be used to select and automatically install the necessary Linux applications and commands. Examples of this would be the provision of Python or a debug server. Similarly, software components that are not required can be deselected in the generator.

For a Linux system, firstly, the corresponding services must be configured. In principle, the user simply activates these by ticking a box in the generator and has the corresponding services available after a restart. Complex programming and compilation are not necessary. This makes the work extremely convenient and fast.

This makes it possible to realize lean systems tailored to the application. Typical open-source protocols such as OPCA_UA or DDS can also be integrated very easily.

Which applications would typically run on the Linux system?

Our i.MX6 co-processor is very powerful and, above all, offers several gigabytes of memory. This memory can be used, for example, to integrate load torque tables or additional maps that would be too large for the flash memory of the ESX.4cl’s Aurix controller. The co-processor can be used as an additional computing unit. In agricultural engineering, it can also be used as an ISOBUS job computer, for example. Thanks to the fast 32-bit processor, even data-intensive ISOBUS applications can be allocated to the co-processor.

The i.MX6 also offers the full functionality of our Telematics Application Framework. Among other things, this provides a powerful data logger. In conjunction with a communication module that establishes a wireless connection to the internet, cloud platforms can be directly connected. In addition, the framework enables the use of remote flash services such as our STW SYDEsup to install over-the-air updates. This further reduces complexity for machine manufacturers.

The direct internal communication between the i.MX co-processor and the main Aurix processor also contributes to reduced complexity. With the latest release, we have introduced API-supported communication between the two processors. Compared to the previous exchange of data via Ethernet protocols, this approach makes programming and working with the controller even more straightforward.

To what extent are these requirements from your customers?

It is not a question of whether customers actively demand these functions. We do not want to react to what the market demands, but rather proactively create more value and functionality. Programming capacity is a scarce commodity in our industry, so we want to relieve our customers from restrictions in this respect as much as possible. Intuitive software solutions that make working with our controllers easier are one way of ensuring this.

Furthermore, time-to-market is an increasingly decisive factor, particularly in the area of automation and assistance functions. A shortage of skilled labor and the desire of machine operators for convenience and efficiency in the work process necessitate the rapid integration of highly automated solutions.

With Linux support and openSYDE, we try to make life as easy as possible for our customers on the software side, without restricting them in their engineering. The key concept here is the Android principle. We want to provide intuitive automation platforms that allow our customers to realize their visions freely and individually.

What advantages does ESX.4cl offer over and above the Linux system on the co-processor?

We offer an enormous number of interfaces with the ESX.4cl. The ESX.4cl can be networked with other components in the system via six CAN bus interfaces and two managed Ethernet switches with a total of three 100 Mbit/s Ethernet ports, one 1 Gbit/s Ethernet port and two single-pair Ethernet ports. A total of 53 low-side and high-side outputs and 60 multifunctional inputs are available. Our controller variant specifically intended for agriculture also supports high-speed ISOBUS and enables the exchange of very large data streams, such as video signals, between the implement and tractor. This means that the hardware basis is more than powerful enough for the most demanding applications in agricultural, construction, municipal and forestry technology. 

STW will be showcasing its innovations for agricultural machinery manufacturers at the Agrishow in Ribeirão Preto, the largest trade fair for agricultural technology in Brazil. Experts from STW will be there to meet visitors at the German Pavilion, G8d booth 3.