Jitterbug and TrueTime: Analysis Tools for Real-Time Control Systems

Abstract

The paper presents two recently developed, MATLAB-based analysis tools for real-time control systems. The first tool, called JITTERBUG, isusedtocompute a performance criterion for a control loop under various timing conditions. The tool makes it easy to quickly judge how sensitive a controller is to implementation effects such as slow sampling, delays, jitter, etc. The second tool, called TRUETIME, allows detailed co-simulation of process dynamics, control task execution, and network communication in a distributed real-time control system. Arbitrary scheduling policies may be used, and the tasks may be written in C code, MATLAB code, or implemented as Simulink block diagrams. 1.