The Real-time Control System (RCS) is a

software system A software system is a system of intercommunicating software component, components based on software forming part of a computer system (a combination of Computer hardware, hardware and software). It "consists of a number of separate Computer progr ...

developed by

NIST The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce whose mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST's activities are organized into physical s ...

based on the

Real-time Control System Real-time Control System (RCS) is a reference model enterprise architecture, architecture, suitable for many software-intensive, real-time computing control problem domains. It defines the types of functions needed in a real-time intelligent contr ...

Reference Model Architecture, that implements a generic

Hierarchical control system A hierarchical control system (HCS) is a form of control system in which a set of devices and governing software is arranged in a hierarchical tree. When the links in the tree are implemented by a computer network, then that hierarchical control sy ...

. The RCS Software Library is an archive of free C++, Java and Ada code, scripts, tools, makefiles, and documentation developed to aid programmers of software to be used in

real-time control system Real-time Control System (RCS) is a reference model enterprise architecture, architecture, suitable for many software-intensive, real-time computing control problem domains. It defines the types of functions needed in a real-time intelligent contr ...

s (especially those using the Reference Model Architecture for Intelligent Systems Design).Real-Time Control Systems Library –– Software and Documentation
at nist.gov. Accessed Aug 4, 2009.

Introduction

RCS has been used in automated manufacturing, robotics, and automated vehicle research at NIST. The software consists of a C++ library and GUI and configuration tools written in a variety of software languages. The Software Library is offering the following RCS tools: * ''RCS Java-based Diagnostics Tool'' : A tool written as a java applet that allows programmers to see the status and send commands to any RCS module. * ''RCS Java-based Diagnostics Tool Instructions'' : Instructions on how to build applications for use with the diagnostics tool. * ''RCS-Design Tool'' : A tool written as a java applet that allows programmers to create RCS applications graphically and generates source code. * ''RCS-Design Tool Instructions'' : Instructions on how to build applications with the RCS-Design tool. * ''RCS Data Plotter'' : A Java applet which plots data on a cartesian or polar graph, read either in real-time or from a text file. * ''Socket Interface to NML'' : ''Describes how to connect to an NML server using sockets directly. This information should also be useful for other languages where the C++ NML client interface is not available.'' * ''RCS Posemath Library'' : A library of classes for representing positions, rotations, and translations in a variety of coordinate systems and the functions to add/subtract/multiply/divide/convert them. For more info on posemath you may also want to check out: Karl Murphy's Posemath Examples * ''RCS Library Lower Level Utilities'' : Describes many of the lower level utilities used to create the NODE, CMS, and NML components of the RCS Library but which may be useful on their own. Includes timers, semaphores, linked-lists, printing, and windows functions. * ''RCS Library Installation Instructions'' : Provides instructions for getting and making the RCS Library. * ''RCS Library Version Functions'' : Documentation for some functions for determining at run-time which version of the RCS library your using.

RCS applications

* Robocrane - RCS controlled a crane having six

degrees of freedom In many scientific fields, the degrees of freedom of a system is the number of parameters of the system that may vary independently. For example, a point in the plane has two degrees of freedom for translation: its two coordinates; a non-infinite ...

. It incorporated tactile, proximity and vision

sensors A sensor is often defined as a device that receives and responds to a signal or stimulus. The stimulus is the quantity, property, or condition that is sensed and converted into electrical signal. In the broadest definition, a sensor is a devi ...

. * Next Generation Inspection System - RCS controlled a Coordinate Measuring Machine, with sensors including analog touch probes, video camera, and

laser rangefinder A laser rangefinder, also known as a laser telemeter or laser distance meter, is a rangefinder that uses a laser beam to determine the distance to an object. The most common form of laser rangefinder operates on the time of flight principle by ...

. *Intelligent Autonomous Vehicles - RCS controlled a group of autonomous vehicles, at a high level coordinating their movements, and a low level controlling their steering, throttle and brakes. Sensors included an

Inertial navigation system An inertial navigation system (INS; also inertial guidance system, inertial instrument) is a navigation device that uses motion sensors (accelerometers), rotation sensors (gyroscopes) and a computer to continuously calculate by dead reckoning th ...

and

differential GPS Differential Global Positioning Systems (DGPSs) supplement and enhance the positional data available from global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs). A DGPS can increase accuracy of positional data by about a thousandfold, from approximately to ...

. * Enhanced Machine Controller, or EMC - an NIST research project in CNC software that uses RCS.

References

External links

RCS Overview

NIST Real-Time Control Systems (RCS) Library: Tools for Control System Development

RCS software library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Real-Time Control System Software Control engineering Control System Software

Introduction

RCS applications

See also

References

Further reading

External links