KUKA Controls, a leading developer of real-time operating system software, announced a program to certify component compatibility for running Windows XP and either Wind River VxWorks or Windows CE concurrently on a single processor. While customers have run many applications using the Kuka Controls extensions that facilitate the coexistence and high performance of these operating systems on a single processor, developers on new projects will benefit from the new Certification Program as it will simplify hardware and ancillary software selection.

With CeWin®, the Windows® CE real-time operating system runs concurrently with Windows® XP on just one CPU. With its sister product VxWin®, the VxWorks® operating system takes on the corresponding real-time role. This creates a very powerful and fast system, which can perform demanding real-time and connectivity tasks. Communication between the operating systems is realized either via a virtual network with TCP/IP or by accessing a shared memory area. With help of the virtual network, common protocols such as OPC, ftp, DCOM, CORBA and SOAP can also be used for communication between the systems.

The cost savings realized by the concurrent operation on a single system come about as the developer doesn't need a second system for the high-end visualization or HMI. The nonproprietary extensions, CeWin® and VxWin®, do not inhibit the performance of either OS and the well-known Wind River and Windows development tools speed the development process. The Component Certification program will further speed the development time for new systems by identifying the software and hardware components that deliver the maximum performance for the combined OSes.

KUKA Controls will be testing relevant components and modules together with their manufacturers for compatibility with the KUKA Controls real-time extensions CeWin® and VxWin®. The goal is to establish a pool of certified hardware from which customers can optionally choose components according to their requirements. The first certification of the Program was granted to Woodhead Industries Inc. for its product family of applicomIO® cards for automation including certified field bus cards.

ApplicomIO® cards running under CeWin® and VxWin®, are especially suitable for automation solutions in need of high transfer rates between the device bus and the application, e.g. for PC Based Control, visualization or manufacturer specific applications under real-time conditions. The combination of CeWin®, VxWin® and applicomIO® products meet two decisive requirements: to visualize under Windows® XP and to control with a real-time operating system on a single PC.

Via a standard programming interface within the applicomIO® software, the application can access all applicomIO®-supported protocols and device formats. Up to eight cards with different protocols can be operated simultaneously in one PC. For software interfaces, development libraries (DLL), OPC servers, Wonderware I/O servers (DDE and SuitLink) and an ActiveX Control for programming tools such as Visual Basic are included in the package. Configuration and diagnosis of all applicomIO® modules can be performed through the applicom console.

The applicomIO® field bus cards are available in PC/104, PCI and CompactPCI for PROFIBUS DP, CANopen, DeviceNet, Interbus and MODBUS TCP/IP.

Specifically for use in OEM projects, applicomIO® products have numerous auxiliary functions such as an application watchdog, flash memory for auto- booting, network diagnosis tools and remote configurations.


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