Framework for industrial embedded system product development and management

Abstract

Industrial machines like cranes have very long lifetime and high safety and reliability requirements. Embedded systems including HW boards and SW stacks are used to control the machines. The challenge is how to manage several different HW/SW combinations and versions over the life cycle. This paper presents recent development on the workflow and tools for our Programmable Control and Communication Platform (PCCP). The cornerstone is Yocto Project, which handles building Linux-based control SW and includes a new layer for PCCP. Setting up the new workflow took 180 person hours excluding initial studying and training. After deployment, typical changes in HW and SW configurations take only hours and the quality of the process is significantly improved. Based on this work, PCCP can be upgraded in a controlled way during its life cycle by 2026.