Framework for Developing Real-time Mobile Robotic Applications Based on Behavioural Models

In complex real-time control systems such as autonomous mobile robotic systems, the use of development tools for the design, analysis and validation of robotic applications is highly desirable, specially to improve the robot performances and to avoid early software and hardware design faults. This paper presents a framework for developing real-time mobile robotic applications. The main feature of the environment is that it permits the integrated analysis and validation of the functional behaviour of the robot (i.e. robot carrying out its plans) and the guarantee of the temporal constraints of the system processes (i.e. reactive and deliberative process execution). The verification of the correctness of the functional requirements is supported by means of a robot simulation tool that reflects the progress of the system at the application level. Likewise, a temporal analysis tool, based on scheduling analytical techniques, guarantees the schedulability of the system load at the execution level. The usefulness of the development tool is shown through design examples applied to mobile robotic applications. Copyright © 2002