Madrid, December 2018
Renesas Electronics Corporation has chosen eProsima Micro XRCE-DDS (Data-Distribution Service for Extremely Resource Constrained Environments) for their RX65N MCUs (Microcontrollers).
eProsima Micro XRCE-DDS description and features
eProsima Micro XRCE-DDS implements a client-server protocol to enable resource-constrained devices (clients) to take part in DDS communications. eProsima Micro XRCE-DDS Agent (server) makes possible this communication. Micro XRCE-DDS Agent acts on behalf of the Micro XRCE-DDS Clients and enables them to take part as DDS publishers and/or subscribers in the DDS Global Data Space. Micro XRCE-DDS provides both, a plug and play Micro XRCE-DDS Agent and an API layer, which allows you to implement your Micro XRCE-DDS Clients.
eProsima Micro XRCE-DDS provides some interesting features:
- Resilience to recurrent connection-disconnection of clients. Support for sleep cycles.
- Client side with no dynamic memory allocations.
- Client reduced memory footprint.
- Modular transports between client and agent.
- Reliable or best effort communications.
- Usage of DDS QoS.
Renesas’ support of the DDS-XRCE framework
Renesas’ support of the DDS-XRCE framework enables the development of software that controls the sensors and actuators that will be embedded at robotics system endpoints, such as welfare, safe guard, reception, cleaning, household robots, and other robotics endpoints. Renesas RX5N MCU is an excellent option to simplify the integration of sensors and actuators and comply with upcoming protocol standards for ROS 2 communication.
GR-ROSE is based on Renesas’ RX65N, RX651 MCUs. The RX65N MCUs include an integrated Trusted Secure IP, enhanced, trusted flash functionality, and a human-machine interface (HMI) for industrial and network control systems operating at the edge of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
This software integrates eProsima Micro-XRCE-DDS Client and communicates with the Micro-XRCE-DDS Agent. It is implemented at the top of the AWS FreeRTOS™ and has room for other embedded applications to run.
- Interface that can attach serial servo and sensor.
- Acceleration / angular velocity 6 axis sensor is mounted in the middle of the board.
- Arduino Programmable. Easy program writing with USB storage.
- RX65N with a microcomputer. 34 RXv 2 core that realizes CoreMark / mA power efficiency
The RX65N MCUs also include an embedded TFT controller and integrated 2D graphics accelerator with advanced features ideal for TFT displays designed into IIoT edge devices or system control applications. In addition, the RX65N MCUs include embedded communication-processing peripherals such as Ethernet, USB, CAN, SD host/slave interface, and quad SPI.
These chips family are commonly used on the following uses cases:
- Security (Housing equipment).
- Metering (Housing equipment).
- Security (Building management: Office).
- Security
- Metering (City).
- Connectivity (Wired).
- Motor Control.
- Human Interface.
eProsima Micro XRCE-DDS on Industrial environments
There is an increasing interest in bringing ROS 2 to embedded systems. Currently, multiple initiatives are chasing this. Part of the effort follows a similar pattern using DDS-XRCE to enable communication between embedded devices and a DDS global data space.
DDS-XRCE provides a native communication between ROS 2 and embedded systems. It is possible as ROS 2 uses DDS as default protocol and DDS-XRCE is a protocol to communicate microcontrollers with DDS. This new protocol between microcontrollers and DDS simplifies the implementation, usage and integration of MCUs in the ROS 2 system.
Currently, the most used implementation of DDS-XRCE is eProsima Micro XRCE-DDS. eProsima Micro XRCE-DDS is being used in some real applications by prestigious companies, for example Renesas and Robotics. Additionally, it is the basis of growing community efforts to improve the existing solutions in this field and forms parts of important projects as micro-ROS.
Potential use cases
We can easily integrate sensing capabilities with ROS 2, therefore this kind of MCUs described above could be used in the asset tracking cases. Assets tracking allows to monitor the assets, including whole supply chain. They could be used as well to monitor the refrigerated containers or assets, raising alarms and actions on thresholds violations.
Directly related with IIoT, this technology can be used in predictive maintenance industry and for status tracking and processing. The incoming signals from the equipment show data about its capacity and status. Having this information, it is possible to predict and decide when the maintenance of different equipment should be done.
More Information about eProsima Micro XRCE-DDS:
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