An application for real-time control over the TCP/UDP/IP/Ethernet protocol

The TCP/UDP/IP/Ethernet protocol is typically used in systems that are not time critical. This protocol lacks determinism and does not guarantee the transmission times of messages over a network. Real-time control systems require protocols that guarantee hard deadlines. Any missed deadlines could lead to catastrophic results. The advantages of TCP/UDP/IP/Ethernet come from its role as the de-facto standard for the Internet and LAN networks and its cheap non-proprietary hardware and software that are abundantly available. If used on plant floor real-time applications, companies would be able to gain from maximizing the return on their existing investments. This dissertation develops an application that would utilize the TCP/UDP/IP/Ethernet protocol in a real-time control environment while overcoming its non-determinism, using a bandwidth allocation scheme. It focuses on developing a new bandwidth allocation method for improving the worst case response times for asynchronous messages. The new algorithm called Dynamic Extended Rate Monotonic Multicycle (DERMM) improves upon previous algorithms by efficiently utilizing unused synchronous time slots and fractional slots of idle time in servicing asynchronous messages.